The Matrix (series)

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The Matrix series is a media franchise consisting primarily of three films: The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions. The characters and settings of the Matrix fictional universe are further explored in other media, including animation, comics, and video games.

The series depicts a complex science fiction story incorporating many philosophical elements. Other influences include cyberpunk, mythology, Hong Kong action films (particularly "heroic bloodshed" and martial arts movies), simulated reality and philosophy of mind. Concepts of several religions are also explored, including Hinduism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Buddhism.

Contents 1 The Matrix franchise 1.1 Reception of sequels 2 Thematic motifs 3 Books 3.1 Official 3.2 Unofficial 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] The Matrix franchise

The series began with 1999's The Matrix. The film, directed by the Wachowski brothers and produced by Joel Silver, was highly successful, earning $456 million worldwide and beating Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for the Academy Award for Visual Effects. The movie's mainstream success led to the greenlighting of the next two films of the trilogy, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. It was a number of years and several iterations of scripts before the final movies were approved. The two sequels, which tell a continuous story rather than being stand-alone episodes, were filmed simultaneously and released six months apart.

In acknowledgement of the Japanese anime that was a strong influence on the Matrix series, The Animatrix was produced. This is a collection of nine animated short films intended to further flesh out the concepts, history, characters and setting of the series. The Animatrix project was overseen by the Wachowski brothers, but they wrote only four of the segments themselves and did not direct any of them. Much of the project was created 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 and MTV2, and the others first appeared with the DVD release of all nine shorts shortly after the release of The Matrix Reloaded.

In May 2003, at the same time as The Matrix Reloaded appeared in cinemas in the United States, Enter the Matrix was released. The first of three video games related to the films, it told a story running parallel to Reloaded and featured scenes shot during the filming of the movie, but specially for the game.

November 5, 2003 saw both the conclusion to the film trilogy and an unprecedented event: the simultaneous worldwide release of a major motion picture, when The Matrix Revolutions hit cinema screens worldwide at exactly the same time.

Two more Matrix video games were released in 2005. The MMORPG The Matrix Online continues the story beyond Revolutions, while The Matrix: Path of Neo allows players to control the series' protagonist Neo in scenes from the film trilogy.

In addition, several comics 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] Reception of sequels

While the first movie was extremely successful, 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.^[1]

Upon release, The Matrix Reloaded received mixed reviews. Some said that "The Matrix Reloaded is first class high-voltage entertainment with stunt sequences that are absolutely breathtaking and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat" ^[2] whereas others claimed that it had been "hyped beyond the point where it can possibly deliver". ^[3] Fans responded that it was not possible to fully appreciate it without experiencing the entire series, including The Matrix Revolutions, The Animatrix, The Matrix Comics, and the video game Enter the Matrix.

When The Matrix Revolutions was finally released, a common complaint was that it did not give satisfying answers to the questions raised in Reloaded^[4] and instead raised new ones.

[edit] Thematic motifs

Main article: Thematic motifs of the Matrix series

[edit] Books

[edit] Official

• The Art of the Matrix by Spencer Lamm (Newmarket Press, 2000) ISBN 1-55704-405-8
• The Matrix Comics by various (Titan Books, 2003) ISBN 1-84023-806-2
• The Matrix Comics Volume 2 by various (Titan Books, 2005) ISBN 1-84576-021-2
• The Matrix Shooting Script by Larry and Andy Wachowski (with introduction by William Gibson) (Newmarket Press, 2002) ISBN 1-55704-490-2
• Enter The Matrix: Official Strategy Guide by Doug Walsh (Brady Games, 2003) ISBN 0-7440-0271-0
• The Matrix Online: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Games, 2005) ISBN 0-7615-4943-9
• The Matrix: Path of Neo Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games, 2005) ISBN 0-7440-0658-9

