This Is What 'The Matrix' Really Looks Like Without CGI!!! - Special Effects Breakdown
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What with being responsible for the highest-grossing R-rated movie of the 1999’s, when it comes to action movies, the Wachowskis certainly know how to dream up a masterpiece. But with great imagination comes great need to figure out how the heck you’re gonna make something that isn’t really physically possible look real.
Nowadays, for most FX you’d just boot up a PC and “hey presto” a fully digital photo-real spiderman double! Ok, it’s a little more involved than that and we’re not saying that VFX don’t require a huge amount of very talented people who are ever expanding the possibilities of what can be done on a computer.
However, back in the late 90’s when directors Lily and Lana Wachowski were making their first instalment of ‘The Matrix’, computers weren’t so powerful. But, despite that, they still managed to push the boundaries of what could be done at the time.
And that’s what we’re going to talk about right now in this SFX breakdown of ‘The Matrix’.
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I loved the track... thanks for the link!
sokoleski 😂
Added on Spotify, great taste!
cool soundtrack, keeps the tension high
3dStudiomax mixed with Maya..
20 years, and still looks f-ing awesome!!
Agree
Yo, that makes it 💯 likes
@@rahulvarghese4604 :-D
Bande me dum hai!
Agree too
everyone who was involved in doing the matrix: legends!! my biggest respect to create something so complicated and beautiful like this.
before matrix 4
I never watched the Matrix until last year and I was so impressed with the plot and the CGI and I couldn't believed it was made in the late 90's. Well-made and timeless.
I can see if it were said it was late 80s but late 90s shouldn't have been thought of as out of the realm of what was possible....unless you were born in 2k era which obviously u are ...there is alot I'm sure u missing out on ...tell me u saw fight club
Why do people get a worried look on their face when I say, I'm going to start making my own soap...
@@kehmsecksdiin4547 Armageddon?
Why couldn't you believe it? If you look outside of Hollywood, way better CGI was made during that time, it's just that fewer people actually saw it. One person who had amazing-looking CGI long before Hollywood and looked better, and actually is where a large number of studios got their techniques and idea, is Stephen Chow. The dude is one of the greatest storytellers that ever lived, also one of the best filmmakers, too. Look at Shaolin Soccer (2001) and compare it to the highest budget Hollywood movies using CG at the time - it literally crushes them and his team had only 3-8 people!
@@yogiblak7819 I don't think Shaolin Soccer has better CGI than a Hollywood movie.
This movie was, is, and will forever be awesome.
Hey I said that
In my mind
*The Matrix* is one of the most revolutionary productions ever made in the last 20 years. I hope The Matrix 4 will be as much spectacular as the first. Today's technology defines the production value differently than it was then. But still, any eye can catch a good flick thrill only if it has a great plot, which the Matrix 1 had indeed. 👍
It's a pity that parts two and three were garbage. Cash in on the first. What makes you think four will be any better? Keanu still cannot act.
@@leximusmaximus4593 I hope, as written. Less and less movies are leaving a real impact on our society, non of them did what the Matrix 1 created. iMHO only originally nowadays can really leave an impression on the viewer. No need for hocus-pocus. Take for example, 'Get Out', that was considered unique.
@@leximusmaximus4593 Still can't act? The original? Constantine? John Wick(s)?
@@Reelix Can you type that keeping a straight face? John WIck 2 and 3 (good action, terrible acting) 47 Ronin, Chain reaction, always be my maybe, Replicas if anyone can sit through that and say he can act then they need therapy, siberia, they day the earth stood still. Yes, he's a terrible actor. Constantine was 50/50.
The first Matrix was okay didn't even have that much action in it the last two had all the action and told the rest of the story but there's a fourth one so the trilogy is not over
The amount of effort put into practical effects really cemented the matrix as a timeless movie. So much hard work and such work ethic all around
Once a masterpiece, always a masterpiece.
what about the very last matrix movie, resurrections?
