Release of The Matrix
On June 23, 1999, French audiences were introduced to The Matrix, a cinematic phenomenon directed by the Wachowskis. The film marked the beginning of an iconic saga that would later include Matrix Reloaded (2003), Matrix Revolutions (2003), and Matrix Resurrections (2021).Plot and Characters
The film cast Keanu Reeves in the role of Thomas Anderson, nicknamed Neo, a disillusioned computer programmer who discovers that the life he knows is just a vast illusion created by intelligent machines. Reeves was recruited by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), two members of an underground resistance movement, to join the rebellion against the Matrix and its agents.Impact on Cinema
At the time, few could have predicted the enormous impact The Matrix would have on cinema. Technically, the original film popularized bullet time, a visual effect that makes it appear as if time slows down or stops while the camera seems to move through the scene at normal speed.Box Office Success
At the box office, the film was a surprise success, earning more than 460 million dollars in worldwide revenue with a budget of only 63 million. The leading role had been offered to Will Smith, Brad Pitt, and Russell Crowe, who all declined the offer.Russell Crowe's Perspective
Russell Crowe, who later starred in Gladiator (2000), revealed in June 2019 to the Australian radio Nova that he had read the script but that he had "not been able to get past page 36." He added to Far Out Magazine: "I simply didn't understand. And this universe did not interest me."
