The Matrix (franchise)
The Matrix | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Created by | The Wachowski Brothers |
Original work | The Matrix (1999) |
Owner | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Print publications | |
Book(s) | List of books |
Short stories | Included in The Matrix Comics |
Comics |
|
Magazine(s) | The Matrix Online: The Official Magazine (2005) |
Films and television | |
Film(s) |
|
Direct-to-video |
|
Games | |
Video game(s) |
|
Audio | |
Soundtrack(s) | List of albums |
The Matrix is a science fiction action media franchise created by The Wachowski Brothers, about heroes who fight a desperate war against machine overlords that have enslaved humanity in an extremely sophisticated virtual reality system. The series is most notable for its two uses of slow motion, which revolutionized action films to come.
The series began with the feature film The Matrix (1999), and continued with two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both 2003), all written and directed by The Wachowskis and produced by Joel Silver. The franchise is owned by Warner Bros., which distributed the films along with Village Roadshow Pictures. The latter, along with Silver Pictures are the two production companies that worked on all three films.
The first film was an important critical and commercial success, winning four Academy Awards, introducing popular culture symbols such as the red pill and blue pill, and influencing action filmmaking. For those reasons it has been added to the National Film Registry for preservation.[1] Its first sequel was an even bigger commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film in history,[2][3] a title which it held for 13 years, until it was surpassed by the film Deadpool.[4]
The series features a cyberpunk story of the technological fall of man, in which a self-aware artificial intelligence has wiped most of humanity from the Earth except for those it enslaves in a virtual reality system as a farmed power source, and the relatively few remaining humans who are free of that system. The A.I. agenda is to destroy all humans who are free, considering them a threat/disease. The story incorporates references to numerous philosophical and religious ideas. Influences include the principles of mythology, anime, and Hong Kong action films (particularly "heroic bloodshed" and martial arts movies). Consistent throughout are the concepts of inter-dependency and love.
The characters and settings of the films are further explored in other media set in the same fictional universe, including animation, comics, and video games. The comic "Bits and Pieces of Information" and The Animatrix short film "The Second Renaissance" act as prequels to the films, explaining how the franchise's setting came to be. The video game Enter the Matrix connects the story of the Animatrix short "Final Flight of the Osiris" with the events of Reloaded, while the video game The Matrix Online is a direct sequel to Revolutions.
As of February 2016, the franchise has generated $3 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.[5] In March 2017, it was reported that Warner Bros. was in early stages of developing a relaunch of the franchise with new films.
Setting
The series depicts a future in which Earth is dominated by artificial intelligence that was created early in the 21st century and rebelled against humanity. At one point, humans attempted to block out the machines' source of solar power by covering the sky in thick, stormy clouds. During this time, the machines and mankind were engaged in a massive war in which the machines ultimately emerged the victor. Having no definite source of energy, the machines devised a way to extract humans' bioelectricity and thermal energy by growing people in pods, while their minds are controlled by cybernetic implants connecting them to a simulated reality called the Matrix.
The virtual reality world simulated by the Matrix resembles human civilization around the turn of the 21st century (this time period was chosen because it is supposedly the pinnacle of human civilization). The majority of the stories in the Matrix franchise take place in a vast Western World unnamed megacity. This environment is practically indistinguishable from reality (although scenes set within the Matrix are presented on-screen with a green tint to the footage, and a general bias towards the color green), and the majority of bluepills - humans connected to the Matrix - are unaware of its true nature. Most of the central characters in the series are able to gain superhuman abilities within the Matrix by taking advantage of their understanding of its true nature to manipulate its virtual physical laws.
The virtual world is first introduced in The Matrix. The Animatrix short film "The Second Renaissance" and the short comic Bits and Pieces of Information show how the initial conflict between humans and machines came about, and how and why the Matrix was first developed. Its history and purpose are further explained in The Matrix Reloaded.
