The Matrix franchise The Wachowskis

they completed matrix, science fiction action film, in 1999. movie stars keanu reeves neo, hacker recruited rebellion aid them in fight against machines have taken on world , placed humanity inside simulated reality called matrix. laurence fishburne, carrie-anne moss, hugo weaving , joe pantoliano star. movie critical , commercial hit warner bros. won 4 academy awards, including best visual effects popularizing bullet time visual effect. matrix came major influence action movies , has appeared in several greatest science fiction films lists. in 2012, film selected preservation in national film registry library of congress being culturally, historically, , aesthetically significant.

after success, wachowskis directed 2 sequels back-to-back, matrix reloaded , matrix revolutions, both released in 2003. matrix reloaded received positive critical reception, although not on level of original. became major box office hit, retaining spot of highest-grossing r-rated film on decade (until 2016 s deadpool). matrix revolutions received mixed negative critical reception , performed lukewarmly in box office. while profitable made less money original film.

during production of first film, wachowskis , spencer lamm, ran film s official website, developed comics based on setting of film, published free of charge on website. these , few short stories released in 3 series 1999 2003, several of them (along new material) collected in 2 print volumes in 2003 , 2004. wachowskis contributed bits , pieces , prequel movie explains origins of matrix, featuring illustrations geof darrow, movie s conceptual designer. other writers , artists contributed series include neil gaiman, dave gibbons, paul chadwick, ted mckeever, poppy z. brite, , steve skroce.