Rating: Summary: Best gunplay. Ever. Review: The Matrix, as other reviers will attest to, is a slick cyberpunk thriller set in a dismal world. However, there is one thing that must be noted, above all. No, it is not the coolness of bullet-time, though that is cool. It's not the martial arts, though they are well coreographed. And it's certainly not Reves acting. The best part of the Matrix is described in one word: Lobby.If you haven't seen the Matrix yet, I won't spoil the plot for you. However, I will just breifly describe the scene I'm refering too. In it, Neo (Reeves) enters the lobby for a high security building, of purpose unknown, and steps through a metal detector. It beeps. One of the guards walks up to him and asks him to for his keys, change... Reeves opens his trenchcoat and exposes his hardware (and no, that's not a sexual pun): about twenty assault weapons. He pushes the guard... That is the start for what is the lynchpin, the strongest scene of the film. Take out the Lobby, and you still have a fair movie. But it's missing something. The Lobby scene is easily the best gunfight ever recorded on film. The tiles of the floor shatter beautifully as Neo flips around, unscathed. And at the end, where Trinity (Moss) grabbs the bag and heads towards the elevator before the last gun can hit the scarred floor... That, more then anything else, makes me crave the Reload.
Rating: Summary: Don't Forget To Take Your Red Pill Review: The MATRIX is one of those movies that, based on the theatrical trailer, I didn't quite no what to think about the movie. I was intrigued enough to buy my ticket and see what it was all about. In the end, as almost everyone knows, the film turned out to be one of the provocative science fiction films ever produced. Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is drawn into a new reality, where, nothing is as it seems. He is told by a being called Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), that the real world is an illusion, and that the deception is being fostered by all powerfull machines, that control our true destiny, that we must now fight for, to reclaim. The MATRIX is what I like to call, smart sci-fi, that doesn't "dumb down" its audience. Sure, there's plenty of action, and cool visuals, but all of this eye candy is backed up by an interesting premise. Written & Directed by the Wachowski Brothers, the film is a feast for the eyes and the mind, that will leave you wanting more. I can't wait for the second and third films in this trilogy to come out. When I bought my first DVD player some 3 and a half years ago, the MATRIX, was among the first discs that I purchased. The disc is packed with extras. There's so much bonus material that it took me quite a bit of time to go through it all. It is one of the most comprehensive discs available. Aside from everything that you might expect, in the way of extras, there are "hidden" features as well. If that weren't enough, there's also a wealth of DVD-ROM content on this disc, for you to enjoy ***** stars
Rating: Summary: Whats wrong with you people? Review: I really can't understand why everyone loves this movie so much? It's got lots of interestingly photographed violence, yes. But that's it. The story is nothing more than a "Dark City" but with dumb dialogue; and actually it's not even that good. It's got about 5 plot holes, the most obvious being the scene where Reeves shoots all those security guards for no particular reason. Could he not have zapped himself to the top floor? Or even into the room where Fishburn was being held hostage. It's not like that would have been less safe. Secondly, the special effects are taken right out of the opening of the howard stern show, (flow-mo anyone?) as well as from the earliest stages of film history, i.e. Eadweard Maybridge. The acting is inconsistent at best, and the directing although stylish is obvioulsy amatuerish in it's ability to tell a coherent and clever story. It's like film-school students with a really big budget, who like HR Giger a lot. Lets face it people, there is no real creativity here, and if you're gonna' rave about a movie to this extent than make sure it's a movie worth raving about. In conclusion: I'm assuming that just about everyone in america and their foriegn uncle has seen this movie by now, so i'll just say, if you haven't bought and are thinking of doing so, go rent it then make your decision. ...
