****SPOILERS*****
(Virtuosity, The Matrix Series)

The main problem with Virtuosity was the writing. The characters weren’t really developed very well (other than Washington’s character which I think is due in large part to his acting ability), and the characters lacked motivation, among many other issues, including unrealistic dialog.

Performances of the lead actors were great. Denzel Washington was amazing, even this early in his acting career. (And we get to see him in dreadlocks!) Kelly Lynch and Russell Crowe each did a fantastic job with the material they were given. Some of the supporting actors also gave great performances. (Kaley Cuoco from “The Big Bang Theory” TV series appears as a kid actor in this film, her second film). Crowe played the stilted super-villain and just went so far over the top with his portrayal, which I’m sure is how he was directed to play it. I don’t particularly like the stilted super-villain character, but it has become a pervasive staple in many film genre, including many scifi films.

Although The Matrix was much better produced, Virtuosity had amazing CG for the time it was made, and the overall production design of the virtual world was top notch. Some of the technical details of the narrative were kind of goofy, like the computer having separate plug-in cartridges for each virtual character and that exploding implant – those were unrealistic.

But The Matrix also had those issues, such as using humans for energy. Human batteries? Really? They couldn’t think up a better excuse to explain why people were kept as comatose matrix dreamers?

I think The Matrix performed better at the box-office because of the attention to detail in the writing, especially the dialog; and the overall quality of production, which the Wachowskis are famous for. It also had much more Hollywood-style action which makes it more appealing to a wider audience.

However, I think The Matrix was much more detrimental to society, because the protagonists were violent bad guys who killed a lot of cops under a contemporary punk-rock score. They also worn black trench coats (Trench Coat Mafia style), which is significant because the Columbine mass shooters were also caught up in that Trench Coat Mafia culture. I don’t think The Matrix made those kids go out and do all that killing, but the film came out just a few weeks before the mass shooting, and The Matrix glorified that whole evil side of the cyberpunk culture.

Virtuosity, on the other hand, while containing quite a bit of violence, didn’t promote the evil side of the protagonist. The bad guy (Crowe) is really bad, and the protagonist (Washington) has generally good intent and does mostly good deeds in the film.