REVIEW DATE: 4:29:9:9

Have you ever had a dream that you could swear was real? What if you couldn't wake up from that dream? How would you know the difference between reality and fantasy? Then again, what is reality, anyway?

These are the questions posed by The Matrix. These and one more: what is The Matrix? Apparently this is the question of the hour on which is hinged a multi-million dollar advertising campaign. I could simply tell you this movie's secret and thus would bring this construct of a corrupt, capitalist Hollywood crashing to the ground.

So, what is The Matrix? Why, it's the new hit movie written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (they're the guys who made Bound), of course. Duh! It stars Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, has lots of action, ass kicking special effects, and (guess what) and actual story. Yeah!

No, this isn't your standard bang bang, kill kill, action movie. Sure, lots of people die, some in very horrible ways, and there is plenty Hong Kong style Kung Fu to go around.  Beyond that, however, this movie truly, without a doubt has a very original story serving as the spinal cord for all that Hong Kong action.

Said story concerns Neo (Reeves), mild mannered computer programmer by day, hacker by night. One day he wakes up in his normal studio apartment life to discover that his whole word is nothing more then an illusion. He is told this by our easy on the eyes heroine, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who also tells him that her boss, Morpheous (Fishburne), must speak to him, and answer a question that Neo has been asking for a long time:

What is the Matrix?

The answer? The Matrix is an artificial construction of our reality, built to keep our human minds occupied while our bodies are turned into--

Almost got you didn't I? Thought I was going to give something away didn't you? Well to bad, sparky, the little twists and turns of this movie are what makes it so fun, and to give any of those away. That is one of the movies greatest features: while it may be jammed to the gills with cool look effects, it's the movie's script that really makes you sit up and go "Wow".

Been awhile since that's happened, hasn't it?

I will say this, however: Neo is a very important person. A sort of virtual reality Jesus Christ, whom Morpheous has been searching for all his life. This isn't the first time Keanu Reeves has played someone like this. His role in Little Buddha (a great movie that will make you forget all about Speed), poops to mind. Here, however, Reeves must go from skeptic to Christ, and for once Reeves proves that his stone faced action hero act is just that, and act. He can act, he just needs to pick his roles better, and he picked a good one here.

Fishburne has been in some pretty crappy movies of late. Hoodlum, anyone? Yet here,  he uses his stone faced action hero act to emphasize the evolution his character will go through during the course of the movie.

If this movie is any indication, Carrie-Anne Moss has become one of my new favorite actresses. Like Fishburne, Moss' character at first appears to be a one-dimensional action clone. Yet, as the movie goes on, and her character is developed, she expands the character of Trinity into a whole human being, instead of just another Ripley clone.

Even our computerized villain, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is shaped from a different mold then those of other, lesser action/sci-fi movies. Weaving's character isn't just another one line spewing, pun projecting, piece of one-dimensional fluff, he's really, really evil. And is shows. The big problem I have with movie villains is that, no matter what, they just aren't scary. I wouldn't be afraid of that guy from Above the Law if I met him on the street. On the other hand, after seeing what Agent Smith can do, oh yeah, I'd run from this guy. Wouldn't do me much good, but I'd still try.

Let's get past that, though. All of the above was just the standard stuff that makes any movie good. Here is what makes The Matrix stand out: it's story. Know that little plot point I omitted? That's the ticket. Something that not only sets this movie apart from others of its ilk, but will probably affect other movies for generations to come (oh know, looks like I need a new slot on the Big Wheel O' Pain).  This movie really has something to say about man's over reliance on technology, and about how that over reliance will royally screw us if we aren't careful. This harkens back to the old days of sci-fi literature, when this breed of fiction had something to say about our species, instead of just being another vehicle to make 15 year-old boys go, "Cool, he blew stuff up and stuff."

I'm not saying The Matrix is totally original. It is a little slow in spots, and the obvious parallels between this movie and Terminator 1 and 2 come to mind. The difference is the Wachowski brothers have managed to take those concepts and spice them up with their own unique blend of creativity, and individuality.

What is The Matrix? The Matrix is an almost perfect blend of sci-fi writing, and ice cool action. The Matrix is a great movie that you should all rush out to see, while you still can. The Matrix is the proof to an old theory of mine: that there is still some hope for big budget movies. Other directors and writers should fallow the Wachowski's example. But you'd better hurry, there's an Armageddon made very few seconds these days.

RATING (OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE)

A SCI-FI MOVIE FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO THINK.