The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix defines "awesome" so it was the perfect movie to inaugurate my DVD system (back in the day). Even compared to Brazil and Naked Lunch, The Matrix is arguably the greatest cyberpunk movie ever and, to my mind, the greatest science-fiction movie to date. It has a powerhouse story (no pun intended), martial-arts beatdowns, shoot-em-up arsenals, and an arsenal of cutting-edge special effects. It features a complex and intelligent narrative with embedded clues and convoluted exposition. Many who have seen The Matrix tell me it similarly blew them away. Our story begins with "Mr. Anderson," a corporate programmer by day and a hacker by night. Neo has spent years of sleepless nights searching the cybernets for the identity of the mysterious Morpheus and the secrets behind The Matrix. He follows several omniscient clues to a rave where he meets Trinity, a notorious hacker who can show him the way -- but then Agents come to arrest him on suspicion of conspiracy (not that they need a reason to go all police-state on anyone). From here, Neo's narrative becomes worse than a Kafkaesque nightmare -- and only Morpheus can show him "how far down the rabbit hole goes." It turns out the world is not as it seems and Morpheus believes Neo has a messianic destiny. As to how it all plays out, I can say no more. This movie has so many great scenes and lines. Like Ahnuld was perfect for the Terminator, Keanu Reeves is apt for the moodily trenchant, trenchcoat-wearing Neo. Laurence Fishburne will be best known as Neo's trainer and true believer, Morpheus. Carrie-Anne Moss is a standout, a knockout, and a kickass as Trinity. All the supporting roles are excellent: Tank, Dozer, Mouse, Switch, and esp. Joe Pantaliano as the slimy Cipher. Hugo Weaving is exceptional as Agent Smith and Gloria Foster is inimitable as the cryptic Oracle. Be sure to see The Matrix if you like Jet Li, Sam Peckinpah, and The Godfather. In return, you'll see groundbreaking martial-arts scenes, including the Wachowski Brothers' 360-degree panoramic and "bullet-time" scenes that instantly proved to be so culturally iconic as well as the biggest wirework martial-arts shoot-em-up scene ever filmed. More than action piled on action, however, it's the impact of the story behind The Matrix that makes it weighty and memorable. True, it's only science fiction, but if you suspect that truth can eventually become stranger than fiction, then more so than with The Terminator or Jurassic Park, you may never look at the real world in the same way again. 5 stars.