Well, people can actually die in the matrix, so there is definitely potential for real suspense there. I loved the first one at first, but over time it lost a lot of it's interest for me. It's influences are too obvious, and too shallow; it draws inspiration directly from fairly light-weight sources which in turn draw their inspiration from much more interesting places; it makes for a rather vapid and watered-down experience, in terms of mental inspiration, anyway. As an action film, it was damn good, but yes, overshadowed by other films of the genre. It may have had cutting-edge effects, but they're not all that important. Look at seven samurai for proof; 50 years old and still amazing.