The Matrix
Twenty two years after Star Wars exploded into popular culture with the promise of sci-fi and fantasy blended together, comes The Matrix. Star Wars might ultimately be a grand fantasy movie with sci-fi aesthetics, but The Matrix is the real deal. It is the culmination of the increasing trend of genre cinema overlapping with one another, and oh my god it fucking rules.
The Matrix is so sick. I don't care if the world has moved past black leather jackets and sunglasses and bullet time; they will forever be the coolest shit to me. The Matrix is the perfect mix of style and substance, traits of the perfect blockbuster. Every scene has something to marvel at, be it the visuals, philosophical musings, the set designs, or Lawrence Fishburne being the eternal badass. It's shot so bloody well too, filled with tasty camera angles and little details that just make every image special. This is a confident movie; there's no hesitance or uncertainty in the writing or the visuals, it is a fully formed movie.
It's just such a loving homage to everything I love in cinema. Kung fu, John fucking Woo, 90s drip, cerebral science fiction, chosen ones, the list go on. I can't help but adore this movie. There are a lot of issues with The Matrix mainly with the pacing of the second act (I can't lie everything outside the Matrix is not as compelling) and spotty acting, but the effects are not one of them. People need to stop equating "dated" with "bad", because this movie's dated effects are so charming (other than the final shot. that was pretty bad I can't lie)