KnockBack, Episode 101: The Matrix (Patreon)

The 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix was released at an interesting inflection point in the history of nerd culture. It launched at a time when -- with the help of Star Wars' resurgence, the soon-to-be-released Lord of the Rings movies, and others -- dorkiness went mainstream, and The Matrix might have been the straw that broke the camel's back, in this regard. The story of Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity, and their battle to break out from a computer simulation and into a horrifying reality, is considered a genre classic, and with good reason. More than two decades later, it holds up shockingly well, with deep philosophical, technological, and even religious messaging that seems to uncannily predict at least one permutation of our actual future. So let's chat about The Wachowski Brothers' (now Sisters') stylish tour de force, and maybe learn some kung-fu along the way.