25th anniversary of "The Matrix" - March 31st

It's pretty amazing how this movie came out of nowhere and turned late 90's science fiction on its head.  A lot of people were expecting "The Phantom Menace" to be the top sci-fi movie of 1999 (and it was financially), but this movie seemed to be the more impactful on critics and moviegoers.  I still remember seeing it on VHS for the first time when it hit VHS and being intrigued by the story, characters, what the Matrix is, the action, bullet time/visual effects, etc.  The whole thing of "bullet time" was like nothing we had seen before at the time, certainly made an impact on visual effects, and was also parodied on TV shows and other movies.  It's too bad the sequels couldn't be able to live up to the standard that this movie set for the franchise.  It's also too bad the writer/director Wachowski siblings have tried hard in vain to recapture the magic and success of this movie and have failed to do so.  But anyway, this is a late 90's sci-fi movie that has held up quite well, made Keanu Reeves have another franchise besides "Bill & Ted" before having another with "John Wick", gave Laurence Fishburne another memorable character, introduced us to Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Ann Moss, etc.

Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:

"A computer hacker (Reeves) discovers the world he is living in is an illusion maintained by computers that have taken over the world...and he is thought to be "the chosen one" to save humanity.  Cutting-edge visuals and production design compete with an overlong script, written by the directors, that's got a high MJQ (Mumbo-Jumbo Quotient), and a tendency to keep changing its own complicated "rules".  Martial arts scenes staged by Yuen Wo Ping are highlights.  Oscar winner for Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, and Visual Effects.  Followed by THE MATRIX RELOADED and the DVD collection of animated shorts, THE ANIMATRIX.  Super 35."