bob the happy bastard's quickie review : 
the matrix 
what's worse than y2k ? 
how about a fully digital future where nothing is real ? 
that's what computer programmer neo ( keanu reeves ) slowly learns as he enters the dangerous world that is the matrix , a movie directed by the wachowski brothers ( the guys behind the hip thriller bound ) . 
before you groan at the presence of reeves in the lead role , hold on . 
there's actually a story with depth here . 
it seems that a group of hackers is out to stop the system that is the matrix , led by the bald but brilliant laurence fishburne and assisted by carrie ann moss , who looks quite cool in leather , i must say . 
neo ( reeves ) is pretty much a key player in this fight , although he really doesn't look it at first . 
could this amateur be " the one " as fisburne thinks he is ? 
credit the wachowskis for putting together a great story that allows suspense to build , something that few special effects-laden films seem to do these days . 
there's plenty of effects to go around , of course , but at least there's a backbone to build them on as well . 
reeves is surprisingly good in his role as neo , particularly in a fight scene with fishburne that comes across as goofy , yet great . 
i wish the villains weren't quite so " generic " ( leftover g-men from looking for a sweet sci-fi actioner with plenty of stop-motion swooping camera angles and , of course , a motherlode of a helicopter explosion . 
now the wachowskis are headed into horror films with their next project . 
bring it on .