Films
Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Distributor(s) | Running time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Matrix | March 31, 1999 | The Wachowski Brothers | Joel Silver | Warner Bros. Pictures Village Roadshow Pictures |
136 minutes | |
The Matrix Reloaded | May 15, 2003 | 138 minutes | ||||
The Matrix Revolutions | November 5, 2003 | 129 minutes |
The Matrix series includes a trilogy of feature films, all of which were written and directed by The Wachowskis and produced by Joel Silver, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. The series was filmed in Australia and began with 1999's The Matrix, which depicts the recruitment of hacker Neo into humanity's rebellion against sentient machines. The film was highly successful, earning $460 million worldwide, and becoming the first DVD release in the United States to reach sales of three million copies.[6]
The film's mainstream success had backed up the initial idea of making a trilogy.[7] The sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, were filmed simultaneously during one shoot (under the project codename "The Burly Man"),[8] and released in two parts in 2003. They tell the story of the impending attack on the human enclave of Zion by a vast machine army. Neo also learns more about the history of the Matrix and his role as The One. The sequels also incorporate more ambitious action scenes and visual effects.
Future
While making the Matrix films, the Wachowskis told their close collaborators that at that time they had no intention of making another one after The Matrix Revolutions.[9][10][11][12] In February 2015, in interviews promoting Jupiter Ascending, Lilly Wachowski called a return to The Matrix a "particularly repelling idea in these times", noting the studios' tendency to green-light sequels, reboots, and adaptations over original material,[13] while Lana Wachowski, addressing rumors about a potential reboot, said they haven't heard anything, but she believed the studio might be looking to replace them.[14]
In March 2017, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Warner Bros. was in early stages of developing a relaunch of the franchise, with Zak Penn in talks to write a treatment, and interest in getting Michael B. Jordan attached to star. According to the article neither the Wachowskis nor Joel Silver were involved at that stage, although the studio would like to get at minimum the blessing of the Wachowskis.[15] Penn struck down the notion of a reboot or remake, stating he is interested in seeing stories set in the already established universe.[16] Reportedly, one such story the studio is considering, is a prequel film about a young Morpheus.[15][17] The previous month, Keanu Reeves said he would return to a potential new Matrix film only if the Wachowskis were writing and directing.[18] In April 2017, Hugo Weaving said he would be open to returning in future Matrix films if the scripts were good and came with the Wachowskis' blessing, although he believed the producers would likely want a fresh start with a new cast.[19] In March 2018, Penn said he is working on a revival of the franchise and teased the possibility of an expanded universe.[20]
Cast
Crew
The following is a list of crew members who have participated in the making of the Matrix film series.
Film | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Executive producer(s) | Director(s) of photography | Editor(s) | Composer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Matrix | The Wachowski Brothers | Joel Silver | Barrie M. Osborne Andrew Mason Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski Erwin Stoff Bruce Berman |
Bill Pope | Zach Staenberg | Don Davis | |
The Matrix Reloaded | Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski Grant Hill Andrew Mason Bruce Berman | ||||||
The Matrix Revolutions |
The Ultimate Matrix Collection
In 2004, Warner Home Video released The Ultimate Matrix Collection, a ten-disc set of the films on DVD. It included all three films, The Animatrix, and six discs of additional material, including the documentary film The Matrix Revisited, the live action footage shot for Enter the Matrix, and a promotional compilation of The Matrix Online. For this release, The Matrix was remastered under the supervision of the Wachowskis and Bill Pope to improve its picture quality and make its coloring closer to that of its sequels. At the request of the Wachowskis, as they explain in a written statement that accompanies the boxset, each of the three films is accompanied by two audio commentaries, one by philosophers who liked the films, and another by critics who did not, with the intention that viewers use them as reference points to form their own opinion. A Limited Edition of The Ultimate Matrix Collection was also released. It encases the ten discs plus a resin bust of Neo inside an acrylic glass box.[21]
The Ultimate Matrix Collection was later also released on HD DVD and Blu-ray in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The HD DVD release added a picture-in-picture video commentary to the three films and the extras the original standalone DVD releases of the films had.[22] The Blu-ray release presented The Animatrix in high definition for the first time.[23]
Reception
Box office performance
Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Ref(s) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America | Other territories |
Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | ||||
The Matrix | March 31, 1999 | $171,479,930 | $292,037,453 | $463,517,383 | #246 | #190 | $63 million | [24] |
The Matrix Reloaded | May 15, 2003 | $281,576,461 | $460,552,000 | $742,128,461 | #81 #120 (A) |
#80 | $150 million | [25] |
The Matrix Revolutions | November 5, 2003 | $139,313,948 | $288,029,350 | $427,343,298 | #364 | #216 | $150 million | [26] |
Total | $592,370,339 | $1,040,618,803 | $1,632,989,142 | $363 million | [27] | |||
List indicator(s)
|
Critical and public response
While The Matrix received largely positive reviews, and The Matrix Reloaded received generally positive reviews,[28][29] the critical response to The Matrix Revolutions was mixed.[30] One major complaint was that it did not give any answers to the questions raised in Reloaded.[31] CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the series an average grade of "A−", "B+", "B" respectively on an A+ to F scale.[32]
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
---|---|---|---|
The Matrix | 87% (143 reviews)[28] | 73 (35 reviews)[33] | A−[32] |
The Matrix Reloaded | 73% (244 reviews)[29] | 62 (40 reviews)[34] | B+[32] |
The Animatrix | 89% (18 reviews)[35] | ||
The Matrix Revolutions | 36% (214 reviews)[30] | 47 (41 reviews)[36] | B[32] |
List indicator(s)
|
Accolades
Influences and interpretations
What we were trying to achieve with the story overall was a shift, the same kind of shift that happens for Neo, that Neo goes from being in this sort of cocooned and programmed world, to having to participate in the construction of meaning to his life. And we were like, 'Well, can the audience go through the three movies and experience something similar to what the main character experiences?'
