The Matrix
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	The Wachowskis[a]
Written by	The Wachowskis
Produced by	Joel Silver
Starring	Keanu Reeves Laurence Fishburne Carrie-Anne Moss Hugo Weaving Joe Pantoliano
Cinematography	Bill Pope
Edited by	Zach Staenberg
Music by	Don Davis
Production companies	Warner Bros. Pictures Village Roadshow Pictures Groucho II Film Partnership Silver Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures (worldwide) Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)
Release dates	March 24, 1999 (1999-03-24) (Mann Village Theater) March 31, 1999 (1999-03-31) (United States) April 8, 1999 (1999-04-08) (Australia)
Running time	136 minutes[1]
Countries	United States[2][3][4] Australia[2][3][4]
Language	English
Budget	$63 million[5]
Box office	$467.6 million[5]

The Matrix is a 1999science fictionaction film written and directed bythe Wachowskis.^[a] It is the first installment in theMatrix film series, starringKeanu Reeves,Laurence Fishburne,Carrie-Anne Moss,Hugo Weaving, andJoe Pantoliano. It depicts adystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, asimulated reality created byintelligent machines. Believing computer hackerNeo to be "the One" prophesied to defeat them,Morpheus recruits him into a rebellion against the machines.

Following the success ofBound (1996),Warner Bros. gave the go-ahead forThe Matrix after the Wachowskis sent an edit of the film's opening minutes. Action scenes were influenced byanime andmartial arts films, (particularlyfight choreographers andwire fu techniques fromHong Kong action cinema). Other influences includePlato's cave and 1990sTelnet hacker communities. The film popularized terms such as thered pill, and popularised a visual effect known as "bullet time", in which a character's heightened perception is represented by allowing the action within ashot to progress inslow motion while the camera appears to move through the scene at normal speed.

The Matrix opened in theaters in the United States on March 31, 1999, to widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its innovative visual effects, action sequences, cinematography and entertainment value.^[6][7] The film was a box office success, grossing over $460 million on a $63 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing Warner Bros. film of 1999 and thefourth-highest-grossing film of that year. The film received nominations at the72nd Academy Awards forBest Visual Effects,Best Film Editing,Best Sound andBest Sound Editing, winning all four categories. The film was also the recipient of numerous other accolades, includingBest Sound andBest Special Visual Effects at the53rd British Academy Film Awards, and the Wachowskis were awardedBest Director andBest Science Fiction Film at the26th Saturn Awards.The Matrix is considered to be among the greatest science fiction films of all time,^[8][9][10] and in 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant".^[11]

The film's success led to two sequels by the Wachowskis, both released in 2003,The Matrix Reloaded andThe Matrix Revolutions. TheMatrix franchise was further expanded through the production of comic books, video games and an animatedanthology film,The Animatrix, with which the Wachowskis were heavily involved. The franchise has also inspired books and theories expanding on some of the religious and philosophical ideas alluded to in the films. A fourth film, titledThe Matrix Resurrections, directed solely byLana Wachowski was released in 2021.

In 1999, in an unnamed city, Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer known as "Neo" in hacking circles, delves into the mystery of the "Matrix". His search brings him to the attention of hackerTrinity, who discloses that the enigmaticMorpheus can answer Neo's questions. At his workplace, Neo is pursued by police andAgents led byAgent Smith. Morpheus guides Neo's escape by phone, able to somehow remotely observe their movements, but Neo ultimately surrenders rather than risk a hazardous getaway.

The Agents interrogate Neo about Morpheus but he refuses to cooperate. In response, they seal Neo's mouth shut and implant a robotic device in his abdomen. Neo awakens at home, initially dismissing the encounter as a nightmare until Trinity and her allies arrive, extract the implanted tracker, and bring Neo to Morpheus, their leader. Morpheus offers Neo a choice: a red pill to uncover the truth about the Matrix or a blue pill to forget everything and return to his normal life. Opting for the red pill, Neo's reality distorts, and he awakens submerged in a mechanical pod with invasive cables running throughout his body. Neo witnesses countless inert humans similarly encased and tended to by machines before he is ejected from the facility and rescued by Morpheus aboard the hovercraft, theNebuchadnezzar.

Morpheus reveals that the year is approximately 2199. In the 21st century, humanity lost a war with their artificially intelligent creations, leaving the Earth a devastated ruin. As a last resort, humans blackened the sky to eliminate the machines' access to solar power and, in response, the machines developed farms of artificially grown humans to harness their bioelectric energy. The Matrix is a simulated reality based on human civilization at its peak, designed to keep the subjugated humans oblivious and pacified. The remaining free humans established an underground refuge known as Zion, living a harsh existence on scarce resources. Morpheus and his rebel crew hack into the Matrix to free and recruit others, manipulating the rules of the simulation to gain superhuman physical abilities. Even so, they are outmatched by the overwhelmingly powerful Agents—sentient programs protecting the Matrix—and dying in the Matrix causes death in the real world. Morpheus liberated Neo because he believes him to be "the One", a prophesied figure destined to dismantle the Matrix and liberate humanity.

The crew enter the Matrix to seek guidance fromthe Oracle, the prophetic figure who foretold the existence of the One. She implies that Neo is not the One and warns him of an imminent choice between his life and Morpheus's. The crew are ambushed by Agents after being betrayed by Cypher, a disgruntled crew member who wants to be reinserted into the Matrix to enjoy its comforts. Convinced of Neo's importance, Morpheus sacrifices himself to confront Smith, only to be overpowered and captured. Meanwhile, Cypher exits the Matrix and begins forcefully disconnecting the others, killing them. Before Cypher can kill Neo and Trinity, Tank, a subdued crew member, regains consciousness, kills Cypher, and safely extracts the survivors.

Smith interrogates Morpheus to obtain access codes for Zion's mainframe, which would allow them to end the human resistance. Determined to rescue Morpheus, Neo reenters the Matrix with Trinity. They successfully free Morpheus, who escapes the Matrix with Trinity, but Smith intercepts Neo. Gaining confidence in his abilities, Neo fights Smith, demonstrating comparable power and eventually killing him. However, Smith resurrects in a new body and kills Neo.

In the real world, machines called Sentinels attack theNebuchadnezzar. Standing by Neo's real body, Trinity confesses her love for him and that the Oracle prophesied she would fall in love with the One. In the Matrix, Neo revives with newfound abilities to perceive and control the Matrix. He effortlessly destroys Smith and exits the Matrix just as theNebuchadnezzar's electromagnetic pulse disables the ship's power and the Sentinels. Sometime later, within the Matrix, Neo communicates with the system, promising to show the enslaved humans a world of limitless possibilities, before flying away.

