Rating: 
Summary: A ridiculous farce with no point.
Review: As I watched this movie the one thing that kept tugging at the back of my mind was, "What happened to the great art of film making?" The makers of this film obviously thought it would be fun to throw some "spectacular" (which basically means that they could have used some heavy improvement) special effects in with a ridiculous plot and hope to draw a crowd. They got their wish but the movie lacks so much. The plot is far too complicated and though, perhaps easy to understand, go nowhere. There are too many things going on at once, and the FX simply get in the way of the action. They distract from what seems to be the main point of the movie. On top of everything else, the casting was done very irresponsibly. Keanu Reeves is incredibly hard to take seriously ever since his fantastic outings as Ted in the Bill and Ted movies. He's not an action star; he can't get away with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning and Original
Review: As of this writing, this DVD has over 2000 reviews. This, more then anything, tells you how popular it is, even with Keanu Reeves, one of my least favorite actors. I assume you are probably already familiar with the story so I will only discuss the story, briefly. I will spend more time, however, talking about the DVD features. The story itself is about a group of people hooked up to a super virtual reality machine. These people, from birth, are hooked into this machine, called the "Matrix", where they live out their lives, never knowing that they are only part of a very sophisticated computer program. This program, designed by sentient, self aware, machines is used to enslave these people. These people stuck in a fantasy world, have their bodies hooked up to machines where they are used as living batteries. From time to time, however, a few of them learn the truth. These people, who learn the truth, are trying to free the rest of humanity from their current condition. With super special effects, great judo/karate stunts, a fast movie story and memorable and interesting characters; this movie moves fast and is a great time. On a deeper level, it does have some contridictions like (1) why would machines who have a "form of fusion" need these living batteries or (2) how does the Oracle, a character who can see the future, see the future. Things like this, and other facts, make this more of a science fantasy, not science fiction movie. This is a small complaint, really just a warning to Science Fiction pursists. I enjoyed it and have seen it many times. Now, for the DVD, critique. Boo. They have special features like a "white rabbit" on my version. Every once in a while, this rabbit shows up on the screen and you can, if you like, push on it and see how that portion of the film was made. I don't want to be shown how this great movie, is just a movie, in the middle of the event. It take the escapism quality away for me. Besides this, the DVD had the standard features most of them have, but which I never use. My advise, buy the DVD, but the one without the Rabbit.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, poor DVD transfer.
Review: As pleased as I was to see Matrix released on DVD I was chagrined to see the trailer was not included as well as the poor menuing system. Compounding all this is a whithering compression ratio - where visual binary info travels across the screen one cannot fail to notice artifacting.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it, and I don't even like sci-fi.
Review: As someone who doesn't generally like action flicks, sci-fi, or Keanu Reeves movies, I was stunned by how great I thought this one was! The script is great, the directing, cinematography, you name it. The only thing I found a little off was the costume design. For a Matrix reality set in the late 1990s, why were people wearing so much black vinyl/leather? That was really my only complaint. The "follow the white rabbit" feature on the DVD is excellent, showing how all the special effects were created. And even though I remain not-a-Keanu-Reeves-fan, I have to admit that he did a very good job in this role, and this movie is a definite winner.
Rating:
Summary: Over-Rated, Self-Indulgent, Over-Hyped & Self-Important
Review: As we fast approach the release of "Matrix: Revolutions" I find myself amazed at the cult-like following this series has attracted, as though this film contains amazing universal truths previously undiscovered by our benighted species. People rave about these movies as though Neo & the gang have ushered them into the intellectual-spiritual light of day. What a load of hooey. Not only has the artificial reality concept been done before (and done to death, mind you) in the science fiction genre, but the concept that life is only a dream has been explored by philosophers, to a depth much more thorough than this film could ever hope to go. In and of itself, being imitative & derivative is hardly a offense unique to "The Matrix." However, this movie compounds its crime by exuding a self-importance that is truly nauseating at times. If the Wachowski brothers truly believe that they are imparting some great existential revelations through this movie, it is only because they have spent too much time reading comic books and not enough time reading the numerous philosophers who have covered this ground many times before. The same can be said, incidentally, for the numerous movie viewers who found themselves blown away by this film's content. The self-importance of this movie reminds me of the comic-book geek subculture that insists that comic books be called "graphic novels." Given the Wachowski brothers' background in the comic book industry, this should hardly be surprising. Sorry folks, but a graphic novel is still just a goddamned comic book with some fancy packaging, and "The Matrix" is just a goddamned kung-fu shoot-em-up movie with a lot of special effects thrown in to distract you from that. And my goodness, does this movie ever revel in its special effects, to the point of almost drowning the audience in them. One has to suspect a movie that resorts to special effects to such an excessive degree is perhaps trying to obscure a storyline that is a bit too weak & derivative. Once you take away all the bells & whistles, what you are left with is a not particularly original or thought-provoking movie that would like you to believe that it is much more deep & important than it truly is. Talk about an artificially-induced reality! This movie self-fulfills its own prophecies more than the Wachowskis ever could have realized.
Rating:
Summary: Elegant Movie
Review: As you have probably guessed by the title of this review, I am not a 15 year old boy. Although there are aspects of this movies that I can certainly grasp as being quite as appealing to a teenaged kid as to me, I am an adult and to prove it, here is a fact: I watched "Bladerunner" the FIRST time it came out. "The Matrix" has the same kind of sensibility. What I am trying to say is that in both cases the viewer must accept a complete vision of a world that has been captured extremely stylishly by the directors. This has been sucessfully done in both cases, in my opinion, and if you are a sci fi freak, or even just a regular movie lover, make room for this unusally smoothly directed and acted video in your library. If you are female, Keanu Reeves will get you through the few slow parts(even when he has the really short hair), and if you are male, you'd have to be nuts not to find Carrie-Anne Moss appealing in her vinyl full body suit. As a team, they are great when they set off to rescue Laurence Fishburne. No holds barred, a terrific scene. Great pacing, high level of excitement. So buy it. It is really awesomely COOL, dudes!
