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Revision as of 23:54, 11 December 2008

The Matrix franchise comprises three science-fiction/adventure films written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and produced by Joel Silver. The first film The Matrix was released in March, 1999. After the film's success, two sequels were greenlighted, titled The Matrix Reloaded (May 2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (November 2003). The characters and settings of the Matrix fictional universe are further explored in other media, including animation, comics, and video games.

The series depicts a complex science fiction story incorporating many philosophical elements. Other influences include cyberpunk, mythology, anime, Hong Kong action films (particularly "heroic bloodshed" and martial arts movies), simulated reality and philosophy of mind. Though not directly, key concepts of several beliefs are touched upon, including Buddhism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Hinduism, Judaism, Jainism, Islam, and Atheism.

The Matrix

Main article: The Matrix

The series began with 1999's The Matrix. The film, directed by the Wachowski brothers and produced by Joel Silver, was highly successful, earning $460 million worldwide and beating Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for the Academy Award for Visual Effects. In addition, by 2000, the DVD release of the film reached three million sales, the first DVD release in the United States to do so.[1]

Sequels

Main articles: The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and The Animatrix

The movie's mainstream success led to the greenlighting of the next two films of the trilogy, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. It took a number of years and several iterations of scripts before the final films were approved. The two sequels, which tell a continuous story rather than being stand-alone episodes, were filmed simultaneously and released six months apart. The trilogy is known as The Matrix Trilogy.

In acknowledgment of the strong influence of Japanese anime on the Matrix series, The Animatrix was produced in 2003. This is a collection of nine animated short films intended to further flesh out the concepts, history, characters and setting of the series. The Animatrix project was overseen by the Wachowski brothers, but they wrote only four of the segments themselves and did not direct any of them. Many of the segments were produced by notable figures from the world of Japanese animation. Four of the films were originally released on the series' official website, one was shown in cinemas with Dreamcatcher, one was shown on MTV, MTV2, MTV3, and MTV4, and the others first appeared with the DVD release of all nine shorts shortly after the release of The Matrix Reloaded.

Reception

Critical reaction

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic Yahoo! Movies
Overall Cream of the Crop
The Matrix 86% (122 reviews)[2] 68% (28 reviews)[3] 73% (35 reviews)[4] B+ (10 reviews) [5]
The Matrix Reloaded 73% (229 reviews)[6] 74% (42 reviews)[7] 63% (41 reviews)[8] B (15 reviews)[9]
The Matrix Revolutions 37% (203 reviews)[10] 28% (37 reviews)[11] 48% (35 reviews)[12] C+ (15 reviews)[13]

Box office

Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Reference
United States Foreign Worldwide All-time domestic All-time worldwide
The Matrix March 31, 1999 $171,479,930 $288,901,000 $460,379,930 #130 #77 [14]
The Matrix Reloaded May 15, 2003 $281,576,462 $457,023,240 $738,599,701 #36 #29 [15]
The Matrix Revolutions November 5, 2003 $139,313,948 $285,674,263 $424,988,211 #201 #95 [16]
The Matrix film series 1999–2003 $592,370,340 $1,031,597,503 $1,623,967,842

Additional media

On 15 May, 2003, the game Enter the Matrix was released in the United States concurrently with The Matrix Reloaded. The first of three video games related to the films, it told a story running parallel to The Matrix Reloaded and featured scenes shot during the filming of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. But the plot was specifically intended for the game.

Over a year after the cinematic release of the final film, Revolutions, Warner Home Video released The Ultimate Matrix Collection, a 10-Disc DVD set of the films. It included the three films, The Animatrix, and six discs of additional material. A Limited Edition of the collection encases the ten discs, as well as a resin bust of Neo, inside a Lucite box.

Two more Matrix video games were released in 2005. The MMORPG The Matrix Online continues the story beyond Revolutions, while The Matrix: Path of Neo allows players to control the series' protagonist Neo in scenes from the film trilogy.

In addition, several comics and short stories based on the series – one written by the Wachowskis, the others by guest writers – were released on the official website. Many of these have since been collected in two printed volumes of The Matrix Comics.

Reputation and influence

The movies are said to be influenced by the Japanese Animation, Ghost in the Shell. While the first movie was extremely successful, both critically and popularly, the quality of the sequels is still a matter of debate. Some fans and professional critics believe they exceed the quality and conceptual heights of the first film, while others found the later films disappointing.[17] The Matrix Reloaded was well received by critics, currently holding an average rating of 73% (Certified Fresh) on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the reaction of some fans to this sequel has been mixed. When The Matrix Revolutions was released, one complaint was that it did not give clear cut answers to the questions raised in Reloaded but rather raised new ones.[18]

The Matrix series has also inspired a new religious movement called Matrixism: The path of the One.[19][20][21][22][23] The religion was conceived by an anonymous group in mid-2004[24][25] and by November 2004 it claimed to have attracted upwards of 300 members.[26][21] Current reports indicate that there are now approximately 16,000 followers of Matrixism worldwide.[27] Even though Matrixism has grown substantially and its Geocities website (username: matrixism2069) has received significant attention in the media[28][29][30] some still debate whether Matrixists are serious about their beliefs.[19][25]

Books

Official

  • The Art of the Matrix by Spencer Lamm (Newmarket Press, 2000) ISBN 1-55704-405-8
  • The Matrix Comics by various (Titan Books, 2003) ISBN 1-84023-806-2
  • The Matrix Comics Volume 2 by various (Titan Books, 2005) ISBN 1-84576-021-2
  • The Matrix Shooting Script by Larry and Andy Wachowski (with introduction by William Gibson) (Newmarket Press, 2002) ISBN 1-55704-490-2
  • Enter The Matrix: Official Strategy Guide by Doug Walsh (Brady Games, 2003) ISBN 0-7440-0271-0
  • The Matrix Online: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Games, 2005) ISBN 0-7615-4943-9
  • The Matrix: Path of Neo Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games, 2005) ISBN 0-7440-0658-9
  • Matrix og ulydighedens evangelium (Danish for: "Matrix and the Evangelium of disobedients" by Rune Engelbreth Larsen (Bindslev, 2004) ISBN 87-91229-12-8

Unofficial

  • Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation by Matthew Kapell and William G. Doty (Continuum International, 2004) ISBN 0-8264-1587-3
  • Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in "The Matrix" by Glenn Yeffeth (Summersdale, 2003) ISBN 1-84024-377-5
  • Matrix Warrior: Being the One by Jake Horsley (Gollancz, 2003) ISBN 0-575-07527-9
  • The "Matrix" and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real by William Irwin (Open Court, 2002) ISBN 0-8126-9502-X
  • More Matrix and Philosophy by William Irwin (Open Court, 2005) ISBN 0-8126-9572-0
  • Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the "Matrix" Trilogy by Matt Lawrence (Blackwell, 2004) ISBN 1-4051-2524-1
  • The Matrix (British Film Institute, 2004) ISBN 1-84457-045-2
  • Matrix Revelations: A Thinking Fan's Guide to the Matrix Trilogy by Steve Couch (Damaris, 2003) ISBN 1-904753-01-9
  • Beyond the Matrix: Revolutions and Revelations by Stephen Faller (Chalice Press, 2004) ISBN 0-8272-0235-0
  • The "Matrix" Trilogy: Cyberpunk Reloaded by Stacy Gillis (Wallflower Press, 2005) ISBN 1-904764-32-0
  • Exegesis of the Matrix by Peter B. Lloyd (Whole-Being Books, 2003) ISBN 1-902987-09-8
  • The Gospel Reloaded by Seay Garrett (Pinon Press, 2003) ISBN 1-57683-478-6
  • The "Matrix": What Does the Bible Say About... by D. Archer (Scripture Union, 2001) ISBN 1-85999-579-9
  • Journey to the Source: Decoding Matrix Trilogy by Pradheep Challiyil (Sakthi Books 2004) ISBN 0-9752586-0-5
  • Exploring the Matrix: Visions of the Cyber Present by Karen Haber (St. Martin's Press, 2003) ISBN 0-312-31358-6
  • Philosophers Explore The Matrix by Christopher Grau (Oxford University Press, 2005) ISBN 0-19-518107-7
  • The Matrix Cultural Revolution by Michel Marriot (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003) ISBN 1-56025-574-9
  • The Matrix Reflections: Choosing between reality and illusion by Eddie Zacapa (Authorhouse, 2005) ISBN 1-42080-782-X
  • The One by A.J. Yager & Dean Vescera (Lifeforce Publishing, 2003) ISBN 0-97097-961-4

See also

References

  1. ^ "Press release - August 1, 2000 - The Matrix DVD: The first to sell 3 million". URL retrieved July 26, 2006.
  2. ^ "The Matrix Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  3. ^ "The Matrix (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  4. ^ "The Matrix (1999):Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  5. ^ "The Matrix – Yahoo! Movies". Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  6. ^ "The Matrix Reloaded Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  7. ^ "The Matrix Reloaded (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  8. ^ "The Matrix Reloaded (2003):Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  9. ^ "The Matrix Reloaded – Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  10. ^ "The Matrix Revolutions Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  11. ^ "The Matrix Revolutions (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  12. ^ "The Matrix Revolutions (2003):Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  13. ^ "The Matrix Revolutions - Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  14. ^ "The Matrix (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  15. ^ "The Matrix Reloaded (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  16. ^ "The Matrix Revolutions (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  17. ^ Rotten tomatoes review of Matrix Revolutions
  18. ^ New York Metro review of Matrix Revolutions
  19. ^ a b Jordison, Sam (2005). The Joy of Sects: An A-Z of Cults, Cranks and Religious Eccentrics: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sects But Were Afraid to Ask, pp 127-9, Robson Books. ISBN 1861059051
  20. ^ Bouma, Gary (2007). Australian Soul, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521673891
  21. ^ a b Morris, Linda (May 19, 2005). "They're all God Movies". NPR. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
  22. ^ Moscaritolo, Maria (June 12, 2006). "Matter of faith". News Limited Australia. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  23. ^ J. Gordon Melton (2007). "Perspective: New New Religions: Revisiting a Concept". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 10 (4). The Regents of the University of California: 103–112. doi:10.1525/nr.2007.10.4.103. ISSN 1092-6690.
  24. ^ Possamai, Adam (2005). "Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament", Peter Lang Publishing Group. ISBN 90-5201-272-5 / US-ISBN 0-8204-6634-4 pb.
  25. ^ a b Jordison, Sam (April 8, 2006). "Everything you always wanted to know about sects". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Frishberg, Manny (November 26, 2004). "When movies inspire a religion". JTNews. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  27. ^ Kotelawala, Himal (June 14, 2008). "Behind Matrixism". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  28. ^ Kasriel, Alex (2006). "The joy of sects". The Sun. Retrieved 2007-06-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ ""Nieuw geloof"". Esquire Magazine Netherlands. May 24, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-14. English translation: Because there is nothing more fun than discussing a film, 1400 fans of the film have set up a new religion, Matrixism (not to be confused with Marxism). Just like their hero Neo from The Matrix, they release themselves from The Matrix with a red pill. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ "Matrixism -"The Path of the One"". Esquire Magazine UK. Zinio. January 19, 2007. The 1,400 worldwide "Matrixists", or "Pathists", cite the three Matrix films as their religious texts. Like Matrix hero Neo, they choose to free themselves from the Matrix
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