Abandon meatspace and weigh in with your Matrix recollections
But are they really YOUR memories, or...?
Two decades ago, a plucky little movie directed by a pair of little-known siblings and starring an actor whom no one took seriously pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Hollywood history. The Matrix came out of nowhere and utterly upstaged the juggernaut that was Star Wars Episode One, a film whose hype cycle had been carefully designed to reach fever pitch in May 1999 through half a decade of nostalgic, promises, and media tie-ins. And yet, it was The Matrix, with its sleepy-eyed lead and abstract, mind-bending premise, that took home all the genre plaudits for 1999... including the Oscar for best special effects, despite Star Wars's much-vaunted use of computer-animated characters and virtual sets.
That's because, you see, the Matrix was (1) smart, (2) inventive, and (3) cool. It was also immediately imitated by the entire film industry despite those imitators not have much of anything to actually say. So it goes.
This weekend, we'll be looking back at The Matrix and its legacy—and, above all, its impact on games. That includes the actual games it spawned! But also the higher-level, more philosophical aspects of the movie (and its sequels, I guess). Do you remember seeing The Matrix? Were you hyped for the sequels? Did you go ballistic for the games? Did you live a second life in The Matrix Online? Let us hear about it!
Jack in and broadcast your transmission:
- Send me an email to jparish [at] retronauts [dot] com, or
- Leave a comment below, and
- Keep it to about 200 words so we have time to cover everyone's feedback.
Please do opine no later than 9 a.m. PT Saturday Nov. 9. We're looking forward to it!
