20 Most Epic Character Introductions In Movies

8. Trinity - The Matrix (1999)

It is a scene that has been so widely ripped off and parodied that its impact has almost been forgotten, but Trinity's introduction in The Matrix instantly set out the movie's stall as a game-changing blockbuster. Our first glimpse of the groundbreaking bullet time technique also neatly establishes the heightened reality in which the movie takes place, as well as the stunning fight choreography that the series would become known for.

Trinity is first seen seated on a chair as a squad of police officers break down a door to apprehend her, before we cut to Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith arriving on the scene to inform the rest of the officers that their colleagues are in for a tough time. About to be handcuffed, Trinity disarms the officer and leaps in the air as the camera spins 360 degrees around her, before she makes quick work of the rest of them. In less than five minutes, the scene informed audiences that The Matrix was like nothing they had ever seen before. Trinity's epic introduction showcased the cutting-edge special effects, cyberpunk aesthetic and gravity-defying action that would make the movie one of 1999's biggest hits, one that provided a refreshingly unique spin on big-budget film-making.