This is art & technology. Even in 2020 I am amazed at their genius! Matrix is a movie that will never die, and not only because of the special effects.
The first one will survive for reasons more than FX but the last two will only be relevant for their FX
The Matrix is definitely a game changer in the movie industry on what can actually be done with computer graphics. It holds up extremely well even to this day (better even!)
JustWasted3HoursHere Avatar
@@pepii5441 Avatar sucked, and I hate the fact that they are wasting time on that sequel rather than Alita.
Matrix as well as the first Jurassic Park
Pepii actually avatar doesn’t look good anymore going back and watching it. Too much CG and it looks like cartoons now. The Matrix still looks amazing.
T2?!!!
I guess it's hard to appreciate just how breathtaking Bullet Time was if you weren't actually there when it first happened. It was an absolutely hair-raising moment for all of us who had any idea how effects were done in films. It almost bumped me right out of the immersive story experience because my whole brain was just screaming, "WTF! HOW did they do that?"
And you couldn't just Google how did they do that back then.
True that. I was baffled by how they pulled out that stunt
The Matrix is "STILL" my favorite movie of all time!
wow good to hear ….apparently matrix is my favorite as well hahaha
Same here
Me 4 also
La mía también..11 points
The Best
I still remember seeing that gun lobby scene for the first time 20 years ago and rewinding cos it just blew my freaking mind! Just rewatched again last week for the nth time and it still stands up, my fave movie 😍
When I bought my first 5.1 surround sound... Around 2001, the matrix lobby scene was the first thing I watched!
@@jagaloon216 I remember bringing my parents "big speakers" (towers with 12" woofers) down to the basement and resetting their entire 5.1 Channel system settings.... just to watch the lobby scene.
Freeway scene in Reloaded for me..
i remember seeing it in the theater like "whoaa" probably as "whoaaa" as playing mario 64 the first time, with little "whoa" moments before or after/since
These producers were f*ckng ahead of their time,.. Like, hi humans! We're coming from the future to produce this movie
Luis Moreno terminator 2 was even more ahead of its time...... the cgi back then is better then the newer terminators nowadays
I wanted to make a remark like this, but thought "Hey. Someone else probably noticed this too." I'm so happy your remark showed up as the 3rd comment.
Omar Sheriff have u seen the last few terminators??? Horrible cgi
Too bad that most of their movies after matrix were so bad. I don't have high hope for matrix4.
Just watched The Matrix again today, it’s still just as good now as it was when I first watched it 22 years ago.
Is that how old it is? Can’t wait to watch it with my son when he’s older.
The Matrix's action sequences are one of the sickest I've ever seen to this day. To me it's just mind blowing they achieved these beautiful scenes and special effects, with the limitations of the day when they created them. The original movie doesn't seem like it was made more than 20 years ago!
The Matrix is like Terminator 2. It ages like fine wine.
Hey dude knock it off ok
Matrix is a MasterPiece...Source of inspiration, revolution & growth when it comes to Animation and VFX Industry. It had raised the bar so high at that time period for upcoming movies.Alot has changed since then..Then in later parts came the epic Truck Collision Scene on the Highway which changed the Industry forever. We all had learnt alot from the Movie itself.
I enjoy the martial arts choreography standard for American films was set by this movie!
To understand what happened with Matrix you need to read on influences and actual choreographers that weren't based in the US to begin with, but Hong Kong. Wachowskis basically westernized the South East Asian cinematography which made a huge culture shock because it brought with it the full body motion action cinematics. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuen_Woo-ping en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woo
The action scenes in this movie will probably never be topped. In all of the MCU I haven't seen anything as insane as that chopper crash scene.
Mcu is for children
@@hereitcomes3912 nah, too much adult humor. It's meant for people who want to let their brains rest for a couple of hours. If every movie was truly deep there'd be far fewer people going to the cinema.
@@TheNefastor i get your point, and i see it exactly the same way, but the mcu is just too much even for me. And i love comic movies ☝. But still.. And the adult humor ? Well kids these days are more rotten, than we will ever be, so..
