ROTTEN TOMATOES: The Legacy of The Matrix Comments

The Legacy of The Matrix

by Kim Newman | March 31, 2009

Summary

1999 was one of the most important years for modern cinema. Ten years on, we're celebrating a remarkable twelve months of movies with new features around some of the year's best and most important releases. The Matrix was the phenomenon which made George Lucas' serial-style adventure seem as quaint as tie-dye loon pants. It did the proper sci-fi job of surfing the zeitgeist exactly in every single aspect. It has seeped into subsequent movies which have either blatantly or subtly drawn from aspects of The Matrix -- ranging from its action-friendly fashion sense to franchise-building business plan. Join RT as we explore ten movies released in the ten years since The Matrix came out that owe a little something to one of 1999's most exciting releases. Back to Article

(1-56 of 56 posts) | Reply

Dave J. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 11:31 AM

The first movie was the best even though the idea came from the movie Dark City. Action wise 2 & 3 wasn't so great and had way too much CGI and wire- fu. Hardly had any Woo slow-motion gun action.

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Joe Utichi writes:
on Mar 31 2009 11:36 AM

Dave: The Matrix was already deep in production when Dark City was released. They were shot on the same soundstage though, The Matrix quickly following Dark City, and, in fact, The Matrix even reused some of the rooftop sets they built for Dark City.

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Shatter24 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 11:43 AM

Thanks Kim,

Very well written article. I can't believe 10 years has passed since The Matrix came out. What will be the next big sci fi/action film that influences cinema for a decade? Have we already seen it? My money is on "The Dark Knight"; but will it be as influential as the Matrix? Only time will tell. I'll think about this a little longer and write up my thoughts at www.maineville.com.

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Max P. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 11:54 AM

Excellent article.

Actually I believe WALL-E was more influenced by the Sega Genesis game Vectorman. Seriously, look it up.

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vashfanatic writes:
on Mar 31 2009 12:19 PM

While some of these are dead-on, a lot of these connections are really strained. "Momento"? "Wall-E"? Seriously?

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randal1013 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 12:26 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405257)
shatter - i think TDK does have an influence. i've read multiple articles about studios wanting to reboot movie franchises in a darker tone after seeing how good and successful TDK has been.

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SuckitBaby writes:
on Mar 31 2009 12:45 PM

Couldn't agree more with the first page of this article, 1999 was, for my generation, a turning point in cinema. The Matrix, Fight Club, Blair Witch, Sixth Sense, American Beauty, South Park, all movies that are still referenced frequently 10 years later!

In the years since I've seen some great films (Lord of the Rings topping the list) but no movie has had the same kind of influence on pop-culture (or society for that matter) as the ones I mentioned above. 1999, GFY (Great F-ing Year for movies!)

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nogard46 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 12:57 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405257)
enough with the TDk bull crap! Are you fanboys still at it???

TDK is so beyond over rated! Over Hyped, over bloated piece of garbage! the movie was forgetable the moment the credits rolled! I really do hope studios dont follow TDk's example, I dont want to see more movies with ZERO PLOT, over use of Violence and gore, and bland and stiff acting, (Save Heath, yes he did fine). I think Nolan stole TDK from a series of movie that came before, you may have heard of these movie they also had zero plot, exploitation of violence, they're called SAW MOVIES! TDK=SAW

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 01:00 PM

Didn't Being John Malkovich come out in 1999 too? If so, then thats the greatest year of movies ever. I remember seeing The Matrix when it first came to video, awesome! Such a great movie. Also while there are some connections to Dark City, I would hardly call it a rip off- though some of there themes are the same. I am also a defender of the Matrix sequels. Yes they are crushing disappointments, but those movies on a technical level are pretty incredible. So I do enjoy the sequels.... they also look amazing on Blu Ray, anyone else have the box set? Also there's this really good book called REBELS ON THE BACKLOT and it talks about the big director's of the 1990's and how they changed things up- QT, Spike Jonze, David O. Russel, David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh were the directors talked about in the book.

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Dario Z. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 01:03 PM

I get most of the references, but i think you forgot the primal reference: no action movie after the matrix could got away with fight scenes that didn't have wire fu. I dunno i remember bulletproof monk and charly's angels for example (i'm sure there's more)

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BUCK69 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 01:13 PM

I'll agree that the Matrix was cool beyond cool. It blew me away the first time that I saw it. But in retrospect, it really seems to me to be a matter of style over substance. The plot borrows heavily from a number of earlier movies and sci-fi stories. So much so that it could hardly be called ground-breaking or unique. Was it stylistically influential? No argument. But I'd hardly assign it any kind of legacy.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 01:14 PM

I love "The Matrix" for the style and plot, but I always found Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith underated. Smith is a great villain. Neo is a great hero. And Morpheus is a great mentor. I love this movie! 10 out of 10.

