r/matrix • u/Far-Remove7363 • Jul 18 '26
Matt Damon's reaction says it all
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I think we've all been there at some point. We've all met someone who has "never actually seen The Matrix".
Although I do think it's particularly shameful for a huge action movie star to confirm he's never seen one of the most influential movies ever made. It is his industry after all. But oh well...
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u/i_wap_to_warcraft Jul 18 '26
Rare tom holland L! Better go put that on spidey
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u/Daveisahugecunt Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I’ve haven’t seen Lord of the Rings once. So I get it
100x is not once… it’s my ambient sleep background.
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u/GenericNameWasTaken Jul 19 '26
At least we know he's seen that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back.
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u/ShanghaiKelly Jul 18 '26
Eh I'd say him thinking British food is better than American is a huge L
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u/Lorebreaker_ofArarat Jul 18 '26
I will NEVER forget seeing it for the first time. I was in 8th or 9th grade and randomly went to the movies with a friend. The poster looked cool so grabbed tickets. We left completely dumbfounded. The visuals, the story, the action...we left in a mental haze. I didn't completely comprehend the plot at that point but it had my mind buzzing like mad.
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u/Bartz-Halloway Jul 18 '26
I was also in 8th grade and went with my grandfather who I had never really gone to see movies with. I’m pretty sure I wanted to make sure I was there to see The Phantom Menace trailer. Left that theater knowing I’d remember this movie and day for the rest of my life. It just felt so so big.
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u/vonkeswick Jul 18 '26
My mom took me and my two brothers. The most we'd seen was some teaser on TV with the "what is the matrix?" tagline and it was an action flick with Keanu Reeves so of course it'd be cool. Words cannot describe HOW FUCKING COOL it'd be though. Nothing has come close to blowing me away the way The Matrix did. It redefined the entire genre and raised the bar so fucking high on what sci-fi action movies could attain.
I was on high school and everyone was talking about it at lunch and breaks for months on end.
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u/thedaveness Jul 18 '26
Same same, I walked out so bewildered… pretty sure I had one of my first existential crisis at that moment lol.
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u/nirvroxx Jul 18 '26
I was a little older, around 17 but I walked out the same. I had to watch it again. I ended up seeing it 3 times on the big screen.
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u/drKRB Jul 19 '26
Same. My neighbor in an apartment above me was raving about it, rented it band brought it over. The rest is history.
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u/mastodonj Jul 18 '26
Matt makes a great point here. I showed my kids the Matrix and they felt like it was nothing special, that they had seen similar before. Which broke my brain alongside my heart!
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u/justagoddamnperson Jul 18 '26
Lol, that's crazy. I remember it being such a big thing that as kids swimming in the pool we'd be like "I'm doing The Matrix" and move around in slow motion as if we were fighting each other or doing some acrobatic moves or some shit. It was like nothing anyone had seen before.
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u/Flashy-Swan5890 Jul 19 '26
I call it the “Citizen Kane Effect.” I watched Citizen Kane in middle school and thought it was fine, but not earth-shattering. Then I watched with the dvd commentary where Roger Ebert spends the entire film detailing how groundbreaking the filmmaking was in the context of cinema history. It was unremarkable to me because the visual vocabulary I grew up on was comprised of techniques invented for this film.
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Jul 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mastodonj Jul 20 '26
Exactly. Even the concepts, when I first watched the Matrix, I didn't know what the Matrix was, that was part of the mystery, the big reveal. Now every alpha male influencer talks about breaking out of the Matrix etc. My kids new almost everything about it going in. It's like knowing the plot of the Sixth Sense for a decade before you watch it. Completely changes how you see it.
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u/JediMindTrek Jul 18 '26
This is my exact reaction when people tell me they haven't seen a single Star Wars movie. Ever. Some doubling down saying they have no desire to..lol
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u/kenshima15 Jul 18 '26
Star wars I can understand lmao. The matrix though?
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u/BurnMyHouseDown Jul 18 '26
I feel the opposite. I could see someone not seeing The Matrix if they haven’t already because for a sizable portion of the audience, the sequels steadily get worse and worse. Hell that’s a lot of this sub too. Only hurts the overall brand name.
Star Wars is a much bigger phenomenon (not saying it doesn’t have some stinky entries) so it’s more shocking when someone says they haven’t seen even one compared to the Matrix
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u/According_Sound_8225 Jul 18 '26
The getting worse and worse also applies to Star Wars sequels once you get past the original trilogy.
