Quentin Tarantino on seeing The Matrix on opening night in 1999

Amy Nicholson interviews QT

[@lonestarr1707]

Thank God Will Smith rejected the role...Keanu Reeves was THE ONE for the role of Neo

[@above-us-only-sky]

Yeah and if he’d taken it, Val Kilmer was gonna be Morpheus 😱

[@lonestarr1707]

@@above-us-only-sky I got luv for both Will & Val but HELL NO!!

[@Fancy_PotHead]

_Where are we, some kinda Matrix ?_

[@DUKETACTICS333]

Yea thank god. Shittier actor then keanu or even any actor

[@Zx30]

Morpheus: He's the one...... *ANGELIC MUSIC*

[@SonnyK248]

Literally the trailer had Lawrence Fishbourne say "Unfortunately no one can be told what The Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself"

[@ohedd]

That is so good.

[@SirMo]

One of the best tag lines in movie promotion ever. And oh did it deliver.

[@Tenebrousable]

Yeah. Nobody knew what the Matrix was. They had to see it.

[@RadagonTheRed]

Fishburne not Fishbourne bro. 😂

[@SonnyK248]

@@RadagonTheRed my bad 😂 I don’t think I’ve ever seen his name in print so I was guessing 😂

[@Nemesis_T_Type]

Kids these days don't realize how big the Matrix was. It revolutionized action cinema with its fight choreography and special effects.

[@87Tempests]

I know. They downplay it and act like it's overrated and not a big deal. FOH it's as important as the original star wars

[@shanedavis22]

Lotta kids these days are taking the blue pill, too

[@emilio2647]

Nemesis T-Type only kids born in the. 80s and 90s could relate to the good sci-fi action films like the matrix.

[@danarsarkawt2694]

Blue pill effect

[@offspringfan1288]

Or how important Terminator 2 was in 1991.

[@mrlarvux]

0:13 “I saw it on the Friday that it opened. Not the Saturday, not the Sunday, but the Friday” is Tarantino dialogue 101

[@nms7872]

You write what you know

[@bryanlobesz7293]

MVP

[@Alex-gu2mk]

Takes forever to say nothing

[@Parth-s6p]

So true lol

[@Infernoblade1010]

Imagine a movie trailer nowadays that doesn't ruin the whole movie.

[@tomekgt]

@Elias Håkansson I watched Termintor Genesis with my partner without seeing trailers. It was a rollercoaster of twists and turns. We both really enjoyed it. I think I counted at least 4 twists that the trailers ruined. Everybody I talked to hate the movie but they saw the trailers. If you love movies, don't watch trailers.

[@hailikefood]

I think it's an art to create a movie trailer that doesn't give away the whole plot but also not being too misleading yet still captivates an audience enough that makes them want to see more. One that comes to mind is the trailer for Alien. Now that's a good movie trailer.

[@Legacyofmine]

Halloween kills, the trailer spoiled alot of the movie for me!

[@polismf]

@Elias Håkansson sad but true :(

[@Staniii2360]

@Elias Håkansson Right! Look at the Predator Trailer, even worse. But then again at that time trailers weren’t available everywhere.

[@NFSox]

"Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. They have to see it for themselves."

[@benharder7816]

It's True. Somehow the Matrix's story was never spoiled for me like 20 years after it released despite it being such a cultural icon of a movie.

[@Norsilca]

Man that line annoyed me. I was like nah man, it's pretty simple. It's a simulation.

[@NerdsmithTV]

@@Norsilca I think the idea isn't that the Matrix is hard to explain, but that for someone inside it, it would be too hard to BELIEVE without being shown the truth.

[@zillion914]

@@Norsilca I think that line pissed Cypher off as well. You have to understand that a lot of people didn’t like Morpheus because he was too philosophical and acted like he was the guy who knew everything. Cypher complained that Morpheus wasn’t specific when he gave the blue/red pill options. He would provoke your curiosity without been more clear about the options and when humans are curious about something they tend to follow their curiosity. In other words the red/blue pill choice was rigged for you to choose the red pill and even though I don’t like Cypher I understand what it meant to him and probably many people like him thought the same way. On the second film as well the pilot of the sheep questions Morpheus decisions at a point to which Morpheus becomes pissed off and say that he will have to trust him without questioning him otherwise he’s out of the ship. Morpheus is a guy obsessed with his ideals and honestly totally manipulated by the oracle to which not knowingly Morpheus was working for the machines all along doing exactly what they wanted him to do. The oracle is like the double agent spy who fixes the problems that the machines couldn’t by using human logic instead, it’s like a failsafe program.

[@NFSox]

It may be a simple concept, but getting someone on the inside to believe it wouldn't be easy. I always liked the fact that it was an important part of the exposition, and doubled as the best marketing line for a movie ever.

[@brettg274]

I remember, the big ad campaign was, “What is the Matrix?” When you got into the movie, you felt like Neo.

[@rgoodwyn]

Yes! I even remember the radio spots with that perfect line from Morpheus. "No one can be told what The Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself."

[@mr.F.Castle]

That's true they never let you know what it was until you watched the movie which is brilliant.

[@kealebogamolo6685]

@@mr.F.Castle meanwhile todays trailers spoil everything

[@keplerthe3399]

''woah'

[@NightsauceHQ]

Until seeing it sober, and realizing it's mindblowing on every level in any state.

[@gribblethemunchkin]

The Matrix remains the only movie I have ever seen in the cinema where once the credits rolled, me and the friend I went with, walked straight to the ticket office, bought two more tickets and went back in to see it again. Really blew us away. I don't think I'd really been that aware of it before seeing it either so it came out of nowhere. A real landmark film, action cinema changed so much because of this.

[@Kinesiology411]

I did that with the 6th Sense as well..

[@bnjmnwst]

SAME! I left the theater, walked to the box office & bought a ticket for the next show! It was an experience!

[@aclark903]

I think to call the Matrix an action movie is to actually do it down: very few action movies are as high concept as the Matrix: you could call it a perfect blend of Sci Fi action. I think it’s what Arnie was trying for in #TotalRecall but didn’t quite manage- with that, the book is better.

[@acornslim1788]

I did that with Pulp Fiction

[@mandu6665]

If I was younger and had loads of free time, I would have done the same for Mad Max: Fury Road and Blade Runner 2049. I rarely go to movies these days but there have been some absolutely magical ones the past decade.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

Trailers ruin films. The marketing for the Matrix was so simple and brilliant.

[@WayStedYou]

Terminator 2 is a good example of a poor trailer ruining the twist instead of leaving it unknown.

[@leonefurlan137]

@@WayStedYou sorry to burst your bubble,but NOTHING CAN RUIN T2 !!! Most def.among the top 5 movies ever made!

[@ilikeemerica9619]

Not always, personally I love trailers

[@Uppernorwood976]

Trailers ruin films now, but they never used to. I’m pretty sure the Jurassic Park trailer didn’t show a single Dinosaur. In 1999 they were still pretty good.

[@REAL6]

The best trailer / teaser ever was for T2! Didn't give anything away

[@BPond7]

My jaw dropped, when Neo woke up in his pod, and the horrifying reality of his actual existence stunned him and the audience at the same time. Masterful movie-making! 🖖😀

[@AllknowingUnknown]

LLAP

[@johnfournier1366]

It's been done before. Jacobs ladder

[@BPond7]

@@johnfournier1366 I’ve never seen it, so I’m out of the loop!

[@aienjell]

"Neo is fighting Morpheus" was a great scene along with Neo finally standing his ground against Agent Smith in the hallway. The movie built the tension of being chased by Smith and the other Agents so well it gave me anxiety too lol.

[@klingonspy8520]

Blew my little brain haha!

[@mackblack5153]

The Matrix was the perfect example of movie expectations being fullfilled by the actual movie and even transcended it. As of a matter of fact, the Matrix was not just a movie, it was an event.

[@Zack29810]

its still a movie. that just sounds pretentious.

[@mackblack5153]

@@Zack29810 You so want to fight over nothing that you didn't even read correctly what I wrote. "the Matrix was not JUST a movie...". Meaning the movie was something more than just buying tickets to go watch it in a theater, it was something you keep talking about, thinking about, excited about, etc way after the release date. It was a starting point for most young people (including me) to be fond over philosophy in general. When a movie reach that level of craze, we can safely name it an event. Relax a bit, it's not that serious nor deep.

[@bingtunder683]

You are so spot on it gave me a little chill. Some movies are more than just a movie. Avatar (ok movie) played in theaters for months because it was a new set standard for vfx. Going and seeing it became more important and globaly impactful than anything the movie was trying to say.

[@Zack29810]

@@mackblack5153 you just typed a whole paragraph at me and then said “relax, its not that serious”. what? you’re the one taking this too seriously, lol.

[@northside314]

I agree with zbaker330. Using "as a matter of fact" is a bit pretentious. It is not a fact. That is your opinion. Even if everyone agrees, it's still not a fact. I think that's what the main issue was.

[@TheProphegy]

As a kid i watched it as purely an action movie. As an adult the plot was fully realized and blew my mind and I looked at it in a completely different way.

[@5dollarshake263]

I was just thinking "I haven't watched the matrix in 20+ years, I think its time to rewatch it with my adult brain"

[@TheProphegy]

@@5dollarshake263 do it. The concept is one of the best imo.

[@0rnery0verwatch]

I just made the same exact comment, I completely understand where you're coming from. I first saw this as a 13yo and thought it was awesome purely for the visuals and fight choreography. I remember I convinced my grandpa (a guy who generally never watched movies and who never cared at all for cinema) to watch it and he was flabbergasted. I watched it again 10 or so years later and finally began to understand the deeper meaning and was just blown away by all the themes, messages and imagery I'd missed out on as a teen.

[@Annokh]

As I'm reading this, I'm realising how much I was spoiled just by overhearing someone talking about the movie's premise.

[@stevedoolan1540]

I love the way Tarantino expresses love for other people's films. A true movie lover.

[@JohnGriffith222]

he's like this in all his interviews, he's a huge movie buff too. name a film and he knows everyone who was involved in that film.

[@fuuuuuuuuuckyouprerna]

Tarantino is a Good man

[@tonyrandall3146]

Well, he got his start working in a video store. Talk about living the dream.

[@paulgoogol2652]

@@fuuuuuuuuuckyouprerna and thorough

[@kaikai9201]

This guy likes movies way too much.

[@geoffreysmart6801]

I can remember exactly that feeling he's talking about when seeing The Matrix. Literally no one knew what this movie was about. I couldn't believe what I was watching. The over-saturation of movie marketing today has been incredibly detrimental to the theater experience.

[@bighands69]

There is no over-saturation everything now is linear and risk adverse. I used to love going to films without actually knowing anything about them. Some times you get a lemon and other times you get honey.

[@eb2681]

Well even movie trailers back then spoiled the whole film, like the Cast Away trailer.

[@geoffreysmart6801]

@@eb2681 Yes, but you mostly saw trailers at the theater. So you pretty much got a single trailer that you might see only once. You didn't have youtube and social media that bombarded you with dozens of teasers, trailers, interviews and other promotional bs.

[@LuisManuelLealDias]

I perfectly remember how I basically guessed the whole point of the movie to a friend of mine who had just seen it on theaters before I did, based on the trailers and tv spots. I'm not that smart, the hints where all over the place, the clichés were already known to a degree. I mean, if you watched a lot of B sci fi movies of the 80s.

[@mabusestestament]

I knew what the movie was about.

[@pete6705]

I also saw the matrix on the first or second night it came out. Was the most mind blowing movie experience of my life.

[@corwinjkabuki]

Same here

[@ghostofguy]

Same here.

[@apoclypse]

Same.

[@JP-se9nt]

Same

[@vodkasmith12]

That movie blew me away.. I had to go back the next day to watch it again

[@timweaver7826]

I was going to wait until it came out on video and my buddy said, "You have to see it in the theater." It was the last weekend it was going to be in the theater. It was a religious experience for me. Saw it the next too. So glad by buddy told me to see it in the theater....100,000 times better than at home.

[@ordinaryretrogamer6944]

I wanted to see wing commamder i hadnt even seen am ad for the matrix and my HS girlfriend wanted to see the matrix. I was absolutely blown away by the time the credits rolled.

[@briannewman532]

I was in the navy at the time, and my roommate went out to see it. When he returned, he was obviously excited, and when I asked what the big deal was, he simply said "no one can be told what the Matrix is". I went out to see it the next night and was blown away. I was so thankful that he refused to spoil it for me. It's the last time I remember being truly surprised by a movie.

[@Z3t487]

Good roommate.

[@lucasblake449]

saw?

[@CH3FFI3]

The irony of course being it's the military that protects the Matrix we find ourselves in. And now the military are being used to hunt down the ones who wake up.

[@No-Lie-I-Want-To-Die]

The last time you were truly surprised by a movie? What about Inception? Luckily for me, i had no idea what Inception was when I first saw it. It was awesome 👌

[@trevorjensen7138]

That's totally ironic!@@CH3FFI3

[@MOLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]

The Matrix wasn’t like anything I was expecting. It was utterly amazing, beyond what I thought it would be.

[@michlangelo2849]

Also, the marketing was genius... "What is the Matrix?".. Oh, Quentin said it after I wrote it.. haha

[@targaghjj]

Thankfully, the one review I read before I watched it got key details wrong. Like they mentioned aliens being behind it all!

[@alm2187]

There was something about a fanfic or a tie-in with aliens, @@targaghjj. Think it was in Revisited, the promotional retrospective documentary that came out three years later. Story went that aliens discover the state of the Earth, with 100% of human consciousness trapped by machines. They can't rescue us. Best they can do is play muse by hacking in and slipping the truth into someone's subconsciousness. That person would then write a sci-fi story to get everyone thinking about it. For whatever reasons, they choose the Wachowski Brothers.

[@Top10soon]

"Mind blowing"

[@Sphinxpy2]

@HATER MK your mom

[@TerrbearSF]

I remember being a projectionist at a theater when The Matrix came out. We got a print of the film a month before release for a few press to do their reviews. Up till then all anyone really knew about this film were those cryptic trailers. I also still stand behind its marketing back then was the best. Leaving you questioning everything and not knowing what you were getting yourself into. Even the teaser was notorious for blowing out subwoofers in theaters because the low frequency was tuned a bit too strong if the levels weren't right. So a month before release, after putting the print together we naturally gathered in the theater to test watch the film. Never in the many years I did projection did we ever finish test watching a film, jaws dropped with shocked WTF did we just experience looks on our faces, and then someone says, "Thread it back up. Let's watch it again!" and we did. For that entire month before it was released it was hard to convince people that this film was going to be huge and a pivotal turning point for film and VFX much like Star Wars was in the 1970s.

[@florentmagere3782]

Great story, really ! That makes sense when you watch the last Matrix, maybe it is a shame nut Lana W is saying to the world "Hey guys, what did you expect anymore ? We ALREADY DID an insane trilogy (no perfect but still awesome), and nowadays YOU all make your own matrix, get over it (with the middle finger) !"

[@sideskroll]

I dont get it... Never understood this fascination with this movie... I saw it in theatres back in the day as well. And I didnt think anything special about it. I mean, the FX were "new" I guess? But I had that experience with Terminator 2 already. The main difference was that T2 is a much, MUCH better movie. I remember gettin bored to hell and back while watching Matrix. Their whole pedantic concept. The way they NEED to ENUNCIATE every OTHER worddd. The way they go OUT OF THEIR WAY to make a stupid concept of philo for dummies sound "smart".... I really HONESTLY dont get comments like yours (and those are the majority). Im not "hating" or anything, its a decent enough film... But how or WHY people felt this "out of this world experience". Why ao many people swear it changed the way they look at the world... I mean... GIMME A FREAKIN BREAK!!? Some idiots, real REAL stupid imbeciles even thought they were living in a "simulation"... Then again, I dont understand the fascination with Marvel movies either... So maybe I'm unique.

