Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving face each other in a scene from Andy and Larry Wachowski's 1999 movie The Matrix. Photo / Getty Images
Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving face each other in a scene from Andy and Larry Wachowski's 1999 movie The Matrix. Photo / Getty Images
Producers could have never predicted just how much The Matrix — a low budget film — would impact movie making for years to come.
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.
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.
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 behaviour? Is there a higher power? Are we living in a simulation?
The conspiracies were so rife that people were using The Matrix as a defence 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Warner Bros initially weren'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 a difficult to shoot and took nearly two weeks just for that one scene.
