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Movies / On DVD / The Matrix
The Matrix

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The Matrix (1999)

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Reviews Counted:123

Fresh:106

Rotten:17

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: An ingenious combination of Hong Kong action, ground-breaking Hollywood FX, and an imaginative vision.

Runtime: 6 hrs 43 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: There are two realities: one that consists of the life we live every day - and one that lies behind it. One is a dream. The other is The Matrix. "Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you... There are two realities: one that consists of the life we live every day - and one that lies behind it.

One is a dream. The other is The Matrix.

"Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difterence between the dream world and the real world?"

Neo (KEANU REEVES) is desperately seeking the truth about The Matrix - something he's heard of only in whispers - something mysterious and unknown - something, Neo is certain, that has unimaginable and sinister control over his life.

What is The Matnx?

Neo believes that Morpheus (LAURENCE FISHBURNE), a person he knows only through legend, an elusive figure considered to be the most dangerous man alive, can give him the answer.

All I am offering is the Truth.

One night, Neo is contacted by Trinity (CARRIE-ANNE MOSS), a beautiful stranger who leads him into another world, an underworld where at last he meets Morpheus and learns for himself the truth about The Matrix.

No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

There, Neo faces another question, as startling as the first:

Is he The One?

Before he even understands what that means, Neo is certain the answer is "no." Some, like Morpheus' colleague Cypher (JOE PANTOLIANO), agree. Others are not so sure.

There are also those who protect The Matrix. Led by the relentless and literally indomitable Agent Smith (HUGO WEAVING), they have methods of gathering information that astound and terrify.

What good is a phone call if you are unable to speak?

Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must battle brutally for their lives against this viciously powerful cadre to find the answers they seek, to understand their own roles in the epic drama unfolding around them, to learn their true power and to recognize their destinies.

Guns. Lots of guns.

Every move, every second, every thought is crucial if they are to free themselves from The Matrix and the existence it represents.

Free your mind.

Every move, every second, every thought is crucial once Neo learns the truth about The Matrix.

It is a truth that could cost Neo something more precious than his life. [More]

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Gloria Foster, Marcus Chong, Anthony Ray Parker, Belinda McClory, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Screenwriter: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Producer: Joel Silver
Composer: Don Davis

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Matrix

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
splat

Geoff Andrew

Another slice of overlong, high concept hokum.

Full Review Source: | comment 8 Comments | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
5/5

Nev Pierce

Almost untenably cool, but beneath the sheen there's substance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 04 2003 08:44 AM

BBC

tomato

Philip Strick

If the Wachowskis claim no originality of message, they are startling innovators of method.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 05 2002 08:18 AM

Sight and Sound

tomato
9/10

Ian Waldron-Mantgani

Even on the level of gunplay, The Matrix is a wonderful film. The action is intensely involving, executed with technical wizardry, and at times evokes the rhythm of Star Wars.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

UK Critic

N/R

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:15 AM

Cinema Crazed

tomato
7/10

John J. Puccio

The original Matrix stands perfectly well on its own, despite the fact that the filmmakers went on with second and third episodes.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 06 2009 10:36 AM

DVDTown.com

tomato
4/5

Mark Halverson

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:16 AM

Sacramento News & Review

tomato

Steve Biodrowski

The surprise sleeper success of 1999, this ingenious science fiction thriller easily surpassed The Phantom Menace.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 15 2008 09:24 PM

Cinefantastique

tomato
3/5

Rob Gonsalves

The paranoid details of the premise are thoroughly worked out; the characters and motives, much less so.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 11 2008 08:28 PM

eFilmCritic.com

tomato

Garth Franklin

The Matrix is fun, and while it may confuse you first time around, a second viewing is really required to get the full 'entertainment' value out of it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 15 2008 03:15 AM

Dark Horizons

tomato
3/4

Joe Lozito

There is no denying that fact that the Wachowski Brothers have amazing imagination and vision. They direct the film with non-stop style and imbue each scene with enough eye-candy to make you stop noticing the gaping plot holes and lapses in logic.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2007 03:51 AM

Big Picture Big Sound

tomato

Todd McCarthy

A must-see among genre fans, especially guys in their teens and 20s, for whom the script's pretentious mumbo-jumbo of undergraduate mythology, religious mysticism and technobabble could even be a plus rather than a dramatic liability.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 05 2007 04:04 PM

Variety

splat

Jonathan Rosenbaum

There's not much humor to keep it all life-size, and by the final stretch it's become bloated, mechanical, and tiresome.

Full Review Source: | comment 12 Comments | Jun., 05 2007 04:02 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato
3/4

Jeffrey M. Anderson

An inventive science fiction idea that rivals the brilliant thinking behind such movies from last year as Dark City and The Truman Show.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 26 2006 03:16 AM

Combustible Celluloid

tomato
9/10

John Venable

It's incredible.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 31 2005 03:26 PM

Supercala.com

tomato
4.5/5

Ron Wells

If you're curious where the next generation of auteurs is coming from, look in the art houses and look in The Matrix.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:49 PM

Film Threat

tomato
4/4

Phil Villarreal

As Morpheus says, "The Matrix is everywhere."

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 02 2005 05:01 AM

Arizona Daily Star

tomato

Robin Clifford

A tighter, cleaner story could only have helped The Matrix become one of the greats of its genre. I still like it a bunch.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2005 03:48 AM

Reeling Reviews

tomato
4/5

Jeannette Catsoulis

'The Matrix grabs you by the eyeballs, hypnotizes you into a state of visual ecstasy, and doesn’t much care if your brain is following or not.'

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 22 2005 03:11 PM

Las Vegas Mercury

tomato
B

Jeffrey Overstreet

A wild ride, and worth the ticket price if only for the first-rate special effects. There’s enough visionary work here to hold your attention for all 130 minutes.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2004 05:11 PM

Looking Closer

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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all

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