The Matrix is one of the most influential movies ever made - a film that came at exactly the right time, blew away everyone who saw it, and managed to embrace a plot about computers and hacking that wasn't lame. The hero of the story, Neo, stumbles upon the fact that the world as we know it is part of an extensive computer program run by sentient robots who are using human beings as batteries to power their world. As an extensive hybrid of all things nerdy, The Matrix incorporates influences such as cyberpunk, kung-fu movies and anime - many of which the Wachowski siblings have openly acknowledged. But why haven't they mentioned comic book The Invisibles? How Much Of A Rip-Off Are We Talking Here? Well, it's presumably because The Invisibles clings to a plot so similar to the one glimpsed in The Matrix, that it was probably best for them to keep their mouths shut, 'cause you know... lawyers! The Invisibles, then, concerns - just like in The Matrix - a storyline about "reality as an illusion," follows a ragtag group who are knowledgable of this situation, and features a character who becomes a sort of Messiah figure. Did we also mention that this Messiah figure his special powers, and can bend reality? If that's not enough, the group in The Invisibles is led by a guy with dark, round glasses (Morpheus, anyone?). The big difference is that The Invisibles is about, uh, giant insect monsters, which you will know The Matrix very much isn't. Overall Rip-Off Rating: 4/5 Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
