Matrix, The

Keanu Reeves’ latest nearly excellent adventure is a sensation-saturated, science-fiction, kung fu comic book. It begins as a cyberpunk Alice in Wonderland and climaxes as villainous forces of artificial intelligence battle a superhuman hacker (Reeves) and rebels strung out on religious mysticism. In between, filmmakers Andy Wachyowski and Larry Wachyowski reference numerous visionaries and visions without sacrificing the film’s ferocious sense of originality. Dimension-hopping has never been so exhilarating and breathlessly lyrical as brilliant visuals and bracing Hong Kong action stunts punch through lengthy streams of technobabble.