> In the 1999 movie The Matrix, what color is the pill that Neo decides to take?And the answer: red. Photo courtesy: TheGuardian.comIn the movie, the leader Morpheus gives Neo achoice between a red pill and a blue pill. If he takes the red pill, he'll seethe world as it really is, but if he takes the blue pill, he'll live in blissfulignorance. Neo chooses the red pill, and that's when things get weird.Though technically classified as an action film, The Matrix (1999) did more thanjust involve the audience in intense fight scenes – the Wachowski sisterscreated a fictional reality that has persevered in its eerily modern portrayalsof powerful technology. Not unlike a modern-day version of Plato's allegory ofthe cave, The Matrix presents a future in which "reality" perceived by humans isactually a manipulated reality controlled by non-human, sentient machines. Inorder to pacify the human race, the sentient machines draw from human body powerto present an alternate version of reality. Computer hacker Neo soon discoversthe shocking truth: the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evilcyber-intelligence.By using ground-breaking special effects and dealing in profound moral issues, The Matrix was an instant hit. Audiences were entranced by the quandary betweena "red pill" and "blue pill" – forcing reflection on their ownquickly-modernizing society overrun with the ability to access information.Beyond that, The Matrix's attention to detail, martial arts training thatallowed actors to perform their own stunts, and filmmaking techniques lead toits success "on whatever level you want to bring to it," as author WilliamGibson states.What do you think? Would you take the red pill of knowledge, or the blue pill ofblissful ignorance (or skip the whole thing altogether)? Check out the film's 2013 trailer below.