The Matrix, 25 years ago, paranormal reality became a cult – leisure time

“I'm trying to open your mind, Neo, but I can only show you the threshold. You're the one who has to cross it.” It is one of the phrases with which Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) guides the “Chosen One” Thomas “Neo” Anderson (Keanu Reeves) in discovering the real world hidden behind an apparent reality created by machines that have turned humanity into mere humans. Energy source. A world between soul-searching and rebellion explored by The Matrix, the masterpiece by Lana and Lilly Wachowski (who at the time had not yet transitioned and still went by the names Larry and Andy Wachowski) released in the United States 25 years ago, on March 31, 1999. Rejected by Cannes, it instantly became a global hit (over $463 million worldwide and winning four Oscars in editing, sound, sound editing, and special effects) with its blend of science fiction, action, martial arts, and philosophy. From Plato to Descartes, from Putnam to Baudrillard.

A journey between free will (with the choice between the blue pill and the red pill, to choose between the truth or remaining “in Wonderland, and you will see how deep the rabbit hole goes”), with increasingly current references, between artificial intelligence and the metaverse, of which among the many sources of inspiration were also cartoons Animated films such as Ghost in the Shell, Philip K. Dick's future worlds, and John Woo's cinema. Supported by an excellent cast, as well as Reeves, Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster and Joe Pantoliano, the film becomes the first chapter of the saga with Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (both 2003) in which Matrix Resurrections is signed only by Lana Wachowski added in 2021. A journey, The Matrix Journey, is based on how people have always been “searching for the deepest meanings of life. They have never been happy with what they already have. Evolution is based on this search, on the questions they have or lack thereof” Answer – explained by Lana Wachowski in 1999 -. Even our characters are searching for answers.” On the other hand, Lilly Wachowski, in a recent interview with Them, clarified one of her lines from a few years ago, about the fact that The Matrix is ​​a mutant allegory: “We didn't start working on it saying 'Come on, let's write a story. Trans symbolism, but from the desire to write an action movie – he said – “And then actually it's in this key, because it comes from two trans women who had not yet come out for themselves at that time and because it explores the concept of transition and the search for identity.”

A harmony of elements that relied on a long and complex preparation (we started thinking about the film in 1994) starting with the search for heroes: before we got to Keanu Reeves in Neo, we were thinking about Will Smith (who said no to filming Wild Wild West), but also, Among others, by Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Val Kilmer (who then also turned down the role of Morpheus, to film At First Sight), and David Duchovny. Likewise for Hacker Trinity, before Carrie-Anne Moss was hired, the part had been offered to Sandra Bullock and Madonna, among others. Michelle Yeoh, Janet Jackson and Gillian Anderson. When he read the script, “I was blown away by the plot, the ideas, the way the story was told, the language, the dialogue,” Keanu Reeves explained in an interview on the Golden Globes website. It was a really great movie. It is a film about questions, about awakening, about awareness, about love, about support, about faith, about evolution, about the relationship between man and machines, about kung fu cinema. In the contemporary sense, the traditional classic presents mythological figures of the hero, the sage, the warriors, the guides, the prophetess, the priest.”

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