"A World Where Anything is Possible" - Neo, The Matrix. [If This, Then That Challenge].

If you're reading this, then you believe in the possibility that The Matrix isn't the only cyberpunk/fantasy/sci-fi film out there worth watching. You've been on that journey of discovery since 1999... searching for something, anything that relates to a dystopian world controlled by an oppressor, whether that be machine or man.

Well, that day has come, my fellow cyberpunk-lovers. I'm here to tell you that your search wasn't in vain. I'm here to tell you that there are other movies you can watch that might reconnect you to The Matrix in some way.

So here is a list of movies that fit that description as closely as possible; movies about a person or group of people struggling to free themselves from a systemic control method—cyberpunk, futuristic mayhem and heroism. Which is exactly what you need to jack back in...

In no particular order:

1. JOHNNY MNEMONIC (1995)

Tagline: "The Ultimate Hard Drive."

Filmed a few years before Keanu Reeves became "The One", it was Keanu's destiny to be connected to machines and computers! But be warned, this film isn't half as good as The Matrix (probably even less), and in some scenes, it's terribly cheesy. But it does feature Keanu Reeves, who plays a space-age courier that can jack in to upgrade his free space capacity so he can transport more data. I know, it was the 90s in the real world, but it's January 2021 in Johnny's world, so it's worth watching if you're also a movie trivia nerd. The film is loosely based on the short story "Johnny Mnemonic", written by the masterful cyberpunk writer William Gibson.

IMDb rating - 5.4/10

2. THE ANIMATRIX (2003)

Tagline: "Free your mind."

The Animatrix is a series of animated short films relating to the theme of The Matrix. If you've seen The Matrix and you haven't seen this, you should probably ditch what you're watching right now and watch it. Essentially, each story is related to The Matrix on some level. One of the short films (The Second Renaissance Part I) goes way back to the beginning of the first machine uprising before The Matrix existed. The first short film, titled Final Flight of the Osiris, features characters not seen in The Matrix but are mentioned by Captain Niobe in The Matrix: Reloaded.

IMDb rating - 7.4/10

3. EQUILIBRIUM (2002)

Tagline: "In a future where freedom is outlawed, outlaws will become heroes."

Equilibrium is one of my favourite films focused on oppression and societal unrest. It stars Christian Bale, who portrays a man named John Preston. He is part of a special unit of enforcers called "Tetragrammaton Clerics". Their single focus is to weed out and find anyone who isn't taking their daily dose of the psychoactive drug called "Prozium," which stops people from feeling. He renounces this practice after he accidentally misses a dose and begins to feel again. It's a great story with amazing acting talent, but the "Gun Kata" martial arts catapults this film to a completely different level of awesomeness.

IMDb rating - 7.4/10

4. THE TERMINATOR (1984)

Tagline: "Your future is in its hands."

There is no way you can ignore the amazing special effects, storyline and characters of The Terminator. This film is the epitome of "man versus machine" in every sense. It captures humankind's futuristic struggle against a world controlled by machines where The Terminator, a cybernetic killing machine, hunts humans to near extinction. While it all seems very "doom and gloom", there is a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel named John Connor - humankind's saviour against the machines.

IMDb rating - 8/10

5. BLADE RUNNER (1982)

Tagline: "A Futuristic Vision Perfected."

Blade Runner is another of those near-perfect films that capture the futuristic world with miraculous clarity and vision. It's a masterpiece of film making and a must-see if you're into movies focused on a future where man and technology clash with catastrophic results. Unlike the previous movies on this list, the tables are slightly turned in this universe where man is the hunter, and the robots are outlawed.

IMDb rating - 8.1/10

6. GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017)

Tagline: "They did not save your life. They stole it."

It was difficult to add this movie to the list because the original material is much better. That said, not everyone is into anime, so this is the cinematic version based on the anime of the same name. Some of the themes explored in Ghost in the Shell are well and truly cyberpunk in nature which is why this movie makes it onto this list. In a world where humans and machines are closer than they've ever been, how can a machine show more humanity than its creator? Ghost in the Shell turns man's relationship with machines on its head and questions whether or not man has the right to give a human's "life essence" or "ghost" to a machine.

IMDb rating - 6.3/10

7. ROBOCOP (1987)

Tagline: "Part, man. Part machine. All cop."

RoboCop's remake is a lot less entertaining, which is why the original film is listed, and the remake doesn't make the cut. RoboCop has a similar theme to that of Ghost in the Shell. Men who think they know what they're doing when they take a superstar cop's corpse and create a cybernetic cop. Of course, this is devastating for the cop's family, but that's okay because it's about keeping the streets safe when the actual cops fail to do so. Machine and man not mixing well is great entertainment, even if it is dated back to the 80s.

IMDb Rating - 7.6

8. UPGRADE (2018)

Tagline: "Not Man. Not Machine. More." 

Upgrade was a "sleeper" hit. It went mostly unnoticed by many fans of the genre but definitely deserved its place on this list. Upgrade is about a man named Grey who becomes paralysed as a result of a horrible accident. He is given a chance to live a normal life once more by a tech genius who isn't disclosing the truth about the technology he uses to help him. And well, bad things happen. The special effects are kick-ass, and so are the fight sequences.

IMDb Rating - 7.5

And that concludes this recommendation list coded just for you. Now you have a list of movies to consider if The Matrix is the one film you can't do without. Perhaps some of these recommendations will make it to that level of awesomeness?

Only the machines will know...

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