Screen Rant

ScreenRant logo

The Matrix

The Matrix is a sci-fi action franchise that launched with the Wachowskis' 1999 film. It depicts a dystopian future where humanity is unknowingly trapped in a simulated reality by sentient machines. The protagonist, Neo, discovers this truth and that he is "The One," a being that will lead a rebellion against the machines and restore freedom to humanity.

+ See More
The Matrix
Movie(s)
The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Resurrections, The Matrix 5
First Film
The Matrix
Cast
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Jada Pinkett Smith, Monica Bellucci, Lambert Wilson, Harold Perrineau, Gina Torres, Collin Chou, Neil Patrick Harris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Character(s)
Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, Agent Smith, Niobe, The Merovingian, The Oracle, The Architect, Seraph, Persephone, Ramachandra, Sati, The Analyst, Bugs, The Keymaker
Video Game(s)
Enter the Matrix (2003), The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005), The Matrix Online (2005)

The Matrix

More
The Matrix Casting Will Smith As Neo Over Keanu Reeves Would Have Led To Another Massive Change From What We Got
The Matrix Casting Will Smith As Neo Over Keanu Reeves Would Have Led To Another Massive Actor Change
By 
Imagery-from-Bloodsport-and-Kill-Bill-Vol.-1
10 Best American-Made Martial Arts Movies
By 
Will Smith adjusting his sunglasses while dressed as Neo in the Beautiful Scars music video
Will Smith Rewrites History In New Matrix Inspired Music Video Where He Plays Neo (& Makes An Oscars Slap Joke)
By 
Fredo-Sells-Out-Michael-(The-Godfather-Part-II)-and-Scar-Kills-Mufasa-(The-Lion-King)
10 Movie Betrayals We'll Never Emotionally Recover From
By 
Neo from The Matrix
The Matrix Code's Real Meaning Explained — What Inspired The Iconic Green Lines?
By 

The Matrix Reloaded

More
Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix Resurrections and Helmut Bakaitis as the Architect in The Matrix Reloaded
“The Eventuality Of An Anomaly:” The Matrix’s Most Confusing Scene Explains How Matrix 5 Can Happen Without Keanu Reeves
By 
The rave scene in The Matrix Reloaded.
The Matrix Trilogy's Cringiest Scene Is Somehow Even Worse 21 Years Later
By 

The Matrix Revolutions

More
Custom The Matrix image of Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith and Keanu Reeves as Neo
One Of The Matrix's Most Fascinating Characters Only Appeared In The Franchise's Worst Movie
By 
Custom The Matrix image of Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, and Lawrence Fishburne as Morpheus
The Matrix Revolutions' Biggest Mistake Was Abandoning What Made The Franchise So Appealing In The First Place
By 
Collage of Trinity's death in The Matrix Revolutions and Trinity with Neo in The Matrix Resurrections
The Matrix Resurrections' Trinity Change Retconned The Whole Franchise - And Made It Better
By 
Keanu Reeves as Neo speaks to the Architect in front of screens in The Matrix Reloaded
10 Bad Scenes From The Matrix Movies That Broke The Franchise
By 
matrix-revolutions-most-powerful-neo
The Matrix Revolutions Secretly Revealed The Most Powerful Neo Ever
By 

The Matrix Resurrections

More
Collage of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus in The Matrix franchise.
The Matrix Resurrections: New Morpheus, Explained (& What Laurence Fishburne Thought About His Replacement)
By 
Will Smith from Bad Boys For Life and movie poster for The Matrix: Resurrections
The Matrix 5 Casting Will Smith Would Continue 1 Annoying Part Of The Matrix Resurrections
By 
Imagery-from-The-Matrix-Franchise
Why Matrix 4 Looks So Different From The First 3 Movies
By 
Trinity, Neo, and Morpheus of The Matrix Trilogy with code over them
Where To Watch The Matrix Movies Online
By 
Custom The Matrix Resurrections image of Neil Patrick Harris as the Analyst, Keanu Reeves as Neo, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus
The Matrix's Best Villain Was So Great, It Took 3 Actors For The 2021 Sequel To Replace Him
By 

latest

The Predator in Predator Killer of Killers and The Animatrix in the background
While Waiting For Predator's First Animated Movie, Check Out This Other Sci-Fi Anthology
Predator - Franchise

Before the release of Predator's first animated film, consider checking out a classic anthology from another action franchise similar to Predator.

By 
Custom image of Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith in The Matrix and Keanu Reeves as Neo
The Real Reason Agent Smith Was So Obsessed With Neo In The Matrix
Movies

Agent Smith's fascinating dynamic with Thomas "Neo" Anderson throughout the Matrix is one of the saga's best elements, and it can be easily explained.

By 
This-Scarily-Plausible-Matrix-Theory-Explains-Why-Humans-Really-“Scorched-The-Skies”
This Scarily Plausible Matrix Theory Explains Why Humans Really “Scorched The Skies”
Movies

A Reddit theory suggests that humanity had a different reason for scorching the skies in The Matrix, highlighting the flexible franchise lore.

By 
Deku looking surprised in front of a pink background.
Like It or Not, These 7 Hollywood Blockbusters Are Basically an Anime
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

These seven major films may not actually be animes, but their innovation animation styles and epic plots make them feel like they are.

