The Matrix is an iconic movie that presented the world with ideas that were previously unimagined. I was sitting last night on my couch, and I wanted to shake all the stress off from the week’s hectic routine, and chose to re-watch this iconic movie.
Thanks to my Xfinity internet and its reliability and high speed, I went through The Matrix in a single go.
After watching the movie all over again, I thought of researching more about its concepts and other strange things that may have happened during its shoot or casting. And I’ve come across very exciting things that we all have been ignorant about. I would love to share some of these tidbits with you all.
Let’s see just how much you know about The Matrix.
The Wachowski’s Risked the Budget for Their Artistic Vision: The Wachowski’s took the risk of spending the whole movie’s budget in order to just make it like they wanted it to be. And they took it in a great decision. We wouldn’t have been able to see this masterpiece without their effort and risks.
The original budget that the Wachowski’s asked Warner Brothers for was around $80 million. Warner Brothers. Gave them $10 million, and the Wachowski’s took the calculated risk and spent it all on the opening sequence with Trinity. The opening sequence was liked so much by the executives that they gave the green light to the Wachowskis’ original request.
The Movie Differentiates Between the Matrix and the Real World through Different Colors: The scenes that were set in the matrix were shown in a tinted green shade and those that are happening in real life are shown in normal colors.
Do you remember the scene between Neo and Morpheus that was displayed in the tinted yellow shade? That’s because it was taking place not in the matrix nor in real life, but in a mysterious dimension.
Keanu Reeves Climbed Out of the Window without the Help of Any Stuntman: We all remember the scene where Neo and Morpheus are having a phone conversation within the MetaCortex offices and Morpheus instructs Neo to go out of the window. Reeves did that scene on the 34th story of the building without the aid of any stuntman.
Multiple Injuries Occurred on Set: Before shooting began, Keanu Reeves went through a spine surgery. You can also see him wearing a neck brace in behind the scenes clips. Hugo Weaving injured his head on the very first day of shooting, but rather than recasting, the stunts were saved for last so that he could fully recover.
The Sovereignty of Woo-Ping Yuen: Yuen is a legendary stunt coordinator, martial arts master, writer, director, and producer. He never wanted to do The Matrix and tried to shake off Warner Brothers by demanding a high price. But they agreed to it. Then he placed an impossible demand of taking control of all of the fight scenes and training all the major characters for four months. The Wachowskis even agreed to that term too, as they had utter confident in his skills.
The Wachowskis Worked on the Script for Over Five Years: The Wachowski siblings worked really hard to execute this film with all the criticalities. They worked through almost 14 drafts before they reached the final product.
Do You Know What Morpheus Means? Morpheus is the god of dreams in Greek mythology. This name was chosen after thorough research, as he is the one who wakes people up from dreams and introduces them to reality.
Keanu Reeves Wasn’t the First Choice for Neo: It’s hard to imagine someone else as Neo instead of Reeves, but the truth is that he wasn’t the first choice. Will Smith was approached for this role, but turned it down for some other movie. Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, and Leonardo Dicaprio were also considered and approached, but they all declined as well. And then Reeves was chosen as Neo, and the Wachowskis never regretted it for a second.
The Opening Scene Was Shot in Four Days
As promised by Woo-ping Yuen, all the major characters had to go through a hardcore training of four months. He trained them so hard that the opening sequence took only four days to shoot.
Laurence Fishburne Was Not the First Choice for Morpheus: Laurence Fishburne wasn’t the first choice for the character of Morpheus. Gary Old man and Samuel L. Jackson were both considered for the role at first.
Now you just don’t know about The Matrix, but also about behind the screen truths and the efforts of the artists.
Author Bio: Robert James is an MIS with a vast experience and research on personal and home security tech and gadgets. He also write on Comcast Tv Packages. He is an MMA Fighter and Technology enthusiast with a will to act. Tech Writer and Researcher with a flare to review the latest security tech and gadgets