• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

The Matrix released in theatres 25 years ago today

SJRB

Gold Member
matrix-code.jpg


One of the most influential movies in history, and easily one of the most amazing theatre experiences in my life. This movie was so ahead of its time I still can't believe it was made in the first place.

Groundbreaking tech, incredible story and characters, sick ass visuals and music. A timeless classic that influenced almost everyone in some way or form.

vJraJ6.gif


Awesome X thread about the making of:















What is the Matrix?
 

Mr Hyde

Member
Amazing theatre experience. I remember it very vividly even today. The action and story was so mind bending it was difficult to comprehend what the hell was going on, but even if it was hard to get a grasp on everything that happened, I loved every minute of it. The sequels were so disappointing it actually physically hurt when I came out of the theatre, despite Reloaded having some of the most kick ass action scenes in the history of blockbuster cinema. The Wachowkis has gone downhill completely after the Matrix, proving to be one hit wonders. Only saving grace outside of The Matrix in their filmography are Bound and Cloud Atlas, and even they are not particularly good.
 
Last edited:

Trunx81

Member
One of the few movies that I went into nearly “blind”. Just watched the cryptic trailers and had a blast in cinema. Bullet time was so novel, it blew my mind.

Playing Max Payne a few years after that finally scratched that itch. I even liked “Enter the Matrix”, because you could unlock a cool, although basic multiplayer on Game Cube.

Too bad they never did any sequels, but the movie was good as it stands now. /s
 

Mr1999

Member
It's one of my top 3 favorite movies of all time. I remember watching it at the theater and being blown away by it. There was an auction on PropStore.com a few weeks ago which they were selling a lot of Matrix stuff, like entire production storyboard folders, props, etc, I placed bids on several items, but the prices went high and was not able to get anything.

I do have concept drawings from the original Matrix film, hand drawn and not copies, along with autographs from the Wachowskis before their transition. I also have a screener VHS for the original film. Just watching how "The Matrix" was made, you can see they put a lot of time into it. They really cared about the project. It seems to me like they didn't rush anything and instead took their time to think creatively. I watch it all the time.
 
Last edited:

Trilobit

Member
Crazy good movie! I love how it allows you to breathe between the action.

I just wish Second Renaissance could get a live-action version movie. It'd be bleak, but very gripping in the right hands.
 
It's one of my top 3 favorite movies of all time. I remember watching it at the theater and being blown away by it. There was an auction on PropStore.com a few weeks ago which they were selling a lot of Matrix stuff, like entire production storyboard folders, props, etc, I placed bids on several items, but the prices went high and was not able to get anything.

I do have concept drawings from the original Matrix film, hand drawn and not copies, along with autographs from the Wachowskis before their transition. I also have a screener VHS for the original film. Just watching how "The Matrix" was made, you can see they put a lot of time into it. They really cared about the project. It seems to me like they didn't rush anything and instead took their time to think creatively. I watch it all the time.
I would suck a dick to own the Revolutions storyboard folder from that auction. It's my favourite.
 

mortal

Gold Member
One of the most iconic films of all time, and arguably the only truly great film in the series. Not counting The Animatrix, as that's more of an animation anthology.
 

Romulus

Member
Came out a couple months before I graduated high school. Insane it's been that long, does not feel close to 25 years.
 
Last edited:

Quasicat

Member
This came out right after I started college and the sequels came out while I was in grad school. I was so into the lore that it consumed most of my freetime. I analyzed the movies, the anime, the comic books, and the games. I became so obsessed with it that I could answer any questions my classmates had about the trilogy (and there were a lot of questions). I was so excited when they announced the fourth film, and was so disappointed. I can see what the writer/director was doing, but honestly I wish it would have never happened.

It‘s like seeing an old friend die a slow and agonizing death.
 

Uhtred

Member
Wow, I remember seeing it opening night with my friends and walking out of the theater not fully understanding what I just saw, but knowing that I saw something very very special and unlike anything I had seen before. My friends and I looked at each other after the opening scene and we had this look on our face That I can’t even describe.
 

violence

Member
I had an appreciation for the sequels till I saw the fourth one. It wasn't meant to be a trilogy, it was a victim of sequel-itis.

At the very least, they should not have done all that shit all at once. It was two movies, a video game, and the Animatrix. They couldn’t focus.
 
Last edited:

Sleepwalker

Member
I need to go for a rewatch, its been a long time. Hell ill watch the entire trilogy.

