What is The Matrix?

That's a question asked time and time again in the self-titled film of the same name. It's a high-stakes game of virtual reality which takes the audience on a fantastic ride through mind-boggling special effects and a labyrinth of plot twists. It's also one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen in my life. Most of my friends are wild about this movie. I found it hard to follow, scanty on facts, and quite frankly, a little too weird to suit this girl's taste buds.

The film opens with a phone conversation between Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morphus (Laurence Fishburne), two individuals keeping an eye on Neo (Keanu Reeves), software programmer by day, hacker by night. He's being tracked by government agents, one of whom tries to assassinate Trinity in the opening fight scene. Neo has no clue what's really happening in his world... one minute he's snoozing in front of a blank computer screen, the next it lights up with a futuristic message. He's approached in an underground bar by a mysterious beautiful woman, then given a cell phone connection to Morpheus only seconds before Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and his black-coated chums arrive to cart him off to prison. After rejecting the usual "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" offer, Neo is force-fed a 'bug' (transmitter which turns itself into a creepy crawly and crawls through his belly button) and... wakes up in his apartment.

Through an elaborate series of adventures, Neo winds up in the hands of Morphius, who informs him that earth is just a virtual reality. Does he want to see the truth by way of 'the matrix'? Why not? He swallows the red pill offered to him and wakes up in a creepy surreal world where the truth is horrific. Nothing is what it seems, and Neo is 'the One' chosen to help fight the matrix's evil lure and save mankind. The world as we know it doesn't exist... human beings are actually electrical generators for another race of sci-fi machines in control of the planet. Nothing you or I take for granted is actually there... it's all imagery in our minds. Despite the insane premise, if you can get through the first thirty minutes of The Matrix, you might actually enjoy it. Some people claim there's Christian parallels in this film. If there are, they're equally mixed with elements of other religions, from New Age to Buddhism and even a little Star Wars theology. Still, none of it really bothered my intelligence.

There are some elements that will make parents wary, but if you could handle X-Men, you can probably tackle The Matrix. It has some of the finest special effects seen in a long time, with futuristic 3D fight sequences and some wicked visuals. The Karate style training scenes are what really makes the film, although at times the CGI borders on fakery. For those of us who like serious action and thrills, this film packs it all. Otherwise, I only have a handful of praise to offer. The plot is difficult to follow early on. Characters aren't well defined in the first half hour, and most of the theology buys into the 'reality is what you believe it to be' stuff that many of our New Age friends are in to. There's also some gruesome visuals (probably the reason for the film's R-rating, which isn't stretched in any other proximity) like a man's flesh growing over his mouth, a scorpion pulling itself through a man's bellybutton (and later being removed somewhat graphically) and a sight to give you nightmares... a human being awakening in a tube full of slush with a dozen wires and plugs protruding from his flesh. Neo and Trinity attempt a rescue mission at one point and relentlessly fire automatic weapons at the guards, completely destroying the room and killing off every last enemy.

In the face of such relentless slaughter (although largely non-graphic) it makes him a difficult hero to root for. People go hand to hand in numerous fight sequences; they're thrown against walls, flipped head over heels, and kicked in the face. Two people are killed with an electrical stunner; fight victims spit up blood. A man is given a truth serum through an injection in his neck. The worst thing about The Matrix actually comes from the language. Half a dozen abuses each of GD and Jesus, along with lots of general profanity. Every other word is sh*t. Some mild innuendo intrudes, as well as a use of the finger. One of Neo's shipmen 'Mouse eyes a shapely CGI woman he's created appreciatively. Neo is asked to visit 'The Oracle' who will tell him if he's 'The One.' She's some kind of a futuristic prophet (fortune teller?) who tells him 'what he needs to know' at the time he needs to know it. Yes, there are Christian elements. But I have a little trouble accepting Neo, who uses strong profanity, flips Agent Smith the finger, and walks into an office building with guns blazing as any sort of Christ figure. I really don't know what to say about a film like The Matrix. Either you're going to love it, or you'll hate it. I found it interesting, but not a movie I'd watch more than once.