Cinema listings with film information and movie reviews
The Matrix
Cinemagoers in need of a science fiction fix other than Star Wars should look no further than Andy and Larry Wachowski's stunning futuristic romp which has taken more than $160 million at the American box office. Overflowing with style and substance, and held together by some truly jaw-dropping action set-pieces, the film re-establishes Keanu Reeves as a true movie star. He plays Neo, a computer hacker who has long suspected that there is something amiss with the world around him. When he is contacted by the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Neo discovers that his fears are indeed justified: the world around him is an incredibly sophisticated computer program, a virtual reality prison where thousands upon thousands of human slaves are held captive (without realising it) by giant supercomputers. Morpheus is the leader of a breakaway faction that intends to overthrow the program - known rather enigmatically as The Matrix. With the help of Neo, he hopes to destroy the artificial reality and free the human race from its mental shackles. Only one problem: the Sentient Agents, the Matrix's superhuman police force which doesn't take too kindly to human parasites trying to harm its master. Thus the scene is set for a titanic battle between good and evil. Needless to say, it ain't gonna be pretty. The Wachowskis blitzkrieg the screen with all manner of zooms, tracking shots and flo-mos (the action is frozen but the camera continues to move around the people/objects) to give the film the kinetic energy it needs to keep audiences interested. Reeves, with thankfully little dialogue, looks mean and moody in a black suit and sunglasses, defying gravity and time to give the Sentient Agents a taste of their own medicine. Carrie-Anne Moss is equally good as sexy but deadly renegade Trinity, cutting a very sleek figure in an impossibly tight catsuit, and Fishburne does his dour mentor routine. There's perhaps an excess of plot towards the end of the film, but it's a small gripe considering the near perfect visuals and design.
