Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss?
Review: OK- the special effects are groundbreaking but people talk about The Matrix SO MUCH for one reason: it is one of those rare pieces of art that will change the way that you look at the world. Period. The movie has provided a clear code for looking at "Reality".This is modern myth making. Concepts like "the matrix" "gatekeepers" and "having your energy vampirized" and "waking up" are so well exemplified in this story and so applicable to THE REAL WORLD TODAY that the timing seems perfect...and planned. Companion reading: Children of the Matrix, by David Icke. See how far the rabbit hole goes...
Rating: 
Summary: A Sci-Fi Thriller
Review: The Matrix is one of the best sci-fi thrillers I've ever seen. It is a movie that does not sacrifice plot for special effects, as is the case with films loke Lost in Space. The storyline concerns a man named Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) who finds himself hunted down by the Agents, minions of the ruling Agent (Hugo Weaving). He is advised by a mysterious man whom Thomas has never met before to attempt escape as quickly as possible. After being captured in the attempt, Thomas is briefly interrogated, then released. He finally meets Morpheus (Lawrence Kasdan) who is the man who had been advising Thomas. He grants access to the Matrix, a world that possesses total control over Earth. Morpheus is captain of a space ship inside the Matrix. He believes that Thomas is the Chosen One, the One who would defeat the Matrix and liberate Planet Earth from the controlling grasp of the Matrix dimension . . . The Matrix is a visual feast for the eyes, a special effects extravaganza, which is most noticable in the heavy combat scenes. But there is also a good storyline. The film also seems to be trying to make a point. The body cannot live without the mind. The film gets that message across clearly. It also seeks to answer the big question, what is reality? It gives the viewer a lot to think about. All this in an awesome sci-fi setting. An awesome movie. Why the missing star? Because some actors are not as convincing in their roles as others are. 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Very over-rated
Review: Everyone thinks that this is the best movie ever made, but I think it is terribly over-rated, even for a sci-fi. This is a movie for people, most likely high school kids, who just want to see something "cool" or "awesome," caring only for action. Parts of it are entertaining if I happen to be watching it (which is rare), but when I'm not watching it I feel like I'm missing nothing and have little desire to watch it. It had some good special affects and martial arts scenes, but it lacked in story and character development. There is virtually no originality to the storyline at all. This movie almost directly ripped off Dark City, borrowed from Terminator, and any other movie relating to a nuclear war torn future and people being controlled. All of the sudden a savior, some kid (Keanu Reeves), is going to save everyone. Gimme a break..........
I wouldn't even recommend this movie for action. There are movies with much more exciting, furious, and fast-paced action than this. As I said before, this movie is only for people who want to see something "cool" or "awesome." I think this movie is only meant to be eye-popping action (for me it doesn't even succeed at that), but if you can see beyond that, there's not much else there; it is a very bland movie. My advice, if you want to see a good sci-fi movie, watch Dark City, and if you want to see a good action movie, watch Face/Off.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy and Bullets
Review: This is the thinking person's action thriller. A high degree of education and cultural literacy helps a great deal, as does an appriciation for action-packed violence. For a real trip, wait until the screen says "Tracing Call" and then turn off the sound while turning on Miranda Sex Garden's "Fairytails of Slavery." If you have the DVD version, time it so the music starts exactly 50 seconds into the movie. Make sure the CD player is set on Loop. You will find many strange synchronicities. It's more fun than "Dark Side of Oz."
