An interesting take on the "matrix" formula that doesn't fail to keep you present. Some good ideas, but overall not anything groundbreaking or entirely captivating.

I loved this movie soo much! 1999 had so many amazing movies based on the early age of the Internet. Since I'm an 80's child and Internet came online my first year of college I truly appreciate most of the movies that capitalized on this new gene. This movie was perfect in every way for me. I loved the suspense, and the retro detective murder mystery element that was then layered on top of the Internet gaming concept. The actor choices for each roll were spot on perfect, as well. My generation really loved the movies that captured the exciting computer/internet era back then when it was new and so exciting, with gaming, chat and everything we experienced. (ie the Matrix etc) So finding this gem so many decades later was deliciously perfect, imo. I've always loved a great murder mystery and retro movies from the 50's/60's so to add the new internet of the age as a 3rd layer within a gaming world was the best blend of all elements, for me personally. If you like the idea of a perfect trio of movie gene's than this is for you! The story is very well written and takes you on quite the journey with some excellent twists at the end, as you go. I loved the narrative on life in general with the idea of the illusion we all live and what it could really be, and really mean ultimately. Great adventure and action, and even better at making you think.. or rethink your reality. ...(it's unfortunate that this website smushes everything together into on long paragraph, even when we all write it out properly divided into separate spaced out thoughts... just saying :)

Spoiler alert: The following discussion gives away the ending of the movie. This film is well done and has something important to say. And not a single one of the professional critics seems to have gotten the point, a point that scientists and philosophers are taking seriously: Are we living in a Matrix-like virtual world? Serious scientists have, and are, conducting experiments. Serious philosophers are debating the probability of the “simulation hypothesis”. At present there is no way to refute the possibility. One of the features of a simulation world is that there can actually be simulated worlds within simulated worlds - nested virtual worlds. We see nested virtual worlds in this film. Had the professional critics gotten the point, they would not have panned the story as being confused, jumbled. The story is clear and well presented if you appreciate the logic of it, the possibilities. And is this not what good science fiction is about - the possibilities? The Thirteenth Floor is well done science fiction that explores a question that might hit pretty close to home.

In 1999 Los Angeles, Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl) owns a multibillion-dollar computer enterprise and is the inventor of a newly completed virtual reality (VR) simulation of 1937 Los Angeles, filled with simulated humans unaware they are computer programs. When Fuller is murdered just as he begins premature testing of the VR system, his friend and protégé, Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko), who is also the heir to the company, becomes the primary suspect. The evidence against him is so strong that Hall begins to doubt his own innocence. Between interrogations by LAPD Detective Larry McBain (Dennis Haysbert), Hall meets Jane Fuller (Gretchen Mol), the estranged daughter of Hannon Fuller, who is busy with the shutdown of the new VR system. Hall then romances her. When a local bartender is murdered after he claims to have witnessed a meeting between Hall and Fuller on the night Fuller was murdered, Hall is arrested. He is released when Jane gives him an alibi. With the assistance of his associate Jason Whitney (Vincent D'Onofrio), Hall attempts to find a message that Fuller left for him inside the simulation... Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads: "Bad script and confusing plot undermine the movie's impressive visuals." Philosopher Slavoj Žižek called the film "much better than The Matrix". (Via Wikipedia) "The Thirteenth Floor" is a stale and a not that exciting science fiction film presenting the use of VR. It has a confusing plot and there´s no real dynamics with way too minimalistic performances from the main actors. There's not much that stands out, just the fact that Vincent D'Onofrio plays another evil character and that Gretchen Mol is quite lovely and radiant. "The Thirteenth Floor" is forgettable.

This is a great movie ,fantastic actors ,great storyline ,extremely confused by the critics ,I'm seeing this way to often how the critics bash it ,but the audience likes it ,one of my more favorite movies ,please give this sci fi a chance the critics are wrong !

Kind of cool surreal atmosphere, but the acting is pretty wooden and it doesn't help the characters are written pretty silly

Don't understand the critics' negative reviews on this one. Very stylish, very intriguing right till the end. A good ‘proper' sci-fi film!

