In 1999, the creators Lilly and Lana Wachowski unveiled “The Matrix” to audiences, revolutionizing the action movie genre. This initial film, “The Matrix,” masterfully merges high-concept science fiction with gripping action and has enduring appeal. With its mind-bending ideas and spectacular combat sequences, it remains as captivating today as it was upon its release.

The success of “The Matrix” spawned several sequels and much supplementary content. Although the sequels did not achieve the same level of adoration, they are more appreciated upon revisitation and prove that the “Matrix” universe offers vast storytelling potential. Engaging with “The Matrix” today is relatively easier compared to other expansive sci-fi universes. The core storyline is quite direct; thus, for newcomers, watching the films in the following sequence is recommended:

• The Matrix
• The Matrix Reloaded
• The Animatrix
• The Matrix Revolutions
• The Matrix Resurrections

Though some sequels explore the concept of time’s cyclical nature, the series primarily adheres to a linear narrative. Neo, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, is introduced as the main hero in the start, anchoring the entire franchise. Every theatrically released film in the “Matrix” series centers around Neo, making it essential to follow his journey to watch the series in chronological order.

The only movie that doesn’t necessarily need to be watched in this order is “The Animatrix.” That is really just a collection of animated short films that explore different side stories within the “Matrix” universe. The movie works as an intermission between the two “Matrix” sequels in the original trilogy, but it doesn’t directly tie into Neo’s story in any significant way. As for the rest of the movies, there’s really no other way to watch them that would make much sense at all.

Back in 1999, theater audiences had no idea they were about to see one of the best action movies of all time. “The Matrix” imagines a future where robots rule the Earth and farm humans for use as batteries. To keep humanity docile, the robots plug our minds into a virtual reality simulation of our world called the Matrix. The machines keep humans trapped in the Matrix, but an outside resistance in the real world is fighting back and using the Matrix to its advantage. 

Neo is just an average man living out a dull life in the Matrix, but when he makes contact with a woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and a man named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), he exits the simulation and changes his life forever.

“The Matrix” is absolutely dripping in style, from the leather costumes and mirrored shades to all the groundbreaking slow motion action shots. The rules of the Matrix pave the way for some of the most iconic fight scenes ever. Various stunts from “The Matrix” have been imitated and parodied into oblivion, but their original form is as thrilling as it was in 1999. The movie really makes the most of its out-there concept, and decades later the sci-fi concepts feel every bit as mindblowing. Even though there are plenty of things to love in the sequels, “The Matrix” works as a perfect standalone movie, and you’d still be more than satisfied if you stopped watching the series right here.

Released in May 2003, “The Matrix Reloaded” picks up Neo’s story more or less exactly where “The Matrix” left it. Having embraced his role as The One, Neo now has access to a whole range of powers within the Matrix. Morpheus takes Neo and the crew back to Zion, the secret underground home of what remains of humanity. There he hopes to consult with Zion’s elders about using Neo’s powers to win the war against the machines for good. Unfortunately, Neo’s old enemy Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) has found a way back into the Matrix, and his return puts the whole system in jeopardy.

Following up “The Matrix” was a tall order, but “Reloaded” dives right in and starts expanding the lore introduced in the original movie. For better and for worse, we learn much more about Zion, the machines, and the Matrix itself throughout this sequel. Information overload is a serious problem in the story, but “Reloaded” is also chock full of new, wildly inventive action scenes. “Reloaded” isn’t nearly as cohesive as the original movie, but it pushes the overall story of the series forward in a big way. It also ends with a head-spinning cliffhanger that carries you right into “The Matrix Revolutions.”

“The Animatrix” is a collection of short animated films that all dig deep into the worldbuilding and lore of the series. Released just weeks after the premiere of “The Matrix Reloaded” in 2003, it helped fans survive the six-month wait for the release of “The Matrix Revolutions.” Unlike the previous films, “The Animatrix” doesn’t follow Neo and his crewmates on the Nebuchadnezzar. Instead, the various writers and directors who created the shorts explored the stories of unknown side characters and even looked back at the history of the war between humanity and the machines.

