It's a good movie, being a wildly cinematic futuristic thriller that is determined to overpower the imagination, “The Matrix” combines traditional science-fiction premises with visual technology in a way that almost defies description. Like it or not, this is one movie that words don’t come close to approximating.

Obviously, there’s a great deal that’s familiar about “The Matrix,” starting with its sturdy themes of alternate realities, the deadly rivalry between men and machines, the resilient power of the human mind and the creeping dangers of conformity. Still, the film’s fake-Zen dialogue, lines like “Don’t think you are; know you are” and “There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path,” isn’t going to win any ovations for originality.

On the other hand, the somber quality of the dialogue suits the apocalyptic quality of “The Matrix” story, and the gravity of the actors, especially the always magisterial Lawrence Fishburne and the magnetically phlegmatic Keanu Reeves, makes the words more bemusing than bothersome.

It's widely considered to be among the greatest science fiction films of all time for a reason, even being selected to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
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