Rating:
Summary: Bullet Time
Review: As you spiral around two enemies floating in mid-air, arms jabbing and legs adrift, bullets fly just inches above their heads as they empty the chambers of their menacing pistols. The matrix dazzles you with awesome special effects. A relatively new effect known as "Bullet-time" never slacks for the imagination. What is The Matrix? ... If you have a subwoofer BEWARE: even though while in the gun battle you will be tempted to crank it up till deafness, it is possible to shatter your woofer into a thousand fragmented pieces. Completely Rocks. {I believe its chapter 29}. Get the must have dvd for your collection. Use it up. Wear it out. Good Wachowski's...Good boys...
Rating:
Summary: ¿The Matrix: A Movie Spawned by Philosophical Excellence¿
Review: As you watch films like The Matrix you can begin to see many thematic elements hatched from previous stories. Like many movies The Matrix was put together using other pieces of literature. Three noticeable story comparisons are present in The Matrix. Alice in Wonderland is referred to directly in the movie as "Neo", the character played by Keanu Reeves is led into a new, world that is unknown to him. The story in The Matrix is actually tied closer to an ancient piece of philosophical literature. The Allegory of the Cave by Plato is a perfect match with the design for the "Matrix." The basis of The Allegory of the Cave is that man inside the cave believes all that he sees inside the cave is real. It is only until man discovers that he has been confined that he realizes the truth one step at a time. The things that he sees are shadows or variations of reality. Man sees what is making these illusions and then recognizes what the real world is. In the "Matrix" the people live out their normal lives thinking everything is real that they see. In reality the people are barely alive and are lead into a false life by A.I. Their minds' are programmed to believe that they live a normal life while in actuality they are trapped in a world controlled by machines. The Matrix seems basically to be a modernized version of this classic piece of philosophical genius.
In comparison, the fantasy world created by the computers represents the cave. The cave is more detailed and modernized in this wonderful piece of Sci-Fi art. When watching the movie the transitions between the "Matrix" and the real world are so drastic that we, the audience are left in utter and complete amazement of the outcome. The Wakowski Brothers have ingeniously taken this wonderful philosophical story and rejuvenated it. Even though The Allegory of the Cave only gives The Matrix a setting and outline with room for growth it still plays a major role in the movie.
The audience begins to see evidence of the "Matrix's" unreality, as the movie uses visual and audible clues that give the knowledge that the world "Neo" lives in is in fact falsely generated. As "Neo" answers his call from "Morpheus", played by Laurence Fishburne, you can hear a sort of computer static in the ring of the phone. Then as the wind blows the phone from his grasp on the side of skyscraper, the phone visually slows down and resumes its descent at a regular pace.
This eye candy is used throughout the entire movie. Things are depicted in slow motion to the viewer to symbolize that they are moving with incredible quickness. This quickness is only shown by people who are aware of the "Matrix" and the rules of the "Matrix". The "Matrix" being a computer generated world has its rules, but like most computer programs these rules can be bent or even broken. All that is needed is the open mind and knowledge that the impossible is possible.
The Matrix uses much philosophy in its structure as a movie. Many of the ideas in the movies were taken directly from the thoughts of philosophers. For example, "Morpheus" explains that when you die in the "Matrix" you die in the real world. This is because the "Matrix" stimulates your mind to make you believe everything is real. If you die in the "Matrix" your mind dies, and your body cannot exist without your mind. This argument was made by the famous philosopher Descartes, who believes that a person is made up of two separate parts; one part body and one part mind.
I highly recommend watching The Matrix as it not only dazzles the mind with its special effects, but it expands ones mind with new enlightened thoughts. I cannot imagine a better way of showing the work of Plato to the modern world. The acting is amazingly surprising as Keanu Reeves gives his best performance in this milestone of philosophical theater art.
Rating:
Summary: Over-rated...
Review: Aside from some amazing special effects this movie was poorly directed, poorly acted and poorly written... it was so bad that no one could even consider it for an Oscar. It's great for high school kids and anyone who watched "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and was blown away by Reeve's performance of a moron.. which wasn't that hard because he plays one in real life. If you like things that look "cool".. you'll enjoy this. It has some pretty neat visual and sound effects.. but in the end.. it's all "eye candy" and a stupid story that doesn't make a bit of sense. If you have high standards in great filmwork.. go see something else.
Rating: 
Summary: I'll be hated for writing this!
Review: At a time when Hong Kong has forgotten what made their films great, Hollywood thought they'd try to remind them with The Matrix. Anyone who's seen Iceman Cometh, Dragon From Russia, Saviour of the Soul or countless other Hong Kong classics will be able to pick out scenes re-created in The Matrix. One of the kings of Hong Kong, Yuen Woo Ping, does a good job with the action and the effects are excellent. However, what the film lacks is the real core that made films like Saviour of the Soul great. The mixture of humour, action, suspense and romance simply doesn't click in The Matrix. Everyone is applauding Carrie Ann Moss's character, but Michelle Yeoh combined fighting ability and femininity far better in Royal Warriors or Project S. The Matrix is visually terrific, but as cold as ice.
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