[@boratb258]

@@sideskroll At the time not many people could fathom what computers were capable of, we just got the internet... Now theirs a movie where people were living inside a computer program. It was mind blowing, i was around 12-13 and had to watch it twice to understand what was going on and after seeing it i could not describe to my parents what it was about before they saw it, i just quoted the commercial, "you have to see it for yourself".

[@sideskroll]

@@boratb258 Yeah, I "get" THAT. But I never got what the big deal was about... Honestly, Im not trying to get someone to explain it to me or anything (many, many people have done so for 20 years) I just didn't "get" whatever most people seem to getnout of it... Fight Club though... That movie took a bite outta me. That movie did SOMETHING (I wouldnt say it changed my perspective on life or that it "opened my eyes" as some people say about Matrix cause to be honest, if a hollywood movie can do that to you then youre probably not very aware of who you are...) But it definetely made me realize something wasnt working how it should. Sadly, 20+ years after we live in a MORE feminist society, in which our every male instinct is to be silenced and removed... More people ahoukdve seeing Fight Club instead of Matrix to be honest...

[@DEADPOTENTIAL]

@@sideskroll well if it didn’t click maybe you were trying to hard

[@RKelleyCook]

I too saw it on opening night, though in Michigan. In my 50+ years of life, The Matrix, remains the only (non documentary) movie I've ever been too that the audience gave it a standing ovation at the end.

[@carpetsnake83]

He’s talking about Morpheus quote “no one can be told what the matrix is you have to see it for yourself” It is in every Tv spot My cousin was really pumped about and both our families went to see it so 15 of us and theatre was packed I could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air and I hadn’t seen or herd anything about the movie but I could feel it

[@daveross1638]

not all of them said that one just came up with what is the matrix and that was it

[@CursedWheelieBin]

Before seeing it, I remember Morpheus saying “welcome to the real world” in some tv advert. Just that line shows the concept but not fully giving it context. I was like “ohhhh ok, so our world ain’t real, and THAT one is? Got it. Sounds good” 👌 and went with my 2 pals in the summer of 1999. When I went back to school in August, no idiots my age (13) had seen the movie. They were instead yapping about Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me. 🙄 The Matrix wasn’t marketed very well in the UK but Austin Powers was. It’s only when it came out on DVD that many people took notice because it was one of the first decent DVDs with extra content and took advantage of the improved audio/visual format over VHS

[@craigcooper1967]

herd?

[@noybeeswax]

Oh boy, bet everyone else loved all 15 of you discussing every minute of it during the movie. “Oh shit!” “Oh damn!” “Oh hell nah!” 😂🤣

[@IrishCarney]

@@CursedWheelieBin I'm SOO glad I never saw that spot and that instead I went in totally ignorant

[@shaggycan]

He is 100% accurate with his description of the feeling going into this thing. We didn't know anything.

[@EnglishTimewithMrChris]

I didn't see The Matrix in theaters, but I was lucky to be able to watch it on VHS going in essentially blind and only knowing that the movie was really good. I didn't see the advertisements making you wonder what the matrix was and hyping you up, but I think I was definitely not prepared for what I was about to watch. Feel the same way about the movie Akira. The only thing I knew about that movie was that it had to do with biker gangs in Japan so a lot of stuff that happens towards the end there is no way I would have ever suspected going into the film. "What is Akira?" felt pretty similar to the question "What is the matrix?" to me.

[@joshg.6315]

Same. I saw it on opening night, had zero clue what it was about and was completely blown away

[@craigdaurizio686]

Right, none of us really knew, and it delivered something we didn't know we wanted.

[@phoenix9531]

He is really bad at articulating it.

[@drifter6870]

The last time I had this feeling was Starwars ep7. After that I have never felt anything again. I think the only thing that could make me excited would be something from nintendo.

[@tvsonicserbia5140]

I'm so glad as someone growing up in the 2000's that my dad recreated that feeling for me, I had heard about the Matrix from him before and as a kid I didn't even know Matrix was an actual word and so before it finally aired on TV and we were going to watch it I kept asking "what is the Matrix, what is the Matrix" and he was like "it can't be explained, you have to see", of course in actuality it could've been explained easily, but he kept that mystery for me

[@tvsonicserbia5140]

@Ruaidhrí Ryan Hahaha yeah

[@danholmesfilm]

@Ruaidhrí Ryan I mean not really, that line is a metaphor for explaining truth to someone. Most people cannot accept a truth told to them that goes against their understood perspective. They must be shown proof. This is why it is so difficult to convert someone to a different religion or tell them that the entire mainstream media establishment is lying to them to maintain a stranglehold of power on the people.

[@enricocarotenuto7535]

@@danholmesfilm most people don't even accept proof. I think the last couple of years prove this point.

[@danholmesfilm]

@@enricocarotenuto7535 lol good point

[@shadowhenge7118]

Pro Dad

[@jaffahal]

I will always remember my Dad taking me to this when it came out. I was about 15/16, and so excited to see it. It completely blew me away and I couldn't shut up talking about it all the way home and for weeks/months later 😂. I still get nostalgia about it now. Incredible piece of art. The look of it, the "cant quite place it" fashion, cars, architecture etc, the soundtrack, acting, dialogue, of course the plot that I still think about years later and interpret in new ways. I re-watched it a million times in my youth but its been a few years now so im overdue to return and I bet it still hasnt really aged to me. I dont think this is a film that will ever age badly. The Wachowskis did something stupendous. Bravo.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

That's hot bro, did the guy in the next seat touch your peepee?

[@TurboMintyFresh]

aw bro you put it into perfect words. I remeber it exactly like you. It changed my life. Im defo due a rewatch too

[@Razer5542]

If only trailers these days didn't show the entire movie, it's annoying even though it saves me 15 euros.

[@bighands69]

The James Bond Spectre movie gave away the complete story to me so the big surprise was not even a surprise.

[@Razer5542]

@@bighands69 Yep, there wasn't much left for me either after the trailer.. The supposedly big plot twist wasn't even that big to me when i saw it, all thanks to the trailer ofcourse.

[@brucef310]

They have been saying that for 40 years now.

[@jack_meoff69]

That's why i only watch a trailer once or not at all

[@daveweinstock]

Quake 2, hell yea.

[@brycejohansen7114]

He's right, the marketing really was the prologue of the movie

[@Lost_n_Found_1]

"What is the Matrix?" was everywhere.

[@dimwitsixtytwelve]

And what’s so frustrating is every trailer now shows the best parts and breaks the story down!

[@mainantagonist]

I remember seeing an unannounced short preview of The Matrix, shown before some other big movie that year, which had the entire opening with Trinity, the rooftop chase, and her leap from the building and fall down the stairs. I don't remember where the preview stopped, but I remember thinking, "Who shows a long-ass preview of the film like that?" No movies really did that back then, and I was pumped.

[@AR-ii3ly]

I remember watching The Matrix, and afterwards thinking this was probably how moviegoers felt after watching Star Wars. There was a sort of feeling of newness in the air as if a small part of my consciousness had been opened. And then there was the ending with the RATM soundtrack and I absolutely went mental. I haven’t felt that way since.

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

Yeah man.

[@JobForAMaxboy]

I was too young to see the matrix in the cinema. But a few years later I saw LOTR in the cinema, and even though I was pretty young then too, I knew I'd seen a masterpiece. I understand that it's a completely different experience to the matrix (everyone knew how LOTR ends already), but it was magic. That was my star wars moment. I don't know what the modern equivalent of that experience would be for young people 🤷‍♂️ I hope we are on the cusp of some big exciting changes in cinema that we can't foresee, because its all incredibly stale now

[@michaelmatos4059]

Well said

[@patrickr4762]

Under-rated comment. That Rage song really made it for me. After that phone booth scene panning away then the guitars starting to Wake Up! For me, perfect ending.

[@brightestlight9462]

@@JobForAMaxboy it was infinity war/endgame

[@neo-anderson]

I was in the 5th grade (12 yes old) when I rented it from a nearby VHS store. Like Tarantino said, it was the TV spots that piqued my interest. I remember having a hard time understanding the movie but at the same time being blown away by the idea of it, I pushed the tape back in after it was over, and watched it a second time. That film has helped shape my whole perspective on life.

[@ageofdulltron2052]

The Matrix changed everything, let’s not forget that he did Kill Bill after this, no doubt energized and inspired to do his own modern action series.

[@punishedf]

He hired Matrix choreograper Yuen Wo-Ping for Kill Bill and he filmed in China. But he already knew the Asian movies and Anime that Matrix copied.

[@ageofdulltron2052]

@@punishedf I get what you’re saying, and true originality is rare and usually too different for mainstream audiences to digest. Everything is “copied” from something else. It just depends on who manages to dress it up best.

[@Joe-ww8uw]

Insane. Dude was inspired by one of the most influential action movies of all time and then made 2 of the most influential action movies of all time from it.

[@mcm4981]

@@punishedf yep, and animatrix delves into the anime connections... well worth the time

[@taytoosharma7003]

@@punishedf to be honest there is a legit difference between taking inspiration and totally copying. Matrix has it own story and universe they just took inspiration from anime

[@muxz]

"What is the Matrix?" For about 3 months after seeing the Super Bowl ads, I seriously had to know the answer. It more than lived up to the hype. Saw it about 10 times in the theater :|

[@Cenot4ph]

This movie worked because you didnt know anything, after that reveal has been made it's basically a scifi action movie. The first time however you see it, it's sort of magical

[@JohnLutherable]

probably one of Hollywood's last great blockbusters. It had it all: compelling story, tight ass script, great action, villain and cast, with a pinch of humour, philosophy and drama. Which also makes Matrix infinitely rewatchable, the cornerstone of a true classic. Find a movie in the last 20 years as good and rewatchable as this, it will be hard I guarantee it

[@JO_Productions]

Spider man 2 (2004)

[@tonyrandall3146]

It was the time too. Really nailed the zeitgeist like lightning in a bottle.

[@genephipps6421]

Avatar is really the only one I can think of.

[@colinmontgomery1956]

"Master and Commander: The Far Side Of the World", 2003.

[@Kitth3n]

The master of Disguise

[@johnnyfavorite1194]

Tarantino is either mistaken about the date (opening night) or perhaps Grauman's Chinese Theatre didn’t show the Matrix till Friday, April 2. The Matrix opened Wednesday March 31st 99. I know I saw it the next day on April 1st because I ended up seeing it with (of all people) my Landlord right after I paid him the $500 for the room I was renting. The early afternoon showing we went to was in no way packed. All I knew in advance was from a Glowing review I had read just a few hours earlier. I went in knowing only Keanu Reeves, Insectoid Robots, and The entire World is a Fabulous Hoax (no details how or why) I loved the movie from the get go, but It wasn’t till the 2nd act when the movie shifts and dives deep into martial arts that I knew the Matrix was going to be something way beyond what I had anticipated. After the end credits I walked out of that theater absolutely thunderstruck; I was 23-Years-Old. Funny thing is that despite loving the movie, I never imagined it would become an absolute pop culture sensation. My landlord didn’t like it and thought it was too violent. No lie.

[@thecutrip]

[My comment, cut and pasted:] Funny how there're a few punters in the comments here going "I saw it on the Friday opening night too" and just one person who points out, with a verifiable memory of their experience, that it opened nationally in the USA on 31 March, which was the Wednesday before Easter. I've read that Easter isn't a big deal public holiday in most of the USA, like it is in some other countries, so that helps to explain why people wouldn't remember. The person who questions QT's recollection wonders if perhaps the Chinese Theatre didn't open it until the Friday (Good Friday). Grauman's Chinese Theatre has a very good website which lists when they screened movies, going back years, and The Matrix started on 31 March. So QT misremembered, but his emphasis that he saw it on "the Friday, not the Saturday or the Sunday" is probably the confusion from seeing it on the actual opening night, the Wednesday, as opposed to the Friday and the weekend (when many others would have first watched it.)

[@justicedemocrat9357]

OMG it was 80 years ago no one cares about the exact date.

[@tortuga7160]

Quentin has so much passion for movies. All movies. Small wonder how he’s such a great filmmaker.

[@Denariusjay]

The Matrix was a cultural revolution, it really got the general public and the average movie goer excited about the concepts presented in the matrix, like the idea we are living in a simulation.

[@tonyrandall3146]

it's become a commonly used lexicon, indeed.

[@chimarleywai]

Anyone who had read descartes knew that already

[@daniel-zh4qc]

@@chimarleywai or Baudrillard....

[@thedarksiderebel]

@@chimarleywai i mean they clearly said the general public, most of which hadn't read Decartes

[@TrekCycling]

@@daniel-zh4qc That’s really it. The important concept wasn’t that we’re literally in a simulation. The important concept is that our culture is a mediated simulation of the world. Digging further and reading people like Baudrillard is even more mind blowing.

[@marc07112]

The matrix is STILL the greatest movie experience i have ever had in my life. The theater was going NUTS!

[@Kerek77]

Simply put, it was a masterpiece in movie making. Amazing action, ground breaking special effects and the world building was next level. I cannot believe this movie came out in the 90s…

[@masterkraft4746]

it came out at the doorstep of year 2000, so it's not exactly a 90's movie, but more of a year 2000 movie

[@d7458]

Not really though, it was filmed in ‘98. It’s a ‘90’s movie.

[@27Nets]

@@masterkraft4746yeah it’s literally the movie that closed the ‘90s. After it we entered a new era of filmmaking.

[@masterkraft4746]

@@27Nets exactly, and the one that set the aesthetics model for the next decade

[@PurposefulPorpoise]

I remember vividly, going to my friends house and saying "Hey, lets go see that hacker movie" lololol

[@MrMGR1986]

Haha

[@davidkglevi]

"What is The Matrix?" One of, or possibly THE best taglines in movie history.

[@onthevolleyyy1721]

Control

[@matthoward598]

Their website was one of the best marketing ploys ever. Glad they kept the URL. They captured that magic with the update as well..

[@lilacrain3283]

@@matthoward598 What’s the URL?

[@donkeysunited]

@@lilacrain3283 It's the question

[@RSpracticalshooting]

@@matthoward598 it still is for the new movie. The first time I watched the new promo and it referenced the real world time I got the biggest fucking grin on my face.

[@tuntitommosille]

That was back in the days when studios still had the balls to produce interesting and unexpected movies rather than just regurgitate the same 100% predictable superhero garbage over and over again.

[@TheNitroG1]

dark city has a very similar plot to the matrix and came out months before it. :P

[@aienjell]

Superhero movies with damn near every line being a punchline has gotten stale. Kind of reminds me of the NBA and the 3 point shot today.

[@Aj_470]

japanime was bitten from line by line from matrix.

[@harrisonw6065]

The matrix kinda paved the way towards superhero movies what with the heavy usage of cgi but also being so ballsy to create a new concept and genre in a way, of films. I doubt at least some of these grand concept films would be the same if the matrix didn't exist.

[@TheKillaShow]

Yeah blame the superhero movies for you not taking a chance on the dozens and dozens and dozens of other movies that release a year that would scratch your itch. Sit down somewhere.

[@pgp]

I wish I could forget The Matrix and watch it again for the first time

[@rollercoaster478]

The first movie is perfection, it's so good that the sequels fade in comparison, not that the sequels are bad movies, they just aren't on the same level as the original Matrix.

[@criztu]

For me, only the first half of The Matrix is good, it then derails into stupid karate fights and running around. The Wachowskys are clearly hacks, especially if you see Dark City made one year before the Matrix copied it.

[@benwu7980]

If (somehow) the second Matrix was released first, it would be way higher rated. It's a great action movie, but there was just something missing if had seen the original. Hard to explain quite what I mean beyond that Matrix 2 was a great movie, among the best of that year, it's just that it didn't surpass the first, which is rare for any series.. maybe the Godfather

[@balsham137]

Matrix 3 was fucking woeful what you talking about

[@Drew-bc7zj]

The Animatrix is really good, tho the 2 segments about the origins of the Matrix are *DARK AF.*

[@rollercoaster478]

@@benwu7980 YES I loved Matrix 2, its a really great movie, its just not as ''iconic'' as the first one.

[@alexliger1893]

Tarantino is madly in love with everything that involves cinema. Good grief he sounds like a 10-yr old kid telling his grandpa how awesome his Christmas morning was.

[@porsche911sbs]

it's cool he loves movies that are so different than his own

[@jmodified]

He's sort of like that about everything though.

[@KOFFI69]

Great call

[@crazyralph6386]

He’s a cinephile

[@MarsorryIckuatuna]

The Matrix was unapologetically “movie magic”. I was like a child before, during and after watching it.

[@RSpracticalshooting]

The only other movie that gives me that feeling of "this is what movies are meant to be" is Jurassic Park, which in my opinion is the greatest movie of all time. This is certainly in my Top 5 though.

[@MarsorryIckuatuna]

@@RSpracticalshooting 💯!

[@chiganuggoo9929]

Could listen to QT talk all day and night about movies. His observation about us not knowing 'what it was about' was spot on. These days, you just don't get that mystique around movies..and thanks to the dopey PR departments of the film studios, we get trailers which basically show the whole movies in two and a half minutes. As hard as it is, as a film fan I avoid any and all online or TV promotion of a movie I want to see at the theatre now... I just GO AND WATCH IT. I've found my enjoyment of movies has improved no end.

[@ThePopbanks007]

"And then, THAT MOVIE happened." Chills.

[@athens_1psvr31]

I still remember walking through the parking lot, towards the theater, and looking at my friends saying “We are so hyped for the Matrix and we don’t even know what it is”

[@robertwomack8653]

I remember walking out of the theater opening night and everyone was stunned....like looking around questioning reality (myself included).

[@SPIKESPIEGEL1969]

@@robertwomack8653isn’t that magical? wish i could replicate it for myself

[@griplimit]

It was one of those movies where you don’t get up right away when the credits start rolling, you just sit in contemplation and in awe while listening to Rage Against The Machine play.

[@sagereef]

If only they didn't rage for the machine these days :/

[@theoriginaltoadnz]

so true.

[@derek.seaborn]

and walk out wondering if maybe you're the Neo of our world... then casually try to stop bullets and run up walls.

[@joshn1678]

Damn, just reminded me of rage hitting as Neo flies away. So epic.

[@markhathaway9456]

@@sagereef Maybe that's a reason we hear White Rabbit in the peek-a-boo trailers.

[@michaelm.3686]

Never a watched a Matrix Teaser, Trailer or TV-Sot.... had no clue what was going to happen... Best cnematic event of my life

[@zerocoolkid9757]

This movie has probably a world record of memorable scenes.

[@1birdwargames587]

It’s like the Star Wars of its generation

[@TheMasterofDespair]

Can you even name a non-memorable scene from the Matrix? I don't think there is any.

[@regys9521]

Show me

[@shadow7988]

I miss when you could go into a movie and not expect what you'll end up seeing. These days trailers always show you EVERYTHING to the point you don't even need to watch the movie.

[@Z3t487]

So stop watching the trailers, just a bit of plot in the preview like on Netflix will do. You can always watch the trailer after you already watched the movie. I do it... but just to read the comments.

[@psy0rz]

i only check imdb user comments. i never watch trailers because they either ruin it or are overselling the movie.

[@Crichjo32]

The Matrix was so good, it was the perfect movie to end the century on, as it really predicted everything in the following century. We're now basically living in the matrix, virtual lives, with our true selves locked away somewhere. We have the choice of taking the red pill or the blue pill in life. It was a movie ahead of its time, and it wasn't boring or preachy either. It had kick ass action, awesome music and a cool aesthetic. I could watch it again and again and it still blows me away.

[@MicahMicahel]

You could double bill it with a movie that was released at the same time that covered the same subject of a virtual world in an equally original way: Existenz directed by David Cronenberg.

[@scratchy996]

@@MicahMicahel Or "The 13th Floor", also from 1999, I found that better than Existenz.

[@thedarksiderebel]

Yep. The last big milestone blockbuster. Groundbreaking special fx, memorable dialogue, original concept, great action. There will never be anything that truly shakes up cinema like this again.

[@thedarksiderebel]

@Dilligent Yeoman oh yeah. That was pretty important, though in terms of fx it was more just scaling up stuff that had been done before. Weird to think there was only a couple of years between them actually

[@halfalligator6518]

yup. Matrix and Kid A kinda summed things up for the next century.

[@sportingfemalelegends]

Yes, absolutely. I saw the TV spots and did something I'd never done, immediately buying 7 tickets online for buddies to go watch it opening night at the best giant screen within 100 miles, and super THX sound system. They had no idea what they were going to see. It was beyond incredible, and I remember just after the first kung fu dojo piece, the inner elation rippled out at a soul level, and Morpheus' demanding ''Again!' for an encore, at peak of wholistic high. Me and best bud looked at each other with smiling mouths agape unexpected, to (we can't believe there's) more spectacular experience.

[@rigsby1454]

I think The Matrix was genuinely the last film I ever watched without knowing fuck all about it. Walked in having not seen anything or knowing anything. What a shock!

[@bighands69]

I got that from Wolf of Wall Street, No Country for Old men, The Raid, Girl with the dragon tattoo. It is a rare feeling today.

[@Rajonty]

If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch Predestination. Don’t look up anything, just go watch it! You gotta trust me on this one.

[@AngryShooter]

I honestly cannot think of a better movie to watch in those circumstances. Unfortunately I ruined the experience a little bit for me, by watching the second movie first in theaters as a 12 year old and only watching the first one years later. But even so, it was still mind blowing for me at the time.

[@rachelbrinkley3240]

I went to see Robo Cop on a New Paper add when i was 12!

[@thelastmotel]

Some people blame it on the internet, but it really started with the Free Willy trailer. It told you the whole movie. The whole movie. Ever since that trailer, it's rare for them not to be spoiler-packed.

[@mahmoodrezamaboodi599]

aaaah man I really get what he's saying not knowing anything about a movie and then experiencing it for the first time is something else unfortunately, you can't get this feeling anymore nowadays

[@d4mdcykey]

Sure you can, I do it all the time.

[@Razer5542]

True, trailers these days are marketed everywhere and pretty much show the entire movie in a minute or 2.

[@thecarlocielo]

I got that feeling from Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway

[@wehatekeith]

Fuckkk your comment just made me sad

[@sdk2146]

AVENGERS ENDGAME. there ya go. MARVEL in general.

[@MattJett]

This movie was almost cinema perfection at the time. Everything from the ad campaign, the trailers, the story, acting, sound design, choreography, etc. To this day I can't think of a better modern original film that had this allure the Matrix did at it's time.

[@1birdwargames587]

Even the product placement was pure class which is ridiculous when you think about it haha.

[@chrism1503]

@jool7793 - Dude, lol. NOKIA.

[@BreezyE-d3n]

I hadn't even heard of the movie, just fancied going to the cinema and chose it at random. It gobsmacked. It was like, deep philosophical concepts in movie form to educate the masses or at least get them thinking. Brilliant. Genius.

[@_ArmIa]

Hey, apropos of nothing, as a British expat currently living in the US, I absolutely love how British this comment is. Cheers.

[@BreezyE-d3n]

Cheers, I've got few cans of wife beater, some MDMA and a Doner kebab on standby in case you come back. Toodle-pip!

[@ATRTAP]

I saw it Friday night too sold out.. The first 15 minutes of that film just blows the top in your head right off.

[@StaneMalovrh]

My life was never the same after seeing The Matrix. The only movie I watched 50+ times. It exploded my mind out of the box.