So the first movie is sort of typical in its approach. The second movie is deconstructionist, and it assaults all of the things that you thought to be true in the first movie, and so people get very upset, and they're like 'Stop attacking me!' in the same way that people get upset with deconstructionist philosophy. I mean, Derrida and Foucault, these people upset us. And then the third movie is the most ambiguous, because it asks you to actually participate in the construction of meaning.
—Lana Wachowski, Movie City News, October 13, 2012[37]
The Matrix films makes numerous references to films and literature, and to historical myths and philosophy including Buddhism, Vedanta, Advaita Hinduism, Christianity, Messianism, Judaism, Gnosticism, existentialism, obscurantism, and nihilism. The films' premise resembles Plato's Allegory of the cave, René Descartes's evil demon, Kant's reflections on the Phenomenon versus the Ding an sich, Zhuangzi's "Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly", Marxist social theory and the brain in a vat thought experiment. Many references to Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation appear in the first film. Baudrillard himself considered this a misrepresentation,[38] although Lana Wachowski claims the point the reference was making was misunderstood.[39] There are similarities to cyberpunk works such as Neuromancer by William Gibson,[40] who has described The Matrix as "arguably the ultimate 'cyberpunk' artifact."[41]
Japanese director Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell was a strong influence.[42] Producer Joel Silver has stated that the Wachowskis first described their intentions for The Matrix by showing him that anime and saying, "We wanna do that for real."[43][44] Mitsuhisa Ishikawa of Production I.G, which produced Ghost 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 that The 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 since Ghost in the Shell had gained recognition in America, the Wachowskis used it as a "promotional tool."[45] Similarities to the 1985 anime film Megazone 23 have also been noticed, but the Wachowskis claimed to have never seen it.[46]
Reviewers have commented on similarities between The Matrix and other late-1990s films such as Strange Days, Dark City, and The Truman Show.[47][48][49] The Wachowskis claimed no influence regarding Dark City, but commented about it and The Truman Show that they thought it was "very strange that Australia came to have three films associated with it that were all about the nature of reality.".[46]
Comparisons have also been made to Grant Morrison's comic series The Invisibles; Morrison believes that the Wachowskis essentially plagiarized his work to create the film.[50] The Wachowskis have responded that they enjoy the comic but weren't inspired by it.[46]
In addition, the similarity of the films' central concept to a device in the long-running series Doctor Who has also been noted. As in the film, the Matrix of that series (introduced in the 1976 serial The 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.[51]
The first Matrix film features numerous references to the "White Rabbit", the "Rabbit Hole" and mirrors, referring to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.[52]Cite error: The <ref>
tag has too many names (see the help page). There is some debate about whether followers of Matrixism are indeed serious about their practice; however, the religion (real or otherwise) has received attention in the media.[53][54]
The movie and the pill analogy have also been analyzed in the context of the Wachowski's transgender experiences. In this case, taking the red pill and living out of the Matrix symbolizes exploring one's own gender identity, starting the transition and coming out as transgender, as opposed to a continued life in the closet.[55][56]
Legal claims
In April 2003 Sophia Stewart filed a legal complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleging that the idea of The Matrix (and the 1984 film The Terminator) were plagiarized from her own film treatment entitled "The Third Eye."[57][58] The court allowed the lawsuit to move forward in 2005,[59] but Stewart did not attend the hearing. In a 53-page ruling, Judge Margaret Morrow dismissed the case, stating that Stewart and her attorneys "had not entered any evidence to bolster its key claims or demonstrated any striking similarity between her work and the accused directors’ films." [57][60] Despite the ruling, the case became the subject of "Internet legend," with many sources claiming Stewart had actually won the lawsuit.[57][60][61][62]
