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The Matrix series primarily comprises a trilogy of science-fiction-action films written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and produced by Joel Silver. The first film The Matrix was released in March 1999; after its success, two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, were released in 2003. The characters and settings of the Matrix fictional universe are further explored in other media, including animation, comic books, and video games. The series depicts a complex science fiction story incorporating many philosophical elements. Other influences include idealism, cyberpunk, mythology, anime, Hong Kong action films (particularly "heroic bloodshed" and martial arts movies), simulated reality and philosophy of mind. Though not directly, key concepts of several beliefs are touched upon, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
[edit] OverviewIn the dystopia the series depicts, Earth is dominated by sentient machines. Humans are grown in pods and are connected by cybernetic implants to an artificial reality called the Matrix, which keeps their minds under control while the machines use the bioelectricity and thermal energy of their bodies as an energy source. The virtual reality world simulated by the Matrix resembles human civilization around the turn of the 21st century (this time period was chosen because it is supposedly the pinnacle of human civilization). The majority of the films and games of the Matrix franchise take place in a vast unnamed megacity, although it is not the only city within the Matrix, as other familiar locations are mentioned and visited by the characters during the trilogy and the Animatrix. As this environment is practically indistinguishable from reality, except when a slight green tinge appears (becoming more prominent as the series continues), the majority of humans connected to the Matrix are unaware of its true nature. Most of the central characters in the series know that it is not 'real' and as a result can partially bend the simulation's physical laws in order to perform superhuman feats within the simulation. The virtual world is first introduced in The Matrix. The Animatrix short film "The Second Renaissance", and the comic "Bits and Pieces of Information" show how the initial conflict between humans and machines came about, and how and why the Matrix was first developed. Its history and purpose are further explained in The Matrix Reloaded. [edit] FilmsMain article: The Matrix The series began with 1999's The Matrix. The film, directed by the Wachowski brothers and produced by Joel Silver, was highly successful, earning $460 million worldwide and beating Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for the Academy Award for Visual Effects. In addition, by 2000, the DVD release of the film reached three million sales, the first DVD release in North America to do so.[1] Main articles: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions The first film's mainstream success led to the greenlighting of the next two films of the trilogy, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Under the project codename "The Burlyman" (later to become the name of the Wachowski brothers' comic book production company, Burlyman Entertainment), it took a number of years and several iterations of scripts before the final films were approved. The two sequels, which tell a continuous story rather than being stand-alone episodes, were filmed simultaneously and released six months apart. [edit] Reception[edit] Critical reaction
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[edit] Reputation and influenceWhile the first film was extremely successful, both critically and popularly, the quality of the sequels is still a matter of debate. Some fans and professional critics believe they exceed the quality and conceptual heights of the first film, while others found the later films disappointing.[17] The Matrix Reloaded was well received by critics, currently holding an average rating of 73% (Certified Fresh) on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the reaction of some fans to this sequel has been mixed. When The Matrix Revolutions was released, one complaint was that it did not give clear cut answers to the questions raised in Reloaded but rather raised new ones.[18] The Matrix series has also inspired a new religious movement called Matrixism: The path of the One.[19][20][21][22][23] The religion was conceived by an anonymous group in mid-2004[24][25] and by November 2004 it claimed to have attracted upwards of 300 members.[26][21] Current reports indicate that there are now approximately 16,000 followers of Matrixism worldwide.[27] Even though Matrixism has grown substantially and its Geocities website (username: matrixism2069) has received significant attention in the media[28][29][30] some still debate whether Matrixists are serious about their beliefs.[19][25] [edit] Additional media[edit] AnimeMain article: The Animatrix In acknowledgment of the strong influence of Japanese anime on the Matrix series, The Animatrix was produced in 2003. This is a collection of nine animated short films intended to further flesh out the concepts, history, characters and setting of the series. The objective of The Animatrix project was to give other writers and directors the opportunity to lend their voices and interpretation to the Matrix universe; the Wachowski brothers conceived of and oversaw the process, and they wrote four of the segments themselves, although they were given to other directors to execute. Many of the segments were produced by notable figures from the world of Japanese animation. Four of the films were originally released on the series' official website, one was shown in cinemas with Dreamcatcher, one was shown on MTV, MTV2, MTV3, and MTV4, and the others first appeared with the DVD release of all nine shorts shortly after the release of The Matrix Reloaded. [edit] Video gamesOn May 15, 2003, the game Enter the Matrix was released in North America concurrently with The Matrix Reloaded. The first of three video games related to the films, it told a story running parallel to The Matrix Reloaded and featured scenes shot during the filming of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Two more Matrix video games were released in 2005. The MMORPG The Matrix Online continued the story beyond The Matrix Revolutions, while The Matrix: Path of Neo allows players to control the series' protagonist Neo in scenes from the film trilogy. [edit] DVD releasesOver a year after the cinematic release of the final film, Revolutions, Warner Home Video released The Ultimate Matrix Collection, a 10-Disc DVD set of the films. It included the three films, The Animatrix, and six discs of additional material. A Limited Edition of the collection encases the ten discs, as well as a resin bust of Neo, inside a Lucite box. [edit] Comic booksIn addition, several comic books and short stories based on the series – one written by the Wachowskis, the others by guest writers – were released on the official website. Many of these have since been collected in two printed volumes of The Matrix Comics. [edit] Books[edit] Official
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Categories: American films | English-language films | 1999 introductions | 1990s action films | 2000s action films | Action films by series | Film series | Film trilogies | Matrix series | Dystopian films | Science fiction films by series | 1990s science fiction films | 2000s science fiction films | Monomyths | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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