4. The Matrix (1999)
It's Incredibly Similar To... The Invisibles (1994)
The Matrix is, without a doubt, one of the greatest sci-fi movies of the '90s, and you wouldn't have to push me into saying that it's probably one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever - I love it! Though it's reputation has been lessened slightly thanks to those unnecessary and kind of boring sequels, it's hard to deny the visceral power of the original flick: when this thing came out, everybody started buying Neo's phone, wearing leather jackets, and learning how to hack (for, like, a week). And how can you argue with
The Matrix's wholly original premise? Quite easily, actually, if you're at all familiar with a little comic book called
The Invisibles. Now, before anybody goes crazy and thinks about explaining to me how "the Wachowskis have always been incredibly open when it comes to acknowledging their influences," here's one influence that they forgot to mention when they were paying homage to
Ghost In A Shell and cyberpunk novels. Without sounding overly dramatic,
The Invisibles is
The Matrix, if
The Matrix were about super-intelligent insect creatures instead of sentient robots. I'm really not kidding here. Grant Morrison's comic clings to a familiar concept: what if reality were actually an illusion? That's the plot of
The Matrix, too, of course, but I guess that's still a vague comparison to make, right? Wrong. Both the comic and the movie focus on groups of people who are aware of this fact, have a character like Neo whose destiny is to become the "chosen one" and has the power to unleash kick-ass skills through the bending of reality. And just to imbue this argument when some added weight, both groups are led by a bald guy who wears dark, round glasses. Uh-huh: Morpheus.