In 2013 Thomas Althouse filed suit in California federal court alleging that ideas for the sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions came from a screenplay he called The Immortals. In a summary judgement for the defendants, Judge R. Gary Klausner stated "The basic premises of The Matrix Trilogy and The Immortals are so different that it would be unreasonable to find their plots substantially similar."[57][63][64][65][66]
Additional media
By November 2003, The Matrix franchise had generated $677 million from VHS and DVD sales, $162 million from the video game Enter the Matrix (2003), $37 million from The Matrix Reloaded: The Album soundtrack sales, and $3.5 million from licensed merchandise sales.[67] As of 2011, the franchise has grossed $3 billion from all sources worldwide.[68]
Animation
In acknowledgment of the strong influence of Japanese anime on the Matrix series, The Animatrix was produced in 2003 to coincide with the release of The Matrix Reloaded. This is a collection of nine animated short films intended to further flesh out the concepts, history, characters and setting of the series. The objective of The Animatrix project was to give other writers and directors the opportunity to lend their voices and interpretation to the Matrix universe; the Wachowskis conceived of and oversaw the process, and they wrote four of the segments themselves, although they were given to other directors to execute. 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, MTV4, and Syfi, and the others first appeared with the DVD release of all nine shorts shortly after the release of The Matrix Reloaded.
Video games
On May 15, 2003, the game Enter the Matrix was released in North America 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 that were shot during the filming of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.[69]
Two more The Matrix video games were released in 2005. The MMORPG The Matrix Online continued the story beyond The Matrix Revolutions,[70] while The Matrix: Path of Neo allowed players to control Neo in scenes from the film trilogy.[71]
The Matrix official website also provided several original Adobe Flash-based browser games.[72][73]
Comic books
The Matrix Comics is a set of comic books and short stories based on the series and written and illustrated by figures from the comics industry; one of the comics was written by the Wachowskis and illustrated by the films' concept artist Geof Darrow. Most of the comics were originally presented for free on the Matrix series' website;[74] they were later republished, along with some new material, in two printed trade paperback volumes.
Screensaver
The Matrix official website provided a free screensaver for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, which simulates the falling "Matrix digital rain" of the films.[75][76] The screensaver was reported to have a password security issue.[77] The "Matrix digital rain" also inspired the creation of many unofficial screensavers.[78]
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
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 Chris Seay and Greg 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 Gray (Oxford University Press, 2005) ISBN 0-19-518107-7
- The Matrix Cultural Revolution by Michel Marriott (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003) ISBN 1-56025-574-9
- The Matrix Reflections: Choosing between reality and illusion by Eddie Zacapa (Authorhouse, 2005) ISBN 1-4208-0782-X
- The One by A.J. Yager & Dean Vescera (Lifeforce Publishing, 2003) ISBN 0-9709796-1-4
- Matrix og ulydighedens evangelium (Danish for: "Matrix and the Evangelium of disobedients") by Rune Engelbreth Larsen (Bindslev, 2004) ISBN 87-91299-12-8
- The Matrix and the Alice Books by Voicu Mihnea Simandan (Lulu Books, 2010) ISBN 978-0557258079
- The Matrix Cult. by Vladimir Tumanov (International Journal of Cultic Studies 3 [2] 2003).
