The Matrix
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
March 31, 1999 · Directed by Lana Wachowski
What's been said
Viewers and critics received The Matrix with overwhelming enthusiasm on release, and that acclaim has proven remarkably durable, with many still calling it a landmark of sci-fi cinema. The most consistently praised elements are its groundbreaking visuals and action choreography: critics highlighted its 'bullet-time' photography as genre-redefining, while audiences repeatedly singled out the fight sequences and inventive cinematography as benchmarks that still hold up decades later. The most common complaint, raised by both critics and reviewers, is that the film's philosophical ambitions ultimately give way to conventional action-movie resolutions, with Roger Ebert specifically noting he wanted the story to arrive at revelation rather than a sensational shoot-out, and others observing that its heady ideas are kept at a surface level. A notable detail: audiences responded with such wild enthusiasm at release that it generated a fervent cult following, even though several critics pointed out that similar themes had appeared in films like Dark City just a year earlier.
Will you actually like it?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll predict how much you'll like this movie, not whether critics did. Each one targets something this film specifically leans into, where viewers tend to split. We think these are the questions that will best help predict how well it will align with you.
Where to watch
Trailer
