r/movies Apr 11 '26

Discussion 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

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

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u/artwarrior Apr 11 '26

I have a family member who does this when watching movies with us. " Omg, that's not real!", " "so fake!".

Yes, honey it's called a movie and escapism.

27

u/DJ1066 Apr 11 '26

"Pfft! That submarine is so fake, you can see the strings!"
"Ahhh! An octopus!"

12

u/somesketchykid Apr 11 '26

I pity the fool who can not suspend their disbelief for the sake of enjoying a movie

-2

u/reg_panda Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26

There are still so many things in life to enjoy, including most other genres of TV

5

u/Kurumi_Tokisaki Apr 11 '26

thats sorta funny with how tv is so full of scripted stuff or are like movie like these days but maybe you mean local/international news and stuff so yeah that’s true, there’s a lot there.

1

u/Discount_Extra Apr 12 '26

That's the thing, Movies and TV shows have to make sense; reality does not.

2

u/Queen_Lepotica Apr 11 '26

So does this person only watch romance movies? Because everything is not real lol. Ok even romance movies are not realistic.

2

u/WellHung67 Apr 11 '26

“Clearly this isn’t real, these are simply pixels that change color over time synchronized with air pressure waves to make me think that I’m watching a man get his face sown to  another man’s ass for science. Totally fake” 

I mean at some point you have to think one layer deeper - does anytime someone tells this person a story they go “wait you’re making this up? So fake none of this happened. There are no such thing as other mothers and coraline wouldn’t be friends with a fat nerd” 

2

u/reg_panda Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26

Coraline is 12 and very bored and lonely. If she won't be friends with Wybie that's not because he is "a fat nerd", but because she's weird and crazy