Warner Bros., Rated R
Written and Directed by Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski

Who knew Dark City would be so influential? I hate to say I told you so, but.... Anyway, there has been a big unexpected hooey over this, the first Keanu Reeves movie to matter since Speed. It does make it easy to forget how hideous Reeves is as an actor. His role as Neo, a former computer programmer who is mysteriously recruited for something called "the Matrix," doesn't require too much range. This is comic book all the way as the famous-overnight Wachowski brothers were former employees of Marvel Comics. (If you still haven't seen the film, you might be better off skipping the next part.) Neo soon joins up with a few "freedom fighters" who show him that his world is not real and humans are simply being fed to machines. The matrix is the fake world that occupies our minds.
It is an extremely dark idea but it is the same basic concept of Dark City. In fact the movie borrows from countless films. It's great to watch it and play "Name That Movie." It is original from one aspect but completely derivative from another. But most of what is there is done surprisingly well. The visuals are astounding, the special effects will go up there with the upcoming Phantom Menace when it comes to going to the next level and bringing film into the 21st Century. Laurence Fishburne delivers a good performance as the leader of those fighting within the Matrix and Carrie Anne-Moss may be this year's Catherine Zeta-Jones, making a very impressive breakthrough performance. Her opening sequence is simply fantastic. This will most certainly become a cult classic and we can apparently expect two sequels, not unlike Star Wars, ironically enough. The film is not without a couple of plot holes and just-plain-dumb scenes, but there is so much depth to it that it's still a great film. The religious undertones alone are definitely worth exploring (another facet of two other good recent science fiction/fantasy films, The Truman Show and Pleasantville). Not perfect by far but well worth the price of admission and there is plenty of substance here to match the style. *** 1/2