@@hereitcomes3912 depends on the kid. Which is to say, depends on the parents. I do have a fondness for pre-MCU comic book movies. It feels different when you don't have to mentally keep track of events across 20 movies.
@@TheNefastor its a tv show at this point
Worst mistake Matrix 2 made was to ditch bullet time and use full CGI instead...
Exactly!
In most cases when a movie gets that much popularity, money takes over and deadlines shrink. Sooner sequel = quick money. It wasn't by choice, kind of like what happened with Justice League Snyder Cut.
@@hossamismail9354 Yes, Matrix 2 and 3 turned into standard boring "popcorn cinema" as I call it. No deep story or fascinating elements and ideas anymore, just fancy fights and "cool slogans" from characters in the movies. No thanks, I'll happily stick with Matrix 1. Matrix 4 will probably be as boring as Matrix 2 & 3 but we'll see.
CGI was way more expensive and faster at the time and the sequel's budget had been increased dramatically after the original success. Most big budget movies from this era don't hold up because of their cheesy CGI. Looking at you Star Wars prequels... Those were a wonder at the time but look like bad Sci Fi channel productions whenever people are interacting with the CGI.
The plot dictates the special effects, not vice-versa. The highway chase in Matrix 2 is incredible (but the plot ... not as good). They literally used an under-construction highway in Alameda CA, looking out at the golden gate bridge ...
At 7:15 the tile falls off the column at the end of the pan shot. Supposedly this was purely a random accident, but it worked great for the film! The heroism in the helicopter shot and rooftop shot are off the charts! THATS what makes it a great movie!
The movie is brilliant... and cutting-edge! The acting, the angle they made on each scene and cinematography, the editing, and the plot itself. The Wachowski siblings are excellent in their own field
You are right but i'm afraid Matrix 4 will sufer in quality because of their "change" of gender and mindset and todays social norms...
@@DerHalbeEuro they wrote the Red Pill Blue Pill thing about being trans. Aka the whole movie.
@@strnglhld What?! :D they certantly didnt! Its actually the opposite. The whole story is about gnosticsm, the implemataion of dualism and the hegelian dialectic about the synthesis of all opposites of reality. Its not only an abstract artistic expression, but they are deep into this esoteric religious stuff and actually mean it. The synthesis of the genders male and female is transgenderism. So no.. they did not just "felt like a woman". It was an esoteric religous act out of convicton about what aleister crowley called "the great work" (to help with the synthesis of all opposites of reality, including gender) I mean: what are the odds that BOTH brothers suddenly go transgender in their 30s??
@@DerHalbeEuro foreshadowing. Uncanny.
I was in class 9 when this is released, learnt about many terms and technology like uplink/overrides/binary/gravity and many more, and see we are still talking about that movie in 2020, love.
Seeing this behind the scenes makes it even more a masterpiece! This is part of my childhood, now I want to watch the movie again. Big salute for all those people behind the camera.
Just re-watched the matrix then watched this and oh my it's still so amazing!
Trinity: "This has never been done before" Neo: "That's why it's going to work"
JustWasted3HoursHere sounds like Pippi
@@ChristianrnstrupRasmussen I'm worried, but hopefully optimistic about The Matrix reboot coming out. Not sure how they're going to do it, but I was not happy with part 2 or 3.
@@lilplayboy98 Elwood Blues: We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Jake Blues: Hit it.
The entire cast & crew were just fantastic on "The Matrix". Composer as well. Editors... sound designers... costumers(!)... props; you name it! 💪😎✌️ And Yuen Woo-Ping. ⚔️
The matrix made history in several ways, clearly cgi also practical effects and the story was incredibly original. It came together to such a masterpiece
Cool video! Love the Matrix and never tire of seeing more behind-the-scenes breakdowns. Great music as well - love that style of hybrid-cinematic-electronica! Followed on Spotify and just subscribed here. All best!
Thank you very much! What a lovely comment :) not very common here on KZhead... Much appreciated!