Top to bottom:Keanu Reeves,Laurence Fishburne, andCarrie-Anne Moss star in the film asNeo,Morpheus andTrinity respectively.

• Keanu Reeves asNeo: A computer programmer, born Thomas A. Anderson, who secretly operates as a hacker named Neo. Reeves described his character as someone who felt that something was wrong, and was searching for Morpheus and the truth to break free.^[12]Will Smith turned down the role of Neo to makeWild Wild West, because of skepticism over the film's ambitious bullet time special effects.^[13] He later stated he was "not mature enough as an actor" at that time,^[13] and that if given the role, he "would have messed it up".^[14][15] Smith praised Reeves for his portrayal.^[16]Nicolas Cage also turned down the part because of "family obligations".^[17] Warner Bros. soughtBrad Pitt orVal Kilmer for the role.^[18] When both declined,Leonardo DiCaprio initially accepted the role, but ultimately turned it down because he did not want to do a visual effects film directly afterTitanic.^[19] The studio pushed for Reeves, who won the role overJohnny Depp, the Wachowskis' first choice.^[18]Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated that the screenplay was also sent toSandra Bullock, with the suggestion of rewriting Neo as a female.^[19]
• Laurence Fishburne asMorpheus: A human freed from the Matrix and captain of theNebuchadnezzar. Fishburne stated that once he read the script, he did not understand why other people found it confusing. However, he doubted if the movie would ever be made, because it was "so smart".^[12] The Wachowskis instructed Fishburne to base his performance on the characterMorpheus inNeil Gaiman'sSandman comics.^[20]
• Carrie-Anne Moss asTrinity: A human freed by Morpheus, a crewmember of theNebuchadnezzar, and later Neo's romantic interest. After reading the script, Moss stated that at first, she did not believe she had to do the extreme acrobatic actions as described in the script. She also doubted how the Wachowskis would get to direct a movie with a budget so large, but after spending an hour with them going through the storyboard, she understood why some people would trust them.^[12] Moss mentioned that she underwent a three-hour physical test during casting, so she knew what to expect subsequently.^[21] The role made Moss, who later said, "I had no career before. None."^[22]Janet Jackson was initially approached for the role but scheduling conflicts prevented her from accepting it.^[23][24] In an interview, she stated that turning down the role was difficult for her, so she later referencedThe Matrix in the 'Intro' and 'Outro' interludes on her tenth studio albumDiscipline.^[25]Sandra Bullock, who was previously approached for the role of Neo, was also offered the role of Trinity, but she turned it down.^[26]Rosie Perez,Salma Hayek andJada Pinkett Smith (who would later playNiobe in the sequels) auditioned for the role.^[27][28][29]
• Hugo Weaving asAgent Smith: A sentient "Agent" program of the Matrix whose purpose is to destroy Zion and stop humans from getting out of the Matrix. Unlike other Agents, he has ambitions to free himself from his duties. Weaving stated that he found the character amusing and enjoyable to play. He developed a neutral accent but with more specific character for the role. He wanted Smith to sound neither robotic nor human, and also said that the Wachowskis' voices had influenced his voice in the film. When filming began, Weaving mentioned that he was excited to be a part of something that would extend him.^[30]Jean Reno was offered the role, but declined, unwilling to move toAustralia for the production.^[31]
• Joe Pantoliano as Cypher: Another human freed by Morpheus, and a crewmember of theNebuchadnezzar, but one who regrets taking the red pill and seeks to be returned to the Matrix, later betraying the rebels to Agent Smith. Pantoliano had worked with the Wachowskis prior to appearing inThe Matrix, starring in their 1996 filmBound.
• Marcus Chong as Tank: The "operator" of theNebuchadnezzar and Dozer's brother; they are both "natural" (as opposed to bred) humans, born outside of the Matrix.
• Matt Doran as Mouse: A freed human and a programmer on theNebuchadnezzar.
• Rowan Witt as The Spoon Boy, a young prophet who has learnt how to manipulate the world of the Matrix. Seemingly wise beyond his years, he teaches Neo how to develop his powers and provides him with wisdom and motivation across the films and graphic novels.
• Gloria Foster asThe Oracle: A prophet who still resides in the Matrix, helping the freed humans with her foresight and wisdom.
• Anthony Ray Parker as Dozer: Pilot of theNebuchadnezzar. He is Tank's brother, and like him was born outside of the Matrix.
• Julian Arahanga as Apoc: A freed human and a crew member on theNebuchadnezzar.
• Belinda McClory as Switch: A human freed by Morpheus, and a crew member of theNebuchadnezzar.
• Paul Goddard as Agent Brown: One of two sentient "Agent" programs in the Matrix, who works with Agent Smith to destroy Zion and stop humans from escaping the system.
• Robert Taylor as Agent Jones: One of two sentient "Agent" programs in the Matrix who works with Agent Smith to destroy Zion and stop humans from escaping the system.
• Ada Nicodemou as DuJour: A reference to theWhite Rabbit inAlice's Adventures in Wonderland.

In 1994, the Wachowskis presented the script for the filmAssassins toWarner Bros. Pictures. AfterLorenzo di Bonaventura, the president of production of the company at the time, read the script, he decided to buy rights to it and included two more pictures,Bound andThe Matrix, in the contract. The first movie the Wachowskis directed,Bound, then became a critical success. Using this momentum, they later asked to directThe Matrix.^[32] Reeves said that the Matrix avatar would have been a "different sex than the Zion reality" in the early draft of the script, but the studio was not ready for that version.^[33]

In 1996, the Wachowskis pitched the role of Neo toWill Smith. Smith explained on hisYouTube channel that the idea was for him to be Neo, while Morpheus was to be played byVal Kilmer. He later explained that he did not quite understand the concept and he turned down the role to instead filmWild Wild West.^[34]Madonna also turned down an undisclosed role, a decision she would later regret.^[35]

ProducerJoel Silver soon joined the project. Although the project had key supporters, including Silver and Di Bonaventura, to influence the company,The Matrix was still a huge investment for Warner Bros., which had to invest $60 million to create a movie with prominent actors and difficult special effects.^[32] The Wachowskis therefore hired underground comic book artistsGeof Darrow andSteve Skroce to draw a 600-page, shot-by-shot storyboard for the entire film.^[36][37][38] The storyboard eventually earned the studio's approval, and it was decided to film in Australia to make the most of the budget.^[32] Soon,The Matrix became a co-production of Warner Bros. andVillage Roadshow Pictures.^[39] According to editorZach Staenberg on the DVD audio commentary track, the production team sent an edit of the film's first minutes (featuring Trinity's encounter with police and Agents) to Warner executives, and secured Warner's "total support of the movie" from then on.^[40]