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Feat747 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 01:29 PM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet. I guess I'll have to do it. The Matrix stylistically and visually borrowed heavily from Japanese animation. A good example of this is Ghost In The Shell. The slow mo action sequences were obviously influenced by anime. It was like Wachowskis brought Japanese animation to life.

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Soybomb65 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 02:16 PM

Wow....so this one was left off. Go see Charlie's Angels....it came out just after the Matrix. Not only does it rip off the techno/music video style fight scenes, but Cameron Diaz even steals Trinity's flying crane kick from the beginning of the Matrix. How they got away with constant, blatant knockoffs was a joke! (But I do like watching Crispin Glover fight the girls!)

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Soybomb65 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 02:18 PM

Ah Dario Z....missed it. Yea you nailed it. The first movie I thought of was Charlie's Angels....Equilibrium was an obvious choice that I still enjoyed. "Gun-kata"....it's beyond ridiculous, but makes for great watching! If you can suspend your disbelief enough to indulge in the rest of the story, then you have to just go with it.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 02:41 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405316)
Yeah the Wachowski brothers have always said that they borrowed heavily from Japanese anime. I think the movies ideas are similar, but I'm not going to say there stolen.
Also Agent Smith is awesome and one of the best villains ever, he was still even awesome in the sequels. I love that end battle in the third movie, despite the conclusion not totally making sense.

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arendr writes:
on Mar 31 2009 02:46 PM

I've only seen the first Matrix movie, and for a reason. I really didn't think it was special. I must be the only person on the planet who felt that way, though.

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White Cross writes:
on Mar 31 2009 03:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405293)
The Dark Knight had plenty of plot, substance, and will be remembered for years not only because of the fanboys, but because it is a truly revolutionary piece of cinema in both the comic-book and crime drama genres. Like the Matrix, it will have an influence on cinema because it did so well and because both audiences and critics whole-heartedly embraced it, which is a rare feat in today's society. They're already talking about rebooting the critically panned Fantastic Four and Daredevil in a darker, grittier style, obviously taking their cue from The Dark Knight and Iron Man.

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Jon R. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 03:11 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405416)
No your not...The Matrix has had some ground breaking effects in it, but I'm sorry to this day I find this movie to be so overrated and boring. It took me a long time to make it through the whole movie. I know it had neat ideas and what not...but please LAME

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 03:21 PM

I've never seen the sequels, I'm wondering what to expect. Should I see them? What should I expect? What? WHAT?!

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SuckitBaby writes:
on Mar 31 2009 03:55 PM

I bet all the Matrix-Haters here were born after 1990. I thought I knew everything when I was 9 years old too, watch the movie again and maybe you'll get it.

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Kellen F. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 04:23 PM

It's annoying when these people make these lists and really just draw off the top of their head. Um, how about UNDERWORLD. Come on. Think before you make these lists. Underworld copied almost every aspect of the matrix. From Kate beckinsale playing trinity, the abomination being neo, same tight leather and dark theme. Trinity character has to get to him before the werewolves do(agents). She thrust him into a new, hidden from plain site society.

They even go so far as to have the abomination come back to life, just like neo in the second underworld.

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Kellen F. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 04:28 PM

It's annoying when these people make these lists and really just draw off the top of their head. Um, how about UNDERWORLD. Come on. Think before you make these lists. Underworld copied almost every aspect of the matrix. From Kate beckinsale playing trinity, the abomination being neo, same tight leather and dark theme. Trinity character has to get to him before the werewolves do(agents). She thrust him into a new, hidden from plain site society.

They even go so far as to have the abomination come back to life, just like neo in the second underworld.

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King Thor writes:
on Mar 31 2009 04:32 PM

The Matrix is one of my favorite movies of all time...i think was the first R rated movie i saw also. Fantastic movie. There really hasn't been a movie quite like it since.

Come on guys....stop hating on The Matrix because it as you say, 'stole' ideas. If you must label the Matrix as a thief, you must do so with many other of your favorite movies. Any movie is hardly completely original these days.

Also, I have to agree about Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith. He was superb as a villain. Laurence Fishburne was also a great mentor and strong believer, he was a great character also. And of course Keanu Reeves was the perfect actor to play "Mr. Anderrrsssonnnnn" Neo, who was also a great up and coming hero character.

