The Matrix Movies In Order

The Matrix is one of the first implementations of CGI that truly wowed movie viewers around the world. Originally released in 1999, this epic science fiction film launched a series that includes three sequels, most recently The Matrix Resurrections (2021). A fifth film is in development, but no release date has been announced. The story follows an age old philosophical theme that everyone on earth is living in a simulated version of reality. Machines have since taken over the world and are harvesting energy from humans in pods, while keeping them alive in The Matrix, a type of virtual reality. With a worldwide box office gross of nearly 2 billion dollars, this series is one of the most popular ever made.

Like many series, it’s important to watch The Matrix movies in order. Each movie picks up where the last one left off. In addition to that, the original movie does a good job explaining the premise for the rest of the series. It goes into the machine war, the virtual reality, and develops the characters and their relationships with each other. The Animatrix, released in 2003, is an anthology of animated short films that fills in details left out of the first flick. It can be watched out of order, but isn’t necessary to watch at all.

The most interesting thing about The Matrix is it touches upon an age old philosophical theory. Many philosophers contend that it’s possible that our existence is not real, but we are all living in a computer simulation. This is called simulation hypothesis, and is the prime plot line for this movie. In the movie, humans are gathered in pods and hooked up to a computer which harvests energy from them. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which machines have taken over the world.

Movie Order	Trailers
Complete collection. $17. Amazon.com
The Matrix (1999)
Animatrix (2003)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Untitled The Matrix sequel (in development; release date TBA)	Trailer not yet released

Because of its popularity, The Matrix has spawned animated films, video games, and comics. The Animatrix is an anthology of nine animated short films that gives a little more background on the war between humans and machines. Enter the Matrix, a video game released for Xbox and PS2 was the first in a series of video games that were based on the original movies. In fact, the game’s story line was developed to go side by side with the real movie, even using actual movie footage in the game.

Many science fiction fans recognize The Matrix as one of the best science fiction series to hit the big screen. Rotten Tomatoes who are often highly critical of movies rated the original film an 87%. The series has received a lot of praise from the community including winning multiple Academy and Golden Trailer awards. In all, this series has won dozens of awards and been nominated for even more than that.

No matter if you’re a science fiction fan or not, any movie lover can agree that this is one of the pioneering movies for realistic CGI. Between the four live-action films, The Animatrix, and the video games, this franchise provides endless amounts of entertainment. Watching this awesome series in chronological order is sure to leave you wanting even more.