[edit] Unofficial

• Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation by Matthew Kapell and William G. Doty (Continuum International, 2004) ISBN 0-8264-1587-3
• Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in "The Matrix" by Glenn Yeffeth (Summersdale, 2003) ISBN 1-84024-377-5
• Matrix Warrior: Being the One by Jake Horsley (Gollancz, 2003) ISBN 0-575-07527-9
• The "Matrix" and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real by William Irwin (Open Court, 2002) ISBN 0-8126-9502-X
• More Matrix and Philosophy by William Irwin (Open Court, 2005) ISBN 0-8126-9572-0
• Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the "Matrix" Trilogy by Matt Lawrence (Blackwell, 2004) ISBN 1-4051-2524-1
• The Matrix (British Film Institute, 2004) ISBN 1-84457-045-2
• Matrix Revelations: A Thinking Fan's Guide to the Matrix Trilogy by Steve Couch (Damaris, 2003) ISBN 1-904753-01-9
• Beyond the Matrix: Revolutions and Revelations by Stephen Faller (Chalice Press, 2004) ISBN 0-8272-0235-0
• The "Matrix" Trilogy: Cyberpunk Reloaded by Stacy Gillis (Wallflower Press, 2005) ISBN 1-904764-32-0
• Exegesis of the Matrix by Peter B. Lloyd (Whole-Being Books, 2003) ISBN 1-902987-09-8
• The Gospel Reloaded by Seay Garrett (Pinon Press, 2003) ISBN 1-57683-478-6
• The "Matrix": What Does the Bible Say About... by D. Archer (Scripture Union, 2001) ISBN 1-85999-579-9
• Journey to the Source: Decoding Matrix Trilogy by Pradheep Challiyil (Sakthi Books 2004) ISBN 0-9752586-0-5
• Exploring the Matrix: Visions of the Cyber Present by Karen Haber (St. Martin's Press, 2003) ISBN 0-312-31358-6
• Philosophers Explore The Matrix by Christopher Grau (Oxford University Press, 2005) ISBN 0-19-518107-7

[edit] See also

• Sigmund Freud
• Collective Unconscious
• Subconscious mind
• Cyberpunk fashion
• Simulated reality
• External World Skepticism

[edit] References

1. ^ Rotten tomatoes review of Matrix Revolutions
2. ^ UK Rotten tomatoes review of Matrix Revolutions
3. ^ The Matrix… Reloaded or overloaded? URL retrieved 2 February 2006.
4. ^ New York Metro review of Matrix Revolutions

[edit] External links

• Official site for the series
• The Matrix multiple screenplays by Andy & Larry Wachowski
• The Matrix Reloaded October 27, 2001 draft screenplay by Andy & Larry Wachowski
• The Matrix Revolution October 27, 2000 draft screenplay by Andy & Larry Wachowski
• Categorized directory of links at the Open Directory Project
• The Many Meanings of The Matrix, Larry Wachowski in a dialogue with Ken Wilber.
• The Matrix Narrative Chronology
• Essay: Understanding the Matrix Trilogy from a Man-machine Interface Perspective
• The Matrix has you...
• The Matrix Wiki
• Joanne Morra and Marquard Smith The Matrix: Morpheus in Exile

The Matrix series
Films	The Matrix  • The Matrix Reloaded  • The Matrix Revolutions
The Animatrix	Final Flight of the Osiris • The Second Renaissance • Kid's Story • Program • World Record • Beyond • A Detective Story • Matriculated
Soundtracks	The Matrix: Original Motion Picture Score • The Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture • The Matrix Reloaded: The Album The Matrix Revolutions: Music From The Motion Picture • The Animatrix: The Album • Enter The Matrix: Original Soundtrack From The Videogame
Games	Enter the Matrix • The Matrix Online • The Matrix: Path of Neo
Characters	Neo • Trinity • Morpheus • Agent Smith • Agents • Oracle • Architect • Niobe • Merovingian • Persephone • Sati • Seraph • Twins • Deus Ex Machina • Minor human characters • Programs and machines
Locations	The Matrix • Mega City • Club Hel • Mobil Ave • Zero One (Machine City) • Zion • List of ships in the Matrix series
Cast and crew	Wachowski brothers • Keanu Reeves • Laurence Fishburne • Carrie-Anne Moss • Hugo Weaving • Jada Pinkett Smith • Owen Paterson • John Gaeta • Geof Darrow • Steve Skroce
Other topics	The Matrix Comics • Thematic motifs • Matrix digital rain • The Matrix character names • The Matrix Revisited • The Ultimate Matrix Collection • Matrix cell phone • Bluepill • Redpill
Related topics	Bullet time • Cyberpunk • Digitalism • The Hero's Journey • Martial arts film • Simulated reality • Virtual reality • The Official Matrix Exhibit • Cadillac CTS
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