6. The Matrix (1999) – The “Real World” Still Isn’t Real
Within days of its release, The Matrix had managed to capture the imaginations of audiences everywhere. By putting an interesting philosophical spin on the sci-fi genre, it not only scored at the box office, but it also secured itself a rent-free place in the minds of fans, who have been spinning their own theories about the Wachowski’s sci-fi franchise ever since.
While there are a few prevalent theories about The Matrix, one of the more interesting posits that even the franchise’s “real” world – where humans wage war against the machines that have imprisoned them in the titular simulation – isn’t actually real.
The “Matrix in a Matrix” theory states that the “real” world is just another simulation, as evidenced by a few major points. The first is that Agent Smith is able to possess Bane outside of the simulation, and that Neo is also seen using his powers in the “real world”, something that’s only possible in the simulation (due to his understanding of it as a simulation). One final piece of evidence is a blinded Neo still being able to see the code in the “real world”, which is perhaps the most convincing part of the theory.
Regarding the theory, the Wachowskis have said that their reason for creating the films was primarily to make people think, so it’s entirely possible that creating such wild fan theories was their only real intention.