[@ReinoldFZ]

It is too late here, I misread you as "my wife was never the same after seeing the Matrix"

[@StaneMalovrh]

@@ReinoldFZ 😂

[@funshine817]

Indeed. For me, I felt like I had just had a religious experience. 🤣😎😉

[@StaneMalovrh]

@@funshine817 Yes I felt the same. At that time I was also fully in Jesus and I could see many similar ideas with Neo the One saviour.

[@cristianmartin1099]

I still think letting morpheus outside is a huge mistake , replacing Laurence Fishburne is nota good idea for me , he was beside Neo my favorite character

[@xm1a1x]

I too remember seeing this in theaters. 12 year old me: That was AWESOME My mom: That was disgusting

[@alylee]

Yeah back then my mum got up after 20 mins and left saying thats not her kind of movie.

[@firstlast9846]

Disgusting? The only really gross part was the belly button robot worm - other than that can’t really remember anything “disgusting”

[@thesprawl2361]

@@firstlast9846 Yes, what was disgusting about it? It wasn't even gory and the violence was pretty comic book-ish. I suppose Neo covered in goop in his pod was a bit rank. And the belly button roboparasite. But not really.

[@derekisazombie39]

@@firstlast9846 Nothing about it was, His mom is just a Karen.

[@MasamuneStreams]

I remember this just as vividly as Tarantino describes. The whole movie was a well-designed mind-fuck for the audience based on the bread crumbs left by all of the ad campaigns and TV spots. I remember leaving the theater questioning every single aspect of reality. It was one hell of an experience.

[@rykehuss3435]

Masterful movie and masterful marketing campaign

[@markhathaway9456]

Instead of a story, however amazing, you had to reconsider the very framework of everything. The story is very secondary and perhaps even irrelevant. The characters, human individuals, seem to be at the heart of it.

[@jeremyfirth]

The Matrix is the only movie I've paid to see multiple times while it was in the theater. I saw it nine times in the theater, because I saw it by myself the first time, then kept dragging different people to see it with me because I was so blown away by the storyline. The effects were also revolutionary. I heard they were going to make sequels to The Matrix. Would have been fun.

[@ThePoochala]

Uh, they made 2 sequels and sell the box set as a trilogy. “Matrix Reloaded” and “Matrix Revolutions”. The first was awesome and groundbreaking. The next two were darker and a bit slower paced, but should be required viewing if you’re a fan of the first.

[@jeremyfirth]

@@ThePoochala Uh you missed the joke, son.

[@omniusmaximusgluteuslxix4857]

Jeremy I wouldn't be surprised, what with your profile icon and not liking the sequels, that you're probly some kinda christofascist, neo-nazi or something critically adjacent. You should check out the ~month old Matrix vid from Curio to maybe see things a bit clearer my dude

[@levmccor54]

@@omniusmaximusgluteuslxix4857 doesnt like the matrix sequels, has a cross for his profile picture. All signs point to neo nazi

[@tannertate6138]

@@omniusmaximusgluteuslxix4857 Cross in the profile pic? Fascist neo-nazi, obviously.

[@imakevideossometimes9144]

0:34 R.I.P. jam-packed places, ???? - 2019.

[@mackd5308]

I remember seeing the Matrix in theaters and having no idea what it was going to be. I just remember watching the TV spots and seeing Keanu Reeves dodging bullets. Watching it semi-blind like that made for a better experience. It's the only movie I have been to where a stranger tapped me on the shoulder and yelled, "Dude do you see that?!?!?!"

[@thephilosopher7173]

That last moment right there is the epitome of the theatre experience. I was to young for the Matrix in theatre but seeing Inception and everyone in my theatre gasping and thrilled about the last scene was the closest I got to an experience like that.

[@frankcoley1537]

Which is when someone asks me what a movie is about. I want to slap them in the freaking face. First if you're ask ME what it's about then you're not even close to being genuinely curious nor interested in the film. Second, if you haven't gone to look the film up yourself and you ask me ... I'm just gonna ruin it for you because some movies are better juat going in BLIND. Then letting the movie speak for it's self.

[@leonefurlan137]

man,good story,and exactly depicts the feeling we all had on the 1st viewing!

[@VandalJace]

Same. People who say that drive me crazy. They tend to be passive movie watchers.

[@jackiejormp-jomp407]

"They didn't tell you any of that in any of the promotion" Such a rare thing in movie promotion, and it makes a movie so much better. Wish this happened more often.

[@sparingpickle4918]

Yea. This was before the democrats and liberals took over Hollywood. When people were original and not just blood suckers for money. Democrats and liberals ruin EVERYTHING.

[@dreamboy8861]

@@sparingpickle4918 cringe

[@sparingpickle4918]

@@dreamboy8861 Facts. Liberals and democrats are jus the modern day brainwashed idiot. Imagine being punked and bullied by the richest and whitest of men, who own all the media and social media, in the name of equality! Hahahaha

[@darkwolffrostknight8103]

​@@sparingpickle4918 can you name me a good conservative movie that hasn't done this?

[@jmac8470]

@@sparingpickle4918 ahhh yes, The Wachowskis, famous for their conservative films, driven out if Hollywood by the liberal elite.

[@memyselfandiuntildeath1911]

Nailed it. This movie franchise made everyone go “HOLY FUCK!”

[@Romabarcelona111]

The Franchise? No. The first movie? Yes!

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

first movie was "holy fuck this is just amazing" the 3rd movie was more like "holy fuck... how did they fuck this up so badly?"

[@gerarduspoppel2831]

When I finished watching this movie. I rewatched the movie right away

[@akranyum5846]

@@Dreadpirateflappy u havent seen the trailer for the next one have u? x3

[@MrWise1888]

1st movie was brilliant the rest where a cgi bore fest mess

[@EzraStrayer]

I saw it opening thursday midnight show, the twice Friday night. Once Saturday, once sunday. I was obsessed.

[@ShootEvrythg]

Opening night, when Trinity beat up those cops, the theater erupted in cheers. Never experienced anything like that before or after.

[@metagaminguniversemgu2240]

I remember feeling that way. I don't think there's another movie that hooks you so well in the opening scene. The action was mind-blowing at the time, and it really made you want to understand how what you were seeing was possible within the context of the movie. "What is the Matrix?"

[@shelbyvillerules9962]

I had no idea what to expect so when Trinity started beating up a room full of cops I actually thought _she_ was supposed to be the badguy and that the agents were the good guys (in a shady “Men in Black” kind of way). I think I was probably still in that mindset all the way up till Smith is interrogating Neo and seals his mouth up 😂

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

Lol yeah especially after lol.

[@thesprawl2361]

For me it built and built and built until that final ecstatic resurrection scene in the corridor - where all the things you've been hoping would happen, do happen, and all the doubts the film sowed re. Neo being The One are swept away in the single most satisfying, cathartic sequence I've ever seen in film. Everything about it is perfect: the effortless confidence of the 'no' and the bullets slowing to a halt, the dry comedy of Neo picking a bullet from the air, the bored badassery as he blocks Smith's punches with one hand while not even looking, the music swelling as Neo looks at the corridor and sees the Matrix instead...I walked out of the cinema that day babbling like an idiot. I've still never felt anything as intense in a cinema since. I don't know if it's the greatest film I've ever seen but it's definitely the most exhilarating, and by a fucking mile.

[@aienjell]

@@thesprawl2361 Completely agree. Those chase scenes with the agents prior to this scene were so anxiety inducing as a teenager and when Neo finally said "No" to running from them again it was such a rush of adrenaline as a viewer. Still considered my favorite movie of all time. I used to piss my ex off because I'd watch the movie everyday for awhile when it finally launched on DVD and she hated sci fi.

[@Teabone3]

This is why i dont want the movie theater experience to ever die. Its very thrilling to share the experience with strangers on a big boom screen.

[@grim_2000]

@Jo Ol I go to the theater 3 times a week. Stuff like this happens maybe once a year. So not really a problem

[@bryanh2898]

@jool7793appreciate you staying home jerk.

