The Matrix, with its trippy, action-heavy explorations of the nature of reality (and heavy doses of trans allegory), brought mind-bending science fiction to the masses. It was, in many ways, the perfect blending of brain and brawn: a thoughtful movie, open to a wide variety of interpretations, that also happened to have some incredible and groundbreaking action sequences that leaned into old-school martial arts while pushing the boundaries of film technology circa 1999.
The first two sequels were, by any measure, less successful in conveying their themes, but, like anything done by either Wachowski, remain fascinating, if more muddled. The trailer for the upcoming sequel: The Matrix Resurrections (with Lana Wachowski going solo) just dropped, and damned if it doesn’t look pretty good:
Time will tell. But, in the meantime: just because The Matrix is among the most popular movies in the smart-philosophical-science-fiction genre doesn’t mean that it’s the only one worth watching. There are a handful of other mega-hits along the same lines, and several movies that did OK but fell by the wayside commercially. Some wear their brains on their sleeves, while others sneak in weighty themes while you’re paying attention to something else. Here are a few others worth checking out if you want to get your brain prepped for a new Matrix.
