Image via Warner Bros.
1.
“Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.”
Truer words have never been spoken. Morpheus may have been talking about the actual “Matrix” in the movie—the virtual reality dream world that robots use to enslave humanity—but he might as well have been talking about the actual film.
Written and directed by the Wachowskis,The Matrix is omnipresent in our popular culture. Its innovations have become hackneyed tropes. The movie’s dark aesthetic is played out by imitators. Reading a summary of the movie, one might be unimpressed, because the story—of the One who saves humanity and sees “beyond” what he’s been told—has been told countless times, particularly in the superhero and fantasy genres, since 1999.
But just watch it, especially if you haven’t seen it in a while. What made it groundbreaking more than 20 years ago is no longer as impactful, but what does remain is a thrilling, fun action movie. The visual effects, shockingly, hold up—the filmmakers used just enough practical effects alongside the CGI to blend them well. And even if you know the story, The Matrix tells that story better, and more emotionally, than its imitators. The Matrix: Resurrections looks to expand the Matrix universe further, throwing Keanu Reeves’ Neo back into the simulation as he tries to save Trinity (with Carrie-Anne Moss reprising her role) from the same system that she rescued him from two decades ago.
With The Matrix: Resurrections hitting theaters Dec. 22, here are the 30 facts you didn’t know about the original film that will help prep your re-entrance into the Matrix.
2.Sushi recipes
Production Designer Simon Whiteley designed the digital "green rain" of Matrix code that opens the movie. The code was largely composed of Japanese characters; Whiteley copied them from his wife's Japanese cookbooks.
Notice how whenever Neo is in the Matrix, everything has the greenish-tinged hue of the Matrix code that opens the film.
3.The Heart O' The City Hotel
The movie begins and ends in the same location. This is where we first meet Trinity and she takes out the police task force. This is also where Neo is resurrected and becomes The One. It's a hotel, and in the script, we learn that a massive fire decimated it, which is why it's abandoned.
4.The introduction of "Bullet Time"
This particular sequence, where Trinity jumps in the air and freezes while the camera rotates around her, has been parodied numerous times, most notably in Shrek (2001) and Scary Movie (2000).
5.Inspirations low and high
The visual style of The Matrix is inspired by many different sources. The long shadows that the Agents cast are a homage to German Expressionism, and are also similar to the drawings of noir comic book writers/artists like Frank Miller ("The Dark Knight Returns," "Sin City," "300").
6.Meet Trinity
Carrie-Anne Moss plays Trinity, the hacker who eventually becomes Neo's love interest. Jada Pinkett-Smith was originally considered for the role, but she was ultimately rejected. She screen-tested with Keanu Reeves, and they didn't have the on-screen chemistry that the Wachowskis were looking for.
7.Meet Neo
Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a white-collar software grunt by day and a notorious hacker by night, who is foretold to defeat the machines and destroy the Matrix. Other actors considered for the role include Sandra Bullock and Will Smith, who didn't see what the big deal was.
8.Newspaper clippings
If you freeze-frame on Neo's computer, you can see that he's browsing through newspaper clippings about Morpheus, who is a wanted, international terrorist. Based on the mayhem and destruction in this film, it's understandable that people might get the wrong impression of the guy.
9.Panasonic product placement
Neo is listening to Panasonic headphones. A Panasonic alarm clock also wakes him up for work the following morning.
10.Room numbers
Neo lives in Apartment 101, which can be interpreted in several ways. It could be a nod to binary code and the idea that everything in the Matrix is a simulated reality. It could be a reference to introductory educational courses and that this room is where Neo's journey of the mind begins. The most obvious possibility is that it refers to Neo's status as The One. In a similar manner, we first meet Trinity in Room 303; a "trinity" is a group of three people or things.
11.Nokia product placement
The phone Neo receives in the envelope at work is a Nokia 8100, which was modified with a spring-loaded mechanism for the movie.
12.Character bio
If you freeze-frame on the extensive criminal record that the Agents have compiled on Neo, you can make out some of his biographical information, including some of his prior employers, his parents' names, and his problem with authority. We also learn that Neo graduated from high school but did not attend college.
13.Neo gets bugged
The scene where Neo gets his mouth sealed and his stomach bugged was a combination of practical effects and CGI. The stomach was a stand-in prop that could expand and compress in order to mimic breathing.