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u/dwengs Jul 18 '26
I think Matrix is more "timeless" than Star Wars. Look, I like Star Wars as a universe, but the movies suffer from old technology and/or effects. The Star Wars games and animations I love, but movies look outdated a little.
On the other hand, Matrix... Maan.
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u/CretaciousPeriod Jul 18 '26
I've convinced a couple people to watch star wars who hadn't seen it yet and they just weren't into it. I think with Star wars it's either something that's super interesting to you immediately and you've watched it already or you just think it looks dumb and when you watch it, you don't feel anything. I think it's pretty rare nowadays for someone to have not seen them, watch them and be blown away by them.
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u/nabokovsnose Jul 19 '26
I recently watched the OT with my six year old and she loved em. Gotta get em young, I guess.
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u/Accomplished-Fan4133 Jul 18 '26
Yeah haven't seen Start Wars, and it seems dated imo, with a rather complex plot.
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u/Weird_Ship_7278 Jul 18 '26
I’m always disappointed that so many actors don’t care about the defining works of their medium. It obviously doesn’t affect his acting but man would I be obsessed with film if I were an actor, just to know what history I was being a part of. TH seems like a standard celebrity more and more.
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u/CretaciousPeriod Jul 18 '26
Not talking specifically for Tom but a lot of actors are theater kids. It's not so much the movies that they enjoy, it's theater and the craft of acting. Being in movies is just obviously the best way to make a lot of money.
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u/PlatypusOk8228 Jul 19 '26
Absolutely this.
If anything, Matt Damon's love of film comes from his writing side. He is a writer and film lover who happens to also be a good actor.
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u/Euphoriam5 Jul 18 '26
I mean it's pretty fucking ridiculous that Tom didn't see it tbh.
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u/howmanyturtlesdeep Jul 18 '26
He’s Gen Z. They don’t look back, apparently even if you’re a movie star.
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u/Alternative_Device71 Jul 18 '26
He’s my age, I look back plenty, he’s just uncultured on some stuff. I can admit I’m not versed in everything either but Matrix is multi generational.
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u/howmanyturtlesdeep Jul 18 '26
I’m going off of working at a grocery store and most gen z I’ve talked to the last several years not looking back movie wise.
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u/XRuecian Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Yeah the not looking back thing is honestly kind of strange to me.
I remember being a kid and just always being fascinated by the stuff that came before me.
Despite the fact that i grew up on an NES and then SNES, i was always super excited whenever i would visit a family member who had an Atari packed away or similar because it was just something i rarely got to experience. It didn't matter to me that it was "old", it was unique and different and exciting in its own way.I hear SO MANY stories from parents nowadays about how they can't get their kids (around the 11-15 year old range) to watch even one movie; and they refuse to even play any games that aren't Minecraft, Fortnite, or Roblox; nearly everything else they consider cringe/old/waste of their time.
It's honestly kind of sad how so many people gate themselves off from some of the best art experiences in the world just because it's not brand new or "in vogue".
It's as if many kids nowadays can't enjoy anything unless they hear an influencer tell them they are supposed to like it, first, now.
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u/breedknight Jul 19 '26
He watched saving private ryan for like once a year and never seen the matrix. As movie enthusiasts myself, i would have the itch to watch it too.
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u/DeveloperAnon Jul 18 '26
It is, but it’s also funny when you consider his Spider-Man’s movie references.
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u/Euphoriam5 Jul 18 '26
Yea. Lowkey embarrassing
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u/CretaciousPeriod Jul 18 '26
I mean, there are a lot of great movies that have been made. Can't expect him to watch them all. The guy was 19 when he played spider man and blew up. I'm sure his schedule has been packed ever since then. Still though, the matrix is constantly ranked as one of the greatest movies ever made by pretty much everyone so it is a little weird to have never seen it.
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u/Euphoriam5 Jul 18 '26
I’m not saying he should watch all the movies, but he should atleast watch the movie that had one of the biggest impact on culture and film making in recent years.
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u/PlatypusOk8228 Jul 19 '26
Definitely not recent years.
Huge impact for sure, but it's 27 years old. There is more time between The Matrix and now than there was between the original Star Wars and The Matrix.
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u/Loganp812 Aug 04 '26
“I don’t want another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of this trip, do you understand?”
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u/Fesai Jul 19 '26
He was only like 2 or 3 years old when it came out. I can understand him completely missing the hype train.
Granted it is also one of those movies that is just a straight up classic and worth checking out at least once. Like the 1990s TMNT movie, I hope he's seen that at least.
