By Drew Dietsch
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The Matrix is a once-in-a-lifetime piece of popular art that undoubtedly has gone on to inspire countless other artists’ creations, much in the same way the Wachowskis themselves were inspired by a variety of science fiction and philosophical pieces of human artwork.
In the wake of The Matrix’s massive success, its influence would be unavoidable at the box office for well over a decade, whether through direct parodies or action heroes suddenly dressing in black leather coats and sunglasses, even though Blade did that and “bullet time” before The Matrix, so I can’t technically include Blade on this list, but go watch Blade because Blade is a top 5 Marvel movie and I even like it more than Blade II. Call me a madman in the comments!
Once you’re done with that, let’s take a look at a ranking of movies that owe a very clear debt to The Matrix and its pop culture takeover.
8. Underworld (2003)
There’s a reason Underworld is in the bottom spot. It’s not a great movie but it is an important one when talking about some of the biggest profile post-Matrix movies, and it’s not totally without merit. Just give me a little bit of time to explain.
I think you are a smart enough viewer to be able to see some… let’s call them, “visual echoes” of The Matrix in some of Underworld’s artistic approach. Does that sound far enough removed from saying,“ripping off” so I don’t get a bunch of angry fans in the comments or sued by Len Wiseman?
Look, I only get one remotely horror genre entry on this list. Those are the rules! I wish I could have more but YouTube could get mad at us when we do horror genre stuff. And I can’t have Constantine on this list for reasons that you’re already figuring out, so Underworld wins as a second alternate for Constantine and Blade. Which both rule.
Underworld doesn’t rule but it’s not nearly as repulsive as most critics would have you think. Kate Beckinsale is a solid superhero vampire who falls in love with a good-hearted werewolf. Yes, it’s Romeo & Juliet with fangs and fur and lots of 2000s Matrix attitude with some of Alex Proyas’s The Crow thrown in for good measure.
It’s a fine if charmingly dated movie. And I’ve seen this kind of horror action thing done way worse. Remember I, Frankenstein? You shouldn’t. But I do. I do.
7. Wanted (2008)
A loose adaptation of a Mark Millar and J.G. Jones comic book, Wanted borrows the basic Matrix story concept of a cubicle loser who finds out he’s actually a super-powered badass who can do fun things with bullets. In this movie, he’s curving them. Ooo, look at that bullet curve! What a curvy bullet.
In all seriousness, Wanted does have a lot of assured style in its fantastical action courtesy of director Timur Bekmambetov who made another hor… uhh, dark fantasy action thriller movie, Night Watch, that almost could’ve been on this list too! Just goes to show that the stylish action quotient of Wanted won’t leave you wanting, even if the plotting is pretty doofy. But hey, James McAvoy is having a blast. I’m always here for that.
Maybe because it hasn’t spawned any… oh, I said the S word. Go ahead, editor. Punish me. Maybe because it hasn’t produced any sequels or fallen victim to any other franchising, Wanted has grown a legit and deserved cult following. I’d still like to see a movie or show tackle the original comic idea where supervillains conquered the planet and then erased the population’s minds and any history about superheroes.
But I should move on since that sounds a little less Matrix-focused, even though that’s kind of what the machines are doing to humans: making them live in a fantasy world while they are being puppeted by invisible powers who literally control reality.
Hey, there’s some Matrix going in the comic too, so read that as well! Just know it’s from the Kingsman guy so don’t get mad at me if you hate it.
6. X-Men (2000)
The less said about the scumbag director of X-Men, the better. That out of the way, it’s once again pretty clear how the black leather Matrix aesthetic made an impact on bringing Marvel’s mutants to the big screen.
It was a big talking point for fans how the colorful costumes of the comics had been traded for something that Trinity would’ve picked out of her digital closet.
Though X-Men wasn’t nearly as excellent as its sequel or subsequent entries in the franchise, it nevertheless sold the sci-fi idea to audiences worldwide.
And the cast alone knocks it out of the park. Sure, some of them get downright horrendous dialogue, but the cast are locked in and committed in a way that has made them a touchstone iteration of the X-Men for an entire generation. I could sing the praises of every single main cast member, but Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen alone make my case for me.
There’s plenty of reasons to feel less than enthusiastic about revisiting these X-Men movies, and I completely understand anyone who never wants to see them again. Just don’t judge those of us who still find the good in them, even the very first one.
5. Enthiran (2010)
Editor, I’m gonna kick back on this one because it should be an easy sell. Just show these clips from Enthiran while I refresh myself with a nice drink of water.
Dear viewer, if you don’t want to see Enthiran after that, we are simply two very different souls. I wish you nothing but the best in your journey.
4. Equilibrium (2002)
Christian Bale pre-Batman brings “gun-kata” action to a sci-fi dystopian CliffNotes mishmash of Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World.
The plot of Equilibrium is as high school intellectual as you can get, but the style and execution of the filmmaking is absolutely engaging. Bale is the right actor for this lead role, and if you aren’t cheering when he double shotgun blasts two dudes in the face to save a puppy, this movie will never win you over like it does me.
Speaking of puppies…
3. John Wick (2014)
Here’s why Constantine also had to get bumped besides it being hor… uh, supernatural mystery. Yes, I could only include one Keanu-starring entry since he’s kind of a big part of The Matrix and its sequels. Having him a bunch of times on the list would feel a little cheap.
But if I can’t have Constantine, I’m more than happy to feature John Wick. And we’re just talking about the original movie. There’s plenty to love about the sequels but much like Halloween, the whole Boogeyman idea feels much purer and effective with just one movie.
As far as other Matrix influences besides its lead actor, John Wick director Chad Stahelski worked on stunts throughout the Matrix movies. And the carefully crafted gangster world feels just as creative and intriguing as the sci-fi one we learn about in The Matrix.
You don’t need me to tell you John Wick is awesome. All I’ll say again is I hope people are still discovering and appreciating this first movie as its own singular achievement. It still rocks.
2. V for Vendetta (2005)
Produced by the Wachowskis and directed by James McTeigue, the first assistant director on the original Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta adapts the Alan Moore and David Lloyd dystopian graphic novel into a movie that becomes more powerful and relevant with every passing year.
Outside of its social commentary, V for Vendetta has some other unmissable Matrix touchstones. I can’t imagine why “throwing knife time” didn’t catch on like “bullet time.” And Agent Smith’s own Hugo Weaving gets to take on the heroic revolutionary role, and for never getting to show his face, he gives one of the performances of his career.
I’m sure just mentioning this movie will have even more potential fire burning in the comments, but I’ll never miss a chance to shout some praise for this one any chance I get.
1. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi magnum opus might not look too much like The Matrix but it does something a lot of other movies didn’t take from the Wachowskis’ story: a thoughtful and intelligent use of themes and ideas to craft a world that reflects those elements with artistic power.
The world and visual style of Inception owes a debt to the mind-bending mentality of The Matrix, but this the best example of taking true inspiration and making something stand on its own.
My personal favorite Nolan film will probably always be The Prestige, but Inception is the Nolan film that best captures and interprets his feelings about filmmaking artistry and fiction storytelling. Out of all the movies on this list, the one as groundbreaking as The Matrix as a piece of popular art has got to be Inception.
Got some recommendations of your own? Or something else to yell at me about? Get in those comments and convince me there’s no spoon! Like the video and subscribe before YouTube seals my mouth shut!
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