Rating: Summary: The Beginning of a Beautiful saga... Review: When I first watched this film and was impressed with it's great detailed artwork, of course that was in 1999 now those kind of graphics are soso compared to some. I had just watched the second film and was disgusted because of the quick change. This movie had fighting yes and it was used at apporpiate times unlike the second movie the fighting was bit of a overkill. I am not sayin that Matrix reloaded is not a bad movie, but it could've had a more in depth plot. This movie contains a great story line and great actors. This movie is rated R for violence and language. I would have given it a rating of PG-13, but I thought that it's rating was appropiate because of kids that are very violent prone. Overall it is a PG-13 movie but you want to keep your little kids (10 and younger) away from it so that they wont be copying stunts and tricks that will provoke them to violent acts. Overall this movie is a 5 star
Rating: Summary: Awesome movie Review: I have seen many reviews on 'The Matrix' that don't discuss what makes it such a kick-ass movie. I don't know if it is because people are too ignorant to see past the kung-fu or it is really that hard to grasp. 'The Matrix' is NOT a remake of any other movie (see some review below) and it is NOT an easy movie to watch and grasp. I believe that this is an underground movie, that appeals to the masses due to the action, because unless you really sit down and turn on the subtitles, you miss what makes 'The Matrix' so awesome. People have said to me before that the first hour sucks because there isn't much action but in all truth, it is the first hour that contains the philosophical elements, biblical allusions, and backgorunds that leave you totally awestruck. I have also seen reviews that say the acting sucked, which is total bull, because many have played their best roles to date in this movie. All in all, please don't watch this movie unless you want a deep, thought-provoking movie, because if you sit down to see the action, you miss the parts of the movie that took the most work and thought. If you watch it with an open mind, you will become transfixed like I was in the thought that went into the screenplay and cinematics. Once you understand what i am talking about, the movie will make sense, and so will the fact that the Wachowski brothers have created a masterpiece that should rank in the top ten in our movie libraries for a long time. Don't forget to listen to the commentaries, watch the extras, 'take the red pills,' and follow the White Rabbit. "I can only show you the door, you must open it for yourself." -Morpheus
Rating: Summary: Heidegger on amphetimes Review: A hero called the One. His girlfriend, Trinity. And they are lead by a dreamer, Morpheus. THESE GUYS MEAN BUSINESS and YOU ARE THERE. (More when Matrix 3 is out.) This really is Mr. Sothoth's last review.
Rating: Summary: Who knows? Review: I think I have discussed this at length elsewhere, but I think this is an ideal forum for mentioning that I have never so far watched the Matrix without falling asleep. This is surprising for me, because I've always been a fan of science fiction (until I got married), and in principle, this should have been absolutely riveting. However, there are very compelling reasons why this should have happened. Firstly, there may have been some after effects of the wrestling sessions I was having at the local gym just before I saw each screening - and secondly, there may have been secret subliminal messages transmitted during the film. I'm still checking my body for unexpected metallic objects/implants. Also for cuts, bruises, and sprains from the wrestling. Any comments or offers?
Rating: Summary: THE MATRIX Review: THE BEST MOVIE EVER I WOULD GIVE IT 5 STARS IT'S THE BEST MOVIE
Rating: Summary: One of the truly amazing science-fiction accomplishments Review: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." These revealing words spoken by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) touch just the very tip of the enormous iceberg that is "The Matrix". Released in early 1999 without much fanfare, but with surprisingly high number of positive critical reviews, "The Matrix" became a science fiction and cinematic juggernaut not seen since the days of the original "Star Wars". It produced a mind-bending story dealing with a fascinating take on reality. It also revolutionized the movie industry through its use of mind-numbing, computer-generated, special effects including the now-famous stop-motion technique known as 'bullet time'. In the same manner by which George Lucas redefined the special effects industry with "Star Wars" in 1977, which created an influence which has been seen in countless movies in the quarter-century since, the Wachowski brothers did the same following "The Matrix". The 'bullet time' technique has been borrowed, ripped-off, and parodied in so many forms in the past four years, one forgets that it was only four years ago that this was introduced to the masses.
The premise of "The Matrix", for anyone who has been living under a rock since 1999, can be derived from the very quote at beginning of this review. It posits the notion that the world we see and live in is not the true reality. Instead, it is a computer-generated 'virtual reality' designed to make the human mind believe it is living a normal life when, in truth, they are simply crops to be harvested for energy by a vicious race of machines who took control of Earth some 200 years earlier. The very method by which the machines keep humans in bondage is also the means by which many of the humans strike back to reclaim humanity's domain over the world. It is called The Matrix. A cranial connection into this elaborate computer system is what enables the machines to control the human mind. It is also how the few bands of rogue humans who have managed to escape the system will free other humans and seek to bring about the machines' destruction. Operating on the theory of 'nature always finds a way', a few anomalies among humans realized that the Matrix wasn't real, broke free, and began the struggle to free all humans connected to the system. The leader of one of these rogue groups, Morpheus, believes he is destined to find 'The One', the individual who will be able fight the machines and defeat them. He believes this 'One' is Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), better known as Neo. He believes that Neo will be the one who can defeat the machines and their 'Agent' programs in the Matrix where so many before him failed.
There is a definite mentor-student relationship that takes place between Morpheus and Neo, as well as all the obligatory training and education scenes as Neo comes to understand what reality is. Where this might seem perfunctory in other movies, in "The Matrix" it is amazing as each new path inspires a sense of awe in the viewer. Some believe this movie has no plot or a convoluted one. In truth, it is a plot with such depth that this movie has developed an almost religious following among its fans and in-depth analysis among academics and philosophers. There is not one frame of wasted film throughout the entire movie. Each character has a defined purpose and each one fits perfectly into the overall story arc. In addition to Morpheus and Neo, there is the tough, yet vulnerable Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) and the Judas-like Cypher (a slimy Joe Pantoliano). "The Matrix" also introduces the audience to one of the best cinematic villains to come along since Arnold Schwarzenneger's Terminator and "Star Wars" Darth Vader. It is one of the 'Agent' programs designed to eliminate the threat posed by these humans. He is called Agent Smith and he is played with such frightening menace by actor Hugo Weaving. Seemingly indestructable and definitely unpredictable, Agent Smith provokes the greatest fear among the brave band who do battle inside the Matrix.
The beauty of "The Matrix" is that it is still as strong four years later as it was when it was first released. The phenomenal success of this film led the Wachowskis to create trilogy out of this story. It has the power and potential to be as strong a remembered as fondly as the original "Star Wars" trilogy. To be able to be there at the beginning of such an amazing story now lets me understand how audiences felt in 1977 when they saw "Star Wars" for the first time.
Rating: Summary: Good, but stick to the Original Review: This a descent movie, and one of the few "remakes" that actually gives the original a run for its money. This movie is obviously based on "Dark City." "The Matrix" has more special effects than "Dark City," but the plot is basically the same. A man learns that the life he has known is a farce and that the entire world is being run by a higher sentenance. As he learns more and more about the world, he is being hunted by those that want to keep the status quo. While "The Matrix" stands on its own two legs, so to speak, the legs are different than the original. "The Matrix" leans heavily on spectacular effects and a decent plot, "Dark City" relies on strong acting and plotline. "The Matrix" is a great movie that you don't have to think very hard to follow, and "Dark City" is a superb movie you have to pay close attention to in order to follow. I recommend both with "Dark City ranked as a "5."
Rating: Summary: A movie can be fun without being "mind-blowing" Review: BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING ELSE: I LIKED THIS MOVIE A LOT. "The Matrix" follows a young computer programmer named Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves). He is searching for something in his life, although he does not know what. He is contacted by a mysterious man named Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) who tells him that the world is not exactly what it seems to be... Honestly, people. I'm ashamed. Half of the reviews here praise this movie for being "revolutionary," "mind-blowing," and "visionary." Yeah, it's a good movie (though Keanu needs to go to acting school), but ITS JUST A FUN ACTION MOVIE WITH SOME COOL IDEAS. You must consider, though, (although I have not seen much of the other stuff that people say it borrows from) that the idea is not exactly original. Even if it is, I don't see how it is "mind-blowing." It sure didn't change the way I think. The other half of the reviews keep on saying that the plot had holes, the acting was awful, and the FX were overrated. First of all, the FX were awesome. Second, yeah, Keanu can't act, yeah, the lines were cliched, but nobody was expecting Lawrence Olivier or Shakespeare anyway. Finally, the plot may be full of holes, but can't you just stop being the nitpickers you are (I'm one too) and just try to let yourself have fun with this somewhat intelligent action movie? P.S. I wish the DVD had a better commentary. Although Carrie-Ann and the Editor come in great, the director sounds like he was a hundred feet from the microphone. Can't hear a word that he says.
Rating: Summary: Good Movie Review: The Matrix, at its core is about realization/spiritual growth/ enlightenment, the plot, the action, the acting and the specical effects are all secondary however, they do make for a good movie that appeals to a wide audience.
Rating: Summary: There are no glitches in The Matrix Review: Keanu Reeves plays Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer who plays by the rules, most of the time. But at night, he's a notorious hacker by the name of Neo. And his life changes when the night he's contacted by Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), another legendary hacker who offers to introduce him to Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), a techno-terrorist who Neo has become to idolize. But before he can meet Morpheus, it seems he's also become the attention of what he thinks are federal agents, and things start getting weirder. But it becomes the weirdest when he finally does meet Morpheus. It seems, as Morpheus informs Neo, that the world we live in is a fake. Machines needing human beings to survive have millions of people living in stasis, and while they feed off the energy the bodies produce, they present them with a computer-generated world -- a world that's roughly a hundred years old according to the movie's reality. It's all designed to keep us happy and under control. Morpheus breaks Neo out of the reality, and brings him into the real world -- desolate and destroyed by the war between man and the machines. You see, Morpheus believes Neo is the One, a messianic figure who's destiny is to free all the humans from their fake world, and defeat the machines that enslave them once and for all. The imagry of this movie is fantastic, and completely befitting the world that's created within, especially the computer-generated world that is the Matrix. Neo, Morpheus and Trinity, as well as any of the other freed minds, know that it's all just a computer program, and being a computer program and they hackers, they are no longer limited by its rules -- they can run faster, jump higher, even dodge bullets. But so can the agents, sentinel programs within the Matrix designed to hunt down those who would challenge the programming of the Matrix and potentially free the other prisoners. The angents can become anyone who is still hardwired into the Matrix program, so therefore while Neo, Morpheus and Trinity work to free the world, they also realize that they can't be concerned about the humans they're interacting with, since any of those humans can become agents. No one is to be trusted. Much of the message in The Matrix is about choice and identity -- our world is what we make it. Many will see The Matrix for it's awesome special effects and dazzling visual imagry, completely ignoring that this is a wonderfully intelligent movie and will have you contemplating your own existence -- is this real, or is it the Matrix we're living in?
|