The Matrix

On the surface, The Matrix is one of the best Science Fiction Action Movies ever made. Style is just dripping from the film in every scene, but it's not just all flash with no substance. Dig a little deeper and you will find The Matrix is overflowing with substance -- religious, philosophical, and even Platonic idealism.

The Matrix stars Keanu Reeves as Thomas Anderson, a disillusioned computer programmer who is also known as the underground computer hacker Neo. He becomes obsessed with finding the answer to a question that keeps popping up everywhere he looks -- What is the Matrix? Neo's search for the answer leads him to an underground group that is led by the infamous Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), a mysterious figure who has been branded a terrorist by the government.

Morpheus then gives Neo a choice -- return to his current existence of blissful ignorance with no knowledge of The Matrix or find out the truth about The Matrix. Neo accepts Morpheus' offer of the truth, swallows the red pill, and begins his journey down the rabbit hole (one of the many references to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" found in the movie).

Neo then wakes up in the "real world" freed from The Matrix. He learns that The Matrix is actually an illusion of reality created by machines to keep humans docile while they harvest their energy to power the machines. The remaining people who are free and not in the matrix are fighting a battle against the machines for control of the planet.

Morpheus, Neo and the rest of the free humans keep going back into The Matrix to free as many people as they can to help in their war against the machines. To stop them, the machines attack the humans with Agents -- computer programs sent after the humans to destroy them in The Matrix.

The only true hope for humanity is the prophecy of "The One", a human who will be freed from The Matrix and will win the war against the machines through his ability to control The Matrix. Morpheus believes that Neo is The One and he must convince him of this so that Neo will be able to end the war and save the world.

The movie works and is very good on many levels. As pure entertainment, this is one of the finest films most of us will ever get to enjoy. The action sequences are just amazing. From the infamous bullet time to the elaborately choreographed fight scenes, this is an action movie that even people who normally don't like action films will appreciate.

But peel away the layers of this film and you will find much more than entertainment. There are religious references (Neo as the messiah, The two film realities as the Two Truths of Buddhism), philosophical references (Plato's Allegory of the Cave) and even literary references (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland). There's a lot to think about here!

As a Cyberpunk Science Fiction Action Film, The Matrix ranks as one of the best of all time. But what really makes the film great is all the substance beneath the surface. This is a movie that demands repeated viewings -- not only because it is exceptional entertainment, but also to truly realize and comprehend the meaning of The Matrix.

More Movie Reviews of The Matrix

Movie Review of The Matrix by James Berardinelli
The Matrix Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database