14.Meet Switch
The androgynous character Switch was originally going to be a man in the real world and a woman in the Matrix. This was later rewritten to make her a woman in both realities. In retrospect, critics interpret Switch and many of the movie's plot points as coded references towards transgender identity. Lana Wachowski came out as transgender in 2012, although she had transitioned years earlier. Lilly Wachowski came out as transgender in 2016.
15.Through the looking glass
There are several references to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland stories (i.e. follow the white rabbit). On the way upstairs to meet Morpheus, the camera captures a black-and-white checkered tile floor. In the Alice in Wonderland sequel book Through The Looking Glass, Alice must make her way across a chessboard as a pawn and eventually become a queen.
16.Meet Morpheus
Lawrence Fishburne plays Morpheus, the leader of the human resistance against the Matrix. Russell Crowe, Sean Connery, and Samuel L. Jackson were also in the running for the role.
17.The last scene shot
Reportedly, Keanu Reeves lost 15 pounds to film the scene where Neo wakes up in the real world attached to machines. It's also why this was one of the last scenes filmed for the movie.
18.Duracel product placement
When Morpheus explains the Matrix to Neo, he compares human beings to a battery and holds up a Duracel battery. This is also a callback to earlier in the movie, when Switch derisively calls Neo "Copper Top."
19.Fight choreography
Yuen Woo-Ping, one of the most sought after fight choreographers in the Hong Kong film industry, did the fight choreography for The Matrix. He also choreographed the fights in Kill Bill (2003, 2004) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
20."Whoa"
Keanu Reeves tends to say, "Whoa," a lot in his films, including in his breakout film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. In The Matrix, he says it after Morpheus makes a superhuman jump from one building rooftop to the next.
21.The woman in red
The Woman in the Red Dress is played by Fiona Johnson. This is Johnson's most well-known role; she also appeared in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones as a bar patron on Coruscant. Before Morpheus reveals that this is a computer simulation, there's a small clue; you can see doubles of the same people walking through the streets as the scene goes on.
22.Sydney restaurant
Cypher bites into a delicious-looking steak during his meeting with Agent Smith. Unfortunately, the restaurant where this meeting took place is now closed; it was at the Forty One restaurant in Sydney, Australia.
23."There is no spoon"
The bald kid who tells Neo that "There is no spoon," went on to have a career as a theater actor in Australia. His name is Rowan Witt, and he's starred in Broadway-level productions of "Into The Woods," "The Book of Mormon," and "South Pacific." He's also a classically trained opera singer.
24.Meet The Oracle
Gloria Foster plays The Oracle. A decorated stage actress and winner of three Obie Awards. Foster died from diabetes complications after finishing her role in The Matrix Reloaded. Mary Alice replaced Foster as The Oracle in The Matrix Revolutions.
25.Meet Agent Smith
Hugo Weaving plays Agent Smith, the main antagonist in all three Matrix films. He's also known for playing V in V for Vendetta, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings franchise, and Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. He will not be reprising his role in The Matrix 4 due to scheduling conflicts.
26.A well-timed accident
After Neo and Trinity shoot up the lobby of the building where Morpheus is held, one of the pillars has a slightly delayed collapse. This was unintentional, but since it came off as humorous, and the Wachowskis left it in the final cut.
27.Minigun blowback
The minigun that Neo fires from the helicopter is real. It is a GE M134, and even though it was filled with blanks, they still spaced the gun away from the glass, so that the broken shards wouldn't blowback onto the actors. The minigun was firing at 3,000 rounds per minute—about half of what it is actually capable of.
28.How "Bullet Time" was achieved
The filmmakers achieved bullet time by surrounding the actor with multiple cameras. Each camera would take a photo at the same time or fractions of seconds apart. Then, the filmmakers would string the individual shots together to create the illusion of movement.
29.Duel at High Noon
When Neo and Agent Smith face off in the subway station, a newspaper blows by. It's very reminiscent of the tumbleweed that blows by in Hollywood Western films, right before the archetypal gun duel at high noon.
30.Custom made shades
The sunglasses Neo wears at the end of the movie were custom designed by high-end boutique Blinde. They were not available to the public, although for the movie sequels, Blinde created retail sunglasses which sold for $240 apiece.
31.Rage Against The Machine
The end credits song, during which Neo flies like Superman, is "Wake Up" by left-wing activist rock band Rage Against The Machine. RATM also plays over The Matrix Reloaded's end credits with the song "Calm Like A Bomb."