Based on the Wachowskis’ 1999 film, The Matrix is a groundbreaking sci-fi action spectacle directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski. The sisters, known for bending genre boundaries and injecting philosophical flourishes into high-octane sequences, teamed up with Keanu Reeves, who stars as Thomas Anderson, a.k.a. Neo. Following this role, Reeves continued to explore dual identities in films like Constantine in 2005.
When Neo (Reeves) is pulled from his grey, monotonous world by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), he discovers reality isn’t quite what it seems. Their new alliance shatters Neo’s preconceived notions of what’s possible. Morpheus, believing Neo is “The One,” teaches him to manipulate the simulated world around him. Over the course of the film, Neo is stretched past his limits; he learns to bend the rules of physics itself, shifting from confused hacker to messianic figure in a digital battleground.
Cinematographer Bill Pope often lingers on Neo suspended in mid-air, captured in bullet-time slow-motion, or frames Trinity poised on rain-slick rooftops. Pope’s camera explores the glowing green code that drips across the screen like rain, or the sterile glow of Morpheus’s office, its windows framing the real world as if through prison bars. Low-angle shots emphasize power dynamics — the Oracle’s kitchen scene for instance feels both intimate and unsettling. Reflections play a big part too, as when Neo’s face splits across a broken mirror just as he’s starting to believe in himself.
