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From Neo’s awakening to Agent Smith’s omniscience: how well do you know The Matrix?

The Matrix is more than a blockbuster movie franchise, more than a cultural touchstone, more than an epic sizzle reel for philosophical speeches delivered by a dude in a trenchcoat with nose-clip sunglasses. With the first instalment arriving in 1999, positioned at the edge of the good old 90s and the impending doom of the 21st century, The Matrix became a credible(ish) way of explaining the universe (pre-empting the simulation theory, which arrived soon after) and even spawned its own quasi-religion, “Matrixism”.

Written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, much of the original trilogy was filmed in a computer simulation known as Australia: not the most advanced program in the world, but it did the job. With the trailer for the belated fourth instalment, The Matrix Resurrections, having arrived last week ahead of the film’s release in Australian cinemas on 1 January, the world is poised to once again see through the veneer of existence and accept that our lives are merely bits of code engineered by aliens.

So, how well do you know The Matrix? How many times have you stared at a silver spoon and tried to bend it with your mind? Put your knowledge to the test below and remember: we can only show you the door; you’re the one that has to walk through it.

  1. In the first movie, text appears on Neo’s computer instructing him to “follow the white rabbit”. He later sees an image of a white rabbit where?

    1. On a badge pinned to a leather jacket

    2. On the cover of a DVD of Who Framed Roger Rabbit

    3. On a logo on a man’s shoe

    4. On a tattoo on a woman’s shoulder

  2. The scene featuring the woman in the red dress was filmed closest to which Sydney CBD location?

    1. The corner of Martin Place and Pitt Street

    2. The corner of Pitt Street and King Street

    3. The corner of Martin Place and George Street

    4. Outside that 24-hour pancakes place in The Rocks

  3. When Agent Smith sits down for a chinwag with Neo for the first time, he mentions which altruistic activity that Neo participates in?

    1. Giving food to the homeless

    2. Spending copious amounts of time scanning Twitter and identifying accounts featuring misuse of the word “literally”

    3. Volunteering at a children’s hospital

    4. Helping his landlady carry out her garbage

  4. When, as Cypher, Joe Pantoliano delivers his famous mini-monologue about how much he enjoys his simulated steak, which of the following words does he use to describe it?

    1. Juicy and delicious

    2. Mouth-watering and tender

    3. Tasty and warm

    4. Delectable and distinctive

  5. True or false: Gloria Foster, the actor who played The Oracle in The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded, passed away before filming her role in The Matrix Revolutions.

    1. True

    2. False

  6. When Neo talks to The Architect in The Matrix Reloaded, which of the following turns of phrase is NOT used by this immaculately dressed, lofty-sounding, somewhat lecture-prone man?

    1. “A harmony of mathematical precision”

    2. “An outcome of programmatic specificity”

    3. “An eventuality of an anomaly”

    4. “The varying grotesqueries of your nature”

  7. With the film released simultaneously around the world, the first public Sydney screenings of The Matrix Revolutions took place at what time?

    1. Midnight

    2. 1am

    3. 2am

    4. 3am

  8. True or false: Australian acting legend Hugo Weaving will be reprising his role as the maniacal computer program Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections.

    1. True

    2. False

  9. Much of the original Matrix trilogy was shot in Fox Studios in Moore Park, Sydney. Which of the following blockbuster productions did NOT include scenes shot there?

    1. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

    2. Edge of Tomorrow

    3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

    4. Alien: Covenant

  10. In the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections, what object appears on top of Keanu Reeves’ head while he is in the bathtub?

    1. A teddy bear

    2. A small plastic bucket

    3. A rubber ducky

    4. An oversize Peppa Pig inflatable toy

Solutions

1:D - Like all the great philosophical questions of our time, even the question of how Trinity knew that Dujour would have a white rabbit tattoo can be found under discussion in a Reddit thread. , 2:A - The woman in the red dress walked past the fountain in Martin Place. This scene occurred in a training program designed to teach Neo that “if you are not one of us, you are one of them”. , 3:D - Agent Smith stops short of describing Neo as a swell kind of guy, going on to make a point that he is “guilty of virtually every computer crime we have a law for”., 4:A - The steak was indeed “juicy and delicious”. Not for vegetarians, of course. However, any vegetarian who took the red pill would know the meat is actually simulated. BUT, simulated animals still feel pain, right? Let’s move on, this is getting complicated., 5:A - Foster’s character was recast with actor Mary Alice taking on the role. The script deals with this by alluding to the appearance of The Oracle changing over time. While gazing pensively out a window, The Oracle tells Neo: “I don’t yet recognise my face in the mirror, but I still love candy.”, 6:B - The Architect did not use those words, though one would not be surprised to hear them rolling off his silver tongue. Fun fact: Sean Connery reportedly turned down this role because he didn’t understand the script. , 7:B - Prior to the 1am screenings a lavish premiere took place at Sydney Opera House, attended by cast members including Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving., 8:B - Hugo Weaving has claimed that he will not be appearing in The Matrix Resurrections due to a scheduling conflict. , 9:B - Tom Cruise’s 2014 time loop sci-fi was shot at various locations including Warner Bros Studios in England, but not Fox Studios in Australia. If this sounds like it has nothing to do with The Matrix: open your eyes! To a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible, etc etc etc., 10:C - Will the rubber ducky become as iconic as the bendable silver spoon from the original movie? We will see. The important thing to remember is: do not try to bend the rubber ducky, that’s impossible. Instead try to realise the truth: that there is no rubber ducky.

Scores

  1. 9 and above.

    You are The One, here to liberate humankind from the tyranny of our simulated existence. You will show us a world where everything is possible. Except bending a spoon. That is impossible, because you know damn well that there is no spoon.

  2. 6 and above.

    You have performed well in the training simulations; you know the steaks you eat don’t exist and your spoon-bending abilities are impressive. You are a valued crew member on board the Nebuchadnezzar, but you are not The One.

  3. 4 and above.

    You’ve felt it your entire life: that there’s something wrong with the world. But your Matrix understanding is severely limited and you have not cottoned onto the fact that all life is a simulation. Tut-tut.

  4. 0 and above.

    Whoops, the only thing you know about The Matrix is long trench coats and spinning around in slow-motion. You are not ready to be unplugged.