The Matrix

A masterpiece that indirectly established a new wave of action movies for the new millennium. Since 1999, countless directors have tried to copy the action from The Matrix, some were more successful, others less so. But I dare say that no one has been able to replicate the magic of this film. The action itself is excellent (perhaps occasionally overly effects-driven for my taste) and I truly enjoy certain parts of it. The excellent music, the cool costumes, and the overall style of the film suit me quite well. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne overflow with charisma, and the Wachowski siblings' inventiveness is miles ahead. I wouldn't dare to say which part of the trilogy is the best, but the first one is undoubtedly the best-written and most original – and not just because it was the first... (04/03/2006)

An excellent film that combines well shot action scenes with an interesting and original story, full of symbols. I got carried away by the action moments (although admittedly I found some of the kung-fu gestures ridiculous) and at the same time I didn't miss the emotions and some of the dialogue scenes were excellent (the scene with the bucket is not to be missed). On my way out of the cinema, I looked around feeling paranoid for a while. I hope that the next episodes will not only be a display of visual effects, but will also have something more, just like this one. (12/04/2003)

I kept The Matrix in the cool of my closet for a really long time (a decade, actually) and on the one hand it's good that I waited, because I might not have even understood it at the time, but on the other hand I was depriving myself of a perfect piece of filmmaking in terms of script and execution that is undoubtedly worth watching. I enjoyed all the visual and sound effects immensely, as well as the Matrix problem itself, which definitely had something going for it. Of the cast, I liked the badass Carrie-Anne Moss and the extra sleazy Hugo Weaving the most. In short, a film that didn't knock me off my feet like other films, but as far as quality goes, it has it in every way. (27/07/2011)

This is the "daddy" of contemporary science fiction action movies. If you are a fan of science fiction and have not yet seen it, you have not lived. The stunts and effects were breathtaking for the time it was made, the actors were excellent – and the plot? Unprecedented and original. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the pacing of the movie – while Morpheus offloads a bunch of information about the Matrix onto you, and you do not know what he is going on about, however, you soon realize it all makes sense after watching the scenes that follow. However, the important thing is that by the end, all the information makes perfect sense and you can understand how complicated and treacherous the world of the Matrix is. A job well done by the Wachowskis. It is just a real shame that the sequels were not more evenly matched. (08/11/2008)

The Matrix, a place where everyone wears sunglasses even in the darkest underground, a place where a group of mixed-race people of all shades, including a mulleted woman, jump ten metres high, and a place where hip flexibility knows no bounds. Episode 1: Absolutely fabulous, now a cult-classic, a great introduction to the universe and plenty of goosebumps. Episode 2: The first hour lags behind considerably, but then it's a 90-minute action ride that knows no end, the fight choreography is noticeably better, even excellent and euphoric in places! Along with the music, an absolutely unparalleled experience that at the time would have had me on my ass. The CGI is sometimes good, sometimes utterly awful (see the battle with Smith on the playground), but either way the action pulls the whole first two episodes up and choreography this long is something unheard of, I have no idea how anyone could learn and perform this. Episode 3: Boring, horrible and awful. This one went completely over my head and is so different from the previous two. Hours of empty dialogue are followed by a battle with digital machines instead of classic matrix action, and I search in vain for any hints in the final episode that connect it to the previous ones. The beginning is dull, the progression uninspiring and the conclusion unsatisfying. (13/10/2021)