Released in 1999, The Matrix blew every other Hollywood action movie out of the water. Not only was it brimming with impressive fights and set pieces, but its plot engaged viewers with interesting philosophies and questions to ponder after the credits rolled. While the film dealt with burgeoning technologies like the internet and artificial intelligence, there is one phenomenon not even it could have foreseen—memes.
Like any other pop culture staple, the internet has used all its might to craft as many hilarious and ridiculous memes as possible based on the franchise. This list will showcase the best of the best: memes so funny you’ll forget the inevitable apocalypse at the hands of our future robot overlords.
Marshmallows
Leave it up to the internet to turn one of the creepiest moments in the film into a funny joke about overindulging on a beloved campfire snack. In 1999, watching Neo’s mouth seal itself shut was truly terrifying.
It looked so convincing, audiences wondered how the filmmakers even accomplished such an effect. Is it possible the Wachowskis ordered Keanu Reeves to eat as many marshmallows as humanly possible? If so, Reeves deserves commendation for his dedication to the craft.
Cat Morpheus
Maybe not all cat owners will understand this—felines have all different types of personalities. However, some lovers of the little furry four-legged creatures know all too well how much these whiskered pets hate the vacuum. If only they knew how harmless it was and how it kept the house clean.
Cat Morpheus knows the truth though, and will try to spread it to his peers around the world, forging a truce between his kind and the mechanical cleaning apparatuses. It wouldn’t be much different than the arch of The Matrix trilogy, come to think of it.
Exams
Most people are familiar with university life and the stress it entails. Some barely make it out by the skin of their teeth, others put in the sufficient work for the appropriately decent result, and others seem to mosey through it with no problems.
The above meme perfectly encapsulates those test days and everybody’s reactions. The professor seems like a cruel and unforgiving dictator as they dole out tough questions. Studying is boring, but it’s worth it to feel like Neo dodging an agent’s gunfire.
Checkout Line
This meme could come in handy just about every day. People behind someone in line have a tendency to stand way too close to the person currently getting their items checked out.
There’s no reason for people to do this, but they seem to think it will speed up the line and get them out of the store faster. If only Laurence Fishburne could stand in every supermarket across the world and relay this information as Morpheus would.
Catching Feelings
This one is particularly impactful for the singles reading it. Though upon deeper reflection, it’s more profound for married folks. Regardless of one’s situation, starting to feel something about someone is troublesome when one had no intention of starting anything romantic.
Unfortunately even when in love, most people cannot move with the same grace as an agent when they are dodging bullets. Most of the time, those feelings will be caught. In reality, it’s the feelings that are doing the catching.
Tradition
Don’t let Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof see this one. It may very well shake his strongly held beliefs on keeping with traditions. It’s true, though: most people follow traditions because they feel a need to carry on what their ancestors used to do, even if the pragmatism of the practice has long since went away.
It’s certainly not a criticism of keeping traditions alive. As long as these practices don’t harm anyone else, keep them going as long as one’s heart desires.
Watching All The Movies In One Day
Life tends to imitate art. People adore cosplay and popular phrases from films often become normal cultural sayings. Watching a particularly meaningful film can also make the viewers feel like the characters. Kids walked out of Star Wars in 1977 feeling like they could use the force; audiences feel like the underdog after watching Rocky; and people feel like they know Kung Fu and can fly after watching The Matrix.
Watching the whole trilogy in a day could be dangerous, though. Not only is it almost seven hours of film, but that much cerebral dialogue and action could make somebody’s head explode.
Disappearing Payphones
This is speaking to an issue the series will tackle head-on as Lana Wachowski prepares the recently announced fourth installment of The Matrix. Maybe the next incarnation of the simulation moves the clock up twenty years and payphones are obsolete for this exact purpose. It does raise the question regarding the upcoming movie—will the new Matrix try to look like 1999 or like modern times? If it is the latter, how will they exit the program? Audiences will find out when the movie comes out sometime after 2020.
Sales Training
Job training is literally the worst. Not only can it be difficult, it can also be training for a task in which one has no interest. Regardless of one’s affinity for the vocation, it still feels pretty good once it is mastered and all the questions coming are answered with lightning speed. Just remember—ace the training, but don’t work too fast if the job pays by the hour. Usually, if the given task is done too fast, employers will just give somebody more work for the same pay.
Sleepovers
This has happened to most kids, and can be extremely uncomfortable. Even after a night of hard partying and video gaming, early birds still wake up at the crack of dawn. Unfortunately, there’s no worm to get when rising first after a sleepover. Instead, the one who wakes up first just kind of waits for everybody else to get up. They would poke somebody else awake, but they don’t want to disrespect their host and friends. These are times when a Nintendo Switch and a pair of headphones really come in handy.
Next: 10 Best Keanu Reeves Film Quotes
