Release Date: March 31, 1999
What's It About: Humans live in a virtual digital world built to enslave their minds while their bodies are held in employment by artificial intelligence. The story follows one man who is capable of freeing them from their mental and physical prisons.
The Good: This film changed the sci-fi and action film genres. It uses various cinematic techniques to enhance impact, as well as fast, dramatic cuts to hype scenes up. This film ushered in the use of CGI to augment action and bring it to surreal highs never seen before on film. The film takes place in a very richly-developed universe, on the level of anime in terms of scope, and for fans of world-building it cannot get better than this. There are also very heady philosophical themes at play, which is something you do not find often in modern Hollywood blockbusters. This film invites you to think as well as watch.
The Bad: In spite of the heavy themes, there isn't a very thick plot. I suppose there wasn't a whole lot to work with since the first hour of the film is world-building and setting, which was necessary to set the tone, leaving the key parts of the narrative to be dumped on the viewer as exposition. Keanu Reeves (Neo) isn't a very good actor, but this awkwardness works in the first half and grounds him as a normal guy reacting to abnormal situations. As Neo, this becomes less convincing.
Best Performance: Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity. She fits into her role perfectly, blending a slightly off-kilter feminine charm with her badass prowess with guns and physical brute force.
Should I Watch It: If you are a fan of science-fiction, and particularly stories of artificial intelligence and machines, cyberpunk anime, or anything with heavy existential themes, then this is required viewing. If you enjoy Wuxia films and want something similar in an unconventional setting, then try this out. In terms of action films, even today, this is among the best you can get. I consider this film and its sequels to be the closest a live-action film has ever come to successfully adapting the Japanese anime look and feel.
Post-Credits Scene: No
Similar Films: Ghost in the Shell (1995), Akira (1988), Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), Terminator 1 and 2 (1984 and 1991)
Trailer:
