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The Matrix
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The Matrix (1999)

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User Rating: 8.6/10 (280,195 votes)
Photos (see all 110 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2 videos )
IMDb Coverage of Comic-Con 2008

Overview

Writers (WGA):
Andy Wachowski (written by) &
Larry Wachowski (written by)
Release Date:
31 March 1999 (USA) more view trailer
Tagline:
In a world of 1s and 0s...are you a zero, or The One? more
Plot:
A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)
Awards:
Won 4 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 36 nominations more
User Comments:
The benchmark for all sci-fi films to come more
US TV Schedule:
Wed. July 306:00 PMMAX   

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Matrix (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Matrix (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Matrix (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Matrix (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Матрица (Russia) [ru]
¿Qué es Matrix? (Mexico) [es]
Fylkið (Iceland) (TV title) [is]
Matrice, La (Canada: French title) [fr]
Matrix (Slovakia) [sk]
Matrix (Czech Republic) [cs]
Matrix (Sweden) [sv]
Matrix (Finland) [fi]
Matrix (Italy) [it]
Matrix (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
The Matrix (Denmark) [da]
The Matrix (Norway) [no]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sci-fi violence and brief language.
Runtime:
136 min
Country:
Australia | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Brazil:12 | France:U (with warning) | Ireland:15 (re-rating) | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2006) (uncut) | USA:R (certificate #36569) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 (cut) | Israel:PG | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 (cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba)
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 27% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The name of the company Neo works for is Metacortex. The roots of this word are meta-, which according to Webster's means "going beyond or higher, transcending," and -cortex, which is "the outer layer (boundary) of gray matter surrounding the brain." Thus, Metacortex is "transcending the boundaries of the brain," which is precisely what Neo proceeds to do. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Neo sits at his desk and receives the envelope with the phone in it, a crew member's hand is leaning on the left corner of his desk. (VHS version) more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[phone rings]
Cypher: Yeah.
Trinity: Is everything in place?
Cypher: You weren't supposed to relieve me.
Trinity: I know, but I felt like taking a shift.
Cypher: You like him, don't you? You like watching him.
Trinity: Don't be ridiculous.
Cypher: We're gonna kill him. You understand that?
Trinity: Morpheus believes he is the one.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Pinoy/Blonde (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Minor Swing more

FAQ

How do people have babies in the Matrix?
What is the wall of TV screens seen when Neo gets arrested?
What's that code in the end of the credits?
more
274 out of 338 people found the following comment useful:-
The benchmark for all sci-fi films to come, 19 September 2000
10/10
Author: mambubukid from Manila, R.P.

The story of a reluctant Christ-like protagonist set against a baroque, MTV backdrop, The Matrix is the definitive hybrid of technical wizardry and contextual excellence that should be the benchmark for all sci-fi films to come.

Hollywood has had some problems combining form and matter in the sci-fi genre. There have been a lot of visually stunning works but nobody cared about the hero. (Or nobody simply cared about anything.) There a few, though, which aroused interest and intellect but nobody 'ooh'-ed or 'aah'-ed at the special effects. With The Matrix, both elements are perfectly en sync. Not only did we want to cheer on the heroes to victory, we wanted them to bludgeon the opposition. Not only did we sit in awe as Neo evaded those bullets in limbo-rock fashion, we salivated.

But what makes The Matrix several cuts above the rest of the films in its genre is that there are simply no loopholes. The script, written by the Wachowski brothers is intelligent but carefully not geeky. The kung-fu sequences were deftly shot -- something even Bruce Lee would've been proud of. The photography was breathtaking. (I bet if you had to cut every frame on the reel and had it developed and printed, every single frame would stand on its own.) And the acting? Maybe not the best Keanu Reeves but name me an actor who has box-office appeal but could portray the uneasy and vulnerable protagonist, Neo, to a T the way Reeves did. But, come to think of it, if you pit any actor beside Laurence Fishburne, you're bound to confuse that actor for bad acting. As Morpheus, Mr. Fishburne is simply wicked! Shades of his mentor-role in Higher Learning, nobody exudes that aura of quiet intensity than Mr. Fishburne. His character, battle-scarred but always composed Morpheus, is given an extra dose of mortality (He loves Neo to a fault.) only Mr. Fishburne can flesh out.

People will say what they want to say about how good The Matrix is but the bottomline is this: finally there's a philosophical film that has cut through this generation. My generation. The Wachowski brothers probably scribbled a little P.S. note when they finished the script saying: THINK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT YOUR EXISTENCE. What is the Matrix, you ask? Something that's closer to reality than you think.

Either that or it's my personal choice for best film of all-time.

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Neo and the mirror? papercut273
Similar to a very old movie... cwtham
How did they scorch the sky? blisterpeanuts
V.Difficult Questions mothepro
How can this crap be rated so high? beatrice154
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