The Matrix was first released in the United States on March 31, 1999, and grossed over $460 million worldwide. While some critics have praised the film for its handling of difficult subjects, others have said the deeper themes are largely overshadowed by its action scenes. The film popularized a visual effect known as ' bullet time', in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera appears to move through the scene at normal speed, allowing the sped-up movements of certain characters to be perceived normally. The Wachowskis' approach to action scenes was influenced by Japanese animation and martial arts films, and the film's use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema influenced subsequent Hollywood action film productions.

The Matrix is an example of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction. When computer programmer Thomas Anderson, under the hacker alias ' Neo', uncovers the truth, he 'is drawn into a rebellion against the machines' along with other people who have been freed from the Matrix. It depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality, the Matrix, which intelligent machines have created to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source.

It is the first installment in The Matrix film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano. The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis.

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