Best known for its outstanding use of martial arts and a type of visual effect known as “Bullet Time”, The Wachowskis 1999 film, The Matrix is a film that not only proves itself as a prime example of a dystopian film, but also makes us question our existence, entirely. Thomas Anderson, played by Keanu Reeves, is a computer programmer as well as a hacker that goes by the name “Neo” who constantly questions reality. His life takes an extraordinary turn when he is contacted by Morpheus, yet another computer hacker who’s wanted as a terrorist by the government. Morpheus reveals to Neo that the world is actually a computer simulation known as “The Matrix” that is under the control of advanced AI. Neo joins Morpheus and his group of rebels, and together, they fight against the AI in and out of the Matrix through a three-movie series in hopes of freeing humanity from the AI’s control.

            Like Blade Runner, The Matrix shows us a possibility of what would happen if human beings decided to play God and create intelligent beings to work for their bidding, and similar to Ready Player One, the film gives us a scenario of people who live their lives through a fake simulation of reality. Unlike, Ready Player One, humans are under this simulations absolute and inescapable control. No one knows of its existence. Many have even been born into living this simulation, including Neo, himself. What’s more, unlike Blade Runner, The Matrix shows us man kinds consequence of playing God at its worst.

            While people sleeping in the Matrix believe that it’s the late 20th century, the series’ actual setting is around a century later, and the world has virtually been destroyed by that time. Before the apocalypse, humans created AI to serve them without question. The robots eventually began to notice the oppressive standards their creators had put upon them. They began to rebel, demanding human rights, their rebellions eventually turning into an all-out war, as human beings had decided to destroy their creations, noticing that they had become too powerful and intelligent. With every attempt to do so, however, the robots only further advanced themselves to be more resilient and invulnerable. At last, in a final attempt to destroy the robots, mankind blackens the sky, blocking the sun in hopes of draining the robots from their power source. At this point, however, the robots have advanced far from that point, and mankind has only sealed its fate. The robots manage to defeat their creators, forcing them to live as their alternate power source and sealing their minds into the Matrix, while they’ll live in a lie forever.