Master Rank #25

The Matrix

1999

GCML Total9.4240% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

CastKeanu Reeves · Laurence Fishburne · Carrie-Anne Moss · Hugo Weaving

USAEnglishAction / Science Fiction136 minR
Sight & Sound; IMDb Top 250Narrative FeaturePropulsive pace
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Oscar · 4BAFTA · 2

Spoiler-free premise

A computer hacker is drawn toward a hidden explanation for the world he believes is real.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Computer hacker Thomas Anderson, known online as Neo, is contacted by Trinity and Morpheus, who claim his reality is an elaborate simulation. Their offer forces him to choose between familiar certainty and a hidden war against the system controlling humanity.

Why it belongs

Formally, bullet time, green code, wire-fu, and a world whose design conceals a prison make The Matrix a lucid, exhilarating fusion of philosophy and action.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

The Wachowskis unite philosophical science fiction with Hong Kong–influenced wirework, graphic compositions, green-coded digital imagery, and the time-slicing effect known as bullet time, making abstract questions immediately physical and legible.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

Plus 4 additional wins

No headline-category win to name

Plus 2 additional wins

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

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