His jacket added such a great element to the action scenes!
I've always wondered how it was made. Thanks for this breakdown. The Matrix stands the test of time with ease! One of my all time favorites.
Fun fact: The thumbnail is not real, it is also a CGI.
fun fact your comment isn't real it's also CGI
@@greengamerguy623 It’s... technically... yeah.
Photoshop is still thing you can say that
@@Etienne.6329 it's digital
Matrix is one of my favourite movies till date.The helicopter shot was done with awesome.
Well, the bullet time effect, that's the one that most caught my attention.
Im glad to see that the Wachowski brothers are letting their sisters take the helm on the new Matrix 4 movie. Thats really awesome to give them a chance to show their film making chops.
Then I just hope Matrix 4 won't end in a poor wedding scene....
Wow. How fortunate it is that you posted this video. I mean it's not as if us fans of The Matrix have the film on DVD / blu-ray and have watched pretty much every behind-the-scenes documentary and seen for ourselves exactly how the special effects were created. I mean... I am truly blown away by what THIS video has taught me. I am a changed man. I don't think I have ever learned so much from a simple KZhead video. It defies belief and has revolutionized the way film fans will now view this important sci-fi classic.
Incredible how time flies. It's hard for me to realize I saw the first one 21 years ago. The movie has aged so well, better than myself actually XD
solnegrolunaroja you can say that again; now I realize how old i am
@@vjoats1250 😸😸😸
so many years have passed, and then MATRIX looks good!
Even though this method takes 100× longer than CGI, it looks and feels 100× better.
What I loved about Matrix was how insanely steady all the shots were. I can’t believe even to this date movies exist with on-purpose “natural” shaking. Usually the “artistic” ones…
honestly i love movies that have that, they look more natural like you said lol, also more human. sure perfect shots like this are exiting but they are not realistic.. look at Cloverfield, it was way more scary lol
@@1985EganPeter Yeah that’s a good example of a shaky camera done well and with purpose. I was talking more about some extremes, where the camera might just show a face and moves like crazy for no reason.
Matrix. It stills revolutionary!!!
Great video, man! Such a cool insight into how it got made. That torso and tracking bug are even more terrifying now that I know they actually existed in reality. Just a beautifully creepy practical effect that aged so damn gracefully. It's beyond aging like wine. It aged like a marble statue of Zeus.
I loved the lobby shoot out. All the practical effects along with the music made the scene.
I watched more of this than I thought I would before clicking lol. I appreciate that it's informative and straight to the point. 50/50 blend.
Survives the test of time - what a masterpiece
Still movies won't be able to match the standard of 'The Matrix'
Even the last two parts of the trio fell short of the standards set by "The Matrix".
@@WaheedAkhtarWahid true.... damn i remember old days when i first saw this movie and it left me in a thinking mode for many days.......... i think this movie is so special because of keanu reeves too.... he is an epic actor.....
@@vrm_ravi Absolutely!
Vbh
Aji zaroor terminator kaa concept copy hai Usme bhi ek ai kaa brain apne aap sochtaa hai or manav jaati ko apna dushman samjhtaa hai
Watching this made me feel like watching the matrix all over again
Cinematography was hands-down better in matrix one than the rest.
there is the only one questions! BUDGET! how to get budget like this?! that's it!
hey Bruce willis
@@jenkinscharmaine4856 sup
@@jasenjahn yeah
Video Maker: How much fantasy do you want in your thumbnail? Fame Focus: Yes
They are immensely brilliant people giving such an unbelievable outstanding performance behind the scene that we enjoy by giving such a small amount of money as a ticket.
Looks better than anything that is produced today 👌
Idk how this came up in my feed but glad it did.
I was thrilled when I first watched Matrix! It was incredible!
One of the best films ever made in my opinion.
Spam Email Best film’s what?
