Taking the red pill: 10 movies for fans of ‘The Matrix’
It’s been 25 years since the Wachowskis changed the face of cinema with The Matrix, the sibling duo’s jaw-dropping sci-fi cyberpunk spectacular that shook the foundations of the industry to its core.
In the blink of an eye, the majority of new sci-fi movies to emerge from Hollywood owed at least a small debut of gratitude to the Keanu Reeves-fronted classic, whether it was characters clad head-to-toe in leather, liberal aping of the iconic bullet-time technique, or taking established genre conventions and flipping them on their heads.
Despite the slew of imitators, though, there were none that could hold a candle to the original, something that even applied to the disappointing sequels to The Matrix that emerged. Sure, they pushed the boundaries of technology, but they were lacking in the magic that made the game-changing existential epic such a breath of fresh air.
There are a number of good sci-fi movies – and even some great ones – that carry the DNA of The Matrix in one way or another, with the following ten standing out as appointment viewing for anyone revisiting the film on its landmark anniversary that’s left desperate for more.
Action-packed epics like The Matrix
The Wachowskis couldn’t come close to bettering The Matrix with its own sequels, so the directorial duo decided that maybe a fresh coat of paint was the best course of action. Jupiter Ascending ticks several similar boxes because it’s a completely original sci-fi hailing from the same filmmakers, and while it’s not an objectively good movie, it’s a fascinating and visually dazzling one nonetheless.
For undeniably top-tier blockbuster entertainment that trades in many of the same themes of The Matrix, though, then look no further than Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, both of which balance scope, scale, and spectacle with big questions on the nature of reality and the way it can be manipulated, with the added benefit of being stunning works from two of the greats.
On a much smaller scale, Leigh Whannell’s severely underrated Upgrade follows a man paralysed following an accident implanted with a cutting-edge computer chip that transforms him into an unstoppable killing machine. Along the same lines as Neo’s evolution from analyst to saviour, Logan Marshall-Green’s Grey Trace discovers first-hand that embracing a new lease of technologically-assisted life isn’t without its issues.
Last but by no means least, not only is Jet Li’s Fist of Legend the movie that convinced the Wachowskis that Yuen Woo-ping was exactly the fight choreographer they needed for The Matrix, but the iconic first showdown between Neo and Morpheus is a direct and loving homage to a dojo brawl contained therein.
Movies that question reality like The Matrix
The Matrix drew its inspirations and influences from a number of places in creating a world where nothing is quite what it seems, but it’s a curious coincidence nonetheless that Alex Proyas’ Dark City was released the year before. A certified cult favourite, the dark and dingy sci-fi thriller puts forward the idea that nobody is in charge of their own fate when it’s being manipulated from the shadows by an unseen force, in much the same way as the machines have subjugated humanity.
Continuing on in that thematic vein, Strange Days finds Ralph Fiennes’ Lenny Nero running an illicit hustle selling VR recordings that allow subjects to relive and experience the past of other people in a dystopian, techno-driven conspiracy, while Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly isn’t just based on Wachowski inspiration Philip K. Dick’s work, but unfolds in a surveillance state visualised as a distinct, off-kilter universe of its own.
After watching Neil Burger’s literary adaptation, everyone wanted to take the Limitless pill that would increase their intelligence in the blink of an eye, and it’s clear why an engrossing, fast-paced thriller revolving around how life can change in the blink of an eye after taking a pill would be appointment viewing for anyone with a soft spot for The Matrix.
As well as featuring Michelle Yeoh in Oscar-winning form – with many of her Hong Kong action flicks winning over the Wachowskis decades before – Everything Everywhere All at Once deftly combines martial arts, existential drama, and philosophical quandaries while never skimping on the set pieces, thrills, or imagination, albeit with added hot dog fingers and dildo-assisted fight scenes.
10 movies like The Matrix:
- Jupiter Ascending (The Wachowksis, 2015)
- Fist of Legend (Gordon Chan, 1994)
- Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
- Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
- Upgrade (Leigh Whannell, 2018)
- Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998)
- Limitless (Neil Burger, 2011)
- Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)
- A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2022)
