The SF masterpiece ‘The Matrix’, which will be returning to CGV theaters nationwide on December 11 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its release, has released a 25th-anniversary main poster and trailer.

The released trailer catches the eye with its virtual reality images and action scenes filmed using bullet time and flow motion techniques. In the AI era, the question ‘What is the Matrix?’ is becoming more meaningful. ‘The Matrix’ is set in a future dystopian world and depicts a confrontation between AI programs and humans in the Matrix, a virtual reality space and an AI computer program that dominates the human brain.

Meanwhile, ‘The Matrix’ caused such a huge syndrome when it was released in 1999 that it became a cultural phenomenon in itself. Transcending cinematic and temporal boundaries of its time, it continues to inspire numerous fans and filmmakers to this day.
In particular, ‘The Matrix’ is forever remembered for its innovative special effects that rewrote film history, such as ‘bullet time’, a super slow motion filming technique that stops time, and ‘flow motion’, a 360-degree rotation technique using dozens of cameras. It is filled with numerous symbols and scientific and philosophical backgrounds between gunshots and action scenes that transcend space, making it a great science or philosophy textbook.

Co-directed by then-unknown directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski, it earned $460 million at the box office, seven times its production cost. It is also considered the signature work of lead actor Keanu Reeves. Also, at the 72nd Academy Awards, it won four awards including Best Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects, receiving recognition for its artistic quality.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com