11
By 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus and Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus
After Laurence Fishburne's Matrix 4 Comments, I'm Even More Confused About A Casting Decision That Hurt The Movie
Movies

Laurence Fishburne has cleared the air about why he wasn't in The Matrix Resurrections, and honestly, this makes that movie so much worse.

1
By 
The Analyst with his arm around Trinity in The Matrix Resurrections
I Loved This Matrix Theory About The Machines' True Purpose - Until The Franchise's Worst Movie Proved It Wrong
Movies

The Matrix is filled with fascinating sci-fi ideas and complex storytelling devices, but fans may have deduced the truth behind one lingering mystery.

20
By 
Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus in the red chair in The Matrix
“That’s The Truth”: Laurence Fishburne Reveals His Conditions For Matrix 5 Return After His Offer To Come Back For Resurrections Wasn’t Received Well
The Matrix 5

Original Morpheus star Laurence Fishburne reveals his condition to return in The Matrix 5 after his "offer" for Resurrections was not received well.

By 
The Matrix's Neo and Doc Frankenstein
As a Matrix Fan, I Can't Believe I've Been Missing Out on the Wachowskis' Doc Frankenstein
Comics

The Wachowskis' little-seen comic Doc Frankenstein might just be the duos' masterpiece, containing everything that made The Matrix special - and more.

By 
the matrix - neo in the street talking
There’s A Simple Reason None Of The Matrix Sequels Were As Good As The Original
Movies

The Matrix sequels certainly have a poor reputation, and there’s one simple key feature of the first installment that makes it a superior movie.

5
By 
Keanu Reeves as Neo from The Matrix Resurrections with code background
The Worst Matrix Movie Could've Been Saved With 1 Change To Make It More Like The 1999 Original
Movies

The Matrix Resurrections certainly isn’t the strongest movie in the Wachowskis’ popular sci-fi franchise, and there’s one clear area where it fails.

By 
Matrix-5-Can-Finally-Settle-A-22-Year-Old-Debate-About-Keanu-Reeves’-Neo-That-Came-From-The-Franchise’s-Most-Confusing-Scene
Matrix 5 Can Finally Settle A 22-Year-Old Debate About Keanu Reeves’ Neo That Came From The Franchise’s Most Confusing Scene
Movies

The Matrix 5 may be a good move or a terrible one, but either way, it can finally confirm something fans have been wondering for decades.

17
By 
imagery-from-Matrix--movies
I’ve Rewatched All Matrix Movies, And It’s So Obvious Why The Franchise’s Worst Movie Doesn’t Work
Movies

The Matrix Resurrections is the worst installment in the franchise, and I realized exactly what went wrong with Keanu Reeves' latest outing as Neo.

26
By 
Lawrence Fishburne as Morpheous talking to Keanu Reeves as Neo, who is reflected in his glasses, in The Matrix.
My Favorite Matrix Movie After The Original Has A Higher RT Score Than The 1999 Film And Proves Sequels Aren’t Always Bad
Movies

The Matrix franchise has a complicated relationship with sequels, but some of the saga's best moments only happened after the original film.

By 
Custom The Matrix Resurrections image of Morpheus, Neo, and Smith
The Matrix 4's Worst Crime Was Thinking It Could Replace Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith
Movies

The Matrix Resurrection made the bold but misguided decision to recast one of the franchise's most iconic characters, and it backfired badly.

1
By 
Matrix Revolutions Neo vs Agent Smith
The Matrix Is A Perfect Movie, But I’m Tired Of Pretending The Sequels Aren’t Great Either
Movies

The Matrix set the bar too high for the next two movies, but Reloaded and Revolutions are still great sci-fi action flicks in their own way.

18
By 
Let’s-Get-On-That-”-John-Wick-5-Needs-To-Happen-So-We-Can-Finally-Have-This-Keanu-Reeves-Team-Up-In-The-Franchise
“Let’s Get On That:” John Wick 5 Needs To Happen So We Can Finally Have This Keanu Reeves Team-Up In The Franchise
John Wick

After this exciting tease in 2021, it would be amazing to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss star in a future John Wick movie together.

2
By 
Neo-and-Agent-Smith-from-the-original-Matrix-movie
The Matrix: There’s One Thing That Still Doesn’t Make Sense About The Iconic Movie 26 Years Later
Movies

The Matrix is full of mind-bending concepts and stunning visuals, but there is one element of the movie that didn't make sense upon its release.

19
By 
10-Best-Dystopian-Sci-Fi-Movies-Of-The-1990s
10 Best Dystopian Sci-Fi Movies Of The 1990s

The 1990s were a distinct period of filmmaking that engaged with many different genres & topics, but dystopian storylines are a recurring motif.

By 
Was-Neo-The-One-In-Every-Version-Of-The-Matrix
Was Neo The One In Every Version Of The Matrix?
Movies

The Matrix: Reloaded makes some huge changes to the franchise’s existing lore, including modifying Neo’s role as “the chosen one” in the simulation.

2
By 
Custom image of Neo and Morpheus in The Matrix
How Much The Matrix Cost To Make (& How Much It Made At The Box Office)
Movies

The Matrix had an incredibly low budget for its release in 1999, which made it profitable for Warner Bros., though the sequels do not fare well.

By 
See More