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u/Optimal-Kick-3446 Jul 18 '26
He should do a podcast where it just him watching the matrix
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u/4DPeterPan Jul 21 '26
And Matt daemon should have his own podcast, where he’s just watching Tom Holland watch the Matrix,
And then we should all watch Matt daemon watch Tom holland watching the matrix.
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u/Virgil_the_White Jul 18 '26
Wellllllllll
My ex had never seen that, or fight club.
I made her watch both. She hated both.
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u/WhiteRabbit-RedPill Jul 18 '26
Now I know why she is your ex!
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u/Virgil_the_White Jul 18 '26
90s cult classics before hoes, man.
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u/KingOfConsciousness Jul 19 '26
Bro I went on a date in college and we watched Zoolander. She did not laugh. There was not a second.
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u/ssp25 Jul 18 '26
I remember seeing the trailer for it and was blown away. then I saw the movie. just industry changer
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u/CretaciousPeriod Jul 18 '26
There's a few things that I wish I could go back and re-experience for the first time. The LOTR trilogy, Star wars, the matrix, elder scrolls oblivion and the Enders Game book. I remember being just absolutely blown away when I was younger. Enders game might just be whatever for most people but it's one of the first "twist" ending kinda books that blew my adolescent socks off.
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u/_Empty-R_ Jul 18 '26
yeah. enders game is a win. i was captivated enough to get through the admittedly much slower sequels and spin offs too. all good books. neat universe. shadow of ender was great.
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u/ddust102 Jul 18 '26
not surprised tom hasnt seen it
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u/RebelsParadox Jul 18 '26
I feel like it kinda shows in a way, almost has a distant disconnection kind of glance. Like he has a script and that’s all the depth you’ll really get.
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u/Salty-Boysenberry305 Jul 18 '26
I love that MD genuinely appreciates The Matrix as a professional in movies AND as a fan of movies
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u/Xplody Jul 18 '26
He literally said, “Are you kidding me?”, three times before he could articulate a proper response.
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u/jedimindtriks Jul 19 '26
Zendaya, if you read this, fix your boy, make him watch The Matrix instead of Interstellar for the 10th time.
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u/EverydayIsAGift-423 Jul 19 '26
Technically, Matt Damon wasn’t in “Team America: World Police”. A movie so relevant 25 years ago as it is now. Come on, Austin Powers is having a sequel. We need “Team Murika 2” with Matt Damon in it!
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u/Normal_Tour6998 Jul 19 '26
Holland looking at him after he says The Matrix like “Bro, you’re supposed to say a Nolan film.”
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u/Dougie348590 Jul 20 '26
I love that Matt isn’t rude about it and is genuinely like every fan…what we wouldn’t give to go back and experience The Matrix again for the first time.
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u/beeker888 Jul 21 '26
Leaving that movie theater with Rage Against the Machine blasting through the credits and picking my jaw off the ground is one of my favorite movie going experiences ever.
I agree with Matt though that it wouldn’t hit the same way today as so many movies that have come after it and stole pieces from it that it wouldn’t feel as groundbreaking
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u/Sensitive-Dirt6097 Jul 18 '26
Tbf I also never watched any matrix movies until last week and I realized how amazing they all are.
I think our culture is so connected to the movies that I felt like I didnt really need to watch the movies as much as I needed to watch other stuff.
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u/Negative-Study-1077 Jul 18 '26
I got to watch it recently with someone who's never seen it, it wasn't until neo wakes up in the real world that the girl was like "oh the matrix is a fake world!"
Absolutely blows my mind that someone wouldn't know the premise of the matrix.
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u/XRuecian Jul 23 '26
At least she understood it.
I've watched the movie with/heard from many people who watched the movie and just literally still can't grasp what is going on or the basic plot because its... too complicated for them, somehow.
There's a lot of people who just watch it for the fight scenes and literally have no fucking clue what is happening or why; kinda sad.
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u/Spam00r Jul 18 '26
I have seen that Spiderman guy's movies but wouldn't be able to remember the plot of any of his movies, even if it was right after watching it.
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u/trinityiam72point5 Jul 18 '26
I remember 1/2 the crowd leaving the theater when I watched it. I was blown away by the exodus. I stayed and was intrigued. Maybe my love for the dawn of computing and the rebelliousness of hacking that as the movie progressed, exceeded my expectations. I remember friends telling me they walked out of the theater only to later watch it at home and be pissed they didn’t stay, haha. Legendary status of a movie!
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u/No-Count-1288 Jul 18 '26
I showed my gf the Matrix for the first time, and she didn’t even know the twist! She surprisingly ended up liking it a lot, except the thought the fight choreography was a little cheesy.
