20 Things You Somehow Missed In The Matrix

There is no spoon, but there is a pen.

Matrix Pen
Warner Bros.

At over 20 years old now The Matrix remains the standard-bearer for boundary-pushing modern cinema. Nothing since has changed cinema in quite the way it did and, while its sequels may have proved divisive and its tropes become overdone to the point of parody, it still holds up as an incredible action movie.

The film considers the premise that humanity is secretly trapped in a global mental prison, created and maintained by the race of machines that had overthrown them, and exists now as only an emaciated, comatose energy source. It follows a group of freedom fighters as they attempt to liberate the human race through the arrival of a prophesied messiah known as "The One".

Also, the soundtrack is incredible.

Releasing in 1999, the movie was the last of the big blockbusters to be spared the constant easter egg hunting of modern message boards and movie threads. Which is a shame, because the Wachowskis stuffed it full of philosophical references, narrative secrets, and other delightful little things for the audience to find during a rewatch.

There is no spoon in this list, but there is a pen you're going to find particularly interesting.

20. The Matrix Is Green

Matrix Pen
Warner Bros. Pictures

Wanting to create a clear visual distinction between the real world and the Matrix itself, the Wachowski's used some clever cinematography to subtly create a distinction. Specifically, every scene that takes place within the Matrix was digitally given a subtle tint of green, to order to transmit both its artificial nature and create a sense of unease.

The colour was selected to give the feel of viewing the scenes through the screens of old PC’s, which specifically rendered information in a phosphorous green. The idea also being that, as well as appearing artificial, being in this world should make you feel slightly queasy.

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Managing Editor
Managing Editor

WhatCulture's Managing Editor and Chief Reporter | Previously seen in Vice, Esquire, FourFourTwo, Sabotage Times, Loaded, The Set Pieces, and Mundial Magazine