The Matrix
Movie, 1999, The Trilogy, Set in Around 2199
The Matrix is #1 of 5 in release order and #2 of 5 in chronological order in the The Matrix.
The story
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
The Matrix recap
Thomas Anderson is an office worker by day and a hacker called Neo by night. He is contacted by the hacker Trinity and her leader Morpheus, who offers him a choice: a blue pill to go back to his life or a red pill to learn the truth. Neo takes the red pill and wakes in a pod of fluid, one of billions of humans used as batteries by machines that took over the world around the year 2199. The world he knew is the Matrix, a simulation of 1999 that keeps people docile. On Morpheus's ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, Neo learns that inside the Matrix he can bend its rules, and Morpheus believes he is the One, prophesied to end the war. The Oracle hints that he is not. Cypher, a crew member tired of the real world, betrays them to the Agents, and Morpheus is captured by Agent Smith.
The Matrix ending explained
Neo and Trinity storm the building where Morpheus is held and rescue him. Smith kills Neo, but Trinity, told by the Oracle she would love the One, confesses her love, and he revives. He now sees the Matrix as code and destroys Smith easily, then escapes just as the ship's EMP stops the attacking Sentinels. In the last scene, Neo warns the machines that he will show people the truth, and flies away.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Matrix
The Matrix is streaming on YouTube TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 83%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before The Matrix Reloaded.
- Chronological order: after The Animatrix, before The Matrix Reloaded.
What to watch before The Matrix
Nothing. The Matrix is the first of the The Matrix essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Keanu Reeves as Neo
- Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus
- Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity
- Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith
- Gloria Foster as Oracle
- Joe Pantoliano as Cypher
- Marcus Chong as Tank
- Julian Arahanga as Apoc
- Matt Doran as Mouse
- Belinda McClory as Switch
- Anthony Ray Parker as Dozer
- Paul Goddard as Agent Brown
Directed by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski.