Keanu rages against the machine in The Matrix.

The Matrix
Warner Bros., 1999
Directed by The Wachowski Brothers

$$$1/2

If you realized you were dreaming and could control the dream, you could do anything. You could walk on walls, you could freeze time, you could even dodge bullets. In short, you could kick serious ass. That, in short, is the main premise at work in the new sci-fi thriller The Matrix.

At the film's core there's another much more elaborate, mind-blowing science fiction concept regarding the nature of reality, life, the universe and everything. But I won't spoil that here. All you need to know is that for once, a big budget studio has given us an action and special effects extravaganza that actually contains an original and imaginative idea. The idea comes courtesy of the writing and directing team of Larry and Andy Wachowski, the guys who gave us the stylish, sexy lesbian crime thriller Bound. This time they combine elements of Blade Runner, The Terminator, William Gibson's cyberpunk fiction and even Alice in Wonderland to create a fully realized universe all their own, and they do so with a kinetic visual style that will get your heart pumping. The movie, shot in Australia, looks like a comic book, a video game and a Hong Kong action movie all rolled into one (it's no surprise, the brothers used to write for Marvel Comics).

But what will get everyone talking are the truly ground breaking special effects. People and bullets freeze in midair as the camera pans around them -- it's a technology seen in a few recent TV commercials (most notably a Gap ad) but the effect gets a full workout here and the results are spectacular.

Keanu Reeves is the hero, Neo, a software programmer who realizes the world may not be what it seems. In fact, it turns out, he may have a special gift that will make him the savior of mankind. Laurence Fishburn is his Yoda, Morpheus, who guides him through it all.

The Matrix is big, loud and a little goofy. But it all works because at its heart, the film, like all good sci-fi, is about ideas and contains a philosophical message which boils down to: "Free Your Mind."

Dude, it's way cool.

P.S. The Wachowski Brothers concieved The Matrix as the first part of a trilogy. If the film's a hit, I look forward to the sequels.

(c) Copyright 1999