Sci-fi movies have been around for a very long time. I'd say the first sci-fi movie on the best of lists is Metropolis, and that was back in 1927. There have been hundreds since then. I've seen so many of them, but the one that has stuck with me the most is The Matrix - the original, not the second or the third.

One of the reasons it stands out for me is the coolness factor. This is a gritty, yet shiny movie that shows two sides to the future. It flip-flops between worlds, the real world and the world created by The Matrix. In the created world everything is shiny and made to look and feel very cool and smooth by the movie's creators, the Wachowski brothers. In the reality world the world is almost destroyed by the machines that have taken over. It is this back and forth which makes the movie great. For example in one scene Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) are wearing black trench coats, black sunglasses, and loaded with weapons, the next scene they are back in the real world in clothes with holes.

The effects, fight scenes, mystery and characters are the rest of the movie. Some of the effects created were so cutting edge and just awesome to watch that you knew it was something special just by watching the trailer. The mystery in the beginning was this thing called The Matrix, you don't know what it is, but understand it is a vast and sinister conspiracy. There is a tremendous amount of tension and anticipation created at the moment when Neo has a choice of taking two pills, the red one will make him understand all he does not know and reveal the truth about The Matrix, and the blue pill which will return him to his current life and nothing will be answered. Of course Neo chooses the red pill and history was made.

If you enjoy the sci-fi genre at all and have not seen The Matrix, put it in your Netflix queue right now!