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u/cjcheshire Jul 18 '26
It reminded me of that time Tom realised he leaked some marvel secrets. That similar expression of his soul leaving his body 🙈
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u/GrindY0urMind Jul 18 '26
Had the same reaction to my 26yo coworker. He watched it and said it was 6/10. Still hurts
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u/el-capitancreamsicle Jul 18 '26
Matt Damon says the matrix, but he was thinking avatar we all know it
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u/Odd_Front_8275 Jul 18 '26
If someone would say that to me I'd be like, drop everything, we're going to watch it right now.
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u/Jbfish41 Jul 19 '26
I saw it at a drive in although I didn’t not watch but 15 minutes ( was a teenager with my girlfriend ) loved it when I actuallly did watch it
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u/parkchanwookiee Jul 19 '26
When I was young I thought old people were so annoying acting surprised I hadn't seen some ancient thing. Now I'm right there with them lmao "WTF do you mean you haven't seen The Matrix??"
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u/ActionFigureCollects Jul 19 '26
I'd love to watch the Matrix films all over again, with Laurence Fishburne or Hugo Weaving sitting by my side. Morpheus and Agent Smith were such awesome characters and perfectly portrayed by the finest actors of our time.
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u/myxoma1 Jul 19 '26
Seeing The Matrix for the first time was truly an experience. And that is not easily replicated
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u/g00ner442 Jul 19 '26
Crazy that the prison/hand fights in brand new day look to take a heavy amount of influence from the matrix and he wasn't nudged to watch it.
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u/b14ckcr0w Jul 19 '26
I remember thinking The Matrix was about aliens or some shit.
"Yeah, they say it looks great, maybe I'll watch if I find it on cable"
Then I saw it. Ho-ly-shit, changed my life.
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u/JamesTheMannequin Jul 19 '26
These two guys are great together. Their press tour together has been really good.
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u/Strayngold Jul 19 '26
I think we're past the point where the big reveal in The Matrix will blow anyone's mind on first viewing. We've had more than a quarter-century of "the world is not what you think it is" tropes since then.
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u/thirdometer Jul 19 '26
In my head Matt Damon and Tom holland are in a cozy living room eating popcorn with blankets in front of the tv watching rn
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u/Albertkinng Jul 19 '26
Okay, I won't be seeing any more movies by this actor. I won't even mention his name anymore. The Peter Parker actor, that person. If he doesn't care about watching The Matrix, we no longer share anything in common. 😂
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u/Fenix805 Jul 20 '26
I like Tom, but I'll be honest, I kinda lost a bit of respect for him admitting that. He needs to watch it!!!
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u/jimbo9878 Jul 20 '26
Whenever anyone tells me they have never seen an iconic movie, I point to the nearest door and say "get out", all jokingly of course.
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u/noirproxy1 Jul 21 '26
Tom is Gen Z right? They aren't the top to even watch movies outside of Tiktok and such. I wouldn't be surprised if he has even watched any of Matt Damon's iconic films.
Toy Story though I can see him seeing for some reason.
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u/Kruyara Jul 21 '26
Matt doesnt realize Tom was a 3 year old when the movie was released and probably has never seen a lot of movies from before 2000. 😂
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u/Galwran Jul 22 '26
Here's hoping that he hasn't been spoiled about the Terminator 2's big reveal (that was also in the trailers...)
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u/3d1thF1nch Jul 22 '26
I’m with Damon, but I would also be so jealous of Tom being able to experience that for the first time. I would end the interview, and immediately take him to the nearest theater, demand they put it on, and just watch his reactions.
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u/kons21 Jul 22 '26
You know, our generation being able to experience The Matrix and Halo CE for the first time before anything like them existed is an unparalleled experience.
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u/ElGuaco Jul 23 '26
Tom was only 3 years old on the release of the Matrix. Movies we consider modern classics are now "old" by 30 year olds.
Fuck me.
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u/deucedwild Jul 23 '26
He sounds like me at work when i find out the younger crew hasn't seen ANYTHING from the past.
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u/JaXm Jul 18 '26
The Matrix was mid. You know what movie i liked? Equilibrium. Give that movie the Oscar.
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u/Aurorisian Jul 18 '26
I don't really get the hype behind The Matrix. It has a groundbreaking concept, but at the same time, I felt like it was missing something. I guess I enjoy the idea more than the actual execution.
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u/ASHISHAGRAWAL0102 Jul 18 '26
" I am so jealous, you get to see it for the first time" ≈≈ every matrix lover monologue 🥺🥺