The Wachowskis "The Matrix", a science fiction action film, in 1999. The movie stars Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker recruited by a rebellion to aid them in the fight against machines who have taken over the world and placed humanity inside a simulated reality called "the Matrix". Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano also star. The movie was a critical and commercial hit for Warner Bros. It won four Academy Awards, including for "Best Visual Effects" for popularizing the bullet time visual effect. "The Matrix" came to be a major influence for action movies and has appeared in
The Matrix Online for these organizations in the future. Another of "The Matrix Online"'s defining and differentiating aspects was its inclusion and emphasis on what was called "The Continuing Story". This is to say the game itself is the official continuation of the universe, story and characters established in "The Matrix" series of fictional works including the film trilogy, "The Animatrix" short films, the "Enter The Matrix" video game and a series of officially written and produced Matrix comic books. This continuation was written by the award winning comic book writer Paul Chadwick and later collaboratively with "MxO" lead game designer, Ben "Rarebit"