Rating: Summary: What is real? Review: "The Matrix" definitely asks that question. I had the chance of seeing it in theaters, and let me tell you that it was one of the mose riveting movie experiences I've had in a long time. "The Matrix" follows the story of Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), who goes by the alias of 'Neo' by night, when he works as a computer hacker. His life is turned upside down when he meets Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), two people who reveal a secret so stunning that Neo is unable to believe. From there on it's a complete and awesome thrill ride. The special effects, camerawork, and editing are all top notch. "The Matrix" plays with your mind at every turn, and hopefully everyone will like it.
Rating: Summary: WHY CANT ALL MOVIES BE THIS GOOD? Review: it makes me MAD MAD MAD to hear people say "it just copies evry kung-foo movie and they stole a lot from Jon Woo and there isnt any plot and the characters cant act ECT....."...Excuse me, but iff all plots were this thought-provoking and all the special effects were this good, and all the acting so well done, then every movie would get 6/5 ratings! in the first scene with Trinity, I was like "Who's the good guy and whos bad?" and i still wasnt clear or that until the Sceene where Neo is being interigated. Most peoplesay " I had to watch it a couple times before i understood it." I understood it the first time through. But after seeing it a second and third and fouth and six hundred fourty eighth time I have always cought something new! It is amazing! I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE SEQUELS!!!WHOOOWHOOO
Rating: Summary: Supercool... Review: Up until this movie's release, there wasn't much to say for cyberpunk movies. Films like "Johnny Mnemonic," "The Lawnmower Man," "Hackers," and "Menno's Mind" had all ventured into this subgenre of science-fiction, but none had really delved far enough into the realm and most left a disappointing after-effect. Enter the Wachowski Brothers, two talented filmmakers with a love for cyberpunk and kung-fu movies as well as philosophy and romantic themes. They got cyberpunk veteran Keanu Reeves as their main character and found a terrific supporting cast in Joe Pantoliano, Lawrence Fishburne, Cary-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving. Their story was a simple good-vs.-evil plot with the character Neo discovering that he is the one to bring balance to the force... er, I mean he is the one to save humanity. The plot had been seen before, but never like this. The Wachowskis combined stylized visuals with wild kung-fu and gunfights and molded a modern-day classic that has since spawned a new era in filmmaking where computers are as important as the camera. But "The Matrix" was more than just a revolutionary and visionary film, it was also a heckuva movie experience! Moviegoers flocked to this movie and were dumbfounded by the awesome action and quickly-moving storyline. Not only was the film a new step for moviemaking, it was also an incredibly good movie! The film recieved awards for its special-effects, but little was said about its plot or characters, something that is at the heart of this film. "The Matrix" is an excellent film and rates as one of the best in the past five years.
Rating: Summary: Amazing Parallels Review: In the film the Matrix, there is an amazing amount of parallels between this film and the story of Jesus in the Bible. The most obvious is that Neo represents Jesus. There are many things that happen to Neo that are similar to events that happend to Jesus. The first is that when Neo is rescued from the Matrix and he is in a membrane filled with water, similar to the womb that a baby spends the first 9 months of its life in. The action of Neo breaking out and sliding down a tube into the 'real world' is similar to a baby being born, which represents the spiritual rebirth of a person when the accept Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Another event that parallels Jesus' training in the desert, being tempted by Satan is Neo's training against Morpheus in the kung-fu program, preparing the One to do His job. Two other events that parallel occurances in Jesus' life happen near the end of the film, where Neo is shot and killed but then resurrected by the love of Trinity, just as the Trinity's love brings Jesus back from the dead. The final one is right at the end of the movie, when Neo flies up into the air. This is similar to JEsus' ascension into Heaven, and the beginning of the new way of life for Christians. Other characters that parallel Bible characters are: Morpheus, who represents John the Baptist in that He is preparing the way for the One; Cypher, who, like Judas the betrayer, betrays the Saviour to the enemy; and the Oracle, who can represent any of the prophets from the Old Testament who foretold Jesus' coming. I think that anyone who enjoys this film, Christian or not, should read the gospels in the Bible just so they can see the amazing amount of similarities between the two very different stories.
