1999 | 2 hours 16 minutes | Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
 
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
 
This film doesn't age, and neither do its sequels. It was fresh when it was first released, feels fresh rewatching it now, and will undoubtedly still feel modern years from today. For those unfamiliar with the plot, The Matrix displays a dystopian future where intelligent machines have constructed a simulation of reality to keep people distracted while utilizing their bodies as an energy source. The production values of The Matrix are imposing. The movie looks incredible because of its bold production design, jaw-dropping cinematography, and some of the most innovative and ultra-cool visual effects ever created. After The Matrix, many sci-fi films tried hard to replicate its style and look. Yet, the original installment still dominates them all. The movie may not be one of the most outstanding examples of its genre. Still, it can't be disputed that The Matrix is revolutionary in how its visuals and use of sound broke barriers like never before in cinema.

2010 | 2 hours 28 minutes | Directed by Christopher Nolan
 
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page
 
Inception takes place in a time and place where dream sharing is possible thanks to technology. In this universe, a brand-new kind of corporate spies called "extractors" use this technology to access the target's mind and gather essential information via a shared dream world. An influential businessman Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) asks Mr. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a well-known extractor, and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) for a nearly impossible task that has never been done before. However, you will have to find out which task by watching the movie yourself, if you haven't done so already. Yet, the struggle to find your way through life's maze is a more prominent theme in the film than just the inception quest. Cobb's dreamland is a maze created by his regrets and memories of the past. The movie explores the relationship between reality, dreams, and the kind of life one should lead when they leave the theater and return to whatever they left behind the closed doors. It's a lot of things. It's astounding, vicious, mysterious, upsetting, gorgeous, and captivating. Very worthwhile watching. If it's your first time seeing it, make sure you are in the right mindset for it, because you only get to see a movie for the first time once.

2018 | 2 hours 20 minutes | Directed by Steven Spielberg
 
Starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
 
It tells the tale of one player and his attempts to compete in a contest that would determine the fate of the entire universe. It is set in a near-dystopian society where people use a virtual reality world called the Oasis to escape their life. It successfully merges animation and realism into a big, thrilling journey. The cast did a great job, the pop culture allusions, although frequent, didn't overpower the story, the premise was excellent, and the movie looked expensive. You can certainly tell that at least $155 million went into making it. The negative opinions often come from people who have read the novel by Ernest Cline, on which the movie was based, saying that the film is very different from the book. And indeed, it is different, and it's highly debatable whether the film is a faithful adaptation of the book. Nonetheless, suppose you judge the movie on its merit, a sci-fi adventure film. In that case, it's genuinely a highly entertaining and enjoyable work of cinema. Overall, it's unquestionably worthwhile to sit down and watch it. It also had a lovely message: people should live their lives in reality rather than in an online virtual world.

1990 | 1 hour 53 minutes | Directed by Paul Verhoeven
 
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
 
Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a construction worker who dreams of visiting Mars one day. His wife, Lori (Sharon Stone), isn't too excited about it; she'd rather go on a space voyage or a trip to Saturn. One day while taking the train, Quaid notices a television commercial for a business called Rekall that specializes in implanting vacation memories. As an alternative to taking a "Mars vacation," Quaid checks into it. However, while at Rekall, something goes very wrong during the procedure. The story's ambiguity is perhaps one of the best aspects of it. Is it a dream, brain embolism, or reality? All have evidence to be proven correct, yet also can be contradicted at the same time. And this works to the movie's advantage. Even if the action isn't as intense as in many Schwarzenegger movies, the suspense doesn't end until the very last moment. This movie is an incredible rollercoaster journey, so give it a ride.

1982 | 1 hour 36 minutes | Directed by Steven Lisberger
 
Starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner
 
The plot of Tron revolves around a talented computer engineer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges). He tries to breach the system after learning that his rival Ed Dillinger (David Warner) has been stealing his work. Flynn is instead thrust into the digital realm, where he must contend with Sark, Dillinger's computerized likeness, which has developed its own AI. Flynn soon becomes a freedom fighter for the downtrodden programs of the grid with the help of Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) and Yori (Cindy Morgan). Even years later, Tron is unquestionably an original and fascinating movie. Tron has aged gracefully over time rather than appearing dated and tacky. Yes, the arcade is a distant, happy memory, and the monochrome-screen terminals may seem a little dated by today's standards. However, the SFX are still stunning, and the plot is startlingly contemporary in the current internet era. Tron's SFX did not attempt to simulate anything already in existence, which is why they have held up so well over time. For people who are visual by nature, the visuals in Tron are absolute eye candy. A true masterpiece of science fiction, Tron brings a surreal experience.

