By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers-Andy and Larry-annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal-from what or whom he doesn't know-until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. " Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is-a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend. Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne-who both turn in fine performances-much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. [+]

This outlandish comic book of a movie stars newcomer Andy On as the genetically altered warrior played by Jet Li in the original Black Mask. As Zeus-the gigantic brain-in-a-vat that created Black Mask-sends his newest super-warrior to track Black Mask down, the nefarious owner of a professional wrestling network has a plan to genetically alter his wrestlers and turn them into animalistic half-humans-meanwhile, Black Mask falls in love with a beautiful geneticist who's paralyzed with phobic anxiety whenever a man touches her. None of the plot makes much sense, but sense is hardly the point. Though the computer-generated special effects are fairly crude, the relentless camera movement and rapid-fire editing of Hong Kong action master Tsui Hark (Peking Opera Blues, Time and Tide) and fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix) keep the spectacle rolling along entertainingly. Also featuring Traci Lords as a kick-ass wrestling queen. -Bret Fetzer.

A broad science fiction thriller in a classic vein, Equilibrium takes a respectable stab at a Fahrenheit 451-like cautionary fable. The story finds Earth's post-World War III humankind in a state of severe emotional repression: If no one feels anything, no one will be inspired by dark passions to attack their neighbors. Writer-director Kurt Wimmer's monochromatic, Metropolis-influenced cityscape provides an excellent backdrop to the heavy-handed mission of John Preston (Christian Bale), a top cop who busts "sense offenders" and crushes sentimental, sensual, and artistic relics from a bygone era. Predictably, Preston becomes intrigued by his victims and that which they die to cherish; he stops taking his mandatory, mood-flattening drug and is even aroused by a doomed prisoner (Emily Watson). Wimmer's wrongheaded martial arts/dueling guns motif is sheer silliness (a battle over a puppy doesn't help), but Equilibrium should be seen for Bale's moving performance as a man shocked back to human feeling. -Tom Keogh.

This fourth entry in the Gamera series found the titanic turtle paralleling the cuddly direction of his competitor Godzilla. When two young, star-gazing children investigate a spaceship that has practically landed in their backyard, they are whisked away to Terra, our undiscovered tenth planet whose two "groovy spacegirls" are all that remain of a once-superior alien civilization. But the boys soon discover that their seemingly friendly hosts have sinister plans in mind for them. Never fear, for Gamera comes to save them, flying through space to battle the spacegirls' guardian Guiron, a giant, rhino-like beast possessing a razor-sharp steel blade for a snout. This movie is truly suited for young children, for older kids, and especially for adults will chortle at the unintentional humor arising from the cheesy effects, underplayed roles, and possibly the worst dubbing job in Japanese monster history. Taken as comedy, adults will find this a real camp gem-when the two boys witness Guiron slice 'n' dice a laser-spewing Gaos, one of them proclaims: "What a monster!" -Bryan Reesman.

Nine-year-old Tsutomu discovers a strange glowing red stone with the power to make wishes come true, but the meanest bully in school uses it to create a gigantic, evil monster. Now Tsutomu can realize his own heart's desire to meet his hero, Agent Gamu of the XIG Team, the human alter ego of the mighty Ultraman Gaia! The skyscraper-sized silver and red superhero takes on a growing army of monsters with the aid of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna, pitting this intrepid trio of good guys against the forces of darkness in a blistering battle over the future of Earth! Packed with explosive special effects and exciting action, "Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace" is a dazzling entry in the popular Ultraman saga that raises the bar for spectacular entertainment!.

Ghosts of Mars may not be one of John Carpenter's finer efforts, but you can't knock the veteran director for staying true to his roots-it's clearly a Carpenter film, reveling in its B-movie blood lust, and fueled by the director's rock & roll rebellion as well as the sex appeal of star Natasha Henstridge. This rickety sci-fi/horror hybrid recalls Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, with various connections from throughout the director's career-for better and worse. It's the year 2176, and human colonists on Mars are controlled by a political "matronage," with women (for reasons unexplained) holding court in the capitol city of Chryse. Mars Police Force Lt. Ballard (Henstridge) has been sent to retrieve James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube), the planet's most notorious criminal, from a remote mining-colony prison. With her ill-fated crew, Ballard discovers that the colonists have nearly all been possessed by ancient Martian spirits bent on reclaiming the planet, turning them into an army of self-mutilating freaks suggesting an unholy union of Marilyn Manson and the sadomasochistic Cenobites from the Hellraiser films. None of this makes much sense, and the shaky alliance between cops and criminals is a predictable excuse for rampant battle scenes between surviving humans and the ghost-possessed maniacs. Exotic weaponry abounds (along with cheap special effects and some laughable dialogue), resulting in the gruesome dispatch of expendable costars Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy, Robert Carradine, and Clea Duvall. Driven by Carpenter's synth-metal score, this violent free-for-all has a few brief highlights, but it's suspenseless and ultimately absurd. It's not much, but for loyal fans it's probably enough. [+]

Rutger Hauer and Kim Cattrall star in this festival of stolen plots and embarrassing dialogue. Harley Stone (Hauer) is a tough cop. The kind of cop who lives by his own rules. The kind of cop who smokes, swears, and eats junk food. The kind of cop who slams people into walls to drive home a conversational point. If it sounds like you've seen this character before, you have. Split Second is not so much a movie as a cinematic crib sheet, cheerfully ripping off Jaws, Aliens, and Hauer's own Blade Runner, just to name a few. Which is not for a moment to suggest that the movie isn't fun to watch. Connoisseurs of horror-action also-rans will be in spasms of delight over everything from the ludicrous plot to the cookie-cutter dialogue ("They say he's the best. " "He is. [+]