The cast were required to be able to understand and explainThe Matrix.^[32] French philosopherJean Baudrillard'sSimulacra and Simulation was required reading for most of the principal cast and crew.^[41] In early 1997, the Wachowskis had Reeves and Moss readSimulacra and Simulation,Kevin Kelly'sOut of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World, andDylan Evans's ideas onevolutionary psychology even before they opened up the script.^[12] Eventually, Reeves was able to explain all the philosophical nuances involved.^[32] Moss commented that she had difficulty with this process.^[12]

The directors had long been admirers ofHong Kong action cinema, so they decided to hire the Chinesemartial arts choreographer and film directorYuen Woo-ping to work on fight scenes. To prepare for thewire fu, the actors had to train hard for several months.^[32] The Wachowskis first scheduled four months for training, beginning in October 1997.^[42] Yuen was optimistic but then began to worry when he realized how unfit the actors were.^[21]

Yuen let their body style develop and then worked with each actor's strength. He built on Reeves's diligence, Fishburne's resilience, Weaving's precision and Moss's feminine grace.^[21] Yuen designed Moss's moves to suit her deftness and lightness.^[43] Prior to the pre-production, Reeves underwent a two-level fusion of his cervical (neck) spine due to spinal cord compression from a herniated disc ("I was falling over in the shower in the morning").^[44] He was still recovering by the time of pre-production, but he insisted on training, so Yuen let him practice punches and lighter moves. Reeves trained hard and even requested training on days off. However, the surgery still made him unable to kick for two out of four months of training. As a result, Reeves did not kick much in the film.^[21][45] Weaving had to undergohip surgery after he sustained an injury during the training process.^[32]

All but a few scenes were filmed atFox Studios in Sydney, as well as in the city itself, although recognizable landmarks were not included to maintain the impression of a generic American city. The filming helped establishNew South Wales as a major film production center.^[46][47] Filming began in March 1998 and wrapped in August 1998;principal photography took 118 days.^[48] Some filming also occurred atCulver Studios.^[49]

Due to Reeves's neck injury (see above), some of the action scenes had to be rescheduled to wait for his full recovery. As a result, the filming began with scenes that did not require much physical exertion,^[50][51] such as the scene in Thomas Anderson's office, the interrogation room,^[30] or the car ride in which Neo is taken to see the Oracle.^[52] Locations for these scenes includedMartin Place's fountain in Sydney, halfway between it and the adjacent Colonial Building, and the Colonial Building itself.^[53] During the scene set on a government building rooftop, the team filmed extra footage of Neo dodging bullets in case thebullet time process did not work. The bullet-time fight scene was filmed on the roof ofSymantec Corporation building in Kent Street, oppositeSussex Street.^[54]

Moss performed the shots featuring Trinity at the beginning of the film and all the wire stunts herself.^[43] The rooftop set that Trinity uses to escape from Agent Brown early in the film was left over from the production ofDark City, which has prompted comments due to the thematic similarities of the films.^[55] During the rehearsal of the lobby scene, in which Trinity runs on a wall, Moss injured her leg and was ultimately unable to film the shot in one take. She stated that she was under a lot of pressure at the time and was devastated when she realized that she would be unable to do it.^[56]

Fishburne later said that while being in Sydney to shoot the film, he experienced a racist vibe and that it felt like America in the 1950s.^[57]

Thedojo set was built well before the actual filming. During the filming of these action sequences, there was significant physical contact between the actors, earning them bruises. Reeves's injury and his insufficient training with wires prior to filming meant he was unable to perform the triple kicks satisfactorily and became frustrated with himself, causing the scene to be postponed. The scene was shot successfully a few days later, with Reeves using only three takes. Yuen altered the choreography and made the actors pull their punches in the last sequence of the scene, creating a training feel.^[58]

The filmmakers originally planned to shoot the subway scene in an actualsubway station, but the complexity of the fight and related wire work required shooting the scene on a set. The set was built around an existing train storage facility, which had real train tracks. Filming the scene when Neo slammed Smith into the ceiling,Chad Stahelski, Reeves's stunt double, sustained several injuries, includingbroken ribs, knees and adislocated shoulder. Another stuntman was injured by a hydraulic puller during a shot in which Neo was slammed into a booth.^[59] The office building in which Smith interrogated Morpheus was a large set, and the outside view from inside the building was a large, three story highcyclorama. The helicopter was a full-scale, light-weight mock-up suspended by a wire rope operated a tilting mechanism mounted to the studio roofbeams. The helicopter had a real minigun side-mounted to it, which was set to cycle at half its regular (3,000 rounds per minute) firing rate.^[60]

To prepare for the scene in which Neo wakes up in a pod, Reeves lost 15 pounds (7 kg) and shaved his whole body to give Neo an emaciated look. The scene in which Neo fell into the sewer system concluded the principal photography.^[48] According toThe Art of the Matrix, at least one filmed scene and a variety of short pieces of action were omitted from the final cut of the film.^[61]

Dane A. Davis was responsible for creating the sound effects for the film. The fight scene sound effects, such as the whipping sounds of punches, were created using thin metal rods and recording them, then editing the sounds. The sound of the pod containing a human body closing required almost fifty sounds put together.^[62]

The film'sscore,The Matrix: Original Motion Picture Score, was composed byDon Davis.^[63][64] He noted that mirrors appear frequently in the film: reflections of the blue and red pills are seen in Morpheus's glasses; Neo's capture by Agents is viewed through the rear-view mirror of Trinity's motorcycle; Neo observes a broken mirror mending itself; reflections warp as a spoon is bent; the reflection of a helicopter is visible as it approaches a skyscraper. Davis focused on this theme of reflections when creating his score, alternating between sections of the orchestra and attempting to incorporatecontrapuntal ideas. Davis' score combines orchestral, choral and synthesizer elements; the balance between these elements varies depending on whether humans or machines are the dominant subject of a given scene.^[65]In addition to Davis' score,The Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture also features music from acts such asRammstein,Rob Dougan,Rage Against the Machine,Propellerheads,Ministry,Lunatic Calm,Deftones,Monster Magnet,The Prodigy,Rob Zombie,Meat Beat Manifesto andMarilyn Manson.^[66][67][68]