Rating: Summary: An amazing DVD.... but the plot goes deeper!! Review: The matrix is definitely one the of the best movies I have ever seen. The action was amazing, the plot magnificent, and the characters were well suited to their parts and their acting was stupendous. However there is a lot more to this movie than meets the eye. Several days ago when I was watching the movie I was surprised how the story-line of the movie parallels that of the bible. First of all is Neo who would resemble Jesus. Neo is born in the fake world, is "re-born" by 'morpheus', and through his death and resurrection is able to overcome the matrix and defeat the AGENTS(the devil) finalize what he is. Morpheus is like John the Baptist who is in a sense "preparing the way for the ONE". Another similarity I found was the old matrix and EDEN. The old matrix was a perfect place but humans rejected it and were then forced to work and toil for the rest of their lives in misery and pain. I think it is also ironic how Neo kills the main AGENT in the end of the movie. The agent dies with his arms spread out in mockery of Jesus on the cross. I've heard of many other parallels within Christianity and many other religions as well. It just makes you wonder if it was all a giant fluke or if the producer and storywriters of the matrix had something deeper in mind. Just keep that in mind the next time you watch it. Maybe you'll find some other parallels as well.
Rating: Summary: Matrix Moments Review: I watched the Matrix and found some really interesting parallels between the Matrix and some of the stories in the bible. I'm not saying the Matrix is a Christian movie but I had some important scenes in it that were very close to what happened in the bible. Such as, the ones that I found most amazing were how Neo is like Jesus. Throughout the movie he was referred to as "the one" and he had come to "save" the world. In the beginning one of the characters actually said, "You're my savior, my own personal Jesus Christ". What I found really interesting was how Neo had gotten shot but came back to life and saw the world in such different eyes, it was the same when Jesus dies on the cross and he had also came back to life when he had risen. Maybe this is all a coincident but the movie parallels with other people in the bible as well. Such as Morpheus is like John the Baptist, they both have come to prepare the way for the messiah which is Neo/Jesus. They were both mistaken as to being the actual saviors but they insisted that "the on" will be so much better and be able to do things you couldn't imagine! This movie got me thinking about things that I never would when watching this type of movie. It was excellent, and even though people interpret it differently, for me it was the above and for others it may be the action, with or without my interpretation it was an awesome movie!
Rating: Summary: Well, what can you really say? Review: Sure, I'd heard of it when it came out; with all the hype surrounding that movie, you'd have to have been somewhere near the South Pole not to have heard of it. And there were many comments at the time about how fresh and new and inspirational the movie was - but having then seen a few sequences which consisted of nothing more than some seemingly pointless kung-fu stuff mixed with cool special effects, I decided this movie was not for me. Shame... Then I realized that it was playing on television last night, so I decided to sit down and watch it, on the fervent recommendation of a friend of mine. Wow. That's all I could think of when the end credits were playing. Quite apart from the fact that most of the fight sequences were totally cheesy (not helped by the "Men In Black" style outfits they were all wearing) and were so obviously computer generated, the basic premise for the story was something totally new to me. The old 'save mankind from disaster' idea was given a totally new spin here, and some very interesting and thought provocative questions came to my mind as I watched the movie - like for example, given the miserable truth of the 'real' world, why would any person want to be 'freed' ? Personally, I think I would rather have remained enslaved and stayed in the Matrix... as one of the characters says, "ignorance is bliss". On another note, the acting surprised me a lot. I wasn't sure what to expect from a cast led by Keanu Reeves, but the actors were all very fine. Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Ann Moss in particular should be highly commended for their performances, and Reeves himself did a good job of portraying the rather enigmatic Neo. And when all that's considered, one can easily forgive the nearly constant use of special effects - after all, they do add a remarkable atmosphere to the movie, and a little candy for the eyes and ears never hurt anybody. Overall, an extremely pleasant surprise, infinitely superior to the usual blow 'em up action movies around today.
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