Down the Rabbit HoleLists that explore the cyperpunk sci-fi action media series that inspired us all to buy black trenchcoats and question ~everything~. The Matrix Resurrections is due in theaters December 22, 2021.
Updated July 15, 2023 30.8K votes 3.8K voters 535.8K views
Over 3.8K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 33 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Matrix' Trilogy
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Vote up the most surprising and interesting trivia facts and Easter eggs from the films in The Matrix Trilogy.
The Matrix is already more than 15 years old, and its sequels were released more than 10 years ago - but their impact is still felt to this day. The Wachowski siblings built a massive film franchise that broke records, changed film, and woke everybody up. The Matrix movies are full of depth, nuance, and detail, unlike few other series. There's plenty of Matrix trivia you might not know, interesting Matrix facts to learn, and a host of Easter eggs, but it's all collected here for your enjoyment and education!
The first Matrix film redefined cinema, or at the very least its genre. By the mid-2000s (within five years of its release) the bullet time scene had been spoofed in countless films and television parodies. The Matrix Reloaded, when it was released, held the title of highest grossing R-rated movie of all time.
The trilogy changed movies, and movie going, no matter how you look it at. Plus, it still holds up amazingly well more than a decade later (you can't say that about a lot of the imitators that followed.) So sit back and enjoy these facts you probably didn't know about The Matrix Trilogy.
For the cell phone conversation scene between Neo and Morpheus in the MetaCortex office, Keanu Reeves actually climbed out the window. The scene took place 34 floors up, without a stuntman, which was incredibly dangerous.
Keanu is one of a handful of action stars who generally opt to do their own stunts, but he does occasionally allow a stunt double.
In The Matrix Revolutions, many of the "raindrops" in the final fight between Neo and Smith are actually single lines of Matrix code, similar to those on displays seen in the "real world" throughout the trilogy.
This subtle effect was added to imply the Matrix was beginning to destabilize. The visual trick was easily seen on IMAX and at larger movie theaters, but can be seen on smaller televisions as banded rain that seems to "jump" like static during close-ups of the fight scenes.
In the last scene of The Matrix Revolutions, the bench the Oracle sits on has a small metal dedication plate on it that reads "In Memory of Thomas Anderson." This is more significant than it may seem on the surface.
Thomas Anderson is Neo's given name in the Matrix movie.
When Smith pulls up in an Audi at the beginning of The Matrix Reloaded, his license plate number is IS 5416. In the King James Bible, Isaiah 54:16 says, "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy."
Numerous sets of identical twins were cast as extras for the "Woman in Red" scene, in which Morpheus takes Neo through a computer simulation of the Matrix. This was done to create the illusion of a repeating program.
The tall man with slicked-back hair and sunglasses in the opening shot is seen seconds later as a police officer writing a parking ticket.
Around 97% of the materials from The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutionsets were recycled after filming was completed. For example, tons and tons of wood was actually sent ahead to Mexico to build low-income housing.
This made for a more sustainable production across the movie series.
