10 Prequel Movies That Improved The Original
9. The Animatrix
Animated anthology film The Animatrix was released between The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, but was actually set between the original Matrix and Reloaded, and lends fascinating context to the wider world of the entire trilogy.
The nine animated shorts naturally vary wildly in quality, but generally do a fantastic job of unveiling the backstory of the war between the humans and machines, while further developing many of the franchise's central characters.
Though the original Matrix, in particular, stands extremely well on its own, these shorts do nevertheless make its world feel more lived-in, and especially make it easier to appreciate what the more uneven Reloaded and Revolutions were trying to do.
For instance, the character of The Kid (Clayton Watson) from the second and third films was largely loathed by the fanbase, yet The Animatrix's short "Kid's Story" brings desperately needed shade and nuance to his characterisation. And even if every short isn't necessarily a banger, they're all absolutely gorgeous to behold, albeit in a way totally unlike the style of the live-action movies.