10 Best The Matrix Moments
2. Two Pills
Back in the old days, there used to be many phrases for making a hard choice. Between a rock and a hard place. Between the devil and the deep blue sea. Between Scylla and Charybdis. Now, making a difficult decision is taking the red or blue pill. Meeting the mysterious hacker Morpheus for the first time, Neo is given a choice. Take a blue pill and have his memory wiped, forgetting everything he’s seen ever happened, going back to his normal life. Take a red pill, and have his eyes opened to a horrific truth, something he can never take back.
The lightning effects and the rainstorm might be very cliché gothic, but that’s part of the point. The world of The Matrix is hyperreal, made up of media references to excess. Morpheus’s use of “Alice in Wonderland” metaphors reinforces this. And yet, through all this, he offers truth, nothing more. Reflected in his glasses, both pills are illusory, a step away from the real. We are being offered truth about illusion, even if we don’t know it yet.
If it weren’t for this framing by the Wachowskis, which was present even in the storyboards at the preproduction stage, maybe the scene wouldn’t have had the impact it has. Neo reaches for the pill reflected in the glasses, towards the reflection, towards the mirror. It is an initial attempt to break through to truth, to shatter the mirror, a mirror that will soon run down his throat. Not only is it iconic, it could be seen by some as a metaphor for the entire film.
1. Bullet Time
One scene, and one shot in particular, came to redefine Hollywood when The Matrix was released.
Atop the building where the Agents are holding Morpheus hostage, Neo and Trinity fight with guards and eventually, possessing them, the Agents. Kicking and flipping is one thing, but they can’t stop them. They Agents dodge bullets, and our heroes can’t land a hit on the bad guys. Then one of them shoots at Neo, and in a nearly 360-degree slow-motion rotation, Neo balances off the ground, bullets whizzing past him, coat billowing out behind him like a cape. This is the shot that gave the name to The Matrix’s slow-motion technique: Bullet Time. Perhaps no single shot has affected popular culture in the way that this has done in the 25 years since its debut. It has now been referenced and ridiculed so many times that its impact is now perhaps underappreciated. And what a shame that is, because it’s still stunning.
The rooftop fight is a perfect blend of stylised action and plot. Having been told that one day Neo wouldn’t need to stop bullets, he’s now right on the cusp of dodging them. This is the first visual proof we have, aside from Neo talking to himself, that he is truly becoming The One. The cinematography is gorgeous, the editing on point, and that famous shot so perfectly executed that it takes your breath away every time, no matter how many times you’ve seen it.
When you think of The Matrix, this is the moment you think of. So much so that a good portion of the franchise’s fourth film, The Matrix: Resurrections, is dedicated to reflecting on its influence. No moment anywhere else in the film could have the impact, the influence, the excess, and importance that this rooftop Bullet Time does. To this day, it remains utterly jaw-dropping, and the definitive moment from The Matrix.
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There is no doubt that The Matrix has left an indelible mark on our film-watching, on Hollywood cinema, and on our culture at large, but which moments do you think best defined this all-time classic genre film? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow @thefilmagazine on Facebook and X (Twitter) for more insightful movie lists.
Can’t argue with this order! I’ve never particularly been a The Matrix is a masterpiece cheerleader, but the hit rate of its iconic moments can’t be denied.
Trouble is deciding which ten make the cut. Had to leave some out and merge others. Very ashamed the 2001 reference in the score when Neo finally becomes The One had to be left out.