The movie which brought philosophy on the scale of Jean Paul Sartre to Hollywood, "The Matrix" won awards for it's special effects, and millions of fans for its many philosophical messages. I was not a big fan when it first came out, because I could not believe it won the Academy Award® for special effects that year instead of "Star Wars Episode I." In fact, I still believe it. It was a miscarriage of justice, but I digress. Upon viewing "The Matrix" again a year later, I discovered that I quite enjoyed the movie, its story and its characters, particularly one of the best bad guys created in quite some time, Agent Smith.

The movie is about Neo, played by surfer dude Keanu Reeves (Constantine), who discovers the world he lives in, our world, is actual a computer program called the Matrix, created by machines which took over the world after World War III. The machines use humans as a source of energy, because we used lots of nuclear weapons. Neo is introduced to many characters, none more important than Morpheus, played by Lawerence Fishburne (Assault on Precinct 13).

Morpheus brings Neo out of the computer program, because he feels that Neo is the One. The One is the person who can bridge the gap between the computer world and the real world, taking the fight to the machines. In the way of this savior are computer programs dressed like G-men while in the Matrix. They are designed to keep the humans still in the Matrix from realizing reality and to hunt down humans who have escaped. The main G-Man character is Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving (Priscilla Queen of the Desert). This character is written wonderfully in that he is a perfect computer program written to portray a human, flawed at that. One of the many, many philosophies in this movie is the breakdown of Agent Smith, as he starts to become more and more like the flawed humans he hates. This theory is developed more in the two sequels.

The special effects are amazing with its--for lack of knowing the real name--stop action photography. Its use helps explain the story and adds to the value of the story greatly. The fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith is one of the better scenes in movie history. I still don't know if it's better than "Star Wars," but it is the closest anybody has come in a long time.

The acting is quite good considering actors fit the characters they are portraying. Fishburne's heavy handed acting is perfect for the philosophical character as Morpheus, the Jean-Paul Sartre of the movie. Reeves does not say more than three sentences at a time in the movie, which can't be a bad thing. The more he talks the more he sounds like Theodore Logan from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." The love interest in the movie is Trinity, played by Carrie-Anne Moss (Suspect Zero). Her role in "The Matrix," being her first major motion picture outing, was very good and sexy in a manly sort or way. However, Hugo Weaving is just tremendous as Agent Smith. His portrayal of the computer program which loses its control, is as close to real in a movie sense than which can be done. Agent Smith is one of my favorite bad guy characters of all time, and in my opinion, one of the best ones since "The Terminator" cyborg.

The writer/directors for the project was Andy and Larry Wachowski. They brought a wonderful movie to the screen and really made use of some of the philosophies of our time. They both planned this movie to be one of three, and the direction they end at in the third movie, p**ses off a lot of its fan base. They get away from this first movie. However, I will save that for a later review.

This movie is quite good, and the filmmakers deserve many accolades for bringing it to the screen. Although, I will say, there is one flaw in the script I would like to point out. If they need to answer the telephone to exit the Matrix, how do they get in without the same event taking place? Or, if they don't need the phone answered to enter the Matrix, then why do they need to answer the phone to leave? These are just some philosophical questions for the movie.

This movie is quite entertaining and very good. The direction the story goes after this is cause for much consternation, as I have already mentioned. However, if you have not watched it and enjoy philosophy and action, then by all means watch this movie. It makes you forget all about the surfer dude in Keanu Reeves and gives you a new identity for him, Neo.

Brian - the Naked Gun