12 Most Influential Blockbuster Movies Ever Made

6. The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix was a shot in the arm to the action genre when it was first released, and became both hugely influential and massively parodied. The idea that our world is a projection created by machines to harvest human energy sounds a little ridiculous on paper, but the result was a groundbreaking sci-fi action movie that took over £460m at the box office. Of course, when most people think about The Matrix, they think bullet time. Filmed against a greenscreen with a rig of cameras shooting at 12,000 frames per second, the effect was unlike anything that had been seen onscreen before. Of course, this led to the technique being spoofed in 'comedies' such as Kung Pow: Enter the Fist and Scary Movie as well as ripped off in much lesser movies including Charlie's Angels and Equilibrium. The announcement of back-to-back sequels also saw the increasing trend of every potential blockbuster being labelled as 'the first in a potential trilogy'. The success of The Matrix spawned dozens of imitators, and saw a more distinct Eastern influence enter Western action cinema, particularly when it came to wire-based fight scenes. Any problems with the script were more than compensated by the groundbreaking action sequences, and despite the disappointing sequels The Matrix remains both one of the best and most influential blockbusters of all time.