Better Than Goodfellas

I have never seen 'Goodfellas', but your statement about The Matrix is both true and untrue, depending on how we look at it.

The Matrix has a similar problem as 'Back to the Future', when it comes to getting things going. Both have interesting 'intro sequences', that then descend onto a 'less interesting, but still OK-ish' section, before landing squarely on a really drawn-out boredom-fest before finally starting to pick up the pace and THEN it keeps the viewer's interest in a tight grip.

The Matrix has particularly interesting, even 'exciting' scenes - its action sequences are still, even after all these years, pretty much top notch compared to almost any other movie (if we don't go all the way to Hong Kong, where the PROPER Kung-Fu actors surpass the fights and such, but they really did an amazing job with hollyweird actors when it comes to Kung-Fu, and the whole 'virtual reality' aspect believably enhances all the action, making ludicrous things perfectly acceptable, which elevates the 'epic feel' of the action).

However, when you watch this movie again and again, you start to slowly see how much pure FILLER it has, and how so many scenes have been done really boringly. The 'Smith interviewing Neo'-scene is actually quite long and boring, some of the first Morpheus meeting is also a little bit yawn-inducing, and it takes so long to really get going. It also seems like Neo's escape attempt is a waste of time, but I love the office scenes.

There is a bit of a problem with the pacing before things really start happening, and of course, from thereon, it's more of a 'breeze'.

I am not sure 'breezing' is a verb, though. It's usually a description of a thing that's happening. Wind doesn't 'breeze', it creates a breeze, or it blows (which does seem a bit weird when you think about it).

One wise man once said, when we watched this movie together, "needs more Kung-Fu", or something along those lines. When I thought about it, I realized he was right.