The Matrix is one of the greatest achievements in cinema history. Released in 1999, it set the bar for the new century of cinema to a level few have come close to achieving, not only acing the sci-fi genre but transcending it to become a modern classic. And it remains just as culturally significant today thanks to being cooler than The Dark Knight and equally, if not more, revolutionary to cinema than The Lord Of The Rings.
There were many unique things about The Matrix: the setting, the delicious lore, the theatrical yet relatable characters and plot, etc. Like with Lord of the Rings, basically everything in The Matrix but the dialogue holds up, with today's audiences expecting more humanistic dialogue. Things are less black and white when it comes to special effects, however, with some effects aging quite badly and others looking as good today as they did in the 20th century, which is more than can be said of the very fun but ultimately unworthy sequel, The Matrix Reloaded.
Holds Up: The Mirror
While you'd think modern digital effects artists have it a lot easier given today's technology, one thing that technology has to compete with is High Definition. Again, like Lord of the Rings, The Matrix came at a time where visual effects were making massive headway and high definition wasn't yet up and running to pull these new effects under closer inspection.
The mirror scene holds up perfectly thanks to the lower definition, the dark room it's set in, and how utterly immersive and compelling the story is at that point, for the worst enemy of visual effects is unconvincing storytelling.
Doesn't: Squidees
While the sentinels, unaffectionately known as "Squidees," were pretty terrifying in 1999, special effects have come far enough to show up the C.G. creations. While they still look stunning, one thing that was harder to do in 1999 was having C.G.I. characters interact believably with their environment and the real elements being filmed.
It is a necessary trait to convince the brains of today's relatively more tech-savvy audiences that what they're seeing is real. Without that, the Squidee scenes come across more cartoonish today and have a lot less impact.
Holds Up: Agent Transformations
Another unique thing about The Matrix was that the majority of what happened took place within a simulation, meaning the visual effects team had plenty of room to show us things that wouldn't be possible in the real world convincingly, with no real-world examples to compare them against.
The disturbing transformations from human avatar to agent are just as cool today and your brain has no basis to question what it's seeing in the context of the film's universe.
Doesn't: Dozer's Death
So now we come to scenes that don't take place within the Matrix. While the Cypher betrayal scene is incredibly theatrical, this was part of what made The Matrix so memorable and can't really be called overdramatic considering the stakes involved.
But the weird lightning gun thing Cypher uses is very unconvincing, and the beam of electric plasma it fires looks like something out The Abyss. Even if this weapon was used within the Matrix, it still wouldn't really sell it, and it diminishes Dozer's tragic death.
Holds Up: The Matrix
The scene may be aided by darkness and flickering lightning, and a brilliant yet underrated score, but the scene where Neo awakes in reality is just as jaw-dropping today as it was in 1999, as we look upon the sheer scale of the Matrix with our own eyes.
The sentinel that unplugs him also works thanks to good editing and the sentinel physically interacting with Keanu Reeves's character.
Doesn't: Agents' Movements
This effect takes place within the Matrix, and again involves agents, who are just computer programs moving through a system, but after the first viewing, you start to question what you're seeing.
This may be less of a visual effects issue, and more a conceptual one thanks to glaring issues such as what happens if you go for the legs, or if you use a minigun, or some of the automatic weapons you wasted on the innocent security guards downstairs.
Holds Up: Neo V. Smith
The Matrix and the first of its lesser sequels are celebrated for their iconic action set pieces, and the simple one-on-one encounter between Neo and Agent Smith in the subway remains the most iconic. Not only does the scene incorporate seamless special effects into the intricately choreographed action, but the fight is entirely character-driven and is a major turning point for both characters as they are both forced to question what they think they know about each other.
We'll get to the bullet-time specifically, but the use of it in this scene created the most iconic image in the movie after Trinity's suspended kick, and the speed and invincibility of the agents are explored much more effectively in this scene than in the gun battles.
Doesn't: Cypher's Death
Tank kills Cypher with the same weird weapon that Cypher used to kill Dozer, but the reason it deserves its own entry isn't for the unconvincing beam of electricity, but for what it does to Cypher.
It's probably just as well that we don't see Dozer's death happen since it would undercut the emotion even more to see him launched up into the air and possibly shrunk without any visible skin damage. It was a bizarre choice and makes very little sense given what we just saw the gun did to Dozer.
Holds Up: Matrix Vision
This is another one your brain has no grounds to contest. Neo's iconic Matrix vision isn't something that needs to be improved upon, since green code on a black screen isn't much of a tall order, and it's so cool and iconic and underpinned by thrilling storytelling.
It'll be interesting to see what direction they go with this concept in the future. There's probably already a VR app that lets you view your surroundings in the gibberish Matrix code.
Doesn't: Bullet Time
The bullet-time effects were among the coolest things The Matrix had going for it when it was released, but the art of slow-motion has come a long way since the turn of the century. Filming real bullets for slow-motion action is a thing now, best demonstrated by Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, a movie that is more Reloaded than it is Matrix, which is something that can sadly be said about most action movies these days, despite the technological edge.
The Matrix's bullet-time scenes are now officially retro. Then again it's all happening within the Matrix, where there is no spoon, so who are we to question it?