I was only 7 when it released so I didnt watch it at the theathre but I remember going to the second and third.

It was also a common rental at blockbuster, ah those days. Eventually we owned a dvd copy.

Maybe I should track down a blu ray 4k copy of the original trilogy .

As for the last one, I tried watching it and only remember falling asleep and waking up to the credits.
 
Wasn’t able to catch it in theaters but holy shit..was it the most popular VHS movie on campus that semester it came out. Everyone was hooked and talked about it in great length. But then came the trench coat wearing students thinking they could pull off the NEO look…they couldn’t 😄😎
 
I was there in the theater opening week before the movie had any major buzz. The only thing I saw was the original trailer on TV and it has almost no talking or description of the movie in it. (Which basically never happens these days)



What I was expecting was something like Johnny Memonic. A mediocre movie but in a niche genre. Not something that was going to become this gigantic global phenomenon.

I was totally blown away by what I saw! I walked out of that theater a changed man /teenager. It's easily one of the best surprises I've had in my whole life.
 

Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
Should be considered a crime against humanity.

It is imperative that all members of the United Nations Security Council reach a consensus to impose stringent sanctions on the Wachowskis, prohibiting them and their associates from engaging in film and media production in the future.

Additionally, it should be stipulated under a new NATO provision that the screening of "Matrix Resurrections" will be considered an act of aggression against NATO member states, obligating all members to respond collectively in defense.
 

Doczu

Member
Too young to see it in the cinema when it came out, but I did my homework.
The whole movie was a big, neverending
Tom Delonge Reaction GIF

to me.
Loved every second of it. Even like the sequels.
But not Revolutions. Subvert my ass!
 

Kenpachii

Member
Amazing movie, amazing cast, amazing sound, amazing visuals. Blew my mind when i first saw it.

Liked the second and third one also, the 4th couldn't even watch it until the end what a absolute dog shit movie.
 
Last edited:

Dr.Morris79

Member
Jesus! 25 years?

I took my ex to see this, I had zero idea what it was about and had only seen posters around the town saying 'What is the Matrix'

Don't think I've ever sat as still as that in a cinema watching a film. I was blown away

I don't think it was her cup of tea :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

ShadowNate

Member
The trailer for it was really cool and then the full movie was even cooler and extremely impressive -- which I find happens rarely. The first time I watched it, it was in a big city cinema theater which unfortunately had so many technical issues and, if iirc, it jumped past a part of the story exposition when Neo wakes up on the real world. And I was still blown away by it.

Too bad the sequels turned out to be hot garbage.
 

22:22:22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
I took my ex to see this, I had zero idea what it was about and had only seen posters around the town saying 'What is the Matrix'

Don't think I've ever sat as still as that in a cinema watching a film. I was blown away

I don't think it was her cup of tea :messenger_tears_of_joy:


"Jesus! 25 years?" < This!

Aging Matt Damon GIF
 

Soodanim

Member
So is Resurrections proper proper shocking? I don't need to compare it to this.
Imagine someone on the internet wrote a fan fiction of Neo and Trinity. They died in the third, so it involves a convoluted revival story to even get them to exist and be back in that world.
Imagine because it's fan fiction in a world where the story is finished, the story lacks any significance and goes nowhere, making the whole thing feel pointless.
Imagine a studio gave this fan fiction a Hollywood budget, but you don't even have more than a couple returning cast members so the whole thing doesn't even look the part.

Now imagine that didn't happen and don't waste your time. I watched it on Netflix and it wasn't time well spent.

Thinking about it, it's like if one of those direct to video sequels you never knew existed got a marketing budget.



I once saw a fan cut of Reloaded and Revolutions that essentially guts the boring real world battles with the characters no one cares about. It's still a mash up of two movies where the CGI hasn't aged too well, but at least helps cut away some of the filler.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
One of the greatest movies ever made.

Didn’t see any it in cinema back then sadly but only when I rented it from the store.

Crazy to think that the Wachowskie’s didn’t do anything significant since. Back then you’d think they would dominate Hollywood going forward.
 

winjer

Gold Member
1/4 of a century. Damn, I feel old.

But this such a ground breaking movie. For years, movies and videogames were taking inspirating from The matrix.
 

DKehoe

Member
Unfortunately, I was a couple of years too young to see this in the cinema at the time. But I remember watching it when my Dad rented the video. I hadn't heard of it before so went in totally blind and had my mind blown. I remember telling a friend the next day that he had to see it as soon as possible.
 
Top Bottom