The Matrix Trilogy, as well as the upcoming 4th installment, is an amalgamation of a host of notable works. Every film critic and analyzer knows how Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking Glass" inspired The Wachowski's to create their world of Sentinels, Agents, Key-Makers, and Oracles. Specifically, with the creation of The One (Neo), the New Testament was also a major influence. Then there's Japanese anime like Akira and Ghost In The Shell. But the truth is, there are also some very unknown movies that the Wachowskis were influenced by and even referenced in their movies.
Among the lesser-known influences on The Matrix are literary works such as "Hard Boiled", "Neuromancer", and "The Invisibles". Then there are classic movies such as Metropolis which has both visual and thematic references within The Matrix. But video essayists such as the fantastic team at Nerdist have uncovered more obscure works that helped bring The Matrix to life.
The Movies That Secret Inspired The Science-Fiction Elements Of The Matrix
The Matrix has gone down as one of the best science fiction movies of all time filled with hidden meanings and messages, so it's no wonder that the Wachowskis looked to one of the greatest science fiction writers of the 20th Century for inspiration. Philip K. Dick's work has directly inspired numerous science fiction masterpieces such as Blade Runner and Minority Report, but it was the 1990's Total Recall, starring Arnold Schewarzennegar, that really sparked something in Lana and Lilly Wachowski.
Both The Matrix and Total Recall are about everyday men who are awakened to 'the real world' and discover that they're basically human weapons. While The Matrix is filled with a lot more philosophical and theological allegories, there's no question that the two films have a very similar story arc. Both films also have the concept of a simulated reality, which is perhaps the most notable similarity between the two films.
Speaking of simulated realities, it's undeniable that World On A Wire, a mini-series from the 1970s, also influenced The Matrix. The series was based on a novel called "Simulacron-3" which many fans think directly inspired the entire concept of The Matrix. In the book and the mini-series, a supercomputer hosts a simulated world that people can enter into. Within this world are a bunch of 'units' who don't know they're living in an artificial reality. of course, one 'unit' ends up figuring out that their reality isn't exactly what it seems.
The Suits, The Guns, And The Kung-Fu
The Matrix movies, of course, aren't just about the radical and thought-provoking science fiction elements. It's also about the action, the romance, and wearing sunglasses at night.
The work of John Woo has been cited as some of the inspiration for the visual style and fight choreography of The Matrix. Specifically, his film The Killer was particularly impactful. The 1989 film about a retiring hitman has all the fancy suits and gunplay of the Matrix movies and even has a few shots that The Wachowski sisters replicated. Among the most notable is in the first film when Neo and Agent Smith fall to the ground with their guns pressed to each other's temples and realize that they're out of bullets.
On top of the work of John Woo, Jet Li's Fist of Legend (and it's original, Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury) was also a massive source of inspiration for The Wachowskis, specifically because of the highly choreographed kung-fu fight sequences. Aside from how The Wachowskis wanted their fight sequences laid out, they also looked to the remake and the original for a shooting style. Instead of cutting from shot to shot, The Wachowskis wanted to showcase the terrific work of fight choreographer Yeun Woo-Ping (who also did Fist of Legend) as much as possible. This meant the implementation of wide shots that follow the action without cutting away from it to hide imperfections. This was a style used in Chinese cinema but was knew to Americans when the first Matrix came out.
Finally, you can't talk about The Matrix without making reference to its cyber-punk/tech noir tone and look. A lot of this was inspired by Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days. Of course, the future Academy Award winner's film also had a lot of science fiction elements in it that could have influenced the story of The Matrix, but the movie's cyber-punk look and the soundtrack were definitely the highlights for The Wachowskis. So much of the beginning of The Matric, for instance, feels as though it could take place within the universe of Kathryn Bigelow's cult film.
While there are likely to be a ton of cinematic influences on The Matrix, these seem to be the most notable of the lesser-known works.
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