In the film, the code that composes the Matrix itself is frequently represented as downward-flowing green characters.^[69] This code uses a custom typeface designed by Simon Whiteley,^[39] which includes mirror images ofhalf-width kana characters and Western Latin letters and Arabic numerals.^[70] In a 2017 interview atCNET, he attributed the design to his wife, who is from Japan, and added, "I like to tell everybody that The Matrix's code is made out of Japanese sushi recipes".^[71] "The color green reflects the green tint commonly used on earlymonochrome computer monitors".^[72] Lynne Cartwright, the Visual Effects Supervisor atAnimal Logic, supervised the creation of the film's opening title sequence, as well as the general look of the Matrix code throughout the film, in collaboration with Lindsay Fleay and Justen Marshall.^[39] The portrayal resembles the opening credits of the 1995Japanese cyberpunk film,Ghost in the Shell, which had a strong influence on theMatrix series. It was also used in the subsequent films, on the related website, and in the gameThe Matrix: Path of Neo, and its drop-down effect is reflected in the design of some posters for theMatrix series. The code received the Runner-up Award in the 1999 Jesse Garson Award for In-film typography or opening credit sequence.^[39]

The Matrix'sproduction designer,Owen Paterson, used methods to distinguish the "real world" and the Matrix in a pervasive way. The production design team generally placed a bias towards the Matrix code's distinctive green color in scenes set within the simulation, whereas there is an emphasis on the color blue during scenes set in the "real world". In addition, the Matrix scenes' sets were slightly more decayed, monolithic and grid-like, to convey the cold, logical and artificial nature of that environment. For the "real world", the actors' hair was less styled, their clothing had more textile content, and the cinematographers used longer lenses to soften the backgrounds and emphasize the actors.^[70]

TheNebuchadnezzar was designed to have a patched-up look, instead of clean, cold and sterile space ship interior sets as used on productions such asStar Trek. The wires were made visible to show the ship's working internals, and each composition was carefully designed to convey the ship as "a marriage between Man and Machine".^[73] For the scene when Neo wakes up in the pod connected to the Matrix, the pod was constructed to look dirty, used and sinister. During the testing of a breathing mechanism in the pod, the tester suffered hypothermia in under eight minutes, so the pod had to be heated.^[48]

Kym Barrett, costume designer, said that she defined the characters and their environment by their costume.^[74] For example, Reeves's office costume was designed for Thomas Anderson to look uncomfortable, disheveled and out of place.^[50] Barrett sometimes used three types of fabric for each costume, and also had to consider the practicality of the acting. The actors needed to perform martial art actions in their costume, hang upside-down without people seeing up their clothing, and be able to work the wires while strapped into the harnesses.^[74] For Trinity, Barrett experimented with how each fabric absorbed and reflected different types of light, and was eventually able to make Trinity's costume mercury-like and oil-slick to suit the character.^[43] For the Agents, their costume was designed to create a secret service, undercover look, resembling the filmJFK and classicmen in black.^[30]

The sunglasses, a staple of the film's aesthetics, were commissioned for the film by designer Richard Walker from sunglasses maker Blinde Design.^[75]

As for artistic inspiration for bullet time, I would creditOtomo Katsuhiro, who co-wrote and directedAkira, which definitely blew me away, along with directorMichel Gondry. His music videos experimented with a different type of technique called view-morphing and it was just part of the beginning of uncovering the creative approaches toward using still cameras for special effects. Our technique was significantly different because we built it to move around objects that were themselves in motion, and we were also able to create slow-motion events that 'virtual cameras' could move around—rather than the static action in Gondry's music videos with limited camera moves.

— John Gaeta^[76]

The film is known for popularizing avisual effect^[77] known as "bullet time", which allows ashot to progress inslow motion while the camera appears to move through the scene at normal speed.^[78][79] Bullet time has been described as "a visual analogy for privileged moments of consciousness within the Matrix",^[80] and throughout the film, the effect is used to illustrate characters' exertion of control over time and space.^[81] The Wachowskis first imagined an action sequence that slowed time while the camera pivoted rapidly around the subjects, and proposed the effect in their screenplay for the film. WhenJohn Gaeta read the script, he pleaded with an effects producer atMass.Illusion to let him work on the project, and created a prototype that led to him becoming the film's visual effects supervisor.^[82][83]

The method used for creating these effects involved a technically expanded version of an old art photography technique known as time-slice photography, in which an array of cameras are placed around an object and triggered simultaneously. Each camera captures a still picture, contributing one frame to the video sequence, which creates the effect of "virtual camera movement"; the illusion of a viewpoint moving around an object that appears frozen in time.^[78]

The bullet time effect is similar but slightly more complicated, incorporating temporal motion so that rather than appearing totally frozen, the scene progresses in slow and variable motion.^[76][82] The cameras' positions and exposures wereprevisualized using a 3D simulation. Instead of firing the cameras simultaneously, the visual effect team fired the cameras fractions of a second after each other, so that each camera could capture the action as it progressed, creating a super slow-motion effect.^[78] When the frames were put together, the resulting slow-motion effects reached aframe frequency of 12,000 per second, as opposed to the normal 24 frames per second of film.^[32] Standard movie cameras were placed at the ends of the array to pick up the normal speed action before and after. Because the cameras circle the subject almost completely in most of the sequences, computer technology was used to edit out the cameras that appeared in the background on the other side.^[78] To create backgrounds, Gaeta hired George Borshukov, who created 3D models based on the geometry of buildings and used the photographs of the buildings themselves as texture.^{[citation needed]}

The photo-realistic surroundings generated by this method were incorporated into the bullet time scene,^[82] and algorithms based onoptical flow were used to interpolate between the still images to produce a fluent dynamic motion;^[84][85] the computer-generated "lead in" and "lead out" slides were filled in between frames in sequence to get an illusion of orbiting the scene.^[86] Manex Visual Effects used acluster farm running theUnix-likeoperating systemFreeBSD to render many of the film's visual effects.^[87][88]

Manex also handled creature effects, such as Sentinels and machines in real world scenes;Animal Logic created the code hallway and the exploding Agent at the end of the film. DFilm managed scenes that required heavy use of digital compositing, such as Neo's jump off a skyscraper and the helicopter crash into a building. The ripple effect in the latter scene was created digitally, but the shot also included practical elements, and months of extensive research were needed to find the correct kind of glass and explosives to use. The scene was shot by colliding a quarter-scale helicopter mock-up into a glass wall wired to concentric rings of explosives; the explosives were then triggered in sequence from the center outward, to create a wave of exploding glass.^[89]

Thephotogrammetric and image-basedcomputer-generated background approaches inThe Matrix's bullet time evolved into innovations unveiled in the sequelsThe Matrix Reloaded andThe Matrix Revolutions. The method of using real photographs of buildings as texture for 3D models eventually led the visual effect team to digitize all data, such as scenes, characters' motions and expressions. It also led to the development of "Universal Capture", a process which samples and stores facial details and expressions at high resolution. With these highly detailed collected data, the team were able to create virtual cinematography in which characters, locations and events can all be created digitally and viewed through virtual cameras, eliminating the restrictions of real cameras.^[82]

