In Larry and Andy Wachowski’s flamboyantly energetic action movie, Neo gets clued into the real deal: humans are just slaves to the machine. He’s chosen by the rebel hacker Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) to lead the Resistance against man’s mechanical masters.
“The Matrix” throws a lot at you–mythic quests, pop Pirandello, kung-fu fight scenes and an encyclopedia of quotations from “Alien” to “Blade Runner” to Cocteau’s “Orpheus.” The Wachowskis, who made the bouncy lesbian crime comedy “Bound,” have a true passion for pulp, a boldly dynamic visual style, an affection for cheesy acting and a gift for explosive action. With an arsenal of cool f/x at their disposal, they’ve come up with a dizzyingly enjoyable junk movie that has just enough on its mind to keep the pleasure from being a guilty one.
