In 1999, The Matrix changed movies forever, but who could have imagined how fast the franchise would grow? Just four years later, the Wachowskis returned with the near simultaneous release of two sequels, an animated anthology series, and a narratively expansive computer game. Fans then had to wait almost two decades for the next installment—not that too many people vibed with it.
With a fifth sequel (from director Drew Goddard) now reportedly in the works, we’ve rounded up every film and TV show from The Matrix Universe. Here’s how to watch all The Matrix movies and TV shows in chronological order.
The Second Renaissance Part I & 2 - The Animatrix (2003)
Released in tandem with The Matrix Reloaded in the summer of 2003, The Animatrix blew the world of the Wachowski’s creation wide open with a series of nine animated short films, each by a different director and in a different style. None did more to deepen the lore than the two-part “The Second Renaissance” by the Ghibli trained director Mahiro Maeda. It’s an unmissable historical account from the early days of AI and the rise of the machines all the way up to humanity’s decision to blot out of the sun and the early versions of the Matrix itself. In typically subversive fashion, humanity is its own worst enemy in a story that casts the plight of the machines as a struggle for civil rights.
A Detective Story - The Animatrix (2003)
“A Detective Story” is set just before the events of the first movie, following a man who tracks down Trinity online with the help of some references to Lewis Carroll. They meet on a train where she removes his bug just as three agents appear. Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, the legendary creator of Cowboy Bebop, and presented in a black and white aesthetic that pays homage to film noir, “A Detective Story” is one of the most stylish shorts in The Animatrix.
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix is the source code of The Matrix Universe and the moment where it all began. Keanu Reeves’ Neo, Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, and Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith have been guiding audiences down the rabbit hole for nearly three decades. Thanks to its prescient ideas, breathless action, and practical effects, the movie holds up perfectly. It’s impossible to describe how mind-bending the Matrix felt in 1999, you had to see it for yourself.
Kid’s Story - The Animatrix (2003)
Watanabe’s second entry in The Animatrix, “A Kid’s Story” provides the origin story for Kid, the sweet but slightly annoying fanboy who is freed with Neo’s help but without the use of a red pill. Played by Clayton Watson in the sequels, Kid might not be everyone’s favorite Matrix character, but Watanabe’s surreal and dreamlike short offers an intriguing introduction to the process of self-substantiation.
Final Flight of the Osiris - The Animatrix (2003)
As the only short in The Animatrix to use CG animation, appearing like a very good early 2000s computer game cut-scene, Andy Jones’ “Final Flight of the Osiris” hasn’t aged quite so well as other episodes in the series—even if the retro feel scores some nostalgia points. As a prologue to The Matrix Reloaded, establishing the sentinels’ drilling position over Zion, it’s also fine if not essential.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The best and most ambitious of the Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded offers the sugar rush of getting to see just what Neo is capable of as The One. The opening scene and the highway chase rank among the best action sequences in the series, and with The Architect, the Twins, and Monica Bellucci’s Persephone, there are a host of new and memorable characters to meet.
Beyond - The Animatrix (2003)
A beautiful children’s story set in some kind of Neo Tokyo, “Beyond” follows a girl, named Yoko, who stumbles upon a haunted house while trying to find her cat. We know that the unusual occurrences in the building (including broken objects that reassemble themselves and areas without gravity) are glitches in the Matrix, but director Kōji Morimoto (who worked on Akira) frames Yoko’s journey as a tragic tale of lost innocence.
World Record - The Animatrix (2003)
The second Animatrix short to explore self-substantiation is one of the best entries in the franchise. Takeshi Koike’s “World Record” tells the story of a 100m sprinter at the summer Olympics who begins to think, while running a record time mid-race, that reality might not be all it seems. The image of three agents failing to keep up with him is such a good metaphor for the possibilities of self-belief, it’s amazing that the executives at Nike didn’t get there first.
Program - The Animatrix (2003)
Set almost entirely in a training exercise, Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s “Program” has style to burn. It focuses on Cis, who battles a samurai named Duo across the tiled rooftops of a beautifully crafted feudal Japan. In terms of story, it’s one of the lighter episodes of The Animatrix, but Kawajiri more than makes up for it with the sheer propulsive energy of his animations.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
One easy way to check the quality of a Matrix movie is to ask how much time the characters spend in the “real world.” Released just six months after Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions mainly focuses on the battle for Zion and Neo’s death match with a now all-powerful Smith. Revolutions has its charms (who can forget Trinity peaking above the clouds), but it’s weirdly low on the innovative stuff that made fans fall in love with the series in the first place.
Matriculated - The Animatrix (2003)
Æon Flux creator Peter Chung is the mind behind this story of robot rehabilitation. “Matriculated” involves a group of rebels who are trying to reprogram machines to help fight in the war. In order to do so, they plug them in and have them experience human emotions, all in the hope of sparking some kind of machine-learned empathy. It’s a neat science fiction idea told through Chung’s unique visual language.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Eighteen years after Revolutions, Lana Wachowski went out on her own with The Matrix Resurrections, a film that feels more like a meta-attempt at trolling sequel-hungry studio bosses than a true addition to the saga. High on concept but unusually uninspired in its action sequences, this one is for the completists and the curious. Set 60 years after Revolutions, the film picks back up with Neo (Reeves), now a video game developer experiencing a blur between fantasy and reality in true Matrix fashion.
Where To Watch 'The Matrix' Movies And TV Shows Online
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