The Matrix was released onDVD andLaserdisc in its originalaspect ratio of2.39:1 on September 21, 1999, in the US fromWarner Home Video as well as in1.33:1 aspect ratio inHong Kong from ERA Home Entertainment. It was also released onVHS in bothfull screen andwidescreen formats onDecember 7, 1999.^[5] After its DVD release, it was the first DVD to sell more than one million copies in the US.^[90] By 2000, the film went on to become the first to sell more than three million copies in the US.^[32] At that point, it became the top-selling DVD release of all time, holding this record for a few months before being surpassed byGladiator.^[91] ByNovember 10, 2003, one month afterThe Matrix Reloaded DVD was released, the sales ofThe Matrix DVD had exceeded 30 million copies.^[92] It then debuted on both VHS and DVD formats in the UK onNovember 29, 1999.The Matrix sold more than 107,000 DVD copies in just two weeks, breakingArmageddon's record for being the country's best-selling DVD title.^[93]The Ultimate Matrix Collection was released onHD DVD onMay 22, 2007,^[90] and onBlu-ray onOctober 14, 2008.^[94][95] The film was also released standalone in a 10th-anniversary edition Blu-ray in the Digibook format onMarch 31, 2009, ten years to the day after the film was released theatrically.^[96] In 2010, the film had another DVD release along with the two sequels asThe Complete Matrix Trilogy. It was also released on 4K HDR Blu-ray on May 22, 2018.^[97] The film as part ofThe Matrix Trilogy was released on4KUltra HD Blu-ray on October 30, 2018.^[98]

The franchise also contains four video games:Enter the Matrix (2003), which contains footage shot specifically for the game and chronicles events taking place before and duringThe Matrix Reloaded;^[99]The Matrix Online (2004), anMMORPG which continued the story beyondThe Matrix Revolutions;^[100][101]The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005), which focuses on Neo's journey through the trilogy of films;^[102] andThe Matrix Awakens (2021), an interactive technology demonstration developed byEpic Games usingUnreal Engine 5.^[103]

The franchise also includesThe Matrix Comics, a series ofcomics and short stories set in the world ofThe Matrix, written and illustrated by figures from the comics industry. Most of the comics were originally presented for free on the officialMatrix website;^[104] they were later republished, along with some new material, in two printedtrade paperback volumes, calledThe Matrix Comics, Vol 1 and Vol 2.^[105]

The Matrix grossed $27.8 million during its opening weekend, as well as earning $37.4 million in its first five days.^[106] It surpassedLost in Space andIndecent Proposal simultaneously having the biggest April andEaster opening weekends.^[106] The film also had the second-highest opening weekend for a spring starter film, trailing behindLiar Liar.^[106] Three years later in 2002,The Matrix's records for having the largest April and Easter opening weekends would be taken byThe Scorpion King andPanic Room respectively.^[107][108] Upon its opening, it had the highest opening weekend of any 1999 film, easily toppingPayback.^[106] Additionally, this was the biggest opening weekend for aKeanu Reeves film sinceSpeed in 1994.^[109] It would go on to rank number one at the box office during its first weekend, beating outForces of Nature,10 Things I Hate About You,The Out-of-Towners,Analyze This andEDtv.^[106] The film would remain at the top of the box office for two weeks until it was overtaken byLife.^[110] During its fourth weekend,The Matrix briefly returned to the number one spot.^[111][112] The following week, the film would be displaced byEntrapment.^[113]

In the UK,The Matrix earned $4.9 million in its first three days, ranking it as the third-highest opening weekend for aWarner Bros. film, behindBatman Forever andBatman & Robin, while also delivering the third-highest opening weekend of the year, afterA Bug's Life andNotting Hill.^[114]

In its original run, the film earned $171,479,930 (37.0%) in the United States and Canada and $292,037,453 (63.0%) in other countries, for a worldwide total of $463,517,383.^[5] InNorth America, it went on to become the fifth highest-grossing film of 1999 and the highest-grossing R-rated film of that year. Worldwide, it was the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year, afterStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,The Sixth Sense andToy Story 2.^[5]The Matrix became the second-highest-grossing Warner Bros. film of all time, behindTwister.^[115] Overall, it was the third-highest-grossing R-rated film at the time, just afterSaving Private Ryan andTerminator 2: Judgment Day.^[115] Following re-releases, the worldwide gross of the film is $466,621,824.^[5] In 2012, it was placed 122nd on the list of highest-grossing films of all time, and the second-highest-grossing film in theMatrix franchise afterThe Matrix Reloaded ($742.1 million).^[5]

The Matrix was praised by many critics, as well as filmmakers, and authors of science fiction,^[7] especially for its "spectacular action" scenes and its "groundbreaking special effects". Some have describedThe Matrix as one of the bestscience fiction films of all time;^[8][9]Entertainment Weekly calledThe Matrix "the most influential action movie of the generation".^[22] There have also been those, including philosopherWilliam Irwin, who have suggested that the film explores significant philosophical and spiritual themes. Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 210 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Thanks to the Wachowskis' imaginative vision,The Matrix is a smartly crafted combination of spectacular action and groundbreaking special effects".^[6] AtMetacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received a score of 73 based on 35 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.^[116] It ranked 323rd among critics, and 546th among directors, in the2012Sight & Sound polls of the greatest films ever made.^[117]

Philip Strick commented inSight & Sound, if the Wachowskis "claim no originality of message, they are startling innovators of method," praising the film's details and its "broadside of astonishing images".^[118]Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four: he praised the film's visuals and premise, but disliked thethird act's focus on action.^[119] Similarly,Time Out praised the "entertainingly ingenious" switches between different realities,Hugo Weaving's "engagingly odd" performance, and the film's cinematography and production design, but concluded, "the promising premise is steadily wasted as the film turns into a fairly routine action pic ... yet another slice of overlong, high-concept hokum."^[120]

Jonathan Rosenbaum of theChicago Reader reviewed the film negatively, criticizing it as "simpleminded fun for roughly the first hour, until the movie becomes overwhelmed by its many sources ... There's not much humor to keep it all life-size, and by the final stretch it's become bloated, mechanical, and tiresome."^[121]

Ian Nathan ofEmpire described Carrie-Anne Moss as "a major find", praised the "surreal visual highs" enabled by the bullet time (or "flo-mo") effect, and described the film as "technically mind-blowing, style merged perfectly with content and just so damn cool". Nathan remarked that although the film's "looney plot" would not stand up to scrutiny, that was not a big flaw because "The Matrix is about pure experience".^[122]Maitland McDonagh said in her review forTV Guide, the Wachowskis' "through-the-looking-glass plot... manages to work surprisingly well on a number of levels: as a dystopian sci-fi thriller, as a brilliant excuse for the film's lavish and hyperkinetic fight scenes, and as a pretty compelling call to the dead-above-the-eyeballs masses to unite and cast off their chains... This dazzling pop allegory is steeped in a dark, pulpy sensibility that transcends nostalgic pastiche and stands firmly on its own merits."^[123]

