Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: A hacker thinks something is wrong with reality, and searches for the truth on the Internet and with beautiful, PVC-clothed women with guns.
Biased, pithy comments: As I walked out of the theater, I was struck by the idea that *this* was what the makers of ``Blade'' were after---a brooding, fast-paced Hong-Kong-action film interspersed with cultural references. The makers of ``Blade'' missed big, but the Wachowski brothers have hit this on the head, and about half the hype is justified. This is one hell of a film---a few of the set pieces left me breathless in a way few movies are able to do, and the whole bad-ass sunglasses-wearing attitude of the film flows off the screen in stunning visuals and a throbbing techno soundtrack. What *isn't* justified is the emphasis fans have put on the subtext of the film; it's clearly a fable and has some nice touches, but as universal as ``Star Wars'' or ``Raiders'' it ain't. Instead, the thematic pieces are picked up and dropped as the pacing required. I'm quibbling though; this is one of the best sci-fi films to hit the screen in a while, and while it doesn't take any chances with the action (stolen straight from a hundred other movies, though done with style), it does take some chances with some of the Jungian ponderings on the nature of reality. I'm wondering, though, whether or not the long lectures in the middle of the film will insult the viewer the second time through. Me, I've already read enough Gibson/manga/Julian Jaynes to have gotten the idea; no need to flog it to death.
Other Notes: Carrie-Anne Moss played Liz Teel in a short-lived TV series ``The Matrix.'' ``Guns. Lots of guns.''
How many times I have seen it: x2
Starring: Kenau Reeves. Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano.
Directed by: Larry and Andy Wachowski