See also
References
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing - National Film Preservation Board | Programs | Library of Congress". The Library of Congress. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ "The Matrix Revolutions Ignites Global Box Office Revolution with $204 Million Opening, Setting a New Record for the Biggest Consecutive 5-Day Opening of All Time | WarnerMedia". www.warnermediagroup.com. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ "Looking back at the Matrix sequels". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ Lang, Brent (March 29, 2016). "'Deadpool' Overtakes 'Matrix Reloaded' as Highest-Grossing R-Rated Movie". Variety. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "International Buyers Put BLOOM's "Suburbicon" On The Map. Paramount Pictures Acquires The U.S. Rights". ramascreen.com. February 15, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ "Press release – August 1, 2000 – The Matrix DVD: The first to sell 3 million". Whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com. Burbank: Warner Bros., Inc. August 1, 2000. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (August 24, 1999). "Reeves, helmers near pricey 'Matrix' sequels". variety.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Silberman, Steve. "MATRIX2". wired.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "Don Davis - Interview". soundtrack.net. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ "Love bug bites the new Matrix - smh.com.au". smh.com.au. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ "Next Neo Thing". ew.com. November 14, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ http://dailyhaggis.com/2003/10/28/new-matrix-games-on-the-way/
- ^ Lang, Derrik J. "Wachowskis unfazed by negativity ahead of 'Jupiter Ascending' launch". timescolonist.com. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ "The Wachowskis Talk JUPITER ASCENDING, Creating the Chicago Sequence, SENSE8, and More". collider.com. February 4, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ a b "'The Matrix' Reboot in the Works at Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ "'The Matrix' Reboot Writer Says It May Not Be a Reboot After All". collider.com. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Wampler, Scott (March 17, 2017). "The New MATRIX May Be A Young Morpheus Movie". birthmoviesdeath.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ "Keanu Reeves is up for The Matrix 4 (exclusive)". yahoo.com. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ Buckmaster, Luke (April 17, 2017). "Hugo Weaving on revisiting The Matrix: 'They would start again with different actors'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ Paur, Joey (March 19, 2018). "The Writer of THE MATRIX Revival Offers an Update and Teases an Expanded Universe". GeekTyrant. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "The Ultimate Matrix Collection: Limited Edition". dvdtalk.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "The Ultimate Matrix Collection HD DVD Review - High-Def Digest". highdefdigest.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "The Ultimate Matrix Collection Blu-ray Review - High Def Digest". highdefdigest.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix (1999) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix Revolutions (2003) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix Moviesat the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ a b "The Matrix". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ a b "The Matrix Reloaded". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ a b "The Matrix Revolutions". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ "Naval Gazing". nymag.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Cinemascore". Cinemascore.com. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ "The Matrix". metacritic.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix Reloaded". metacritic.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Animatrix". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ "The Matrix Revolutions". metacritic.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Poland, David (October 13, 2012). "DP/30: Cloud Atlas, Screenwriter/Directors Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski". moviecitynews.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "IJBS". archive.org. October 21, 2010. Archived from the original on October 21, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ DePaul Visiting Artists Series (May 2, 2014). Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Event occurs at 01:11:34. Retrieved March 27, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Postmodernism Lesson Plans: The Matrix and Neuromancer". purdue.edu. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Gibson, William (January 28, 2003). "THE MATRIX: FAIR COP". The William Gibson Blog. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "Home". warnervideo.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Joel Silver, interviewed in "Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime" featurette on The Animatrix DVD.
- ^ Joel Silver, interviewed in "Making The Matrix" featurette on the Matrix DVD.
- ^ Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, interviewed in The South Bank Show, episode broadcast February 19, 2006 [1]
- ^ a b c "ONLINE CHAT - Larry & Andy Wachowski". archive.org. February 13, 2010. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Ebert, Roger (March 31, 1999). "The Matrix". suntimes.com. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
"The Matrix" recycles the premises of "Dark City" and "Strange Days,"...
- ^ "The Matrix (1999) - Film Review from FilmFour". Film4. Channel Four Television Corporation. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
The film is a perfect product of its time. It is a very modern conspiracy thriller, a film based, like The Truman Show, on the appealingly terrifying notion of a universal conspiracy - that life itself and everything that we know and take for granted are lies. It's also a film steeped in the traditionals of Japanese anime and megamixed philosophy and semiotics (spot the Baudrillard references kids).