Unbelievable... more than two decades ago and this movie still thrills me (almost) as much as it did the first time I watched it, which was a complete overwhelming awe. Thank you Wachowski Sisters for this ingenious vision and production... well, I've watched it more than 15 times to date, going to watch it again this weekend for sure!!
This film was directed by the Wachowski brother, before they binged on troonshine
It's so impressive. The mix between practical effects and cgi is always better than only cgi. Like The Hobbit for example felt less real than the older movies because of this
I feel like 90s and y2k made better movies than post 2010. I feel like something is missing from movies nowadays.
90s? T2, Matrix.(stuff like "Men in Black" or "Judge Dredd" is not for such list) 80s - Aliens, Predator, Robocop, Back to the future, Star wars, Ghostbusters, They Live, Naked Lunch, Brazil. I think 80s had way much much more great quality sci-fi
Yep the past 10-15 years most movies are an extremely mediocre plot, typically derived from a sequel or existing franchise, they depend too much on CGI and tacky "haha" moments
@@bixenter bruh 1st men in black was fun and dope.. bt yeah agree with you
Now this is revolutionary art!
The amount of focus, hard work put into this production is extraordinary!!! 🤯
Thanks for the video Jordi. Great job! It's nice to see that you're dealing with stuff like this in your spare time from filming.
Damn... Matrix has aged well (the successors, especially Revolution, not so much - uncanny valley everywhere in the end fight).
Damn they did such a good job on the visuals in this film it still holds today n that saying a lot!
So much inovative techniques and effort for a movie. I hope Matrix 4 will be as mindblowing as the first one.
Watched this again on Netflix in 2020 during Pandemic, still holds up amazingly well!!!!!!
IMO, one of the rare films where the special FX was perfectly in tune with the subject matter, and plot. So good, it made me question whether reality was just one big special FX itself.
The Matrix trilogy is the legend with truly magical CGI.
And yeah I knew how it was done, but still blown away, and really appreciate the extra bits. Thanks
I met one of the practical effects guys in Sydney during filming, Paul White... became good friends. Only young but a bloody genius who did a lot of the wall destruction effects... punching walls and the big Neo hits wall in the subway. He also made instruments as a hobby out of "things" and hooked them up to amps he'd built and created the strangest most amazing sounds I've ever heard. One of them was a ten foot high raw steel curved thing that you rang or tapped with different items ... like a harp but from another galaxy. He was just one of HUNDREDS of FX people. All of them geniuses. He took me to all the filming locations in Sydney... while they were still filming. When I saw the film, I was so proud to see his name... tiny.. amongst hundreds in the credits. It was a good time to be in Sydney when the film opened. My all time favourite.
5:56 No special effect, just the way he puul out those guns.....priceless
Guns lots of guns!
Most people don't understand how expensive it was to do all the effects. The DSLR's were full frame, expensive PC workstations with massive power were used. in 2000 most people were running 512mb to 1 GB of ram. The Nvidia Quadro cards were insanely expensive back in those days. Add in the cost of the software to do the 3D and editing software for CGI work well very expensive. Those Arri film cameras were $80,000 a piece ( without the stedicam rigs)
Even worse...You were lucky if u had near 512 GB of Ram.. in '98 Screen Savers built an Ultimate Gaming Machine with a 128MB of RAM and that was A LOT. I think UGM 3.0 had 512GB of Ram.
@@bahamasc I believe most of the work was done on SGI and custom multiple CPU workstations. I mean most people don’t know but the Titanic movie CGI shots were rendered on Intel 64bit alpha chips on a custom Intel render farm. The Intel Pentium supported 64 gb of ram back in 1996 using PAE. When you are tossing 100 million into a movie you can afford the latest gear.
@@danfuerthgillis4483 Yeah SGI was doing some cutting edge stuff. I recall always saying when ii grew up I would buy a SGI PC :). Technology has come a long way and the interesting thing is that there are always new envelopes to push.
