The Matrix

A computer programmer (Keanu Reeves) is recruited by a rebel organization and their unorthodox leader (Laurence Fishburne) to fight the cloned, superhuman despots and introduced to another reality which may be more tangible than the current, oppressive facade. Over a decade and a half on since its initial release, the exciting state of the art visuals of The Matrix hold up incredibly well, and Reeves' laconic performance, which was met some mockery at the time, seems to play better among a talented cast. Still, deus ex machina rules the day, with the then Wachowski brothers's constantly changing the rules to their alternate universe in service of the muddled plot, and there is something off-putting with all the veiled Christian metaphors meshed with the stylistic, ultra graphic violence. *** out of ****