27 Years Later, Science-Fiction’s Groundbreaking 4-Part Saga Is Free to Watch on Streaming

All four Matrix films are now available to watch free on Pluto TV, offering viewers a chance to revisit the science-fiction saga that began in 1999. The original film’s vision of humanity trapped in a machine-made simulation helped shape the look and ideas of 2000s action cinema.

The article links the film’s impact to late-1990s anxieties about the internet and the Y2K computer bug, as well as influences from cyberpunk literature, anime and martial arts cinema. Its sequels broadened the story with questions about the Matrix’s cycles and the politics of Zion, while the franchise also grew to include the nine-part anime anthology The Animatrix and video games.