The Matrix 20th Anniversary: Things you never knew

Producers could have never predicted just how much The Matrix — a low budget film — would impact movie making for years to come.

The cyberpunk epic, written and directed by twins Lilly and Lana Wachowski, could easily have dropped out of sight. The Wachowskis, after all, don't always nail it (Jupiter Ascending, anyone?). 

But with novel bullet-time camera work that still impresses today and intense—and intensely physical—performances from a diverse crew of actors like Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

THE MOVIE'S ORIGINAL BUDGET WAS BLOWN ENTIRELY ON THE ICONIC FIRST SCENE

Screenwriting instructors will tell you the opening scene of Trinity (Moss) kicking all kinds of ass is Great Writing 101. It better be, it cost the Wachowskis their original budget of $10 million. It was a calculated risk that paid off. Execs saw the footage and gave the sisters $50 million more.

The level of computer-generated imagery goes up another dial every time a new big-budget film drops.

The art of movie making is getting better and better every time you step into the cinema, thanks to extremely lucrative production companies and cutting-edge technology.

But there was a time where we didn’t really know what — or exactly how — to use such technology. And it wasn’t that long ago.

It’s been 20 years since sci-fi film The Matrix hit cinemas, and Warner Bros could have never guessed what a juggernaut it would become.

Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix

Not just at the time. The film, which was directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and is available to stream on Foxtel, did become an immediate commercial success, making a whopping $US463.5 million at the box office with a much smaller budget of $US63million.

It gained a cult following with mad sci-fi fans desperate to get their hands on the iconic gear — sunglasses, all-black leather outfits, and trench coats — for popular culture events around the world.

It also challenged — on a mainstream level — everything we thought we knew. Are we really controlling our own behavior? Is there a higher power? Are we living in a simulation?

The conspiracies were so rife that people were using The Matrix as a defense in court to get out of criminal charges, pleading insanity claiming they genuinely believed they were in the Matrix.

But it wasn’t just the early impact. The Matrix, which was filmed in Sydney, is to this day credited as a game changer in the world of movie making.

Iconic

The 1999 fantasy flick, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss, took CGI to a whole new level and influenced every action movie in its wake.

And while it’s stayed so relevant after two decades, there is still a lot that you probably didn’t know about the movie.

WILL SMITH SAID NO TO NEO SO HE COULD STAR IN 'WILD WILD WEST' 

To his credit, Smith couldn't wrap 

To his credit, Smith couldn't wrap his head around the Wachowski's freaky-sounding story pitch and went with the more concrete-sounding option. If his telling of the story is any indication, he knows he didn't choose the right pill.

'THE MATRIX' WAS FILMED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, BUT THE WACHOWSKIS HEARTS WERE IN CHICAGO

Outdoor moments like the street scene above took pl

FIGHT TRAINING LASTED 4 WHOLE MONTHS

The actors all underwent grueling combat training with Hong Kong martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping in order to be convincing onscreen. Keanu Reeves alone would train up to 10 hours a day at times. 

'THE MATRIX' IS COLOR-CODED

There's one easy wa

There's one easy way to know if you are in the actual Matrix: Everything is overlaid with green. The filmmakers meant to do that. Green for the unreal world created by the machines and blue tint for the world of Zion. The clip video above was simply designed to illustrate the way the Wachowskis approached color across the entire trilogy.

HUGO WEAVING AND KEANU REEVES WERE BOTH PLAYING HURT

Reeves had surgery on his upper sp

Reeves had surgery on his upper spine prior to his fight training and had to wear a cervical collar the entire time. Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) suffered a hip injury and needed surgery. Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne were hurt as well. It was pretty damn brutal.

THE SCENE IN WHICH NEO WAKES IN THE HUMAN BATTERY FARM WAS FILMED LAST

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves had to shave his head and lose at least 15 pounds for the scene in which he comes to in his real body and finds himself in the battery pod—it only made sense to wait until all the other shooting was done.

"BULLET TIME" WAS BASICALLY CREATED FOR USE IN THIS MOVIE

By rigging up 120 digital still cameras and a pair of film

By rigging up 120 digital still cameras and a pair of film cameras to shoot Bullet Time scenes, the Wachowskis immediately flipped cinematography on its head. They achieved the 360-degree effect by editing all those images together.

TRINITY'S AND NEO'S EPICALLY VIOLENT LOBBY SCENE TOOK MORE THAN A WEEK TO SHOOT

In just three minutes the pair utterly wreck a well

In just three minutes the pair utterly wreck a well-appointed lobby full of security officers, and they do it with a dancer's grace. Obviously, that kind of action takes planning—that's why the mayhem took 10 days to put on film.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE WAS THE ONLY ACTOR WHO IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTOOD THE SCRIPT

The man who would be Morpheus was one of the few people who understood the 

The man who would be Morpheus was one of the few people who understood the script right away. Even at Warner Brothers, it was referred to as a "script that nobody understands." Fishburne was actually surprised others didn't get it because so many actors spend all their time reading arcane philosophy books about the nature of existence when they're not yo-yo dieting and buying islands and whatnot. 

Here are some little known facts:

THE HELICOPTER SCENE FORCED LAW CHANGES

New South Wales laws changed in order for filmmakers to shoot the now famous helicopter scene. This wasn’t any scene. This was at the tail-end; The big “saved the day” moment.

But it couldn’t be done without some intervention from the government, which was run by then Prime Minister John Howard. Thankfully, they got on board and made some tweaks to laws with Australia’s airspace to permit the helicopter to fly where movie makers needed it.

Scene in Aus

THE S&M CLUB IS REAL- The S&M club featured in the film actually exists here in Sydney. The Wachowskis simply asked those working at The Hellfire Club in Sydney to show up to work as normal, in their costumes, for the scene in which Neo meets Trinity.

So essentially, it was business as usual for the extras in that scene. Despite lockout laws killing night-life, The Hellfire Club still stands. It has moved venues 11 times and is now based in Darlinghurst.

A-LISTERS WHO TURNED DOWN THE ROLE OF NEO

He took away more than $US50 million for the film, but initially, Keanu Reeves was not the first choice to play Neo. In fact, he wasn’t even the second, third, fourth or even fifth.

Big budget Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio were all offered roles in the sci-fi movie, but each turned it down. Reeves’ career was floundering at the time, with the role helping boost his career — and earnings. Win, win.

Leo almost played Neo. 

IT WAS ALMOST NEVER MADE

Warner Bros initially wasn’t on board with making the movie. Mainly because the Wachowskis were relatively unknown at the time. They had a very small resume, but a very big idea.

The duo eventually managed to convince the studio to back their project after supplying a 600 page, shot-for-shot storyboard. It turned out to be a great decision on behalf of Warner Bros.

The Wachowskis won the Saturn Award for Best Director and wrote and directed its two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

LOBBY SHOOTOUT WASN’T DIGITALLY ALTERED

Believe it or not, and despite its impressive CGI graphics throughout the film, the shootout in the government lobby wasn’t edited digitally.

The Wachowskis actually staged everything you see on the set, including the explosions and the water, which is all real. It was difficult to shoot and took nearly two weeks just for that one scene.