2010 | 2 hours 5 minutes | Directed by Joseph Kosinski
 
Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde
 
Tron: Legacy is a follow-up to the groundbreaking 1982 movie Tron. It also serves as Joseph Kosinski's directorial debut. In the movie's premise, Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has been long gone from the outside world. In search of his father, Flynn's son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is duped into returning to the arcade his father created, where he is sucked into The Grid. He encounters CLU there, the program his father developed to operate The Grid, and wants to enter the real world. Tron: Legacy perfectly captures the fine line between development and consumerism in a setting full of fantastic technology and imaginative ideas. Besides that, it's incredibly beautifully crafted, from the pacing to the photography. It successfully balances both pleasant style and engaging content, which is not often the case. It's timeless in the broadest sense and certainly deserves more praise.

2021 | 1 hour 55 minutes | Directed by Shawn Levy
 
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi
 
In Free Guy, Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is a non-player character (NPC) in the open-world video game Free City. The sunglasses that Free City's players wear help distinguish them from NPCs. They frequently loot banks, engage in conflict, and generally cause havoc. The NPCs are usually unaware of the disruption generated by players while carrying out their scripted lives because they are oblivious that the world they inhabit is a video game. After learning that he is an NPC of the Free City, Guy resolves to become the star of his own story (one he rewrites himself) and joins the game. Although it could easily succeed on those elements alone, this film is more than just humor and outrageous actions. Free Guy is about very human feelings like disappointment, the sense of being trapped, and, of course, love. This is true even though the film's plot is centered in virtual reality. This movie has beautiful moments that at times seem like a sweet romantic comedy and other moments where it becomes so existential that it almost feels like The Truman Show. Sure, the final thirty minutes are corny and full of clichés. Still, the buildup is so intense that it earned a few goofy rom-com moments in the closing stages. Free Guy is a popcorn movie at its best.

2003 | 2 hours 18 minutes | Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
 
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
 
In the first sequel of The Matrix (1999), Freedom fighters Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and the rest of the crew keep fighting the machines responsible for the Matrix's enslavement of humanity. More people are now striving to leave the Matrix and live in the real world. As their numbers increase, the conflict goes to Zion, the last city in the real world and the hub of human resistance. The Matrix Reloaded is an excellent sequel to the first installment and a perfect buildup to the eventual conclusion. One of its best qualities is that it doesn't strictly follow the typical flow of most movies. Despite its shortcomings and not having as much coherence as the original movie, it's a delightful experience. It tries (but doesn't always manage) to incorporate some more intelligent concepts to support the outlandish action. However, it is not suitable for people who prefer not to ponder too much. While not as great as the original, it's still a lot of fun.

2003 | 2 hours 9 minutes | Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
 
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
 
Neo (Keanu Reeves), the last hope for humanity in a dystopia dominated by machines, is imprisoned in a world of limbo. In the meantime, most people are still in a suspended virtual reality. Things go horribly wrong when the all-powerful computer program Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) shows out in the flesh. The few humans aware of the world's grim realities desperately strive to stave off their mechanical opponents so Neo can escape and save the day. The Matrix Revolutions unquestionably differs from the earlier movies in terms of the overall style and tone. Since the first movie was about birth and the second was about life, the story in this one is darker than it was in either of the previous films. But that was to be expected. That clearly indicates that the third is about the ultimate climax that must occur for all of us: death. Overall, The Matrix Revolutions has everything a diehard Matrix fan could desire.

1999 | 1 hour 40 minutes | Directed by Josef Rusnak
 
Starring Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl
 
When his colleague and mentor is killed, a computer scientist operating a virtual reality simulation of 1937 becomes the prime suspect. The Thirteenth Floor is one of those movies that has been overshadowed by better-known works from the late 1990s. That's a shame because it's much better than many movies with constant plaudits from critics. The film succeeds both as a thought-provoking drama and an entertaining science fiction movie. It raises issues like life's worth and the liabilities of playing God. Even though these issues have been raised in many other films before, this one does it so masterfully that you forget about it and start asking yourself the same questions repeatedly. It is a testament to the excellent plotting that came before it that the twist in the middle of the movie was so expertly executed that you'll wonder how you missed it at first. It's not The Matrix (1999) and wasn't trying to be. Comparing these two would be like comparing Star Trek (1966) and Star Wars (1977). It might be similar in some aspects but very different in others.