As We Wait For Matrix 4, Let's Honour The OG Sci-Fi Film That Made Us Doubt If Reality Was Real

In a world where imagination is used to not escape reality but to create it, a hacker learns that reality is a mere computer program that uses humans as batteries, a power source. He frees his captivated mind and becomes a superhero of sorts. He bends the rules of physics to jump across buildings in order to fight off the bad guys. As he renders bullets harmlessly, he realises, he is 'The One' who can save humanity.

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That's The Matrix for you guys; a story for which sibling masterminds Lana and Lilly Wachowski blended their love for anime, MMA and cyberpunk; a story that even after decades is remembered as a cult classic.

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It has been about 20 years since The Matrix came into our lives and we fell in love with Keanu Reeves, the ultimate action hero. Nobody, at that point, had imagined that the film will become such a hit that decades later people will call it a sci-fi classic. Even Will Smith and Nicolas Cage hadn't imagined that. Otherwise, why would they reject the iconic role of Neo?

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Will Smith was offered the film before Keanu Reeves but he rejected it because he thought the concept wasn't something he was "proud of".

Probably, he didn't understand the pitch given by the filmmaker. "Imagine you¡¯re in a fight," he recalled, in an interview, the director had told him. "And then you, like, jump¡ªand imagine if you could stop jumping in the middle of the jump." We guess he was exaggerating in order to poke fun.

Not only him, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Leonardo DiCaprio were also considered for the role.

Now that Matrix 4 is in the works and Keanu Reeves is returning in the role of Neo, let's take a trip down memory lane to remember the OG sci-fi film that made us question if the reality was real.

#1 It was the film that changed the face of Hollywood.

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The concept of the movie that had Kung Fu, cyberpunk, and solipsism - an absolute mind-fuck, something that audiences hadn¡¯t seen before, at least in the theatres.

#2 It was the film that gave birth to Bullet Time.

The Matrix popularised the visual effect phenomenon called the Bullet Time. Remember when Neo dodged his enemy's gunfire and dropped our jaws collectively?

#3 It was a lethal combination of action and philosophy!

From Terminator to Con Air, the audience had seen a lot of action films before, but The Matrix was different. Action films are usually brainless, just meant to entertain people. They are mostly about muscle power and stunt, but this one was a lethal mix of action and philosophy. After all, they made you question if reality was actually real!

#4 The film changed the way we looked at fight/action scenes.

Did you know that producer Joel Silver was so adamant on bringing on board Chinese stunt choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping that he agreed to his demand of actors training with stunt men for six months. That¡¯s how it all began. Henceforth, stunt directors followed the strategy too. Fight scenes are no joke. A lot of hard work is involved behind them, we got to know.

#5 It made Keanu Reeves an action icon.

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He is one of the most loved Hollywood actors, and for him, life after The Matrix seems like more of a red pill reality than the blue pill one.

#6 Neo became the most badass Keanu Reeves we ever saw.

For the people born in 80s and 90s, Keanu Reeves defining role will always be Neo in The Matrix, and not John Wick. After all, he knew the Kung Fu; he even knew how to dodge the bullet and also how to fly. Was there something that Neo couldn¡¯t do?! Not much, really.

#7 It was a wake-up call!

The film gave us a look into the dystopian world we were getting into. The idea doesn¡¯t seem far away from reality, does it?

#8 It challenged our beliefs of what¡¯s real and what¡¯s not!

Not only time and space, but it challenged the very perspective of reality. What¡¯s real isn¡¯t real, is it?

¡°What is real? How do you define real? If you are talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.¡±

#9 Morpheus became our life guru!

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Morpheus was one of the wisest characters in the movie. He gave us a lot of life lessons like:

¡°There¡¯s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.¡±

¡°Remember, all I am offering is the truth. Nothing more.¡±

¡°You have to understand, most people are not ready to be unplugged, and many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it.¡±

¡°I am trying to free your mind Neo, but I can only show you the door. You¡¯re the one that has to walk through it.¡±

#10 Agent Smith was one of the best villains we ever saw!

He was one smart villain who did his homework before playing out a hand. He did his research and tried to understand the humans and why they behave in the manner they behave. Of course, he did it because he wanted more power just like other heroes.

#11 The Matrix taught us before Black Mirror that technology can be a danger to society.

Constant use of technology in the modern world can alter our capacity as human beings to be nice to mankind, the movie taught us before Black Mirror showed us how technology can get out of control and what consequences could arise from mankind playing God.

#12 The trench-coat became a fashion statement after the movie was released.

To see Keanu Reeves doing mid-air Kung Fu donning the trench coat and shades was a sight to behold. Didn¡¯t you also want to buy a trench coat after watching the movie? It became the cyberpunk rebel fashion . The Matrix shaped modern culture and fashion in equal measures.

#13 There couldn¡¯t have been a John Wick without The Matrix.

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The fact that people loved Keanu Reeves in John Wick was because he had given audiences a glance of his action-packed role in The Matrix.

Would it be wrong to say that The Matrix was a film way ahead of its time?