`MATRIX' NEEDS MORE THAN VISUALS.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic

The future, as seen in the brain-rattling and ridiculous new sci-fi film ``The Matrix,'' is one scary place. Life, unbeknownst to humans, has become a computer-generated illusion. Machines no longer serve humanity; they rule it. And Keanu Reeves is the Chosen One, the only hope the planet has to get out of this pickle.

Now, that's what we'd call a bleak tomorrow.

The world is indeed a poorly lit place in ``The Matrix,'' a dark, fast-paced, groundbreaking action film from brother filmmaking team of Larry and Andy Wachowski. The movie will excite the comic-book crowd with its stunning visuals and kinetic camera work, which give it the look of a live-action Japanese anime film. But a complete lack of story logic, coupled with the narrative's propensity for meandering mumbo-jumbo, make this a movie best seen and not heard.

Reeves plays Thomas Anderson, a slacker computer hacker who has always suspected that something wasn't quite right with the world. His suspicions are confirmed when he meets a young, leather-clad woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) on the lam from a couple of black-suited, law-enforcement types. Trinity leads Thomas to the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who tells him that life is an illusion ``pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.''

From that point, things really get weird. The Wachowskis (whose previous film, the lesbian heist picture ``Bound,'' certainly didn't prepare us for this) have pioneered some remarkable filmmaking techniques in this movie, giving the movie's action sequences a distinct, fresh and fantastic look that audiences have never before seen. These boys truly have redefined the action genre.

Example: The Wachowskis employ a technique called ``bullet-time photography'' that allows them complete flexibility in controlling the speed and movement of what's happening on the screen. Thus, in a head-spinning martial-arts sequence between Reeves and Fishburne, the fighters can accelerate to the apex of their leaps, hover in midair, then kick - rapidly and repeatedly - and settle softly on the ground. (Think kung-fu Fred Astaire and you'll get a glimmer of what the scene looks like.)

The results are eye-popping. But the Wachowskis, who wrote and directed the film, seem unfamiliar with the maxim that a little goes a long way. By the end of this overlong movie, the brothers have staged a few too many loud, bullet-intensive showdowns.

What's worse is that the world of ``The Matrix'' has no logic, no rules. Even on the rare occasion when someone in the film (usually Fishburne's Morpheus) says this is the way things are, you can bet that 15 minutes later the ridiculous plot will dictate otherwise. As for the theme of questioning reality and not letting any system think for you, we think that's a good idea, too. We certainly found ourselves questioning a few things here.

The actors perform their stunts capably. Fishburne epitomizes cool, while Reeves says ``Whoooa!'' with a conviction that no other star in Hollywood can match.

After watching about an hour or so of the movie's muddled mayhem, you are completely inclined to wave the white flag, turn off your brain and just go along for the ride. And it is a pretty good head trip. If the Wachowskis had just devoted as much time and energy to the logic of their universe as they did to its look, ``The Matrix'' would add up to something unequivocally worth the price of the ticket.

THE FACTS

The film: ``The Matrix'' (R; violence, language).

The stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski. Released by Warner Bros.

Running time: Two hours, 14 minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two and one half stars.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: In ``The Matrix,'' the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) escapes his captors through a shattering window.