25 years of The Matrix

The world today is celebrating a quarter of a century since the release of The Matrix, the film turned into a trilogy that has influenced a series of imitations since March 31, 1999.

Blending adventure, science fiction, mystery and drama, The Matrix was written and directed by the Wachowskis, with Keanu Reeves achieving legendary status in Hollywood by leading the cast of this groundbreaking work alongside Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano.

The setting is a dystopian future in which humanity is unconsciously trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality that intelligent machines have created to distract humans while using their bodies as a source of energy. When computer programmer Thomas Anderson, under the hacker alias “Neo”, discovers the truth, he joins a rebellion against the machines along with other people who have been freed from the Matrix.

There are many theses about the themes covered by the Wachowskis, but arguably The Matrix’s biggest impact was visual: the black leather outfits, the capes, the sunglasses and, above all, the action scenes that forever changed how Hollywood would treat action movies.

Influenced by anime, and ‘wire fu’ techniques, classic in Hong Kong, super ultra slow images were defined by “bullet time”, the sequence in which we follow the trajectory of a revolver bullet with the camera appearing to be at normal speed and thus being able to see each movement in detail.

The Matrix was immediately acclaimed by critics, and made more than 460 million dollars, becoming one of the biggest box office films of its time. Unsurprisingly, it won four Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Editing.

The mega-success of The Matrix created a blockbuster franchise that includes two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as the fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, released in 2021, as well as comic books, video games and an animated anthology, The Animatrix, books, theories and even philosophy of life.

Shall we remember some interesting facts?

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