Can I just go back in time for 20 years to the point where I sat in the movie theater all by myself on a midday just so I dont want to be disturbed by any crowd or their chatter, just sit and watch peacefully. I was so worldly excited. Then the beauty unfolds with each scene. Connecting the dots was a challenging task, and the screenplay just makes you pumped up, and fills gaps, the next scene blows your mind off, then you begin to understand whole context only get blown away once again. Its just a brand new perspective on the entire life you experienced and our entire existence. Then the thoughts didnt leave you for months to come. Years may be. Even now, its such a spiritual journey. Ah the quality of that childhood! Need a time machine.
Buy up the showing it will only cost like a grand.
The Matrix is one of the best movies I've ever seen - and I still haven't seen the beginning yet!! I've seen it several times while staying in hotels (always missing the start) and have now seen it from a point just before the choice of red & blue pills - the later reference when Cypher suggests "... you wish you'd chosen the blue pill ..." puzzled me for years! A great concept.
22 years ago and these effects are way beyond what i saw in Matrix 4...... they should have used the same team.
Yeah. Newer isnt better. But i didint see that.
This was back then and it still tops some new movies with CGI
The Matrix and 300 will always be great visual innovations in cinema. I was blown away when I saw these movies as they presented something new.
Best Matrix movies VFX and SFX breakdown I´ve ever seen! Thanks for this!
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment! Something that is rare on KZhead
The lobby gunfight was astonishing, even to this day
That movie change the history of Film industry.
Amazing wow. It's easy to just to press play and watch the movie but the real hard works put into making the movie we over looked.
What I love about the Matrix is, it is not only the awesome CG but also Keanu's action scene also performs very good martial art performance
I like how you attempted to sync the final movie shots with the same shot from the making btw
Can we just appreciate how hilarious and well made this guy’s thumbnails are?
I thought #@$@.......doesnt matter...
Lol alright.
Now this is awesome. For it to be made in the 90's it is just amazing.
I love the bending with the bullets flying by
When Neo threw the guns down, the physics bugged out and sent them flying in the air. During the bullet time scene, the gun were falling back down and they were just out of frame. When bullet time ended they were on the ground again.
there is the only one questions! BUDGET! how to get budget like this?! that's it!
6:37 Keanu just falls xD
Is that when he got his back injury?
Cinematography genius!!!! Still blows my mind!
great video. you do such a good job at explaining every element of each shot.
The Matrix saga, the best gnostic/alchemic based plot ever made.
The fact that they used as many practical effects as possible is a big part of why this movie, from a visual sense, holds up so well even today. Bummer George Lucas couldn't have taken the same approach with the Star Wars prequels.
The Matrix always blows my mind every time I watch it, especially as it's based on a true story.
I saw the Matrix quite late, just recently for the first time.Without a doubt a great movie that will continue to inspire generations of filmmaking.
Old action and sc-fi movies usually feel ''esthetically'' grotesque..Matrix doesn't get a wrinkle. I feel the same about underworld
When Neo moves like that in the Matrix - he subconsciously removes the unneeded code in the program around him - this is why the guns are gone as he is dodging bullets and then back when he is needing his guns. To move in bullet time takes an incredible amount of information processing power - to the extent where he causes a glitch that temporarily removes some of the unessential bits and pieces of background information around himself enabling Neo and the Matrix a more stable synchronisation rate - Honestly, it seems like a very natural glitch. Certain rules can be bent, others can be broken, no?
Natural glitch? Lol the amount of silly mental gymnastics you threw in there is hilarious
20 years later it's still the best vfx ever made .
I love the details in this movie. I remember watching in the making of this movie 9:05 how they were testing how glass behaves on impact. Incredible.....always love this movie, despite the issues I would still say smooth.
if you like that you should try watching Armageddon that movie has alot of details
Still one of the best movies ever.
Not a movie
@@dutchanonymous7786 i know what you mean.
"and that's what we're going to talk about right now! Hi I'm shaosfiaoscmaowfaofnzfnalng of the matrix"
La historia, la música, los efectos especiales, las actuaciones...una verdadera obra de arte.
6:04 A picture you can hear.