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King Thor writes:
on Mar 31 2009 04:53 PM

Fishburne as Morphius*

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duggiethehutt writes:
on Mar 31 2009 05:12 PM

Haha, too bad The Island was nothing but a souped up ripoff of THX-1138.

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Ashron writes:
on Mar 31 2009 06:53 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405444)
Ledawg, you should watch the sequels. Expect them not to be as good, but if can watch all three back to back, it all does make a certain amount of sense. The two sequels are a bit too long, but technically they're marvelous, and the highway chase scene in the second movie is still one of the best ever committed to film (IMHO)

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Myth writes:
on Mar 31 2009 07:05 PM

I know the book came out way before The Matrix, but I, Robot seems to have a lot that parallels with The Matrix.

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IMAmoose24 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 07:06 PM

Love The Island on there. Very underrated. Glad somebody was able to finally show Wall E's true colors. Good, yes, but no toy story. Too much of an agenda to match that kind of magic.

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arendr writes:
on Mar 31 2009 07:08 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405463)
Sorry dude, I'm 25. It just seemed to be too much style, with not enough substance to back it up. I never really felt like the idea was all that groundbreaking. Like I said, I'm probably one of the only ones who feels that way.

I admit that I also have a grudge against it for the way it changed movies. A lot of the obnoxious camera work of the last decade or so has been influenced by The Matrix, and I can't even stand it in that movie.

You could probably level a lot of the same complaints at Star Wars, as it ushered in the blockbuster era and the acting was mediocre at best. I just feel that Star Wars has a lot more substance than The Matrix.

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 07:27 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405631)
I actually don't like the high way chase scene very much. Its cool and all, but I remember thinking it went on way too long and I didn't like the use of slow motion in that chase sequence. Plus what did it really add to the movie? I thought The Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions were not Neo centered enough. That chase scene is a prime example. You have the hero uninvolved in the biggest action sequence in the movie, that just always bothered me. I like the sequels but man those movies are heavily flawed.

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Sputnik99 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 07:55 PM

I don't hate the Matrix. I thought it was amazing in its day, but I've always felt it was a bit over-rated. Whenever I re-watch it I usually just skip to the action scenes because the rest of the movie is just so boring. But the rescue of Morpheus is one of the best action scenes, EVER.

I never thought about it having a legacy. This article was interesting.

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harrismonkey writes:
on Mar 31 2009 08:04 PM

Don't think I'll bother reading any further. I can safely say that Memento was not influenced heavily by the Matrix. Indy films that have to come out through the festivals consistently have longer development to post stretches than big studio pictures. Given that Matrix was only out a year earlier I'm sure Memento was already happening before the Matrix actually came out.

(Reply to this)

RexLaboro writes:
on Mar 31 2009 08:10 PM

The entire Matrix trilogy is incredible. The last film left a lot uncovered and it's the weakest of the three, but that's easily remedied for me by the greatest one on one fight in a film I've ever witnessed. Sorry, Goerge. It SHOULD HAVE been Obi VS Ani.

WALL E is ridiculously overrated- Most likely due to peoples fascination with cute things. If it's cute it must be good. Wrong. WALL E is more of an artistic and technical triumph than it is a great film. The film and the story itself is quite simple and for the most part, boring. But it looks great.

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tfortier writes:
on Mar 31 2009 08:40 PM

wow, pretty random list. Except the fights scenes in some of those movies - equilibrium - I think its a bit of a stretch.

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Michael R. writes:
on Mar 31 2009 09:49 PM

OKAY... The Matrix came out in 1999... Blade came out in 1998 and Blade had both "Bullet Time" and the black leather get up. So if it wasn't for Blade, the Matrix wouldn't have been made. Sorry RT but this list is BS and doesn't give "credit" where it is due. Memento? Influenced by the Matrix? Just because two movies feature amnesia doesn't mean that they've been influenced by one another... and the Matrix definitely wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Terminator. This list has succeeded in being inaccurate and well... bad. The Matrix was a mixture of Terminator and Plato's Symposium... or one of those ancient Greek stories. Either way it goes, sure the matrix was legendary but we're forgetting where the matrix got its influence from.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 10:36 PM

Okay, I'll see them, and expect okay movies.

Micheal R., DON'T COMPARE THE MATRIX TO BLADE! "Blade" is a subpar film, while "The Matrix" is gold GOLD!

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DarthWonka writes:
on Mar 31 2009 10:45 PM

But, see, RT, the difference between the Back to the Future sequels and the Matrix/Pirates sequels is that the BttF were excellent while the Matrix/Pirates sequels were buckets of fried azz.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Mar 31 2009 11:10 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405864)
I really liked the Pirates sequels. So maybe I'll really like The Matrix sequels.