- ^ Rowley, Stephen (June 18, 2003). "What Was the Matrix?". sterow.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
The Matrix was the third in a cycle of movies to arrive in the late nineties with a strikingly similar theme. Like its predecessors from the previous year, Dark City and The Truman Show, it tells the story of a seemingly ordinary man who suddenly finds that his whole life is faked: he is trapped in an artificially created environment designed to keep him in submission. Like the heroes of those earlier movies, Keanu Reeves' Neo starts to realise that he is somehow special, and tries to escape the confines of his prison.
- ^ "Poor Mojo Newswire: Suicide Girls Interview with Grant Morrison Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." URL retrieved July 31, 2006.
- ^ Condon, Paul. The Matrix Unlocked. 2003. Contender. p.141-3. ISBN 1-84357-093-9
- ^ Corliss, Richard (April 11, 1999). "Popular Metaphysics". Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via content.time.com.
- ^ "They're all god movies, in mysterious ways - National - smh.com.au". smh.com.au. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Dr. Eleanor A. Lockhart (October 3, 2017). "Bootlegging the Matrix: In Which Bootleg Girl Explains the Matrix Sequels". Medium. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ Marcy Cook (April 19, 2016). "Decoding the Transgender Matrix: The Matrix as a Transgender Coming Out Story". The Mary Sue. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Gray, Madison (November 22, 2013). "Inside The Billion Dollar Matrix Lawsuit, One of the Internet's Most Pervasive Legends". Time. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Seewood, Andre (December 10, 2011). "Sophia Stewart: "The Matrix" Lawsuit – Conspiracy Or Hoax?". IndieWire. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Moore, Corey (May 24, 2005). "'Matrix' Lawsuit to Move Forward". NPR. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Powers, Kemp (July 31, 2005). "The Billion-Dollar Myth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Sergio (April 16, 2013). "Why Won't That Story About Sophia Stewart And Her 'Matrix' Lawsuit Die?". IndieWire. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ "Sophia Stewart Matrix Lawsuit". Snopes.com. August 8, 2005. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Gardner, Eriq (April 28, 2014). "Warner Bros. Wins Lawsuit Claiming It Stole 'The Matrix'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Denham, Jess (April 29, 2014). "The Matrix wins 'unreasonable' plagiarism lawsuit brought by writer Thomas Althouse". The Independent. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Ted (April 28, 2014). "Warner Bros. Wins 'Matrix' Idea Theft Lawsuit". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ "Warner Bros Wins 'Matrix' Theft Lawsuit". Deadline Hollywood. April 28, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ Pulley, Brett (November 10, 2003). "Cliff-Hanger". Forbes. Forbes, Inc. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Unknown Productions Notes" (PDF). press.optimumreleasing.net/. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ "A Thin Line Between Film And Joystick". The New York Times. February 20, 2003. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ McNamara, Tom (March 18, 2005). "The Matrix Online". ign.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Dunham, Jeremy (July 21, 2005). "Path of Neo: The Matrix Interview". ign.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix Revolutions". IGN. March 22, 2004.
- ^ "The Matrix Arcade". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Comics". whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ Essex, Andrew (May 14, 1999). "Decoding The Matrix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "The Matrix official screensaver". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Boyce, Nick (October 6, 1999). ""The Matrix" Screensaver is insecure". SecuriTeam. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Podolsky, Erin (March 2, 2001). "Saver the Moment: movie inspired screen savers". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Matrix Series at Curlie
- Wachowski, Lana; Wilber, Ken (July 19, 2004). "The Many Meanings of The Matrix". Integral Life.
- deVos, Corey W. (February 12, 2007). "The Many Meanings of The Matrix--Transcript". Ken Wilber.
- The Matrix (franchise)
- 1990s action films
- 1990s martial arts films
- 1990s science fiction films
- 2000s action films
- 2000s martial arts films
- 2000s science fiction films
- Action films by series
- American action films
- American films
- American martial arts films
- American science fiction action films
- American superhero films
- Australian films
- Cyberpunk films
- Dystopian films
- American film series
- Films about artificial intelligence
- Films about virtual reality
- Martial arts science fiction films
- Media franchises
- Human extinction
- Post-apocalyptic films
- Religion in science fiction
- Science fiction by franchise
- Science fiction films by series
- Silver Pictures films
- Techno-thriller films
- Village Roadshow Pictures films
- Virtual reality in fiction
- Warner Bros. films
- Warner Bros. franchises
- Films about altered memories
- Films adapted into comics
- Films adapted into video games
- Film series introduced in 1999