I've only just watched The Thirteenth Floor for the first time (almost 25 years after it was first released...crikey!). In the main, I can't understand the reviews from the critics, giving the film only 28% on the Tomatometer. I found the film to be entertaining, keeping my interest throughout, with some neat plot twists, very good acting, and a really good pacing & script. Also, the scenes were excellently portrayed, in my opinion. OK, the plot twists aren't the most original, but certainly, I still found them surprising. A lot of people, including both critics and audience in their reviews, mentioned a complicated/complex storyline, but I found it to be logical and well-presented. All in all, a sci-fi film well worth watching, in my opinion and the reasons given, I can recommend it.

A fairly decent skeleton of a story told at a glacial pace without much to look at or chew on (the obvious twist will be clear to anyone within the first 30 minutes) and then flies off the rails when it makes up some additional rules in the last 20 minutes. Poor acting and uninteresting camerawork perfectly complement the bland script.

The twists are just ridiculous.

This is an excellent movie. It is a far better movie than even The Matrix which is a flat representation of what this movie offers in such depth, layers, and eloquence.

An underrated noir sci fi film.

Started out liking this film. The longer it ran, the more confused I got. Too bad, as the theme of VR is a possibility someday.

Highly reminds me of Matrix spins-off but in old-fashion and dull...

I don't understand the complaints that the plot is complex. On the contrary, it revolves around one idea, and it explains it (through the dialogue) instead of leaving the viewers figure out stuff on their own. It even tries to "complicate" things by jumping across different scenes; maybe this is what gave it its image as confusing. The effects used are also ahead of their time, though they fell in the paradox of predicting the future in exaggeration, as usual with these predictions. 25 years is not really that long a period (the movie depicted 2024 in 1999). 2047 will most probably look the same as now except with more stuff using sustainable energy.

A fun cyber neo-noir movie, reflective of the era it was made in the late 1990s. While entertaining, and the over all plot is good, for today's audience it is a little predictable. It could have used a little more character development in a few spots, and comparisons to other films is obvious. One nice call back was the apartment was the same one from Blade Runner. If haven't already should check out Dark City as these two films as examples of the fascination with virtual worlds at the time, which also culminated to the more polished Matrix movie.

The Thirteenth Floor is a movie with its ups and its downs. I liked the blend of science-fiction and neo-noir mystery, it makes for a unique touch. It also delivers some impressive visuals. I like how the movie shifts back-and-forth from the 1930's settings to the modern, technological science-fiction settings. It also benefits from some good performances by Craig Bierko, Vincent d'Onofrio, Gretchen Mol and Dennis Hasbert. I also liked the themes and elements that are tackled here, with existential themes, as well as the theme of man versus machine. Unfortunately, and I think that a good portion of viewers would agree, that the script is weakened by the fact that it may leave one confused more than anything else. I managed to understand what was going on, but you need to hold on indeed. The script does get more complex than it really needs to be. It sometimes like there are several stories into one, and that just doesn't make the movie as fun as you would expect it to be, it feels a little flat sometimes in the end. Overall, The Thirteenth floor is an alright movie, but its got a muddled script and it could've been much better. I would recommend it for science-fiction fans, they make get a kick out of this flick!

This is the type of head-f**k film that you need to watch twice. Although having now watched it twice I think that you should only ever watch it once – a lot is lost on the second viewing. It is confusing but when you get your head around the concept it becomes very interesting and pertinent. One problem though is that this kind of film will date badly. It already looks a bit preposterous in some ways. Possibly that was deliberate as nothing is tangible. Or should that be nothing is intangible? Just want to confirm that the effects look cheesy but overall it is fine to watch – the camerawork was a touch static – I do like that jittery new style. Apart from the strong thoughts that I cannot get out of my head I would still say how powerful this exploration into our mind's reality is. A little more action and graphical effects would have been nice although this is only a minor gripe. It is possibly a bit predictable too but not a long way in advance. Made me think a little too much possibly, I may unravel the mystery... The tacked-on love story is stupid but the premise is clever and gripping.

I almost liked it more than the Matrix. How comes that critics gave this movie just 30%.

Great movie! It was overshadowed by the Matrix which came out around the same time and appealed to a younger crowd. That probably caused this gem to be overlooked. This was more of a murder mystery with a film noir computer generated city. It kept you engrossed with the idea of being able to interact in a computer generated enviornment, much like being on the holodek in Star Trek The Next Generation. I actually liked it better than the Matrix.