We recently passed the 20th anniversary of this movie in March. (Also, the trilogy just dropped on Netflix.)

This is still one the best, most influential sci-fi movies of all time, and one of my favorites. Rewatched it today and it still holds up.

I was 10 when it came out, so although I don't have clear, specific memories of the day I saw it in theaters, I definitely remember the impact it had on me, and watching it endlessly on VHS growing up.

And to this day, I don't know that anything has matched the hype and anticipation I had for Matrix Reloaded. I remember downloading the trailer on Kazaa (or whatever was out at the time) and watching it hundreds of times.

Anyone got memories of what it was like seeing this for the first time?

I walked in completely blind. I had never even heard of it before I sat down to watch it. Pops saw the trailer and took us immediately afterwards. I was 12.

I cannot think of a greater cinematic experience in my life. I think mostly because of my ignorance about it. I had zero expectations. I was also able to follow it perfectly as a kid. It's complex but not THAT complex IMO. The visuals and story were unlike anything up to that point on screen.

I believe that that first movie experience was my A New Hope experience from the previous generation.

Still one of my top five movies of all time.

I posted an abbreviated version of this in the Endgame thread, ranking my favorite theater experiences of all time, and this is definitely in my top three...

I was a senior in high school, coasting through the last couple of months of school, and, like most everyone else, all of my movie attention was focused The Phantom Menace, set to release in May. So The Matrix wasn't on my radar at all. I remember seeing a Super Bowl spot for it, and then the trailers of course, but this was the late '90s, and it just didn't look like my kind of thing back then. It looked very goth / Dark City esque, and I was into more traditional blockbusters, action movies, comedies, etc at the time. Definitely not Hot Topic the Movie, which was the vibe I was getting.

Anyway, I remember it came out on a Wednesday (March 31), and I saw it opening night, but only because one of my good friends and his older brother invited me last minute. There wasn't a lot of buzz yet, and I had zero expectations... but I was absolutely blown away like never before. All three of us were. I just remember us losing our minds multiple times, and that had never happened for me in a theater before. It was also the first movie I remember seeing where, if only briefly, I saw the world just a little bit differently after.

I remember going to school the next day, trying to convince people how amazing it was, and everyone thought I was crazy. No one I knew was even remotely into it before its release, and there really was a small sliver of time when this movie wasn't cool. But by the end of the weekend, I had convinced two different groups of friends to see it with me twice more and everyone I saw it with loved it just the same. I even convinced my parents to see it that weekend, and when they got back, I had never heard my dad - a real practical, conservative-type - gush about a movie like that before. They next day, that Sunday, another friend of mine and I were pulling into our drive-way as my dad was leaving. He stopped, rolled down his window, and I thought he was going to remind me of some chore I had to do or something. Instead, he just said, "None of this is real," smiled, rolled up his window, and pulled away. Once that happened - once even someone like my dad was sucked in - I knew The Matrix was destined to be a classic.

One of the best films,period, of the last twenty years. I remember literally thinking before i saw it,"Thixseems fun. It'll probably just prime me for the real event(The Phantom Menace) in a couple of months." Little did I know The Matrix would out Star Wars Star Wars in a sleek modern context. From the special effects, to the character work, to the world building, the original is a perfectly written and executed blockbuster.

Unlike others, I'll defend the sequels as well. They're clunkier, not nearly as impactful, and a little sloppy in terms of character, but there are huge thematic ideas in there that far exceed the grasp of most block busters. I love this series.

Nice. Cool story.

User name checks out.

I'll defend Reloaded forever.

TCTTS said:

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I posted an abbreviated version of this in the Endgame thread, ranking my favorite theater experiences of all time, and this is definitely in my top three...

I was a senior in high school, coasting through the last couple of months of school, and, like most everyone else, all of my movie attention was focused The Phantom Menace, set to release in May. So The Matrix wasn't on my radar at all. I remember seeing a Super Bowl spot for it, and then the trailers of course, but this was the late '90s, and it just didn't look like my kind of thing back then. It looked very goth / Dark City esque, and I was into more traditional blockbusters, action movies, comedies, etc at the time. Definitely not Hot Topic the Movie, which was the vibe I was getting.

Anyway, I remember it came out on a Wednesday (March 31), and I saw it opening night, but only because one of my good friends and his older brother invited me last minute. There wasn't a lot of buzz yet, and I had zero expectations... but I was absolutely blown away like never before. All three of us were. I just remember us losing our minds multiple times, and that had never happened for me in a theater before. It was also the first movie I remember seeing where, if only briefly, I saw the world just a little bit differently after.

I remember going to school the next day, trying to convince people how amazing it was, and everyone thought I was crazy. No one I knew was even remotely into it before its release, and there really was a small sliver of time when this movie wasn't cool. But by the end of the weekend, I had convinced two different groups of friends to see it with me twice more and everyone I saw it with loved it just the same. I even convinced my parents to see it that weekend, and when the got back, I had never heard my dad - a real practical, conservative-type - gush about a movie like that before. They next day, that Sunday, another friend of mine and I were pulling into our drive-way as my dad was leaving. He stepped, rolled down his window, and I thought he was going to remind me of some chore I had to do or something. Instead, he just said, "None of this real," smiled, rolled up his window, and pulled away. Once that happened - once even someone like my dad was sucked in - I knew The Matrix was destined to be a classic.

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That was almost my exact experience as well. I saw it twice in the same weekend as well-something I don't think I've actually done since-but for different reasons. I was 15 when it came out, and still had to rely on my mom for transportation. Long story short, her movie got out like an hour before mine, and she came in the theater to get me because she had to be somewhere. We left right when the agents capture Morpheus, which, if you know the film, is the even that kicks off the most kickass, brilliantly written, gripping third act in movie history. I missed all of it until mom relented and drove me the next day to finish it. I've never let her forget about it since.

Ha, that's insane. I cannot imagine seeing the movie for the first time and having to leave at THAT moment.

Now THAT'S insane. And makes me feel very, very old.

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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Watched it for the first time recently and I liked it. What I don't get though is why the machines created the matrix. What is the point of it if they're just interested in humans to feed off of them. Couldn't they just sedate them? Maybe someone could explain it to me.

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When an active mind is engaged in a stress free state, the body is more productive. The machines needed A LOT of energy.

The first movie was amazing, and then they should have stopped right there.

No, between Reloaded and Revolutions, there was a ton of theorizing that the real world was just a matrix in a matrix, but that never turned out to be the case. The real world was, indeed, reality.

MaroonStain said:

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Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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Watched it for the first time recently and I liked it. What I don't get though is why the machines created the matrix. What is the point of it if they're just interested in humans to feed off of them. Couldn't they just sedate them? Maybe someone could explain it to me.

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When an active mind is engaged in a stress free state, the body is more productive. The machines needed A LOT of energy.

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Morpheus: "Combine with a form of fusion, the machines had all the power they needed."

I feel like they really understated the contribution fusion was making.

If I recall correctly, the architect tells them that the ones that were freed were still part of the machine's plans and that Zion had been built and destroyed many times before.

The difference this time was the agent Smith virus which was going to destroy the Matrix and forced the machines to cut a deal with Neo.

Best not to overthink the 3rd movie. The 2nd movie was incredible though, and I'll fight anyone who claims otherwise. The 3rd ruined it by ****ing up all the great philosophical themes it set up (and being stupid)

On a related note I think the Star Wars movie this year could do the opposite for TLJ. If JJ pulls it off and ties it up, I think it could elevate the middle film in the same way Revolutions ruined Reloaded.

Yeah, Google confirms the wireless is due to having been part of the source.