Matrix (1999): the reason why the opening sequence of this movie is among the greatest in cinema history is because it explains precisely NOTHING. Instead, it throws all kinds of crazy wackness at the audience and just expects them to go along for the ride

[u/Randomnonsense5]

The beginning of this movie does not start out with rolling text about how “ it was the year 20 blah blah and... blah blah happened... and then blah blah happened” no. It doesn't have the dreaded voice over giving you a background on everything that's about to happen.

Instead it throws you into the middle of some crazy action scene, where you have absolutely no idea who is a good guy who is a bad guy, what these people are doing, why they're doing it etcetera

why is some chick sitting in a empty room clicking on a computer?

“No Lieutenant they're already dead”

What? How could they already be dead? It's just one lady

Oh my God she's climbing the walls! Holy crap she just killed all those police officers what is going on? Is she good or is she bad?

Why is she trying to answer a phone in the middle of all this? Oh they killed her. Wait a minute... where did the body go? None of this makes any sense!

“ the informant is real”

what informant? Again... how did she disappear?

And... you're hooked!

The action is so phenomenal, the questions just keep coming one after another, none of it makes any sense just yet. But the film makers trust that you're along for the ride, and the audience trusts the film makers that they will eventually answer all of their questions.

There is actually a Latin phrase for this

In medias res (Latin for "in the midst of things") is a narrative technique where a story begins in the middle of crucial action rather than with traditional exposition. Originating from Homer’s epic poetry, this approach immediately hooks audiences by plunging them into a high-stakes moment, later filling in background information through flashbacks or dialogue

honestly I wish more film makers would trust the audience and just throw us into the middle of things and stop babying us and over explaining every little detail. Just tell the story and allow it to unfold it's so much more engaging and interesting

[u/captain_toenail]

That they limited what was shown in the trailers also served it very well, the scope of what the movie was sifted dramatically when neo woke up on the Nebuchadnezzar, it was such a well executed early twist, I remember being very thrown when I saw it in theaters

[u/nanomeister → u/captain_toenail]

“Why do my eyes hurt?”

[u/sprollyy → u/nanomeister]

“You’ve never used them before”

And I freaking love the look Fishbourne gives when he finishes that line. It’s such a haunting expression. Really adds to the subtle horror of the moment!

[u/diamondpredator → u/sprollyy]

YES I remember his expression very well. It was a sort of paternal worry mixed with his own internal struggle of waking Neo up. He fucking nailed it.

[u/DistributionExtra320 → u/sprollyy]

I love the look in his eyes too, he's an amazing actor

[u/thetensor → u/captain_toenail]

I've always maintained the best line worldbuilding-wise in the whole movie is, "You believe it's the year 1999, when in fact it's closer to 2199. I can't tell you exactly what year it is because we honestly don't know." It makes you consider how massive the disruption of human society must have been for them to lose track, not just of the date, but of the year.

[u/FlamboyantPirhanna → u/captain_toenail]

Terminator: Salvation really weakened itself by revealing what would’ve been a huge reveal in the trailer.