Salon's reviewer Andrew O'Hehir acknowledged that althoughThe Matrix is in his view a fundamentally immature and unoriginal film ("It lacks anything like adult emotion... all this pseudo-spiritual hokum, along with the over-ramped onslaught of special effects—some of them quite amazing—will hold 14-year-old boys in rapture, not to mention those of us of all ages and genders who still harbor a 14-year-old boy somewhere inside"), he concluded, "as inBound, there's an appealing scope and daring to the Wachowskis' work, and their eagerness for more plot twists and more crazy images becomes increasingly infectious. In a limited and profoundly geeky sense, this might be an important and generous film. The Wachowskis have little feeling for character or human interaction, but their passion formovies—for making them, watching them, inhabiting their world—is pure and deep."^[124]

Filmmakers and science fiction creators alike generally took a complimentary perspective ofThe Matrix.William Gibson, a key figure in cyberpunk fiction, called the film "an innocent delight I hadn't felt in a long time", and stated, "Neo is my favourite-ever science fiction hero, absolutely."^[125]Joss Whedon called the film "my number one" and praised its storytelling, structure and depth, concluding, "It works on whatever level you want to bring to it".^[126]Darren Aronofsky commented, "I walked out ofThe Matrix ... and I was thinking, 'What kind of science fiction movie can people make now?' The Wachowskis basically took all the great sci-fi ideas of the 20th century and rolled them into a delicious pop culture sandwich that everyone on the planet devoured."^[127]M. Night Shyamalan expressed admiration for the Wachowskis, stating, "Whatever you think ofThe Matrix, every shot is there because of the passion they have! You can see they argued it out!".^[128]Simon Pegg said thatThe Matrix provided "the excitement and satisfaction thatThe Phantom Menace failed to inspire.The Matrix seemed fresh and cool and visually breathtaking; making wonderful, intelligent use of CGI to augment the on-screen action, striking a perfect balance of the real and the hyperreal. It was possibly the coolest film I had ever seen."^[129]Quentin Tarantino countedThe Matrix as one of his twenty favorite movies from 1992 to 2009.^[130]James Cameron called it "one of the most profoundly fresh science fiction films ever made".^[131]Christopher Nolan described it as "an incredibly palpable mainstream phenomenon that made people think, Hey, what if this isn't real?"^[132]

The Matrix receivedAcademy Awards forBest Film Editing,Best Sound Editing,Best Visual Effects andBest Sound.^[133][134] The filmmakers were competing against other films with established franchises, likeStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, yet they won all four of their nominations.^[135][136]The Matrix also receivedBAFTA awards forBest Sound andBest Achievement in Special Visual Effects, in addition to nominations in thecinematography,production design andediting categories.^[137] In 1999, it wonSaturn Awards forBest Science Fiction Film andBest Direction.^[138] In February 2022, the film was named one of the five finalists for Oscars Cheer Moment as part of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Oscars Fan Favorite" contest, for the "bullet time" scene, finishing in fifth place.^[139][140]

The Matrix draws from and alludes to numerous cinematic and literary works, and concepts from mythology, religion and philosophy, including the ideas ofBuddhism,Christianity,Gnosticism,Hinduism andJudaism.^[142]

The pods in which the machines keep humans have been compared to images inMetropolis, and the work ofM. C. Escher.^[143] A resemblance to the eerie worlds of Swiss artistH.R. Giger was also recognized.^[144][145] The pods can be seen inWelcome to Paradox Episode 4 "News from D Street" from a 1986 short story^[146] of the same name byAndrew Weiner which aired on September 7, 1998, on theSYFY Channel and has a remarkably similar concept. In this episode the hero is unaware he is living in virtual reality until he is told so by "the code man" who created the simulation and enters it knowingly. The Wachowskis have describedStanley Kubrick's2001: A Space Odyssey as a formative cinematic influence, and as a major inspiration on the visual style they aimed for when makingThe Matrix.^{[147][148][149]}Rainer Werner Fassbinders German TV MiniseriesWorld on a Wire from 1973, an adaption of the novelSimulacron-3, served as inspirational source for some details of The Matrix, such as the transfer between the real world and the Matrix-simulation via telephone / phonebooth.^{[citation needed]} Reviewers have also commented on similarities betweenThe Matrix and other late-1990s films such asStrange Days,Dark City andThe Truman Show.^{[119][150][151][152][153]} The similarity of the film's central concept to a device in the long-running seriesDoctor Who has also been noted. As in the film, theMatrix of that series (introduced in the 1976 serialThe Deadly Assassin) is a massive computer system which one enters using a device connecting to the head, allowing users to see representations of the real world and change its laws of physics; but if killed there, they will die in reality.^[154] The action scenes ofThe Matrix were also strongly influenced by live-action films such as those of directorJohn Woo.^[155] The martial arts sequences were inspired byFist of Legend, a critically acclaimed 1995 martial arts film starringJet Li. The fight scenes inFist of Legend led to the hiring of Yuen as fight choreographer.^[156][157]

The Wachowskis' approach to action scenes drew upon their admiration forJapanese animation such asNinja Scroll andAkira.^[158] DirectorMamoru Oshii's 1995 animated filmGhost in the Shell was a particularly strong influence;^[158] producerJoel Silver has stated that the Wachowskis first described their intentions forThe Matrix by showing him that anime and saying, "We wanna do that for real".^[159][160]Mitsuhisa Ishikawa ofProduction I.G, which producedGhost in the Shell, noted that the anime's high-quality visuals were a strong source of inspiration for the Wachowskis. He also commented, "... cyberpunk films are very difficult to describe to a third person. I'd imagine thatThe Matrix is the kind of film that was very difficult to draw up a written proposal for to take to film studios". He stated that sinceGhost in the Shell had gained recognition in America, the Wachowskis used it as a "promotional tool".^[161]

The film makes several references toLewis Carroll'sAlice's Adventures in Wonderland.^[124] Comparisons have also been made toGrant Morrison's comic seriesThe Invisibles, with Morrison describing it in 2011 as "(it) seemed to me (to be) my own combination of ideas enacted on the screen".^[162] Comparisons have also been made betweenThe Matrix and the books ofCarlos Castaneda.^[163]