Rating:
Summary: Exciting
Review: The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburne is the absolute epitome of "the" science fiction thriller. Neo (Reeves) is the reigning computer hacker in search of what is called the Matrix. He has been trying to make contact with a man by the name of Morpheus (Fishburne) to get clarity on the search. What Neo discovers, however, is that the Matrix is something that he was always a product of and never knew it. It is not until he is "unplugged" that he discovers he has been living in a dream world. He uncovers the gruesome truth that the Matrix was plugged into his brain and was sending images to make him believe that life existed as it was. He then becomes a superhuman machine with all sorts of sensational abilities and powers after adapting to a "new" system that was not based on rules. This is an exciting film with superb action sequences. The martial arts in this movie are absolutely explosive! I must reiterate that this film is "the" empitome of a classic science fiction thriller. It takes our fantasy to a higher level with pure ecstasy as its climax. The Matrix should secure a slot in everyone's DVD collection. Pure excitement! Kudos!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Few Movies That Survived Reeves's Bad Acting
Review: Interesting premise, well executed. Of course, if you don't know about THE MATRIX by now, you've probably been living in a cave, so we don't need to get into it. However ... While it's not the end all of science fiction films, it is entertaining, thoughtful when it has to be, and, as I already said, entertaining. It does what a movie should: keeps you interested. And, it is one of the few films that has managed to survive Keanu Reeves's bad acting intact, and that says a lot.
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: Dances with bullets
Review: This is a brilliant film in some ways. It is also a deeply disturbing film in other ways. It is brilliant in the technical execution, the pacing, the atmosphere and tension it creates. It is deeply disturbing in the way it blends religion, violence, reality and fiction. Most of the fascination of this film comes from the American myths it employs to capture the audience. There is the fight for freedom from suppression (what the American Revolution was all about), there is the individual who fights for self-actualization (the self-made man), there is the savior who defeats the empire of evil (the Christian motif), there is romantic love as individual fate (the Hollywood myth). Engrossed as we are, watching these myths unfold in a new story, we do not realize that we enter a matrix of our own making. It is right there in front of us on the screen, or rather, in our heads. "The Matrix" shows us a world that we are supposed to take for real while we are watching. Without our knowing it, we tend to accept the values and myths promoted by the film. That is no problem as far as quintessentially American myths are concerned. But the film also promotes violence as an attractive and appropriate means for solving problems. And not only that. In my opinion, the film also asks us to believe that a savior has the right to kill in order to liberate other people from their wrong beliefs. The disturbing part about this thought is that radicals of all hues (Muslim radicals, Christian radicals, Hindu radicals, Fascists, Communists, you name them) think the same - "a savior has the right to kill in order to liberate other people from their wrong beliefs." Bob Herbert, a columnist in the New York Times, recently wrote an article about violence in America from which I would like to quote a few lines: "The nation is saturated with violence. Thousands upon thousands of murders are committed each year. There are more than 200 million guns in circulation. Murder is so routine, including the killing of children, it doesn't even warrant serious news coverage in most cases. We don't know what to do about all this violence. We don't know how to process it. We don't even know how to cover it. We sensationalize it, glamorize it, eroticize it. We are fascinated, not by the victims (or by the people with serious ideas about how we might prevent some of this violence) but by the killers." As much as I admire "The Matrix" as a film, I think the message it conveys and the beauty of its slow-motion killing scenes contribute to the problem of violence in America. If anything, this film glamorizes violence. And to top it all, it presents the man who fires bullets so skilfully as a savior in the Christian vein: "Neo", the "new man", "The One", reborn after having been shot dead, rising to the skies to liberate us all.
Rating: 
Summary: "Why, oh why, didn't I take the blue pill?"
Review: I would've chosen the blue pill too. The Matrix stars Keanu Reeves (of the Bill and Ted Movies) has a hacker named Neo. Neo gets instructions to "follow the white rabbit" to a bar where he meets a woman. Soon, Neo is in the "Real World" fighting within the matrix. So-so story but excellent action moments.
Rating:
Summary: Bwahahaha!
Review: The 5 stars aren't for the movie but for the ingenius review by Dennis Littrell. I had read the "12 Year old Viewer review" after I posted my own which is right above it, and remember thinking that it was ridiculous and not being sure if this was serious or not. But regardless his latest review is nearly perfect. i just thought i'd give credit where credit is due. :)
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