For diehard “Matrix” fans, “The Animatrix” is one of the high points of the series. The collection answers some big questions raised by the previous two movies, and it shakes up the franchise’s usual style. Some of the shorts have action scenes, but for the most part the stories in “The Animatrix” are slower exercises in tension-building. Watching the series in release order turns “The Animatrix” into an intermission between the first two sequels, and it feels like it belongs in that spot. Anyone who falls in love with this movie should probably start looking into the expanded universe of “Matrix” comics and video games after they finish watching the original trilogy.

In November 2003, “Matrix” fans finally got to see how the war between Zion and the machines turned out. “The Matrix Revolutions” begins with Neo’s mind trapped inside a train station in the Matrix. Neo’s friends are desperately trying to free him, while out in the real world Agent Smith has discovered that his consciousness is inside a real human body. The machines are sending their armies toward Zion, and the fate of both Zion and the Matrix depends on what Neo and Smith decide to do next.

“Revolutions” was a satisfying ending to the “Matrix” trilogy, wrapping up the themes and plots introduced in “Reloaded,” and finishing Neo’s story in epic fashion. We get to see the end of the machine-human war and the start of a new, potentially more positive, era for the Matrix and all of Earth. There was definitely room for more storytelling, but fans probably never expected where the story would go when “The Matrix” series returned to the big screen almost 20 years later.

2021 was a big year for “Matrix” fans. Almost 20 years after the end of the original trilogy, Lana Wachowski came back with a new “Matrix” sequel that took the series in a brand new direction. The movie follows Neo now living in a world where “The Matrix” was a video game he created 20 years earlier. Neo is a renowned game developer who created “The Matrix” trilogy and is being forced to create a fourth game, but as the process begins, Neo starts questioning the world around him. The Matrix has changed, and Neo’s life depends on whether or not he can understand the new system and reunite with some of his old friends.

“Resurrections” is one of the most self-aware sequels ever, and newcomers will probably have a hard time really understanding the movie if they watch it before “The Matrix” or the other movies in the original trilogy. This is where the franchise’s overall story leaves off, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end. The movie introduces a whole new version of the Matrix and carries the timeline of the series decades into the future, with plenty of unanswered questions that could be the starting place for a new wave of “Matrix” stories.

Clearly the “Matrix” movies are telling a cohesive story that has a fairly definitive beginning, middle, and end. The original trilogy is somewhat separate from “The Matrix Resurrections,” but you’d be hard-pressed to watch the fourth film without the context of the other three. “The Animatrix,” on the other hand, could arguably stand on its own, and you could slot it almost anywhere into a “Matrix” marathon.

When the series originally debuted, “The Animatrix” came out in the gap between the two sequels in the original trilogy. Back then, the collection felt like a nice break between two parts of an ongoing story, but today it almost plays that role better if watched after “The Matrix Reloaded.” The original trilogy then gets to be a one-shot experience, and “The Animatrix” broadens the universe of the series before “Resurrections” brings everything back to Neo and Trinity. If that type of experience interests you, then watch the “Matrix” movies in this order:

• The Matrix
• The Matrix Reloaded
• The Matrix Revolutions
• The Animatrix
• The Matrix Resurrections

You’d think after watching five movies you’d understand everything there is to know about “The Matrix,” but you’d be wrong. The entire “Matrix” timeline also includes stories that were only told in “Matrix” video games and comic books. The expanded “Matrix” canon provides far more details about the creation of the Matrix and the early days of Zion, while the games share more information about some of your favorite characters from the movies.

The “Matrix” comics have been collected in different editions over the years, and the stories they tell come from all over the timeline. Some focus on the lives of individual sentient programs that exist within the Matrix, while others shed more light on the ongoing battle between the machines and humanity. For the most part, the comics don’t explore what happened after the events of “The Matrix Revolutions,” but one of the video games does.

“The Matrix Online” was a multiplayer role-playing game that debuted in 2005. The game shut down in 2009, but over its four-year lifespan, it allowed players to learn more about the second Machine War. Not long after the events of the final movie in the trilogy, humans broke their truce with the machines. Some of what happened after that was briefly shown in “The Matrix Resurrections,” but one incredibly important detail never made it to the big screen: Morpheus was gunned down by an assassin as part of the plot of “The Matrix Online,” and that’s canonically where his life — as a human, at least — ends.