The Matrix belongs to thecyberpunk genre of science fiction, and draws from earlier works in the genre such as the 1984 novelNeuromancer byWilliam Gibson.^[141] For example, the film's use of the term "Matrix" is adopted from Gibson's novel,^[164] thoughL. P. Davies had already used the term "Matrix" fifteen years earlier for a similar concept in his 1969 novelThe White Room ("It had been tried in the States some years earlier, but their 'matrix' as they called it hadn't been strong enough to hold the fictional character in place").^[165] After watchingThe Matrix, Gibson commented that the way that the film's creators had drawn from existing cyberpunk works was "exactly the kind of creative cultural osmosis" he had relied upon in his own writing;^[141] however, he noted that the film'sGnostic themes distinguished it fromNeuromancer, and believed thatThe Matrix was thematically closer to the work of science fiction authorPhilip K. Dick, particularly Dick's speculativeExegesis.^[141] Other writers have also commented on the similarities betweenThe Matrix and Dick's work;^{[155][166][167]} one example of such influence is a Philip K. Dick's 1977 conference, in which he stated: "We are living in a computer-programmed reality, and the only clue we have to it is when some variable is changed, and some alteration in our reality occurs".^{[168][169][170][171]}

InThe Matrix, a copy ofJean Baudrillard's philosophical workSimulacra and Simulation, which was published in French in 1981, is visible on-screen as"the book used to conceal disks",^[172][41] and Morpheus quotes the phrase "desert of the real" from it.^[173] "The book was required reading"^[172] for the actors prior to filming.^[41][174] However, Baudrillard himself said thatThe Matrix misunderstands and distorts his work.^[173][175] Some interpreters ofThe Matrix mention Baudrillard's philosophy to support their claim "that the [film] is anallegory for contemporary experience in a heavily commercialized, media-driven society, especially in developed countries".^[172] The influence ofThe Matrixial Gaze, the philosophical-psychoanalytical concept ofBracha L. Ettinger on the archaic matrixial space that resists the field of simulacra,^{[176][177][178]} "was brought to the public's attention through the writings of art historians such asGriselda Pollock and film theorists such as Heinz-Peter Schwerfel".^[179][172] In addition to Baudrillard and Ettinger, the Wachowskis were also significantly influenced byKevin Kelly'sOut of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World, andDylan Evans's ideas onevolutionary psychology.^[12]

PhilosopherWilliam Irwin suggests that the idea of the "Matrix" – a generated reality invented by malicious machines – is an allusion toDescartes' "First Meditation", and his idea of anevil demon. The Meditation hypothesizes that the perceived world might be a comprehensive illusion created to deceive us.^[180] The same premise can be found inHilary Putnam'sbrain in a vat scenario proposed in the 1980s.^[180] A connection between the premise ofThe Matrix andPlato'sAllegory of the Cave has also been suggested. The allegory is related to Plato'stheory of Forms, which holds that the true essence of an object is not what we perceive with our senses, but rather its quality, and that most people perceive only the shadow of the object and are thus limited to false perception.^[32]

The philosophy ofImmanuel Kant has also been claimed as another influence on the film, and in particular how individuals within the Matrix interact with one another and with the system. Kant states in hisCritique of Pure Reason that people come to know and explore our world through synthetic means (language, etc.), and thus this makes it rather difficult to discern truth from falsely perceived views. This means people are their own agents of deceit, and so in order for them to know truth, they must choose to openly pursue truth. This idea can be examined in Agent Smith's monologue about the first version of the Matrix, which was designed as a humanutopia, a perfect world without suffering and with total happiness. Agent Smith explains that, "it was a disaster. No one accepted the program. Entire crops [of people] were lost." The machines had to amend their choice of programming in order to make people subservient to them, and so they conceived the Matrix in the image of the world in 1999. The world in 1999 was far from a utopia, but still humans accepted this over the suffering-less utopia. According to William Irwin this is Kantian, because the machines wished to impose a perfect world on humans in an attempt to keep people content, so that they would remain completely submissive to the machines, both consciously and subconsciously, but humans were not easy to make content.^[181]

Andrew Godoski sees allusions toChrist, including Neo's "virgin birth", his doubt in himself, the prophecy of his coming, along with many otherChristian references.^[32] Amongst these possible allusions, it is suggested that the name of the characterTrinity refers to Christianity's doctrine of theTrinity.^[182] It has also been noted that the character Morpheus paraphrases the ChineseTaoist philosopherZhuangzi when he asks Neo, "Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference from the real world and the dream world?"^[183]

Matrixism is a fan-based possibly satirical religion created as "the matrix religion".

Years after the release ofThe Matrix, both of the Wachowskis came out astransgenderwomen.^[184] The red pill has been compared with redestrogen pills.^[185] Morpheus's description of the Matrix creating a sense that something is fundamentally wrong, "like a splinter in your mind", has been compared togender dysphoria.^[185] In the original script, Switch was a woman in the Matrix and a man in the real world, but this idea was removed.^[186]

In a 2016GLAAD Media Awards speech, Lilly Wachowski said: "There's a critical eye being cast back on Lana and I's [sic] work through the lens of our transness. This is a cool thing because it's an excellent reminder that art is never static."^[187] In 2020, Lilly saidThe Matrix was intended as an allegory for gender transition, but that "the corporate world wasn't ready".^[188] She said it was "all about the desire for transformation but it was all coming from a closeted point of view", but that she did not know "how present my transness was in the background of my brain" when the Wachowskis were writing it.^[188] In an interview withVariety in 2020, Reeves said the idea that the Matrix was an allegory for transgender identity "wasn't introduced to me when we started for production on the films."^[189]

FollowingThe Matrix, films made abundant use of slow motion, spinning cameras, and, often, thebullet time effect of a character freezing or slowing down and the camera dollying around them.^[77] The ability to slow down time enough to distinguish the motion of bullets was used as a central gameplay mechanic of several video games, includingMax Payne, in which the feature was explicitly referred to as "bullet time".^[190][191] It was also the defining game mechanic of the gameSuperhot and its sequels.The Matrix's signature special effect, and other aspects of the film, have beenparodied numerous times,^[22] in comedy films such asDeuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999),^[192]Scary Movie (2000),^[193]Shrek (2001),^[190]Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002),^[194]Lastikman (2003);Marx Reloaded in which the relationship between Neo and Morpheus is represented as an imaginary encounter betweenKarl Marx andLeon Trotsky;^[195] and in video games such asConker's Bad Fur Day.^[196] It also inspired films featuring a black-clad hero, a sexy yet deadly heroine, and bullets ripping slowly through the air;^[22] these includedCharlie's Angels (2000) featuringCameron Diaz floating through the air while the cameras flo-mo around her;Equilibrium (2002), starringChristian Bale, whose character wore long black leather coats like Reeves' Neo;^[190]Night Watch (2004), aRussian megahit heavily influenced byThe Matrix and directed byTimur Bekmambetov, who later madeWanted (2008), which also features bullets ripping through air; andInception (2010), which centers on a team of sharply dressed rogues who are able to enter other people's dreams by "wiring in". The originalTron (1982) paved the way forThe Matrix, andThe Matrix, in turn, inspiredDisney to make its own Matrix with aTron sequel,Tron: Legacy (2010).^[197] Also, the film's lobby shootout sequence was recreated in the 2002 Indian action comedyAwara Paagal Deewana.^[198]

