The Matrix

Director: Andy and Lana Wachowski
UK release: June 1999
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano

IMDB page



She said:

There is no doubting the fact that The Matrix is one of 'the' films you have to see before you die. In my mind - and the mind of the general consensus it would seem - The Matrix joins a long list of films that have in some way impacted the movie world by challenging audiences and giving them something new.

If you think of a film like Labyrinth or Wizard of Oz then you realsie that the concepts in The Matrix are not new ones. Writers have come up with dream worlds that question our notion of reality before. What The Matrix did was take these ideas and explode them into something bigger, something more fantastic, more science-fictiony and yet at the same time gave it this very paranoia inducing sense of realism ala 1984. I mean... what if the matrix is real?

I have to mention also the fantastic special effects and the complete popularization of the extreme slo-mo shot and, of course, the freeze-with-360-degree-spin. These slick and sexy special effects along with the tight PVC, long black coats and oh-so-cool shades I remember thinking wow(!), this film is HOT.

The cast is stellar in this and I have to commend Keanu Reeves for showing us a different side to his acting I can't help but rave about Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith. He is a fantastic actor and one of the most alluring 'old guys' ever on screen. I still hope that random people will suddenly morph into him as I walk down the street... hasn't happened yet. I give this film {{{4 out of 5}}}

He said:

The Matrix is one of those films where I tend to remember the day I saw the film more than the actual film itself. My brother and I saw The Matrix on it's opening day and we were both completely blown away by the concept of it all. The idea that we could be living inside a simulation was just a fantastic idea.

I remember he and I were sparring for the rest of the day and the three days following usually sparked by one of us looking at the other and saying "I know Kung-Fu" and the other replying "Show me."

I've loved films and the cinema experience for the majority of my life and it is films like this that reinforce that feeling and/or emotion that maybe, just maybe, my mundane life could one day be so much more.

This is a film that, though it does seem dated now, it isnt any less fun and if you are paying attention you will start to see how many films have been influenced by just this one nearly 12 year old movie. Any time life seems just a bit too real I ask myself: "Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?" I give this film a {{{4 out of 5}}}

They said:

If you have never seen The Matrix the effects will probably look dated because they have been parodied so many times though! It is however a modern classic! The next two films... erm... yeah...

Just remember - "there is no spoon". We give this film {{{8 out of 10}}}

QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS: WHAT IS THE MATRIX?