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Coyote22 writes:
on Apr 01 2009 12:37 AM

Yes the batman reboot that includes the musch better "Begins" as well as TDK has shown the industry what comic book adaptations can be- awesome!

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Michael R. writes:
on Apr 01 2009 05:36 AM

In reply to this comment (#2405857)
Granted Blade wasn't as legendary as The Matrix, but that doesn't mean that the Wachowski's didn't bite a little bit from Blade. It's not like the first Blade film was terrible or anything though.

(Reply to this)

BUCK69 writes:
on Apr 01 2009 05:42 AM

In reply to this comment (#2405463)
You lose, Suckitbaby. I was born well-before 1990. I've seen the Matrix a number of times and I "get it." I'm not a "Matrix hater" [and I haven't really seen any posts to indicate that anyone "hated" it], but I'm not prepared to place on a cimematic alter or label it as anything more than what it is, which is a sci-fi/action summer, popcorn movie. Some of the camera work is innovative, but it's by no means original. I could come-up with a similar "legacy" for just about any decent, successful movie released since 1969.

(Reply to this)

jviehe writes:
on Apr 01 2009 06:57 AM

What was great about The Matrix was you knew very little going into it, and came out amazed. There was very little commercial hype or marketing. Even though bullet time had been used by GAP commercials first, seeing it in combat was revolutionary at the time. The sequels kind of fell flat, but some moments in it were also amazing, the fight scene between Neo and the 300 Agents in the 2nd movie. The whole final battle in the 3rd movie. It was anime brought to life. OMG, and dont forget the Animatrix. Flight of the Pheonix is still one of the most realistic CGIs made so far.

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High School With Money writes:
on Apr 01 2009 08:59 AM

Don Davis's scores to the trilogy were the only good things to come out of this debaucherous cavalcade of cunkbaggery. Oh, but let's trash Star Wars in the article just to hit home how "hip and now" The Matrix is. Score one for pretentious coolness.

The only thing this filth influenced was how much more filth could rip it off for the joke it is in a given span, from Rob Schneider to Drew Barrymore to Shrek and beyond. Yay progress.

(Reply to this)

TombstoneLawDog writes:
on Apr 01 2009 09:39 AM

In reply to this comment (#2406169)
'Money:
"debaucherous cavalcade of cunkbaggery"

...that quote alone was creative enough to respond to, even if I categorically disagree with what your opinion.

I appreciate this list in the sense that I, like what seems a fair majority, really appreciate 'Matrix' in the way the author of this article does; reverentially--until TDK, it was the last film since Terminator 2 that I saw THREE times in theaters (expensive habit, I know). For those who say Matrix stole from Japanese Anime, the Wachowskis have as much admitted to it, albeit saying it was an 'homage.'

Having said that, I also find this list a bit haphazard. For example, I agree with those who said Charlies' Angels *benefitted* greatly from Matrix' fight sequencing, and find it to be a much more relevant comparison than simply pointing out that Memento was also, in effect, 'weird.'

My contribution: the unspeakably mediocre Wesley Snipes actioner 'the Art of War' (2000) where Snipes and a tragically wasted Michael Biehn have a slo-mo gun shoot out in an elevator bay. They may as well have cut and pasted the Neo/Smith fight. And then washed it through the patented James Cameron/Michael Bay 'Cold Blue' filter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDL6rmxll84&feature=related

(Reply to this)

whitey_mcwhite writes:
on Apr 01 2009 10:00 AM

In reply to this comment (#2405700)
They're not saying every movie on this list was influenced directly by the Matrix, it's that the Matrix allowed the studios to think outside the box at a time when studios didn't think the audience was smart enough to grasp this type of storytelling. Not every movie is influenced by a movie just in storytelling and style, some are influenced in business models, marketting, and showing studios that the masses are ready for a certain type of movie. It's like if the WB stops having tentpole R-rated movies because of Watchmen, then every tentpole PG-13 rated movie coming from WB was in some way influenced by Watchmen.

(Reply to this)

whitey_mcwhite writes:
on Apr 01 2009 10:08 AM

In reply to this comment (#2405826)
Not every movie shows influence in it's style, mood, and plot, as this list shows, some are influenced in business models and the like. Memento is on the list because prior to The Matrix studios didn't believe that the general audience was smart enough to accept this style of storytelling. Memento could have easily been a little seen, limited release, indie flick but the success of the Matrix allowed major studios to take more risks to pick up these flicks and release them to a broad audience.

