Lilly Wachowski
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Filmography
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Connections, in both directions
Of course, the idea of humans enslaved by machines in all three Matrix movies owes a huge debt to The Terminator, but even the visuals here borrow shamelessly from Cameron, particularly the Armored Personnel Units — the lumbering, robotic exoskeletons worn by the Zion soldiers seem inspired by the similar apparatus Sigourney Weaver uses to fight the creature at the end of Aliens.
We cut from soldiers fighting in big Aliens rip-off machines, to a couple of chicks trying to shoot missiles into the center of the Death Star, or whatever that big drill thing is, to a ship being manually piloted by Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) -- with an uncharacteristically stressed out Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the passenger seat -- making its way back to Zion.
Having said their peace about quantum physics and bending spoons already, homage is paid to sci-fi classics while showcasing all the best in today's jaw-dropping special effects: Ripley's power loader 'mech' from "Aliens," the gun turret / Death Star escape sequence on board the Millennium Falcon from the from the original "Star Wars," and even a bit of "Starship Troopers."
The APU battle bots the Zions use look like they were taken straight from the dock movers in Aliens with all the clunky vulnerabilities that implies.
The Terminator (1984)
Directed by James Cameron
influenced The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Themes Plot
Of course, the idea of humans enslaved by machines in all three Matrix movies owes a huge debt to The Terminator, but even the visuals here borrow shamelessly from Cameron, particularly the Armored Personnel Units — the lumbering, robotic exoskeletons worn by the Zion soldiers seem inspired by the similar apparatus Sigourney Weaver uses to fight the creature at the end of Aliens.
The view of life as a dream had been around since the ancient Greeks, and the idea of machines taking over the world had intrigued moviemakers before--in the twenties with "Metropolis," in the fifties with "Forbidden Planet," and, of course, in the eighties with "The Terminator," among others.
Borrowed a lot from The Terminator, but still taken a step further.
One scene late in the movie will remind almost anyone of Frank Morgan's comeuppance as the fabled wizard in The Wizard of Oz, an unfortunate smoke-and-mirrors echo for filmmakers Larry and Andy Wachowski, who now appear to have pied-pipered our pockets into emptying.
Oedipus Rex (1967)
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini
influenced The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Characters
When Machine components swirl en masse, we're reminded of The Swarm, and a distracting Reeves eye mishap suggests Lasik gone terribly wrong — or maybe he's auditioning for Oedipus Rex.
When Machine components swirl en masse, we're reminded of The Swarm, and a distracting Reeves eye mishap suggests Lasik gone terribly wrong — or maybe he's auditioning for Oedipus Rex.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Directed by Irvin Kershner
influenced The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Plot
Not since “The Empire Strikes Back” have we had a sci-fi sequel that brings in so much more without trying to top the original.
Too bad this second trilogy entry is closer to "Attack of the Clones" than "The Empire Strikes Back." "Reloaded" is filled with armies, assembled populations, space fleets and officials who debate pompously in council meetings and orate to the unwashed masses.
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
influenced by The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Much like The Animatrix, the 2003 tie-in that the Wachowskis released alongside The Matrix Reloaded, Predator: Killer Of Killers serves as a kind of animated anthology precursor to Predator: Badlands, Trachtenberg’s next live-action theatrical film, due later this year.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
influenced The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Visuals
Even though the gloomy environs of Zion are far less interesting sites for CGI derring-do than the contemporary city spaces in the first film or Reloaded's sublime freeway sequence, the action is still sufficiently dazzling and the firefight between Zion's infantry -- led by the hilariously hard-bitten Mifune (Nathaniel Lees) -- and the swarming, bug-like machines recalls the high-tech splatter of Starship Troopers.
Having said their peace about quantum physics and bending spoons already, homage is paid to sci-fi classics while showcasing all the best in today's jaw-dropping special effects: Ripley's power loader 'mech' from "Aliens," the gun turret / Death Star escape sequence on board the Millennium Falcon from the from the original "Star Wars," and even a bit of "Starship Troopers."
Sure, the insect-like swarms of invading machine sentinels look cool (reminiscent of Starship Troopers ), but without any established characters to root for in Zion, it?s…
It’s almost as if I’m watching The Matrix Reloaded (2003) all over again, particularly during the confusing scene involving the introduction of The Architect.
The car chase sequence that is shown in the trailers feels like a pastiche of the car chase in The Matrix Reloaded , and while Nolan neatens it up, it still feels, well, old.
As Neo and Smith duke it out for the last time — tumbling through the Matrix’s stormy, virtual-reality skies, wholly unbound by the laws of physics — we don’t feel like we’re soaring alongside them, the way we did with Christopher Reeve in the old Superman movies, but rather like we’ve been stranded behind on Earth, watching as someone else plays the final level of an incredibly high-tech, emotionally uninvolving video game.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
influenced The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Visuals
I felt a little disappointed, however, in the lack of vision for the society of the humans who can manufacture futuristic flight and hack into the most sophisticated program in the universe but still look like they stepped off the set of the 1968 version of “Planet of the Apes.”
This is never truer than in the action sequences, which the Wachowskis expand and protract the way Brian De Palma drew out the prom-night coronation in Carrie.
The absolutely watchable vibe comes to an almost dead stop as the movie enters its anti-climactic third act, as scripters Bong and Kelly Masterson close out the proceedings with an overly talky stretch that's rife with exposition and explanations (ie it's awfully reminiscent of that now-notorious Architect scene from The Matrix Reloaded).
In a five-minute white void sequence that recalls the finale of The Matrix Reloaded, Merovingian-like Barbie creator Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman) explains the meaning of life to her creation, and the audience.
And not the Keymaster, that character Rick Moranis perfected in Ghostbusters.
Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
Directed by Joseph Sargent
influenced The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Themes
Filmmakers and screenwriters Lilly and Lana Wachowski (formerly Andy and Larry) draw from comic books, Hong Kong action films, cyber-punk fiction, video games, and every American science fiction conspiracy and tech noir thriller from Colossus: The Forbin Project to Tron to The Terminator.
The teaser nature of this is akin to Back to the Future 2 or The Matrix Reloaded, both of which ended abruptly and, while giving audiences more of what they craved, fell short of promises made.
The French Connection (1971)
Directed by William Friedkin
influenced The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Visuals
A 17-minute freeway chase knocks The French Connection off the top of the heap for car chases.
Just like "Bullitt," "The French Connection" and "T2" set the standard for vehicle chase sequences before it, this one moves the bar to a previously unattainable level.
Infinity War exemplifies the serialised style of the MCU, it’s a stepping-stone film akin to The Matrix Reloaded, or Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Political disruption is central to this version of the tale, right up to the point where Egerton has to deliver a speech about wealth redistribution to a slum full of what kind of look like the ravers from The Matrix Reloaded .