The Matrix: 20 Things You Didn't Know
18. There's Not As Much Bullet-Time As You May Remember
What made The Matrix stand out against all the other action movies at the time was the bullet-time sequences.
These special effects were accomplished by surrounding the set with 120 cameras. Each camera took a single frame of the room at a specific time and then the 120 frames are stitched together to form one single shot.
Even though the bullet-time has been engrained in every sci-fi fan's mind, the technique was only used four times in the entire movie. Bullet-time is utilised in the opening scene, when Neo dodges Agent Brown's bullets, when Morpheus jumps towards the helicopter, and during the final battle.
It's also worth mentioning that, despite what many people believe, this is the only Matrix film that uses bullet-time. The slow-motion sequences in the sequels were performed with a completely different method called virtual cinematography.