The Matrix has such intricate lore you’d think consuming the franchise would be difficult. But that isn’t the case and getting started with the franchise is relatively straightforward. In 1999, the Wachowskis introduced the world to a war-torn future where sentient robots have subjugated humanity.
The world we live in is just a simulation that imprisons the human mind to turn human beings into batteries for the robot overlords to feed off of. What was a relevant topic at the time has only become more topical in the decades since it first premiered. Since the release of The Matrix, there have been sequels, anime, and even more sequels for fans to get their fill of. And it all started with the “whoa” heard around the world.
How to watch the Matrix movies in order
Starring Keanu Reeves as The One and Only, Neo, The Matrix was a cultural phenomenon. With a killer soundtrack, mindblowing special effects, and even a love story at the center of it, the film fired on all cylinders. The series continued chronologically with a succession of sequels.
- The Matrix (1999)
- Matrix Reloaded (2003)
- Matrix Revolutions (2003)
- Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Though the plan had been initially for only one film, the box office numbers justified creatives to do more. After the first film, two sequels were filmed back to back: Reloaded and Revolutions. A precursor to multiple Marvel films released in the same year, Reloaded debuted in May, while Revolutions followed quickly in October to wrap up the story. The third movie apparently concluded Neo’s journey as he saves the world from the robots while sacrificing himself in the process.
But two decades later, the themes were still prevalent, and it seemed time to revisit the characters. Neo and Trinity (Carrie Anne-Moss) return in Resurrections, reinstating them into a new version of The Matrix. Resurrections didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel and followed nostalgic trends many franchises underwent. If nothing else, it was satisfying to see Neo, Trinity, and a version of Morpheus back together again. But if viewers were disappointed by the rehashing of old content, there are other avenues they can take.
In 2003, another film bridged the gap between Reloaded and Revolutions. Before the final film premiered, Warner Bros. released Animatrix, a visionary anime-style film comprised of 8 separate stories taking place in the world of The Matrix.
If you want to be an absolute completist, then the 2003 video game Enter the Matrix follows two supporting characters, is set in and around Reloaded and Revolutions, and features new live-action footage written and directed by the Wachowskis. The 2005-2009 MMO The Matrix Online also featured canonical story events linking Revolutions and Resurrections but as the game has been defunct for 15 years the only route is view the cutscenes on YouTube.
So, here’s the full Matrix story in order:
- The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance, Part I and II: This vignette is the first canonical Matrix story. It demonstrates how the war between machines and humanity first began.
- The Animatrix: A Detective Story: One of the more accessible stories in The Animatrix, it follows a detective named Ash who runs into a familiar character. Ash uncovers the conspiracy of The Matrix with the help of Trinity. Since the character is involved, viewers can assume this takes place before the events of the original Matrix movie
- The Matrix: Neo accepts his destiny as The One
- The Animatrix: Kid’s Story: Following the events of The Matrix, Neo saves the mind of a young teenager and brings him into the real world.
- The Animatrix: Final Flight of the Osiris: This story occurs right before Matrix Reloaded and is the catalyst for the events of the film. The ship Osiris gives advance warning that the Sentinels are about to attack Zion before being destroyed themselves.
- The Matrix Reloaded: Occurs some months after The Matrix where Neo has developed his abilities as The One.
- Enter the Matrix: Ghost and Niobe support Neo and Trinity during the events of Reloaded.
- The Matrix Revolutions: Picks up directly after the events of Reloaded and concludes Neo’s story of saving the human race.
- The Animatrix: Beyond: Follows Neo’s defeat of the robots as a group of teenagers find glitches in the Matrix.
- The Matrix Online: – Set in Neo’s new Matrix, Zion, the Machines and the Merovingian’s forces battle for supremacy.
- The Matrix: Resurrections: Unites viewers with Neo and Trinity in a story that takes place decades after their purported death in the original Matrix trilogy
- The Animatrix: World Record/The Animatrix: Matriculated/The Animatrix: Program: Three vignettes in The Animatrix that take place during ambiguous times.
The final piece of the puzzle is The Matrix Comics, a collection of comics and short stories from prominent figures in the comic industry. These are all canonical to the story, though it’s unclear when many of them take place and they don’t have any relevance to the overall story. That said, they are very fun, particularly the one that teases the arrival of aliens to the Matrix’s Earth. They are available in two trade paperback volumes.