First off this is a documentary, and one that except for a lot of production trickery thrown in (speakers clothed in avatar animations, animated scenes, and background music) would be really boring since it's a series of interviews. A bunch of people discuss Simulation Hypothesis which contends that reality is a simulation run by higher order beings, including a 1977 speech by Philip K Dick (who's ref'ed alot in this) where he states "we're living in a computer programmed reality." Later, Elon Musk asserts there's only a one-in-billions chance that we're in the Base (or true) Reality. There are references to computer games and simulations, most notably Minecraft, though not Civilization or The Sims, as well as "The Matrix" films a quote from which this doc derives its title. The doc is interesting in a seminar kind of way, you get a broad overview of this topic from a variety of speakers so that's decent. But the most interesting and possibly the most important thing to bear in mind is something noted at the very beginning, that a college teacher of the narrator once noted that through the ages, we attempt to explain our brain and nervous system in the context of the highest level of technology known at the time. Thus, given photo-realistic computer games, simulations, and virtual reality you have many people attempting to explain reality in that context, apparently unaware that they're simply doing what everyone's done since our caveman ancestors. Personally, I think this topic would do much better as a short six-ep streaming series since it lends itself so well to animations and cut-scenes from current computer simulations and VR games.

I think the simulation theory is very intriguing but this movie doesn't really explore it. Rather it takes this topic to a panel of basement dwellers who conflate this theory with their own myopic take on reality and in some cases delusions. The film largely focuses on the delusions or narcissistic tendencies of a certain type of white male. To make matters worse, the film's arc lands with a psychopath's take on his cold blooded murder of his parents while in some sort of depressive psychosis. Chilling to say the least. Including this in the film seems to unravel all the discussion leading up to this point in the film by conflating the embracement of the simulation theory with hedonistic nilhism. Definitely not worth paying to rent/see.

If you were in a college dorm getting baked with your friends after watching The Matrix in 1999 - you won't learn anything new. I was hoping for some science and actual scientists. Instead I got random youtubers behind goofy avatars. Philip K Dick's lecture from the 70's was pretty interesting though, so it gets a few stars for that. If you're REALLY interested in seeing this, wait until it's free.