a decent script.

the aesthetic of the matrix was probably the most memorable part, but i'm pretty sure that the cyberpunk genre had already established most of its elements years before it was released. there must've already been some sort of cultural context for "guy wearing an all black trench coat/boots/sunglasses getup doing cartwheeling away from bullets" to read as cool instead of absurdly dorky.

the late 1980's-early 2000's must've been a dark time for scriptwriting, considering that a bunch of the stuff hailed as great (see; twin peaks) had w/e writing at best

no it wasent, that was "the crow" and he was a man about it and face tanked those gunshots

no it wasent, that was "the crow" and he was a man about it and face tanked those gunshots

Also, the film gets us the most amazing upvote gif in existence, so there's that..

the aesthetic of the matrix was probably the most memorable part, but i'm pretty sure that the cyberpunk genre had already established most of its elements years before it was released.

the late 1980's-early 2000's must've been a dark time for scriptwriting, considering that a bunch of the stuff hailed as great (see; twin peaks) had w/e writing at best

Mr. Raynaud, for me The Matrix is special because it explains the concept of solipsism better than any film before or after it. And films after it (like Inception) borrow heavily from the concept of layered reality that The Matrix explained so well within its paradigm.

Also, the film gets us the most amazing upvote gif in existence, so there's that..

Lots of people have discussed AD NAUSEAM the subtly or not so subtly philosophical overtones of the movie, but for me, what did it was the "occult" imagery of well established Journeys.

Red and Blue, Oracles, Architects, Doors, Automatons, Twins, Humanity extinguished, reborn and rebuilt, Cycles, etc, etc, etc.

Also Twin Peaks is visually astounding, and sometimes, script is secondary and even detrimental to the visual story being represented, then again, a matter of taste,

Also there is only one movie... THERE WERE NO SEQUELS.

This is like asking why Jurassic Park was such a massive thing (again, there was only one movie those others dont count)

so, i just got around to watching "the matrix", and came away thinking that it was an okay film but not understanding why so many people are so into it.

like a lot of science fiction, it starts off with a premise which doesn't act as a platform to facilitate character interaction or examine aspects of humanity but rather just kind of exists. "everything you believe is actually fake" is a fine premise, it worked for "inception", but whereas "inception" faded out of relevance about a year after it was released, the matrix has somehow remained a big cultural influence while being a sequence of slow-motion kung fu action clips interspersed with scenes of character interaction completely lacking in personality and some really mystifying wardrobe design choices.

even lighthearted modern science fiction films like "snow piercer" come out ahead compared to "the matrix". the former concerns itself entirely with human interaction instead of its science fiction premise, and the result is a really fun and watchable film with an interesting cast and good looking guys doing violent things (you should watch it, btw). meanwhile, "the matrix" fails to develop most of its characters beyond basic archetypes and all the action scenes kind of blend together after a while.

anyway, why do people like it so much

I really wish you could have said that 2 months earlier.
When I realized that I had never seen part 2 and 3, I decided to buy the ultimate Jurassic Park Collectors edition with all three parts.
I am still perplexed and trying to wrap my head around what the hell I was watching.
I mean, even if every dinosaur was digitally replaced by Jar Jar Binks, those movies would actually still have been better than that turbo-crap.

I liked the second one a little bit. Is that bad?

I really wish you could have said that 2 months earlier.
When I realized that I had never seen part 2 and 3, I decided to buy the ultimate Jurassic Park Collectors edition with all three parts.
I am still perplexed and trying to wrap my head around what the hell I was watching.
I mean, even if every dinosaur was digitally replaced by Jar Jar Binks, those movies would actually still have been better than that turbo-crap.

QFT

The same goes for Star Wars, anything after Return of the Jedi is heresy.

Philosophically the Matrix fills the need for explanation; for that feeling that something is very wrong with the world. Its shallow characters and simple plot line make it accessible to a large number of people - a triumph of vulgarity, with a contemporary wrapper.

Forces larger than you control the world, but if one has the ability to see beyond those forces, then self actualization is within reach.

This theme is common and can be found in literature from ancient Hindu texts, through the old and new testaments, up through current political conspiracy thrillers.

so, i just got around to watching "the matrix", and came away thinking that it was an okay film but not understanding why so many people are so into it.

like a lot of science fiction, it starts off with a premise which doesn't act as a platform to facilitate character interaction or examine aspects of humanity but rather just kind of exists. "everything you believe is actually fake" is a fine premise, it worked for "inception", but whereas "inception" faded out of relevance about a year after it was released, the matrix has somehow remained a big cultural influence while being a sequence of slow-motion kung fu action clips interspersed with scenes of character interaction completely lacking in personality and some really mystifying wardrobe design choices.

even lighthearted modern science fiction films like "snow piercer" come out ahead compared to "the matrix". the former concerns itself entirely with human interaction instead of its science fiction premise, and the result is a really fun and watchable film with an interesting cast and good looking guys doing violent things (you should watch it, btw). meanwhile, "the matrix" fails to develop most of its characters beyond basic archetypes and all the action scenes kind of blend together after a while.

anyway, why do people like it so much