40 Secret Messages In The Matrix That Change Everything

The Matrix and its sequels are groundbreaking pieces of filmmaking. Complex and philosophical storylines combined with cyber-punk aesthetics, innovative fight scenes and CGI genius to create an iconic trilogy that’ll soon be added to with the release of The Matrix 4. Yet creators the Wachowskis really put the devil in the detail and planted hidden messages that even the most dedicated of fans won’t have picked up on.

40. The green code has a rather fishy meaning

The opening of the The Matrix sees green code cascading before us, echoing the tint of early computer screens. But what is that code exactly? Something important, surely? Well, actually, in this case, no. It turns out the art director borrowed some typeface from his partner’s Japanese recipes.

39. Neo’s book is an early ode to hyper-reality

Neo hides his files and cash inside a book kept in his apartment. We can see that it’s titled Simulacra & Simulation. It’s by Jean Baudrillard, a French academic who argued that the society we now inhabit is actually a hyper-reality. And this is one of the key concepts at the heart of The Matrix.

38. Neo’s shabby clothes

You may notice that early in The Matrix, Keanu Reeves’ Neo doesn’t look quite as slick as he does later on. His clothes are worn and ill-fitting. This was a deliberate ploy, all done to represent the fact that Neo – Thomas Anderson – senses that he doesn’t belong in the society he’s inhabiting. It’s all a visual manifestation of the character’s mindset.

37. They need new spoons

There’s an intriguing moment at the Oracle’s house when Neo witnesses a little boy bending spoons. But this isn’t the first time the movie presents us with bent utensils. On board the Nebuchadnezzar earlier, the crew are seen dining with far-from-straight pieces of cutlery, which is once again a great piece of plot foreshadowing by the Wachowskis.