The Matrix (1999) ***1/2

The Matrix is about a future that is basically a computer generated life as we are put to other uses by the machines we created. A small group of humans led by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) fight to take down the system, stumbling onto Neo (Keanu Reeves) who is dubbed the chosen one.

I hate to break this to everyone out there: The Matrix is overrated as hell. Sure, it's a nice little sci-fi action story, but it's not this awe inspiring film that will change your life forever. It's your basic, run of the mill, apocalyptic film that can trace its way back through films such as The Terminator, Planet of the Apes, and THX-1138. The story is interesting, but it's not really anything that we haven't seen before. I'm not the saying the film wasn't entertaining. It was an enjoyable film, but it wasn't as special as I was led to believe. The acting is great in some places (Fishburne and Hugo Weaving) and horrible right were you would expect it (Reeves).

I can not stress enough that this wasn't a bad movie. It was an enjoyable ride into the future, but it isn't the New New Testament. I think that a media blitz when this film and subsequent others came out induced people to believe that this film was a lot better than it really is. Overrated.