There are currently almost 2800 reviews on IMDB for this film....and so what I have to say about the movie really isn't all that important. It also is one of the highest rated films ever on IMDB. And, so much has been said about the film, I think I'll be rather brief.

The plot involves a guy who learns that nothing be sees or does is real...and that the world is nothing like anyone thinks. This is because in the dystopian future, machines keep folks in pods and they live out their lives in a phony existence.

The film's story is interesting...and very existential. I like that aspect of it very much. But the film has a weakness for me and I am sure some other folks might feel the same way...there is just too much action. The film is one scene after another after another--with lots of action, violence and CGI...so much that it boggles the mind. For me, that left me rather tired when the film was over. I liked it...but I also didn't want any more and can't see me watching any of the sequels.

'The Matrix' may not be one of the very greatest examples of its genre (like '2001', 'Metropolis', 'Blade Runner', 'Back to the Future', 'Star Wars Original Trilogy', 'Alien' and 'Aliens'),but that it is revolutionary in how its visuals and use of sound broke boundaries like had never been done before cannot be denied.

It is not a film to be seen if people want character depth or relationship depth, with the forced and underdeveloped love subplot between Neo and Trinity being 'The Matrix's' sole weak spot. This ended up not being that huge a problem for me because everything else is so well executed.

Particularly striking about 'The Matrix' is its production values. Simply put, the film looks amazing in its audacious production design, dazzling special effects that are some of the most ultra-cool and imaginative to exist, super slick editing and often jaw dropping cinematography. So much more than a film with ground-breaking special effects and use of camera work that broke boundaries.

Use of sound was also striking, and how the pulsating and hypnotic music score was used. Andy and Larry Wachowski direct adeptly, while the script is an intelligent mix of complex and well-explored themes, mysticism, philosophy and even Lewis Carroll and the story is often invigorating and intensely taut with a smart concept brilliantly done.

Action is superbly shot and edited, and the way it is choreographed is relentlessly intense and breathless in its energy, Kung Fu has rarely been more vertigo-inducing (despite how this sounds, this is not a bad thing as it added hugely to the intensity and paranoia of the story's atmosphere) on film.

Keanu Reeves is in one of his best and most iconic roles and has never looked cooler, certainly has not looked this comfortable for a while before then. Carrie Anne Moss is strong. Even better are an imposingly charismatic Laurence Fishburne (also in one of his best roles),an amusing Joe Pantoliano and a deliciously wicked Hugo Weaving.

Summing up, not one of the best of the genre but a mile-stone nonetheless and a great one. Followed by two sequels, both nowhere near in the same ball-park. 9/10 Bethany Cox

What is THE MATRIX? Well, let me tell you: it's a crowd-pleasing science fiction adventure, which took audiences by surprise as it came out of nowhere and totally destroyed the year's other big sci-fi epic, THE PHANTOM MENACE. The reason for its success is quite obvious when you look at it. The film isn't just about special effects, although they do play a big part; it also has a rather complex and classic sci-fi set up. While STAR WARS was all bad special effects and little else, THE MATRIX is all good special effects and a lot more besides.

Okay, so there are some obvious flaws: a lack of originality for one; the real futuristic world looks like something out of BLADE RUNNER and there are bits out of DARK CITY thrown in too. The story, too, once it has been set up, is dropped in favour of some increasingly outlandish action sequences. But when these action scenes are fantastic, then you just don't care. After all, I watch a film to be entertained, and fighting and explosions are the simplest source of entertainment around.

The actors and actresses in the film are all okay, although you have to wonder if Carrie-Anne Moss was picked simply because she looks good in PVC. No matter, as it's left to Keanu Reeves in his best role for some time, to carry the film. While he may not be much of an actor (the sheer awfulness of his performance in BRAM STOKER'S Dracula is hard to forget),he just about manages to make his role as a mild-mannered computer operator who becomes a heroic saviour believable. Thankfully, there is some heavyweight support from Laurence Fishburne as the imposing leader of the rebels, and a wonderfully villainous performance from Hugo Weaving as the slimy villain. The costumes are great too - stylish leather and sunglasses making up the main attire.

The film is not really about acting, though, or story. It's the special effects which make this, well, special. Without them, it would just be another average tale, but these CGI effects are truly outstanding, even on the small screen. For once, they do fit into the context of the story as well, as they are computer effects in a computer generated world. THE MATRIX has brilliant CGI, and has to join the ranks of TERMINATOR 2, JURASSIC PARK, and INDEPENDENCE DAY as a film which really sets the ever-changing standard on which all other films are to be based.

Bullets fly in slow-motion, leaving trails in the air; characters can spin in the air, climb walls and jump huge distances; computer-generated villains morph into other people at will, fights are impossibly fast. Indeed, it is the fight scenes which are the most memorable, as they come across as a hybrid of the classic kung fu genre and the very best of style master John Woo. The best moments are the Fishburne/Reeves training fight, the moment where Reeves takes on Agent Smith in a subway, and the lobby shootout where plaster literally flies everywhere. You also have to love the ending, where Reeves finally wins over the baddies and manages to stop bullets mid-flight with his bare hand. A great image, just one of loads in this great film which has to be one of my favourite sci-fi films of the decade.