[@michiganjack1337]

I remember going to go see this opening day with a friend of mine who suggested we go see this new Keanu movie (we were juniors in high school, and I think we had a half day or we just left during lunch period) I hadn't seen any previews for it and had no idea what it was going to be about just that I was told it was going to be a live action anime movie, which we were very much into. Hell the only matrix I knew then was John Matrix from the Commando movie. 😎- After watching the movie ended it was clear that this was going to be a huge hit but had no idea how huge it was actually to be. The sequels weren't nearly as impactful but over time I've come to appreciate them more. We just don't see studios taking risks like this anymore, now it's just rehashed nostalgia candy.

[@AveSicarius]

It's difficult to improve on something like The Matrix in the sequels, in my eyes they are almost, if not as good, as the first film. But once your mind has been blown you can't get the same effect from a similar source, it has to be something new and different. People expected the sequels to be even more mind blowing than the first film, which is a pretty unreasonable expectation given the quality of the first film. It's a bit like the overhype we see in today's world, people go crazy about movies or games, only to be disappointed they don't live up to expectations. Of course with modern marketing it might even be the first installment in a series that is overhyped. The problem isn't that studios aren't willing to take risks, they just want to do the minimum amount of work possible to achieve a result. Look at Cyberpunk 2077, for example, a game which by the promotiontal content seemed much like a Matrix turning point in the video game industry. But the studio executives didn't want to spend the money or time to get the finished product, that's the major difference between now and then. The late 90's were pretty corporate, but nothing compared to now, and movies and games suffer for it.

[@TheKillaShow]

There are plenty films taking risks every year. You just dont watch them.

[@AveSicarius]

@@TheKillaShow That's true, but generally they aren't on a major budget like The Matrix so they fall under the radar. Some of the biggest films at the moment are the marvel movies, they have similar levels of effects and action to The Matrix, but they cater to the audience in many ways. Knowing the subject material, they could definitely be much riskier in the content they portray. I haven't really seen a big budget movie with such themes of existentialism and non-mainstream (i.e. it is just your typical action flick that will sell). Most big producers , like modern WB or Disney, will not take any risk on the money they invest, they also cut as many corners as possible usually, which doesnt lend itself to a movie like The Matrix (which did have issues with budget, notably the animators, but it was very ambitious in terms of funding for the time). This is why the Snyderverse failed, Snyder wanted to take a different approach, he wanted to be riskier than the bland superhero norm (following the injustice timeline moreso than the prime DC universe), WB shut it down, cut corners, and basically didn't see it as being successful so tried to reign it in. Thus, it failed, because how could it not. The Wachowski sisters, well at the time brothers, had almost full creative control over a massive project. Which isn't often seen, and honestly why it was so successful, unlike many modern films where the executives have more control than the director/actor

[@detectiveh7399]

John Matrix 🤣🤣🤣

[@tstan6827]

I really enjoy The Matrix Reloaded, and have seen it probably 30+ times (probably 100 times for the original), but The Matrix Revolutions was not as satisfying to me. I remember how much everyone hated it when it came on in 2003, and that impacted my memory negatively. I watched it again recently, and it's not really a bad movie, it just isn't The Matrix. I think it spends perhaps too much time in the Real World. Also there are many characters that are not the main trio, and you find yourself not caring about them as much. I think several commenters have also said that a lot of the charm of The Matrix is finding out what it is, along with Neo.

[@MaheshWalatara]

I remember the only reason people ran to watch The Matrix was to see the trailer for The Phantom Menace which was showing exclusively before that.

[@jdiggitty]

I remember leaving the theater thinking, "WTF! That was a horror film".

[@gitsurfer27]

The term "blew my mind" is overplayed these day's even by me, but the one movie in my lifetime that TRULY blew my mind when i saw the Matrix on the big screen when i was 14. I was stunned into awed silence the entire time, a magic experience that's very dear to my heart.

[@vatorichie4616]

The Matrix was probably the 2nd most mind blowing impactful big movie after Terminator 2. Terminator is a joke now but in 1992 it wasn't, it was unreal with the same impact of the Matrix. Something that recently blew my top back was finding out that The Matrix was only the second movie The Wachoskis had ever made.

[@mkproductions2.042]

Terminator 2 was 1991 not 1992

[@johnguthrie8798]

T2 still holds up. Certainly better than the Matrix sequels.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

"And this time he's the good guy."

[@alainkaizer7769]

Maybe it's just me but T2 is still a cool movie even at this day and age, the villain in that movie is just insane.

[@Vintiqueture]

The original Terminator is a joke now? Or are you talking about 2? Either way, you're wrong. The last film ... oh, I'll give you that. It officially killed the franchise.

[@sinanyalvac8998]

Somehow, the Matrix has changed everyone's life after being released. Even the Wachowskis' life changed as transgender. It still makes a big WOOOW.

[@spaz113z]

We rented The Matrix on VHS with my father and started watching together. The movie was a profound experience for me on two different levels. First it's still one of my favorite movies of all time and second I realized how different we are from our parents. My father walked away from the movie soon after Trinity's first slow-mo kick going "oookeyyy"

[@JaxDagger]

As we get older we get more cynical, it is the unfortunate way of the world and it is much worse in the modern age with social media and such, but your father probably simply couldn't suspend his disbelief long enough to let it make him ask questions, truth is I know people even at the age of 15 then that where similar, some not giving it a chance and hating it, yet they still never shut up about it haha, everyone reacts differently

[@pez---]

@@JaxDagger I think you mean 'I' ...who is this this 'we' you speak of...you certainly don't speak for me.

[@weedthepeople2795]

When Neo first getes up out of that goo and hairless, and then seeing the reality, all the pods, going on forever, gives me chills.......greatest bombshell in a movie ever

[@victorpradha9946]

That scene was like what would happen to humanity if the Machines win in Terminator.

[@bloomerb4162]

@@victorpradha9946 that's what I thought at the time, so it didn't blow me away like some are stating. Still one of the last movies that felt special and everyone had to see it.

[@GDFB100]

The D cell battery...wtf

[@nogoogleplus]

The 1st Matrix is one of my absolute all time fave sci fi films...I don’t think they should’ve made the trilogy though, for me the story at the end of the 1st film was perfect left as is

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

makes you wonder how they are going to fuck it up even more with 4... especially with recast Morpheus and no Agent Smith.

[@Disconnected.Genius]

Yeah, it's a stand alone piece in my view, the rest is 'fan fiction' as far as I'm concerned, same with all the Terminator movies after T2

[@MarcYanruw]

Imagine playing PS2 most of your life then all of a sudden you were given a PS5. Matrix is that PS5

[@Pops_Gambit]

Why not just say PS1?

[@s78932]

I was obsessed with the trailer so much, I literally paid to go see a film one day and got there early so I could watch the trailer again! you couldn't watch it high quality online back then. That's how excited I was for that movie! Then i saw the movie itself 3 times in the cinema. EPIC!!

[@kedrprao]

I remember my Windows had Matrix theme in 2001. The error sound was "neo" Lol

[@wondering141]

I seen this movie back in 1999 opening weekend the same as the legend here. The statement about electricity was insanely accurate. To this day I’ve never seen a movie that literally had me on the edge of my seat the way this one did in the theater. When Trinity told Neo to get up, and he stood up, my entire theater erupted in a applause that I felt in my bones.

[@jjphoenix4055]

Thats the point. I felt exactly the same here in Barcelona on premiere night. Nowadays no movie at all is able to raise that kind of expectation.

[@Billeh556]

I remember leaving the theatre absolutely blown away and wanting to go back to the matrix. Only this movie and avatar truly transported me into their worlds where when I left the theatre I questioned if regular life was real or not

[@xlrouge]

Dude same here

[@er1115]

🍻

[@michaelkeegan9260]

Avatar? Really. I'm quite surprised. I enjoyed it moderately. But I found the cgi distracting and the story derivative. It's always interesting to see his differently people perceive the same content.

