THE MATRIX:
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss. Rated M.
All the big-movie hype in this case is justified. Although starting at a furious pace before easing off for just a while to allow us to catch our breath and have the complex premise explained, it stomps through 136 minutes of excitement, intrigue, action and, of course, massive doses of special effects.
What is the Matrix? (Try www.whatisthematrix.com while you are at it), but I'm not telling. You'll have to find that out for yourself. The rest of the plot, however, is no secret.
Neo (Reeves) is a computer hacker, driven by a nagging, intangible, doubt that all is not right with the world. In fact, the ultimate conspiracy theory.
Morpheus (Fishburne) is the hacker's hacker. A god. A name known only to other hackers and their arch enemy, the Agents, Smith.
When Neo is eventually taken to meet his god, he is given a simple choice. Take the blue pill and live the rest of your life in bliss (ignorance being bliss) or take the red pill and know the truth. The whole truth. Even what the Matrix is.
The truth is that the world as we know it is all just one giant computer program. Our conscious self goes about its daily "life" blissfully unaware of what our real, mortal selves are subjected to. The fact  that there is agro, suffering, road-rage and other crosses to bear in this computer-generated world is that the computer already tried to make it a perfect world for us to live in, but the human mind was too small and prehistoric to cope with real bliss.
The whole truth as revealed by taking the red pill, as it turns out, is almost too much for the human mind to cope with as well. Neo's new colleagues, other computer hackers, now allies and foot-soldiers in the "real" war, express a regret that they hadn't taken the blue pill when proffered. But, Neo needs to find out for himself.
All the action takes place inside the computer (the world we perceive as being real) thus making it fast and furious. Although we view it in normal speed, actions and reactions are, in fact, quick. Very quick. Quick enough for a good hero to dodge well-aimed bullets. Hence, ample opportunity for a myriad special effects.
This is one of those rare movies that, while satisfying the desire for excitement, also challenges the imagination. I found myself awed by the special effects at the same time as the old brain-matter was mulling over the concept of the yarn. What I'm trying to say is, The Matrix satisfied the desire to be entertained in the short term, but also left me deep in thought for hours after the (typically Hollywood) final scenes.
As a footnote, this is a Hollywood blockbuster. But it has gained just a little extra oomph from the fact it was filmed in Sydney. Sydneysiders will recognise some of the landmarks, but the film was careful to avoid anywhere famous.
Five out of five supercomputers.
Check out the official The Matrix website