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Almost 20 years since the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy came to an end, audiences are preparing to go back down the rabbit hole.
The Matrix Resurrections — the fourth instalment in the franchise — will be out in Australian cinemas from Boxing Day.
But before you plug back into the genre-defining series, here's a spoiler-free guide on what to expect.
Do you need to watch the first three Matrix movies?
If you haven't seen the first three Matrix films, the fourth film will be difficult to follow.
Matrix Resurrections hits the ground running with references and callbacks, so if you're not familiar with the story, there will be times you're left wondering what is going on.
Even if you only saw the first movie when it came out 1999, it would be worth a rewatch beforehand.
You can read the quick recap below or click here to jump to more details about the new movie.
What's happened in the Matrix movies so far?
Thomas Anderson, a computer hacker known as Neo, receives a personalised note on a message board to "follow the white rabbit".
Moments later when a woman with a white rabbit tattoo comes to his door, he follows her to a party where he meets Trinity.
Trinity warns Neo he is being watched and that a man called Morpheus has the answers he needs.
But when Morpheus attempts to approach Neo, they are attacked by police, led by Agent Smith.
Neo is horrified when being interrogated, Agent Smith is able to meld his mouth shut and plant an electronic bug in Neo's stomach.
LoadingWaking up the next day, seemingly unharmed, Neo meets Trinity again and she has the bug extracted, proving it happened.
Morpheus then offers Neo a choice: Take the blue pill and Neo wakes-up believing whatever he wants, or take the red pill to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Neo takes the red pill, awakens in a pod and is rescued by the crew of Nebuchadnezzar, including Morpheus and Trinity.
He learns humans are being harvested by machines as batteries while their minds are trapped in a simulated reality called the Matrix.
Morpheus trains Neo to manipulate the Matrix when he is plugged in to the system, but warns dying in the Matrix means you die in real life.
Neo uses his newly found power — including knowing kung-fu and slowing time — to defeat Agent Smith, a sentient program designed to eliminate threats in the system.
This fulfils a prophecy made by the Oracle, a prophetic program who predicted the coming of "the One".
LoadingIn the sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, Neo and Trinity are in love and trying to protect the last human city, Zion.
The Oracle directs Neo to The Architect, the program that created the Matrix, which tells him he is not "the One" but just part of everything.
Neo saves Trinity's life with his ever-expanding powers, but seemingly sacrifices himself to stop the machines from attacking Zion.
Agent Smith is now a rogue program that is able to infect an unconscious crew member on board the Nebuchadnezzar.
In The Matrix Revolutions, Neo awakes in digital limbo where he befriends a Sati, the daughter of two programs who can love.
He is able to escape and visit the Oracle, who warns he must defeat Agent Smith.
Agent Smith is spreading like a virus through the Matrix, and uses his human form to attack Neo and blind him.
Trinity and Neo fly to the machine city to try and stop the war, but Trinity is killed.
Neo sacrifices himself to delete Agent Smith, and the machines leave Zion as the Matrix is rebooted to its previous version.
The movie ends with the Oracle predicting they haven't seen the last of Neo.
When is Matrix Resurrections set?
Matrix Resurrections is set after the events of the third film, The Matrix Revolutions.
While the movie is rebooting the franchise with the introduction of new characters, the fourth film builds on the existing story.
Is there a post-credit scene?
Yes, Matrix Resurrections has a post-credit scene.
But it's a the very end of the credits, so you probably have enough time to go to the loo and pop back to catch it.
Who is in Matrix Resurrections?
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, who played Neo and Trinity in the original films, are back for Matrix Resurrections.
The film is directed and co-writen by Lana Wachowski, who created the original trilogy with her sister, Lilly, who was not involved in the fourth movie's production.
Joining the ensemble is British-born actress Jessica Henwick, who played Nymeria Sand in Game of Thrones.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II adds the Matrix to his action role credits — he's supervillain Manta in Jason Momoa's Aquaman movies.
Broadway is lending two of its high-profile stars to the green-tinted screen — Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff.
Harris is a recognisable face with a dozen films and TV shows under his belt including Gone Girl, How I Met Your Mother and Doogie Howser M.D.
But, unless you were a fan of the series Glee, Groff is someone you'd probably know from hearing his voice — he is Kristoff in the Frozen movies and the original King George III in the musical Hamilton.
Rounding out the list of new characters is Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, who has appeared in several Bollywood and Hollywood films.
Is Matrix Resurrections a good movie?
Reviews by members of the media who attended preview screenings of Matrix Resurrections were released earlier this week.
The verdict is mixed but leans towards the positive.
Those that praise the film say it is a successful relaunch of the franchise, full of fun and nostalgia.
However, critics argue it's complicated, lacks the innovation of the first film and has little reason to be other than to act as fan service.
Prior to the public release, Matrix Resurrections had a score of 69 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 175 reviews. The audience score was 78 per cent.
Luke Goodsell for ABC Arts writes: "What seemed to be a daring, high-concept gamble hits a series of glitches once the action-proper boots up, reverting to so much of the mediocre storytelling that plagued both The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003)."
Variety writes: "Wachowski doesn't add much to the rich mythology she and sister Lilly have established, but she's careful not to mess it up either."
Empire writes: "For a good while, The Matrix Resurrections is fabulously batty. It's cheeky and sly, comprising endless onion-layers (if the onion even exists at all, etc); it's funny and weird and witty and mad and even, at points, quite moving. Certainly we've never seen anything like it, not on this scale, not in a Hollywood blockbuster, not like this. Then the plot kicks in, and, well, so does tradition."