All I was hearing for the last two weeks was, "You've got to see the Matrix." It was getting old, really fast. Peer pressure was setting in.
So I saw it.
This is a movie you'll either "get" or not "get." The Matrix isn't the most original concept, but at the same time, it's not like too many movies I've ever seen. I understand it's very similar to a film called "Dark City," but then again, I haven't seen that either.
What I can tell you is that it's a film that really takes you for a ride. The premise is hard to grasp, and the first 30 minutes of the film makes you wonder what the hell is going on. But just take it on faith that this will make some sort of sense eventually. It's the very impressive special effects that make this far-fetched plot easy to go along with. Not once did I say to myself, "C'mon.. that is so unreal!" (I will confess, though, that a friend brought up the fact that a helicopter shooting randomly in a room through a window could leave a hero unscathed, but we'll overlook that for the time being).
The acting was believable, led by Keanu Reeves who tipped his hat to his origins with a Bill & Ted-like, "Whoa" that helped ease some tension in the film. Some parts were hard to watch, with sounds of things being implanted in skin that just sounded too real (not that I'd know).
The choreography of the fight scenes were very well-rehearsed. I wonder how long Reeves spent learning the art of self-defense.
While many many people died in the film, it's not a gory film. You don't see blood and guts and gore. That was a pleasant surprise, considering the trend of this genre's flicks. I was impressed by the debris in one of the shooting scenes that went on for a little too long. I mean, rocks, plaster, chunks of pillars and stuff just flying everywhere, in slow and full motion. Great photography.
There were lots of times I laughed aloud, cheering the amazing things that our hero was doing, partly from adrenaline and partly from tension release. But all in all, this is a film worth seeing. Suspend your judgment, and just enjoy the ride. An 8.