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. (13/04/2003)

An unassuming film that changed sci-fi, changed action, and changed all of pop culture. A cult that I always enjoy watching again and that will always amaze me how everything fit together for Lana and Lilly Wachowski: characters you care about from the first encounter, a story that is not one hundred percent original but combined in a way that leaves you speechless, and special effects that will blow your mind: the helicopter, dodging bullets, and the final chase. A unique film, not a trilogy. There can only be one Matrix. (29/04/2006)

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)

I’m finally done with the entire trilogy. The first part is the most straightforward and intimate and the one works as a standalone film, but also as the beginning of a saga. A great idea, brilliantly executed and deeply philosophical (I would love to read the philosophy behind the Matrix universe, it could be very interesting. It addresses almost everything, from noetic questions about the possibilities and ways of human cognition, through the creation of one's own ontological system, to the problems of causality and the question of choice). In any case, the first Matrix is a groundbreaking and hugely important film and I could even be more in love with it if I had a fetish for the nice clothes the characters wear. (22/08/2010)