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- The Fan Theory That Inception Is A Prequel To The Matrix
- How Are Inception And The Matrix Similar?
Although Inception was released 11 years after The Matrix, both sci-fi movies are equally popular, and one fan came up with a fascinating theory that could connect the two stories. Although The Matrix has three sequels and there is only one Inception, the two films have a lot in common. Both films had notable directors at the helm, a talented and popular cast, and brought up philosophical questions about the meaning of life.
The Matrix is not only considered one of the best movies starring Keanu Reeves, but it set the standard for thought-provoking sci-fi movies that explore big, important themes. This fan theory about Inception and The Matrix suggests that the two movies could be more alike than audiences previously thought.
The Fan Theory That Inception Is A Prequel To The Matrix
There is a compelling fan theory that Inception is a prequel to The Matrix. Redditor @NowhereLad wrote about their theory in a Reddit thread and wrote:
“Sometime after the events of
Inception
the technology used to induce lucid dreaming could be made for recreational use to the public? They become so happy in their dream utopias then they spend most of their living lives in that state.”
The fan added:
“Eventually the human race starts to dwindle and common futuristic machinery begins to improve in intelligence. And basically running the show themselves and humans continue to dream.”
|
The Matrix Directors |
The Wachowskis |
|---|---|
|
Writers |
The Wachowskis |
|
Cast Members |
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Panoliano, Hugo Weaving |
|
Release Date |
March 31st, 1999 (United States) |
|
Runtime |
136 minutes |
|
Rotten Tomatoes Rating |
83% |
According to this fan theory, robots ensure that humans stay in a dream state. The fan continued, “Thousands of years later people start to wake up and realize its all a dream. They begin to manipulate the dreams but when the dreamer (unkown’s) subconscious realizes who down belong and use Agents as hunters for the foreign bodies.”
|
Inception Directors |
Christopher Nolan |
|---|---|
|
Writers |
Christopher Nolan |
|
Cast Members |
Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Elliot Page, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Tom Bergener |
|
Release Date |
July 16, 2010 (United States |
|
Runtime |
148 minutes |
|
Rotten Tomatoes Rating |
87% |
Since Inception and The Matrix are both sci-fi stories about dreams and virtual reality, this theory makes sense. Both are mind-bending sci-fi movies that are hard to figure out, which makes them even more compelling. Even though The Matrix is of course its own franchise with its own world-building, it’s still fun to think about Inception
and The Matrix being connected. If fans watch Inception as if it’s a prequel to The Matrix, it will make both movies even more entertaining and intriguing.
How Are Inception And The Matrix Similar?
Inception and The Matrix are similar because the characters and audiences aren’t sure what is reality and what is fake. Inception‘s confusing ending is famous since audiences debate whether the top stops spinning, and it’s fair to say that the conclusion of The Matrix leaves a lot of unanswered questions as well.
Inception and The Matrix also both have main characters who are smart experts in their fields and who begin to investigate the strange world they are part of. They are rebels who like to question everything, which has allowed them to get as far as they have in life. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Dom Cobb steals people’s secrets while they are dreaming, and he is great at this niche work. Thomas Anderson/Neo (Keanu Reeves) is a programmer who learns about “The Matrix” because he spends so much time online.
It’s interesting that Christopher Nolan once talked about The Matrix when giving an interview about Inception. In 2010, Nolan told The Los Angeles Times:
“I think ours is of an older school, ours is more of
The Matrix
variety and the concepts of different levels of reality.”
He continued:
“The whole concept of avatars and living life as someone else, there’s a relationship to what we’re doing, but I think when I first started trying to make this film happen it was very much pulled from that era of movies where you had ‘The Matrix,’ you had ‘Dark City,’ you had ‘The Thirteenth Floor’ and, to a certain extent, you had ‘Memento’ too. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real.”
Although The Matrix appears to a sci-fi movie set in the 23rd century and Inception doesn’t take place in the future, both movies ask interesting questions about reality, dreams, and happiness.
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