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Let’s be real for a second. If you’re trying to figure out the matrix movie series in order, you’re probably either a nostalgic millennial looking to revisit the leather-trench-coat era or a newcomer who just saw a clip of Neo dodging bullets and thought, "Wait, how many of these are there?"
It’s a valid question.
The Wachowskis didn't just make a trilogy and walk away. They built a sprawling, messy, philosophically dense universe that spans live-action films, an animated anthology, and even video games that—believe it or not—are actually canon to the plot. If you just watch the four main movies, you're honestly missing out on why the machines revolted in the first place. You've got to look at the whole picture.
Starting at the Source: The 1999 Original
The first one is perfect. Honestly, The Matrix (1999) might be one of the few "perfect" action movies ever made. It introduced us to Thomas Anderson, a bored software dev who realizes his reality is just a giant computer simulation designed to keep humans docile while machines harvest their body heat.
It’s wild to remember how much this changed cinema. The "bullet time" effect? That wasn't just a cool trick; it was a revolution in how we perceive space in film. Keanu Reeves became the face of the "reluctant hero," and the red pill/blue pill choice became a permanent part of our cultural lexicon. You start here. You always start here.
If you stop after the first movie, you've had a great experience. But if you want the full lore of the matrix movie series in order, you’ve got to keep going, even when things get weird.
The Animatrix: The Most Underrated Chapter
Most people skip The Animatrix (2003). That’s a mistake. This is a collection of nine short films that flesh out the world. Specifically, "The Second Renaissance" (Parts I and II) explains the history of the war between humans and machines. It’s dark. It’s gritty. It shows that humans weren't exactly the "good guys" at the start of the conflict.
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It's weirdly essential.
Without seeing these shorts, the transition between the first movie and the sequels feels a bit abrupt. You can find these on most streaming platforms or tucked away in Blu-ray sets. Watch them after the first film but before the second. It builds the stakes in a way that the live-action sequels often take for granted.
The Reloaded and Revolutions Era
Then came 2003—the year of the sequels. The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were filmed back-to-back.
People had thoughts. A lot of thoughts.
Reloaded is famous for that incredible highway chase and the introduction of the Architect, a character who basically delivers a five-minute lecture on causality that left audiences scratching their heads. It’s a dense movie. It expands the world of Zion, showing us where the humans live, and it complicates the idea of Neo being "The One."
Revolutions followed just six months later. It’s essentially a war movie. While the first film was a psychological thriller, this is about Sentinels swarming a dock and giant mech suits. It’s loud. It’s tragic. It concludes the original arc of Neo and Trinity, or at least, we thought it did for nearly twenty years.
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A Note on the "Gamer" Canon
Hardcore fans will tell you that Enter the Matrix (the video game) happens simultaneously with Reloaded. It features over an hour of original live-action footage directed by the Wachowskis that isn't in the movies. If you’re a completionist looking for the matrix movie series in order, you might not need to play the game, but you should probably watch the cutscenes on YouTube. They explain how Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) gets her ship to where it needs to be in the movie's climax.
The Resurrections Pivot
Fast forward to 2021. Lana Wachowski returned (without Lilly this time) to give us The Matrix Resurrections.
This movie is... divisive. Kinda meta. It’s a film about a filmmaker being forced to make a sequel to a film they already finished. It’s self-aware to a fault. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss return, but they aren't exactly the characters you remember.
It’s set sixty years after the events of Revolutions. The world has changed. Humans and some machines actually work together now. It’s less about "saving the world" and more about a personal connection between two people. Some people hated the shift in tone; others found it a refreshing, deeply personal take on the franchise's legacy.
The Correct Chronological Checklist
If you want the most cohesive narrative experience, don't just go by release date. Follow this flow:
- The Matrix (1999): The foundation.
- The Animatrix (2003): Focus on "The Second Renaissance" and "A Detective Story" first.
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003): The expansion of the lore.
- The Matrix Revolutions (2003): The end of the first war.
- The Matrix Resurrections (2021): The legacy sequel.
Why Does It Still Matter?
We live in an era of AI and simulated realities. When the first movie came out, the internet was a novelty. Now, we spend half our lives in digital spaces. The questions the series asks about agency, control, and truth are actually more relevant now than they were in the 90s.
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Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation was a huge influence on the original script—the book even makes a cameo in Neo’s apartment. The idea that the map has replaced the territory is basically the story of social media.
Common Misconceptions About the Order
One thing people get wrong is thinking you can skip the "middle" parts. You can't. If you jump from the 1999 original straight to Resurrections, you will be hopelessly lost. You won't know why Smith looks different, why there’s a city called Io instead of Zion, or why Neo and Trinity are even alive.
The sequels aren't perfect, but they are necessary.
The Wachowskis didn't want to just repeat the first movie. They wanted to deconstruct the "Chosen One" trope. They wanted to show that even in a world of binary code (1s and 0s), the truth is usually somewhere in the gray area.
How to Watch the Franchise Today
If you’re planning a marathon, give yourself some breathing room. These aren't "turn your brain off" movies. They’re heavy on philosophy, religious allegory, and complex physics.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Start with the 1999 film on a high-quality screen. The cinematography by Bill Pope is legendary and deserves more than a phone screen.
- Watch "The Second Renaissance" immediately after. It provides the context for the Machine City that the movies never explicitly state.
- Pay attention to the color grading. The green tint represents the Matrix; the blue/cold tones usually represent the "real world." In Resurrections, pay attention to how the color palette shifts—it tells a story on its own.
- Look for the "Philosophy and the Matrix" essays. If you finish the series and feel confused, there are incredible resources online from actual philosophy professors who break down the works of Descartes and Plato that influenced the script.
The matrix movie series in order is more than just a list of titles. It’s a journey through the evolution of sci-fi. Whether you love the later entries or swear by the original, there’s no denying that this franchise changed how we look at the screens in front of us. Go down the rabbit hole. Just remember to breathe.