[@Billeh556]

@@michaelkeegan9260 did you see in iMax 3D and have excellent seats? Crucial for the movie and I’m not a fan at all of 3D in general The story was definitely derivative of fern Gully

[@michaelkeegan9260]

@@Billeh556 i didn't see it in imax. I did see full 3d. I do remember it being special but not matrix or terminator 2 special. The movie that did that for me again was District 9. But I'm a South African so it may have been the nostalgia and the relevance to my own countries history and exposure to the ongoing legacy of apartheid rather than the quality of the movie that did that for me

[@mattcarey861]

I had just turned seventeen when this movie came out, so I was able to see it in theaters. Very grateful for that. Definitely a mind blowing experience. I still to this day consider The Matrix to be one of the best science fiction/action movies of all time.

[@jonathannoble9465]

I was 17 when it came out too. Such an important movie for us coming of age males searching for an identity and a place in the new world. With the uncertainty of Y2K and the internet seemingly taking over the world... mind altering for sure

[@seekeroftruth101]

Last time I felt "electricity" in the air for a movie was The Dark Knight. I remember the theater was literally jam packed and up to that moment we still had little knowledge of what we were in for. And boy did it live up to its hype and I'm not even into super hero movies.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

I felt that before the screening of "Tron Legacy" and my god it was an absolutely perfect experience from the beginning to the end. It was also the first ever Video Projection i saw at a cinema. The last 35mm screenings i ever saw was "Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of Crystal Skull" and that second X-Files movie. Sadly bot really really bad movies.

[@shelbyvillerules9962]

Honestly, the last time I felt that was probably watching Avengers Endgame opening night with a packed audience. Yeah, everyone knew Thanos would ultimately be defeated and all the dead heroes would be brought back but the trailers had done a really good job of not spoiling the plot. Things like Thanos being killed in the first few minutes, “Five Years Later”, the time travel heist and of course the huge battle at the end took everyone by surprise.

[@thecandlemaker1329]

@@shelbyvillerules9962 Did everything looking brown and messy for the entire second half of the movie take anyone by surprise?

[@shelbyvillerules9962]

@@thecandlemaker1329 lol, don’t they have toilets at your cinema?

[@thecandlemaker1329]

@@shelbyvillerules9962 Thankfully I'd stopped watching Marvel crap at the cinema by the time Endgame came out.

[@film_magician]

I remember seeing the trailer in high school and HAD to see it. Saw it opening weekend, and then another 8 times over the following weeks. What an experience.

[@doctorkhumalo7730]

I remember walking out on the opening Friday show in South Africa and the place was jammed packed and one person randomly shouted out " Now that's how you make a fucking movie!" And the entire place just went nuts with cheers, I have never experienced anything like it at the cinema.

[@hinkhall5291]

This highlights the problem with modern movie and game releases. There’s no wonderment anymore. People overanalyze trailers on you, theorize, build unmanageable expectations, or worse, learn too much about the movie and then are often disappointed when they actually see it. Case in point: no better example than the last Star Wars trilogy.

[@MrJagermeister]

I make it a practice to not watch movie previews for this exact reason. I decide what to watch based on who wrote, directed, and starred in it. And if I’m not familiar with any of their past work, then I just decide “am I in the mode for a horror/drama/scifi/etc. today?” It’s really improved my movie going experience exponentially. Especially lately, with them showing the literal last scene of the movie in some trailers (Quarantine, Passengers), spoiling cameos and people you thought were dead - hell they spoiled the new Fast and Furious 9 on the fucking movie poster. Anyhow, it’s so much better to go in with no expectations, as opposed to a checklist of things you’ve already seen happen that ruin all the big set pieces, jokes, environments, romances, and revelations and you’re just waiting to tick off that list rather than see them for the first time. It’s infinitely better this way and I can’t recommend it enough.

[@cattysplat]

Even without the trailers modern movies are just disposable, poorly acted and immediately forgotten.

[@asmosisyup2557]

To be fair those movies were just plain bad. Spoilers just let people skip watching them.

[@sjm4306]

I still remember the first time I saw the matrix, I was 11 years old and my mom brought home a vhs tape for a movie that was just released. I had no idea what it was but as we all sat down together and watched it, it really blew my little mind. I'll never forget how I felt as the credits rolled ...

[@NoshuHyena]

I saw the Matrix for the first time about 8 years after it came out and I am SUPER lucky that in all that time i didnt have the twist premise spoiled. I was able to experience basically what all those people experienced in 1999 and I consider myself extremely privileged to have been able to do that.

[@gjk2012]

I choose the theatrical Star Wars original trilogy in my aunt's and uncle's VHS movie collection and watched it in the mid 90's when I was a kid. I didn't even know the movies existed at the time.

[@NoshuHyena]

@@gjk2012 Yooo that must have been mindblowing, lol.

[@PKmode]

Quentin's ability to describe something and make you feel what he feels is a huge part of his success.

[@stevenskates8077]

This movie still has huge impact on us today still , now more than ever

[@MostIntelligentMan]

they literally trying put all in capsules and lockdown whole living on internet lol

[@Mhats]

how?

[@alejandrocardozo3035]

@@Mhats because life itself is just a simulation, we think it’s real but that’s just another thought.

[@stevenskates8077]

@@Mhats look at how people are controlled in this world bc of debts and bills and just the stigma of how your suppose to live . Go to school , get a degree , gets safe comfortable job, marry kids and die. Rinse and repeat to the next person , seems kinda robotic to me . Where is the fun and adventure in life anymore.

[@placeholdername3206]

Trying to explain to someone how big a deal The Matrix was in the early 2000's is impossible. They would never understand, you had to be there. It's the same thing with the original Star Wars movies. It wasn't just the ground breaking special effects, it was the stylized action and the universe they created... And then dumped shit on with the sequels, but hey thats Hollywood.

[@emil0r]

@Ruaidhrí Ryan For me, the sequels really were disappointing. Mostly because they completely broke the mystique of the first movie, by trying to explain things in the second and especially third movie. They got caught up in what I can only call mumbo jumbo, when they tried to weave a compelling narrative about the why of things, and ended up with a mish-mash of ideas that had no correlation. Some of the actions scenes were even better, but the story telling was severely lacking. The first movie was bold, the second and third movie was more of the same from the first movie, but bigger, except the story, which is what made the first movie so compelling. My 2c :).

[@placeholdername3206]

@Ruaidhrí Ryan Like he said, the first one had this rich mythology and mystery around it. Not everything needs expanding and silly explanations. It's clear these movies were not written as a trilogy initially. They fucking winged it. The first one managed to somehow be a down to earth story. I like *some* parts of the sequels. The idea that Smith has turned into a rogue program, basically a computer virus is cool. All the Zion stuff was terrible. Especially the cave dance stuff. Straight up cringe. Basically most scenes where they aren't jacked into The Matrix is terrible, and theres a lot of them in the sequels, especially the entire sequence where they defend Zion. It turns into a Michael Bay movie at that point.

[@Gigantemanatee]

I feel the sequels were just cash cows for the milking. It never needed a sequel, much like all the Star Wars nonsense in recent times.

[@Parallelwurlds]

Back when trailers didnt ruin entire movies and discovery was part of the process. Beautiful

[@sledgehammer858]

Tarantino's passion for cinema makes me remember how much I used to enjoy and look forward to films coming out (especially his)

[@Demention94]

Same. Films used to be fun and "thrilling" to watch. I don't look forward to as many films now, they mostly suck. I am looking forward to the new Matrix, really hope it's good. 🙏

[@hieronymusboss7705]

Man I wish I could have been there for this opening night. Personally, the way Tarantino describes it is similar to how I felt about Inception: went in with minimal idea of what it was about, and was subsequently blown away.

[@CH0MSKYH0NK]

Thanks for the upload. Reminds me of Blair Witch coming out and the buzz around it

[@JonsDDVlog]

One of the last movies to come out with a new and very big and and very original idea. They don't happen that often.

[@Sc19869]

This movie was ground breaking. The effects, the style, the fighting, the story is crazy.