The Matrix had a strong effect on action filmmaking in Hollywood. The film's incorporation ofwire fu techniques, including the involvement offight choreographerYuen Woo-ping and other personnel with a background inHong Kong action cinema, affected the approaches to fight scenes taken by some subsequent Hollywood action films,^[199] moving them towards more Eastern approaches.^[32] The success ofThe Matrix created high demand for those choreographers and their techniques from other filmmakers, who wanted fights of similar sophistication: for example, wire work was employed inX-Men (2000)^[199] andCharlie's Angels (2000),^[197] and Yuen Woo-ping's brotherYuen Cheung-yan was choreographer onDaredevil (2003).^[200]The Matrix's Asian approach to action scenes also created an audience for Asian action films such asCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) that they might not otherwise have had.^[190]

Chad Stahelski, who had been a stunt double onThe Matrix prior to directing Reeves in theJohn Wick series, acknowledged the film's strong influence on theWick films,^[201] and commented, "The Matrix literally changed the industry. The influx of martial-arts choreographers and fight coordinators now make more, and are more prevalent and powerful in the industry, than stunt coordinators.The Matrix revolutionized that. Today, action movies want their big sequences designed around the fights."^[202]

Carrie-Anne Moss asserted that prior to being cast inThe Matrix, she had "no career". It launched Moss into international recognition and transformed her career; in aNew York Daily News interview, she stated, "The Matrix gave me so many opportunities. Everything I've done since then has been because of that experience. It gave me so much".^[203] The film also created one of the most devoted movie fan-followings sinceStar Wars.^[22] The combined success of theMatrix trilogy, theLord of the Rings films and theStar Wars prequels made Hollywood interested in creating trilogies.^[32] Stephen Dowling from theBBC noted thatThe Matrix's success in taking complex philosophical ideas and presenting them in ways palatable for impressionable minds might be its most influential aspect.^[190]

The Matrix was also influential for its impact onsuperhero films. John Kenneth Muir inThe Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television called the film a "revolutionary" reimagination of movie visuals, paving the way for the visuals of later superhero films, and credits it with helping to "makecomic-booksuperheroes hip" and effectively demonstrating the concept of "faster than a speeding bullet" with its bullet time effect.^[204] Adam Sternbergh ofVulture.com creditsThe Matrix with reinventing and setting the template for modern superhero blockbusters, and inspiring the superhero renaissance in the early 21st century.^[205]

In 2001,The Matrix placed 66th in theAmerican Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Thrills" list.^[206] In 2007,Entertainment Weekly calledThe Matrix the best science-fiction piece of media for the past 25 years.^[10] In 2009, the film was ranked 39th onEmpire's reader-, actor- and critic-voted list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".^[207]The Matrix was voted as the fourth best science fiction film in the 2011 listBest in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time, based on a poll conducted byABC andPeople. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in theNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."^[11]

The premise ofThe Matrix has been repurposed for multipleconspiracy theories andalt-right fringe groups. For example, some onlinemen's rights groups use the term "redpill" to mean men realizing that they are supposedly being subjugated by feminism.^[208][209] The term has been used in discussion forums for right-wing topics such asGamergate,white supremacy,incel subculture andQAnon.^[210] As of 2021, the verb "pill" and suffix "-pilled" had entered more mainstream use and had come to mean developing a sudden interest in something.^[210]

The film's mainstream success led to the making of two sequels,The Matrix Reloaded andThe Matrix Revolutions, both directed by the Wachowskis. These werefilmed back-to-back in oneshoot and released on separate dates in 2003.^[211] The first film's introductory tale is succeeded by the story of the impending attack on the human enclave ofZion by a vast machine army.^[212][213] The sequels also incorporate longer and more ambitious action scenes, as well as improvements in bullet time and other visual effects.^[213][214]

Also released wasThe Animatrix, a collection of nine animated short films, many of which were created in the sameJapanese animation style^[215] that was a strong influence on the live action trilogy.The Animatrix was overseen and approved by the Wachowskis, who only wrote four of the segments themselves but did not direct any of them; much of the project was developed by notable figures from the world of anime.^[215]

In March 2017, Warner Bros. was in early stages of developing a relaunch of the franchise withZak Penn in talks to write a treatment and interest in gettingMichael B. Jordan attached to star. According toThe Hollywood Reporter neither the Wachowskis nor Joel Silver were involved with the endeavor, although the studio would like to get at minimum the blessing of the Wachowskis.^[216] On August 20, 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairmanToby Emmerich officially announced that afourth Matrix film was in the works, withKeanu Reeves andCarrie-Anne Moss set to reprise their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively.^[217]The Matrix Resurrections was released in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22, 2021.

In September 2022,Danny Boyle was announced to be directing and producing a live immersive dance production of the film, entitledFree Your Mind, which debuted in October 2023 at theAviva Studios inManchester, England.^[218]

TV

• The Deadly Assassin, 1976 episode ofDoctor Who in a virtual reality called the "Matrix"

Films

• Babenko, Yelyzaveta (2011).Analysis of the Film the Matrix. GRIN Verlag.ISBN 978-3-640-91285-8.
• Clover, Joshua (2004).The Matrix. BFI.ISBN 978-1-84457-045-4.
• Condon, Paul (2003).The Matrix Unlocked: An Unauthorized Review of the Matrix Phenomenon. London:Contender Books.ISBN 978-1-84357-093-6.
• Irwin, William (2002).The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real. Open Court.ISBN 978-0-8126-9502-1.
• Jones, Steven E. (2006).Against Technology: From the Luddites to Neo-Luddism. Routledge.ISBN 978-0-415-97868-2.
• Pegg, Simon (2010).Nerd Do Well. Century.ISBN 978-1-84605-811-0.
• Toropov, Brandon; Hansen, Chad (2002).The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism. Penguin.ISBN 978-0-02-864262-8.
• Wachowski, Larry; Wachowski, Andy (2000).The Art of The Matrix. Titan.ISBN 978-1-84023-173-1.
• Wood, Aylish (2007).Digital Encounters. Routledge.ISBN 978-0-415-41066-3.

• Official website
• whatisthematrix.com, the first and original Matrix website
• The Matrix atIMDb 
• The Matrix at theInternet Movie Firearms Database
• The Matrix Was a Documentary onYouTube

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