»Other cool movies with similar themes to the matrix«

Other cool movies with similar themes to the matrix,

Total Recall (is Arnie in a dream/hallucination?)
Pi (Mathematician + a certain special number = Saviour)
X (anime movie about a saviour and his alter ego)

Pretty close:
Dark City
13th Floor
eXistenZ
Vanilla Sky & Abre los ojos

Not so close:
Bladerunner
Fight Club

Fight Club is nothing like the Matrix - though it is kinda philosophical

For philosophy of identity I would seriously recommend "Memento" (Carrie Ann Moss is in it, yay!

For philosophy generally about life and death I would recommend a little known British movie called "New Years Day" (it seems you need to use an "advanced search" on imdb.com to find it there)
New Year's day is about a two school children who are the only survivors of an avalanche in which all other classmates on the trip are killed. The two boys find themselves traumatised and question their will to live and decide to give their deaths some meaning by setting themselves a year of tasks/stunts to do before killing themselves the following new year's day. The stunts include "kill a large animal" and "rob a bank" amongst many.

The film is amazing and should have been more widely marketed. Don't expect special effects or famous well-known actors though.

Please consider the "Other movies like the matrix" section before posting here.

Um.... this IS the other movies like the matrix thread!

I've done a forum search for "other movies" and haven't been able to find another thread like this one so i'll have to ask you to give me the link.

Fatpie42 wrote:

Um.... this IS the other movies like the matrix thread! I've done a forum search for "other movies" and haven't been able to find another thread like this one so i'll have to ask you to give me the link.

How about you use the floating menu in the upper left?

It's in your little database thingy now - tis a philosophical movie about issues of life and death, suicide and survival struggles, fate and destiny. That is its only link with the matrix so it'll be an interesting contrast to the sci-fi movies on the list.

OK I've entered New Years Day in and its still not in the list - why?

I've just entered it a second time - hopefully it will be added now.

Please?

truman show

dark city, as pointed out

another one,even though i havent seen it yet is the story of don juan and carlos castaneda called....enigma of a sorcerer

How's about Equilibrium?

eXistenZ took the virtual reality theme a lot further insofar as it had the "worlds within worlds" theme. Matrix was a lot surer in saying their is the virtual world (the Matrix) versus the real world (Zion). Each approach is valid within its own format, of course.

Fight Club: this came out circa the same time as The Matrix. It was a good time for Hollywood questioning the consensus reality--Truman Show, 13th Floor, Dark City, etc.

Fight Club has many of the same themes as The Matrix: alienated hero; the underground as alternative reality; authority is the enemy; question the world "they" have built around you; hero's (or anti-hero's) spiritual journey; apocalyptic ending. Fight Club has that Gnostic angle of finding enlightenment from within rather than without, not unlike The Matrix.

Quote:

How's about Equilibrium?

Yup, same effects, more or less same themes. Maybe more political and less philosofical. But still one hell of a movie...

Furthermore Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not as different from the Matrix as it would seem...