It's like: Pirates is on the list, but in what way was Pirates influenced by the Matrix? Pirates shot it's sequels back to back based on the success of the first movie, The Matrix was the first series to ever do that. Even LOTR was influenced by The Matrix in that way.

(Reply to this)

TombstoneLawDog writes:
on Apr 01 2009 12:26 PM

In reply to this comment (#2406220)
mcwhite wrote:
"Pirates is on the list, but in what way was Pirates influenced by the Matrix? Pirates shot it's sequels back to back based on the success of the first movie, The Matrix was the first series to ever do that. Even LOTR was influenced by The Matrix in that way."

As someone already pointed out, this is incorrect. 'Back to the Future' did the same thing with its sequels, which came out six months apart and were filmed back-to-back, '89.

And LOTR is entirely different from the other trilogies discussed here in that, when it was finally green-lit, it was produced entirely to be both shot and released as a trilogy. The sequels to BttF, PoTC and Matrix were ALL only scripted and produced* after the first film of each franchise was a commercial success.

*I am aware that the Wachowskis have always maintained that they conceived of 'Matrix' as a trilogy. This in itself differentiates it from PoTC, which was, by all accounts, NOT.

(Reply to this)

whitey_mcwhite writes:
on Apr 01 2009 02:06 PM

In reply to this comment (#2406571)
I didn't realize that Back to the Future 2 and 3 did the same thing, but it was a trend before The Matrix did it. Which still means that movies that choose to do so nowadays are following The Matrix trend. After all, what's cited as the reason for doing so: The Matrix, not BttF.

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zetabosio writes:
on Apr 01 2009 05:29 PM

As we say in Mexico, "ni al caso..."
Terrible selection. It makes no sense. Looks forced. Oh, come on... Let me be present when someone actually tells Charlie Kauffman that thanks to The Matrix he was able to come out with "Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind".
For starters -even though I love The Matrix-, the Wachowki's film is a rip-off of Dark City. And second of all, the real legay of The Matrix lies on the visual effects, in the new way of constructing fight scenes and in making science-fiction cool again among the people.
And how come you can say that Memento and Wall-E have to thanks The Matrix and there's no absolute mention of Shrek????????????????????? How about Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? How about Resident Evil????
I was really curious and excited when I began reading this article, but by the end, I can easily say this is the worst thing ever published by RT.

(Reply to this)

whitey_mcwhite writes:
on Apr 02 2009 09:11 PM

In reply to this comment (#2406989)
It's always nice to see that people decide to comment to see if other people have stated exactly what they were saying and to see if maybe, just maybe there are answers in those comments. Read through the comments, Zetabosio, and maybe you'll see what the article was really about.

(Reply to this)

AudioSuede writes:
on Apr 03 2009 02:28 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405444)
I would actually say the sequels are well worth watching, but require multiple viewings to really be appreciated the way they should be. That's part of why people rip on them so much: the plots are very twisty and complicated, and a lot of the dialogue is very thick with philosophy and technical language. But they are action-packed and entertaining, and occasionally jaw-dropping.

(Reply to this)

AudioSuede writes:
on Apr 03 2009 02:38 PM

In reply to this comment (#2405644)
Okay, in no way does Star Wars have more substance than The Matrix. The Matrix, and particularly the sequels, is deep in literary and philosophical subtexts. They teach classes on just how much layered into those movies. The Star Wars films, while classics, are, let's face it, family films. Practically kids movies. They have very little in the way of substance or emotion compared to films today. For the time, yes. But we've advanced. And The Matrix is a big part of that.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those populist douchebags who doesn't even know what "substance" means. My favorite movie of all time is Eternal Sunshine (which, incidentally, was weird to see on this list). I'm an obsessive of deep indie dramas. But as action, blockbuster films go, The Matrix is among the best and smartest ever made.

(Reply to this)

William F. writes:
on May 30 2009 01:21 AM

"despite the conclusion not totally making sense."

Ya...except that it made perfect sense if you were paying attention. Pretty genius the way they ended it really. Not what one was expecting but really the only way TO end it. Did anyone seriously think that Neo would've been able to wipe out ALL the machines? Doesn't work that way, not even in the universe of the Matrix.

(Reply to this)

Bruce K. writes:
on Nov 02 2009 06:07 PM

I'm pretty sure we'll have something similar related to TDK in ten years. And to whoever said Star Wars had greater depth than the Matrix, in the words of Hooper X, "those movies are all about how the white man keeps the brother man down, even in a far, far, away!"

(Reply to this)

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