In the future, the human world that looks real to humanity, is in reality, a hoax; an "elaborate deception" created by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence, when in reality humans exist in a farm setting, (from birth to death), where electricity is taken from them to feed the machines themselves. Some rogue, freed humans, (lead by Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss) free one human, Neo (Reeves), thought of to be "THE ONE," who has the powerful ability, if developed, to defeat the machines and set the rest of humanity free.

This film is science fiction at its best, not only because of it's awesome special effects, but it's extremely creative script, that breaks ground in many realms of ideas. The free humans dart around in a submarine-like airship, and get into this "Matrix" by plugging their brains into the bad machine's computer system, and enter this fake reality to interact with these unaware humans, without even leaving their ship. In order to get their minds back to the ship, they have to go to a working, ringing phone in the "Matrix" world, usually two steps ahead of the machine agents, that chase after them in human form.

An interesting consequence of the "Matrix" world, is that the normal rules of the real world that we know don't apply. Freed humans have powers & abilities that help them, in their struggles with the bad guys, if they realize what they are, as Reeve's character eventually does, after he is given hints as how to develop & to use his super, special gifts. A famous line from the script, "Remember, there is no spoon!" exemplifies this learning.

"The Matrix" is a slick, well done package that is exciting, action-packed, dazzling with ground-breaking special effects, has a great script, good acting, superb direction, and dynamite production values, which all work together to create a uniquely creative, entertaining film, though some people object to some of the violence in the script.

The unfortunate reality of our world today is that sometimes violence is the only way to stop evil forces, though should be used at the last resort. In the future, according to the script, this fact hasn't changed a bit. The Matrix could be classified as a futuristic guerrilla-style war movie, of good against evil. It has been criticized as being very violent in just one particular scene, when Neo (Reeves) and Trinity (Moss) enter the building where their leader is being tortured with drugs by the bad machine agents, trying to get info from him as to where the machine-free human city, "Zion," is located. This infamous scene shows the two entering, dressed in long, black trench coats, to hide their huge arsenal of guns. They then proceed to shoot up the lobby and all the guards, as they whirl around, bouncing off the walls, in a spectacular fashion, with heart-pumping music and special effects flashing in the background.

The killers responsible for the slaughter at Columbine High school, copied these characters by wearing long, trench coats to hide their guns. While the scene may glorify the use of firearms and violent force, visually no blood is seen, as the editor was busier than a one-armed paper hanger, making the scene happen at a fast pace, so their isn't much dwelling on the death and the carnage left behind. Parents should preview the movie to see if it is appropriate for their children of any age.

Favorite Scenes: Red pill or Blue pill scene sequence, the martial arts training sequence, the visit with the future teller, instant school helicopter scene, various types of chase scenes, battles with machine agents, the betrayal scene, the revival of Reeve's character, and the fantastic ending.

Richard Corliss, from Time Magazine describes The Matrix: "Smart Film making. Get Strapped in for a Brain-Popping trip!"

Music by: Don Davis. Editor: Zach Staenberg. Produced by: Barrie Osbourne, the Wachowski brothers, Andrew Mason, Erwin Stoff & Bruce Berman.

Written and Directed by: Andy and Larry Wachowski.