Rating: 
Summary: SEE THIS MOVIE SEVERAL TIMES!!!!
Review: How can I start....THE MATRIX IS THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY STUNNING MOVIE THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! Yes, believe the hype..THERE ISN'T ANOTHER MOVIE THAT EVEN COMES CLOSE TO THE BRILLIANT SPECIAL EFFECTS!!! I heard the hype so I went and rented the VHS edition of The Matrix(the DVD was out). I watched it 7 times in the last 3 days. I discovered something new every time I saw it. The first time I watched The Matrix I was so stunned by the special effects that I really didn't follow the story. The second time I watched it I learned a little about the story but was still stunned by the special effects. After watching it 7 times I finally learned that the story is just as brilliant!! I suppose the best way to describe The Matrix is "YOU WILL BE IN AWE!!" And this coming from myself who really doesn't like digital special effects. NO CHEEZY EFFECTS HERE FOLKS!!!! I ordered the DVD version of The Matrix. I can't wait to get it!! If the VHS version is this good- I know that the DVD will be awesome!! BELIEVE IT!! THE MATRIX IS ALREADY A CLASSIC!!! IT IS AS GOOD AS EVERYONE SAYS- BUY IT NOW!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Matrix set the standard
Review: Back when The Matrix was released on DVD, it was THE DVD to own. It is still very impressive, and simply a "must have" in any serious DVD collection. The movie itself is a wonderful meshing of popular culture and religious themes, the acting is superb, and the action is thrilling. As a computer professional, I am particularly drawn into this film, and can't help but love the way that this movie elevates a talented computer hacker to super-hero status. The special effects are ground breaking, to say the least. But more importantly, these effects are used solely for the purpose of telling the story; they are not gratuitous in any way. No effects are included that don't make sense within the context of the film. The matrix is one of a small class of films that successfully tells a story on many levels simultaniously. Fight Club is another movie that pulls this off brilliantly. For the first part of the film, you are not quite sure what is going on, or who to believe, or who to trust. The characters are enigmatic and larger-than-life. Once the secret is revealed (what "the matrix" is and it's implications), the previously enigmatic characters are developed more fully, and the main character (Neo) begins to grow and change. His life and purpose from then on closely parallels that of Christ, including the fact that, in order to reach his full potential, he must die and be resurrected. If you have been living in a cave for the last two years and have not seen this film, I strongly recommend that you at least rent it and decide for yourself if it speaks to you. But watch it several times before making up your mind, so you can fully appreciate all of the layers and aspects of the story. Movie: Story -> A, Action -> A+, Effects -> A+
DVD: Transfer quality -> A+, Extras -> A, Feature utilization: A+
Rating:
Summary: Techno Cool!
Review: Yeah, yeah, everyone has asked himself, usually as a child, whether life is just a dream, but this movie takes this banal concept and runs straight up walls with it! Breathtaking scenes and unbelievable special effects give this movie gloss and the coolest look of any movie in recent memory. There's a huge reason why everyone buys this movie when they buy their first DVD player: it screams to be viewed in surround sound and crisp images. And if the special effects reviews don't sway you, the acting will. These actors LIVE techno cool, in their full-length leather coats and sunglasses, even the shocking way they appear after they "go down the rabbit hole." They inhabit their characters in ways few action movie actors bother to do. You MUST see this - and you'll want to see it more than once, a good reason to make this a purchase and not rent it. Although the concept and look may be too weird for the more conventional viewer, everyone talks about this movie. You'd better see it just so you can join the conversation.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Effects, now you just need a storyline
Review: I sat and watched this film after listening to all the hype about it and yep, it has got good special effects. However, if you really want to see a good engrossing film then don't bother watching it. It lacks a decent plot, the storyline is just plain bad and the acting is bordering on painful.
Rating: 
Summary: EYE CANDY. PSEUDO-INTELLECTUALISM. Nothing more.
Review: I have read about half of the reviews for this movie and there seems to be an overwhelming consensus that this is the best science fiction movie ever made. I beg to differ. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Brazil, Gattaca, and Bladerunner are better contenders for that title. Most reviewers are quick to point out the innovative special effects and the "complicated" plot rewarded by multiple viewings. Well, I cannot argue about the effects, that's where all three stars come from. They are superb, if not a bit overdone. I can't help but think that this movie is nothing but a long music video. Maybe that's why it's such a crowd pleaser. I found the plot a bit irritating for my tastes. I suppose it is because I am somewhat familiar with science fiction motiffs that I cannot find this movie daringly original. Unlike most reviewers who had to watch the movie so many times to "get it," I already had the ending pegged halfway through. The plot is not complicated except to the lazy-minded with attention spans that approach infinitely close to zero. The script is a pile of not-so-subtle religious allegory heaped with a bit of watered-down Baudrillard, some pseudo-Eastern philosophy, and tons of science fiction cliche. What annoys me the most about this film (aside from the typical-love-conquers-all ending) is the way it pretends to make grandiose statements on such profound topics as the nature of reality, man vs. machine, and conformity, when all it really turns out to be is an action flick dressed up in pseudo-intellectual garb. The "ideas" in this movie are grossly underdeveloped and though new to most, are actually centuries-old concepts and questions. I would like to say that this movie might be an entry point into an engaging intellectual discourse, but I know that most viewers will not bother to look too far into the traces of philosophy and literature littered throughout this film. More likely, they will just watch it again and again for its special effects and remain content with the sketchy patchwork of ideas that are simply COOL, FAR-OUT, TRIPPY, or MIND-BLOWING. In this way, the film fails as a philosophical and/or allegorical investigation. The effects are so "COOL" that they overshadow the limited intellectual content of the movie. Most viewers would rather wait for that kick-a** sequel or a Matrix video game than actually pick up a book and read. The allegory and symbolism are applied so heavy-handedly that the viewer doesn't even have to think all that hard. All in all, we have a great action movie with some good effects, but little else to offer, especially in the thought department. ALL FORM, NO CONTENT.
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Summary: WASTE OF TIME/MONEY/FILM
Review: This movie IS A WASTE OF TIME. SOOO MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT HEY!!!!!!! THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE THAT REALLY HAS A WONDERFUL PLOT AND GREAT EFFECTS AND A GREAT MESSAGE BLAH BLAH BLAH. First, this movie did have good effects. SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! There are plenty of other movies out there that have great effects without the horrible cast (excluding whats her name). Secondly, people often brag about the excellence of plot. WRONG! The plot is full of riduculous holes that make me wonder what people are smoking. I know that as a whole, people are dumb and individually they are smart. DON'T LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS ONE! Make up your own mind!!!! I do think that this movie is ok, but the fact that constant delays have held up any sequel (lack of any feasible plot namely)will show it to be less of a profound or incredible movie than people think. LASTLY, THIS MOVIE IS NOT PROFOUND IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD!!!!!!!! The message that we live in some sort of "Matrix" has been done in different but similar forms (i.e. 1984 "Big brother is watching you") anyway, the point of my argument is to MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND! Don't let others influence you on your opinion of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: A mould-breaking movie that will be hard to better...
Review: A Hollywood action film with a deep and complex plot is not something you see often these days, but this one breaks the Hollywood mould in more than one way. Special effects which will be copied and re-created in many more movies for many more years, including the fight choreography, which was breathkaing and excting. The film itself was filmed in Sydney, Australia, which somehow gave a different feel to the movie and the inclusion of some Australian cast members, such as the wonderfully nasty, 'Agent', only helped this along. A movie which makes you think, but not in a forced way, A technological thriller whose few predecessors (Lawnmover Man for one) were awful, strikes a chord in today's net-obsessed world. The movies few downpoints are the random and weak love scenes between the two lead characters, and the sudden and fairly confusing ending. There are a few nit-picking holes as well, but i do not want to deter from a wonderfully different movie, and a great value DVD.
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Summary: "More than you'll ever know¿"
Review: The year is approximately 2199. The world human beings perceivethrough their senses is an illusion. Artificially intelligentmachines control all of humanity by altering their perception ofreality through the use of a computer-generated world, called thematrix. All humans believe they are living in 1999, "the peak ofour civilization". The sad fact, however, is that the AI's haveturned humans into a kind of battery, using the energy produced bypeople as fuel.There exist a select few people who have beenremoved from the Matrix and thus exposed to the bleak reality of thereal world. It is these rebels alone who are fighting to free allhumanity from enslavement. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) is theleader of a group of these freedom fighters. He is also engrossed ina search for the One, a person who has the ability to alter the matrixin any way he sees fit and who will liberate humanity from itsbondage. Morpheus' search leads him to Thomas Anderson (KeanuReeves), but is Mr. Anderson the One?The Matrix is a feast for theeyes. The fighting scenes are fast paced and expertly implemented.Each actor spent months learning Hong Kong Kung Fu ("movie KungFu") and appeared in all of his/her fight sequences, adding ataste of authenticity to the action. The film also makes use of agroundbreaking filming technique called bullet-time, whereby scenescan be slowed down or sped up and shown from dynamic angles. Thecombination of fight scenes, camera work, and special effects is thebest to come out of Hollywood for some time and alone warrants aviewing of the Matrix.However, the true beauty of the Matrix cannotbe uncovered in a single viewing. The Matrix is much, much more thana high-tech, sci-fi action film. Unfortunately, no one can be toldwhat the Matrix is...This film makes use of a myriad of allusions,"more than you'll ever know" according to the Wachowskibrothers, the writers/directors. They have drawn upon Christianity,Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Western Philosophy (Descartes, Berkeley,...), Eastern Philosophy, Plato, cyberpunk literature (WilliamGibson's work, ...), "traditional" literature (Alice inWonderland, ...), Greek Mythology, and Japanese anime, just to name afew. The film utilizes all these (and others) sources to explorehumanity's perception of reality, the concept of salvation, andnumerous other philosophical themes. These themes are too diverse andimportant to discuss in a forum such as this. Nonetheless, the Matrixwas written with many levels of meaning, exemplified in thecharacter's names, their actions, and their dialogue, to name a fewexamples.All in all, the Matrix was one of the mostthought-provoking and entertaining movies I have ever seen. It waswell worth the money I spent on it because of one simple word:rewatchability. This film cannot be appreciated until it is watched anumber of times and each viewing proves to be as rewarding as theprevious one, if not more so.
Rating:
Summary: The DVD has EVERY feature
Review: If there is one DVD to purchase and give to a friend who has a DVD player - it is this one. The special features make this the ultimate DVD to test out yor system. Try the "white rabbit" version. Then listen to the music / composer version. Then hear the cast commentary. Then hear the directors' comentary. No matter what you thought of this movie in the theater, it ROCKS as a DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Cant Wait For Number 2
Review: Matrix has got to have the best special effects that i have ever seen. The storyline is excellent from start to finish. The cast was an excellent choice they all played their part well and geled together. The whole idea of the film got me thinking about what they were saying and got me thinking differently, so it will be interesting to see what the new film will have to offer.
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