(sorry, my English is not the better I know...)

No! Matrix isn't a good film and certainly not the best of its year. In my opinion, the movie has a single interest: its special effects! But when you have seen the best ones of them more than one hundred times before seeing the movie in the traders broadcasted 24h/24 at TV... The actors will not remain in my memory too; and the characters are all but deep (special award to Trinity, ridiculous).

The scenario can seem original to those who don't know anything about science fiction. The others will recognize topics taken from different films ; the main idea of the movie, the matrix, is close to the usual topics from novels of Philip K Dick too (just read "The three stigmatas of Palmer Eldritch"! for example). Shortly, the scenario is not so strong as so many people are telling us, and if the initial idea is powerful, the screenwriters have probably rest after.

My conclusion: if you like special effects, or if you don't know anything in Science Fiction, you can watch Matrix Else, watch Blade Runner, Existenz ... or even Star Wars.