Rating: 
Summary: incredibly boring
Review: I'm all about action movies, and this is nothing like what I thought it would be judging by the preview. I thought there was gonna be action like the matrix. I don't know why people compare it to the matrix, it was about as exciting as watching one of those "mattress giant" commercials. So if you're gonna get this movie, I would also recommend Battlefield Earth and Galaxy Quest.
Rating: 
Summary: Could've been great
Review: It fell apart at the end, it's pre-matrix world vision never fully realized and then trivialized to a love story. But the special efefcts and the attempt are noteworthy.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my all time favorites
Review: This movie is one of my all time favorites. While not widely known, it is fresh, ingenious, well executed and very well cast, particularly Gretchen Moll, whose beauty reminds you of Grace Kelly. There are ideological similarities with the martix, but where that film opted for FX and fluff, this movie opts for substance. I was particularly impressed with the feel of the roaring twenties they created. This movie has longevity and stamina in the same way as "Highlander". You will find yourself rewatching and turning friends on to it as well. A true obscure gem.
Rating: 
Summary: more of a thinker
Review: There have been many "surprise ending" films in the last few years, but just knowing that tends to make a viewer more alert. Unlike most films of this sort, that lay their clues so with such subtlely and you may only pick them up in retrospect, this one allows you to realize the truth as it unfolds before the hero.
While the to story is not deep and you will probably figure it out, at least if you haven't stumbled on it by chance, before the hero does, it does have an interesting point to make "cogito ergo sum."
In terms of the proformance itself, Muellar-Stahl and D'Onofrio are as great as ever. Even Moll shows talent in playing two ( or three ) distinct rolls. While the lead realy is the weakness it may only be in comparison to the strenghths of Muellar-Stahl and D'Onofiro, so give him a chance.
As to the plot itself, it is a typical cyber whodonit. Telling you more would ruin it. There are some films out there better seen with no idea whatsoever about the plot, even if that is only so you can pat yourself on the back if you figure it out at the end. ) In all, I do recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Not so far away
Review: This is a one of the more underesteimated movies, as here in sweden it when to rent-movies directly... Its far more deeper then Matrix, and a much nicer movie then ExistenZ. Also the plot is more real than you might think, as Im a System Developer myself (programmer) and Ive worked on a Massive Online game (where there is a whole world is online and people login to the world) so even that we today don't have the technoligy to Upload a game directly to the brain. but as soon we can iteract with the brain (the first experiments has been successful, by operating a chip to the brain a disabled person has been able to interact on a monitor screen) then we could create simular worlds... Anyhow a great movie!
Rating:
Summary: "The Thirteenth Floor"
Review: The Thirteenth Floor (R) 4/5
Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dennis Haysbert, Armin Mueller-Stahl.
Directed by: Josef Rusnak.
Synopsis: When a designer is murdered a young man must go into the program to discover how and why. What he finds leads him to question reality as we know it.
Special Features: Production Notes, Trailers, Commentaries, Before and After SFX Gallery, Conceptual Art Gallery, Music Video, Talent Files.
Review: When a rich professor and head of a virtual reality game project is murdered his business partner (Bierko) begins an investigation. The police keep interfering, and the partner believes the answer to lie in the game itself, but when he comes out of the game he begins to discover a threat to his own reality. "The Thirteenth Floor" is top notch stuff. Bierko, Mol, D'Onofrio and everybody else is stellar even though most have two parts to play, and yes they each deliver two strong performances. Now that is acting. Most people disliked the ending, but hang me I liked it. The presentation of the game is fantastic as well as all aspects of Rusnak's directing. As for the DVD? There is plenty to get excited about. A fine complement to a fine film.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This is an incredible movie. I absolutely loved its new ideas and brave theories. It made me think, and brought up all sorts of questions. It shouldn't have made me think, because the movie wasn't prepared to answer any of the questions it brought up. I'm not going to give anything away, but the final portion of this movie isn't deserving of the first ( and wonderful ) parts. Just when The Thirteenth Floor is on the threshold ( actually, it goes beyond the threshold ) it goes into a series of...
Horror movie cliches ?
I'd recommend this movie, if only for the first half. It's too bad about the rest of it though. The Thirteenth Floor really could've been something. And it was, at least for a little while.
Rating:
Summary: I rented it; I bought it!
Review: By the time I had seen this film on video, I had already seen the two films it is often compared to, THE MATRIX and DARK CITY, and although I have enjoyed both of these motion pictures on numerous occasions, I still find that I can always watch THE THIRTEEN FLOOR and get drawn back in.
It could very well be that what other reviewers are critical of about this movie is what actually makes me like it all the more; namely that science fiction that makes up a large part of the story line is not so complicated as to overpower the film noir-like quality this movie also possesses. The plot remains simple yet provocative, particularly after one encounters the plot twist near the end of the movie. And it is that plot twist that provides one of the reasons why I slip this DVD of this movie into my player twice as often as I do those other two films..... With The Matrix and with Dark City, I am made to question the reality of the environment I live in; with The Thirteenth Floor, I am forced to examine the very foundation of my own existance. Deep concepts indeed...and from such a simple movie too! Besides that, I loved Fuller's 1937 simulation world, from the slightly sepia cast that colored everything, to the slightly edgy quality of the music in the cabaret (The program, like all computer programs, still had a few bugs in it....).
OK...I will agree that the plot, though simple, still managed to show more depth than any of the characters within it ....and the scene at the very end of the film could have been fleshed out more. BUT with that one star taken away, I still would recommend this movie.... Rent it and see it and find out I mean. Get a copy for your collection when you want to see it again.....I did.
Rating:
Summary: Philsophical Themed Sci-Fi
Review: Ask a philsophical question like "what is real?" and you might be supprised at the answers that you get back. Craig Bierko and Gretchen Mol star in this drama about a company that creates a simulated world, only to find out that they are also simulated themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Best movie since the Matrix
Review: This movie blew me away and left me asking more questions like "How do you know 2024 isn't another simulation?", "Were these simulated worlds used to rehabilitate criminals in the future?", "Were the inhabits of the future playing most all of the roles in the simulated worlds and that is why they claimed to be real and hated characters that would mess up their world?".
I need a second viewing definitely. My wife thought the movie was OK (3 stars) and had a simple answer for the ending. I was about two seconds ahead of the 90's character when he decided to drive off into the desert. I was thinking he should do the same thing at that point and said that to my wife before he did that. Awesome movie I will recommend to everyone, did not expect it to be this great. I will probably buy the DVD. It does lack in extra features.
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