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The Matrix is the best sci-fi movie ever
- Thread starter FaceHugger
- Start date
The sequels are unfairly panned. Sure, they are not as good as the first, which is a bonafide classic, but they are still pretty good movies and I think quite misunderstood by a lot of people.
Take off Terminator 2 and Children of Men and add Robocop and Akira and you have all my favorite sci-fi movies.
The Matrix is great but it's definitely not better than any of these, especially 2001 and Solaris.
I love The Matrix. I do. I want to rewatch 2001 every time it's mentioned. This doesn't happen when I see The Matrix mentioned. Taste and opinion and all that.
It says more about the modern world than most movies made since, in any genre, and is actually more applicable now than when it was made.
Your list is the perfect Primer for the genre. Speaking of which, it's a damn shame it doesn't get more love.
Obligatory xkcd: https://xkcd.com/657/
Alien and Aliens
Terminator 1
Blade Runner and BR 2049
Matrix
I know people love to wank over 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I've always found it to be tedious.
Terminator 1
Blade Runner and BR 2049
Matrix
I know people love to wank over 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I've always found it to be tedious.
Wow, how did I miss this post?
2001 explores:
-the advancement of AI
-humanity's place in the universe
-humanity vs. technology
-the evolution of humanity, both natural and technological
It's a film full of big ideas that were relevant is '68 and is even more relevant now as technology rapidly progresses more and more.
Also, in my opinion, anyone who finds 2001 boring is too impatient to appreciate it. Slow doesn't equal boring. 2001 is a feast for the eyes, ears and mind. It is one of the most enthralling movies to ever grace cinema.
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lol, it really, really isn't though. Not even in my top 10. I think it aged like spoiled milk. But hey, opinions, whatever.
Member with username "facehugger" says "The Matrix" is better than the movie from which their username is introduced. Did not see that coming.
I can't blend the Matrix movies all together like that. The first one is certainly under consideration though. At the time it was very different and stood out. I saw it 4 times in the theater myself, so it ranks rather highly indeed.
I can't blend the Matrix movies all together like that. The first one is certainly under consideration though. At the time it was very different and stood out. I saw it 4 times in the theater myself, so it ranks rather highly indeed.
I was a real dum dum when the movie came out, and did not understand anything. I think I thought the movie was about a virus inside a computer. Didn't get any of the red pill vs blue pill stuff.
Op is absolutely right. People putting 2001 haven't watched 2001 in a very long time or are just cray cray. 2001 was the most Influential probably followed by Metropolis and then Blade Runner but if you layer on it actually being a good movie. Then Matrix wins
How are you counting MM FR?
Also Primer! Sunshine and Ex Machina!? Well that's it for my day I have to go to bed
How are you counting MM FR?
Also Primer! Sunshine and Ex Machina!? Well that's it for my day I have to go to bed
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Oh shit. I didn't even notice that until now.
Da fuk, OP?
I watch 2001 multiple times every year. And I ain't cray cray, it is considered one of the greatest films of all time for a reason.
The Matrix is impactful for sure, but sleeping on the impact on 2001 is a mistake, both for sci-fi and cinema as a whole. Here's some insight from various film folks:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/02/50-years-of-2001-a-space-odyssey-stanley-kubrick
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Wait, so no one has mentioned Gattaca?
The best sci-fi movie according to NASA:
The best sci-fi movie according to NASA:
2001 and Blade Runner are kinda in their own category, they're almost like art films.
But I do think Matrix certainly has a case against things like Alien, Terminator, Robocop, etc.
I'll be honest Alien/Aliens are fun to watch but it's basically just a slasher movie in outer space with not a lot of story depth past that. The xenomorph alien is outerspace Michael Myers basically.
Terminator has B-movie horror roots as well and while the second one elevates that formula, I still think Matrix is right there.
The bit where Agent Smith talks about the nature of humanity to Morpheus is great.
But I do think Matrix certainly has a case against things like Alien, Terminator, Robocop, etc.
I'll be honest Alien/Aliens are fun to watch but it's basically just a slasher movie in outer space with not a lot of story depth past that. The xenomorph alien is outerspace Michael Myers basically.
Terminator has B-movie horror roots as well and while the second one elevates that formula, I still think Matrix is right there.
The bit where Agent Smith talks about the nature of humanity to Morpheus is great.
The 90s are the best decade for action movies PERIOD. It started strong 1990 with Total Recall and ended with one of the most influential action movies ever. And so much gold in between. I'm really curious how Matrix 4 will turn out.
Gattaca is great and its subject matter is not explored often enough.
I should give it another watch. I recall greatly enjoying it but finding something odd about the tone. However, I can't remember specifically why that was the case.
Uh, that certainly weakens your thesis. The sequels aren't remotely in the same ballpark as the original.
So was Blade Runner, really. Both of them re-codified cyberpunk in ways that had never been seen before in cinema, yet were inspired in other forms of media like literature (Blade Runner), comics (both of them) and manga (Matrix). This doesn't make them any less groundbreaking.
Gattaca is one of my favorite movies of all time. Its tone is pretty unique in that it's sometimes warm and hopeful, and others cold and heartbreaking. Frankly it's one of the things I love the most about it.
I'd honestly say the only big Hollywood action/adventure/sci-fi genre films that match The Matrix 1 since its release are the LOTR trilogy.
Everything else ... MCU, Star Wars post OT, even the Nolan Batman films are a notch or two or three below.
Everything else ... MCU, Star Wars post OT, even the Nolan Batman films are a notch or two or three below.
Thank you, that's exactly what it is. It is cold and sterile, and yet very sentimental, often simultaneously, iirc. Nolan sort of does something similar, but it doesn't come across as genuine in the way that Gattaca does.
People criticizing the matrix sequels but then mentioning alien instead of the superior in every single way Aliens in their lists.
Yep. Was the first DVD I ever bought. Still have it I think.