The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix 'lightning strike' international US poster is one of the rarest film posters printed for a major film campaign. It was one of three final designs commissioned by Warner Bros. executive Erwin Stoff. Stoff decided that this version by Creative Domain (now referred to as the 'lightning strike' style) was the weakest of the three designs, and therefore went with the 'face' style of B.D. Fox and the 'four cast members' style by Concept Arts to spearhead the campaign. On reflection, Stoff realised that the 'lightning Strike' version was worthy of re-assessment. A very limited print run was authorised and officially added to the international poster campaign. Whether any copies made it into cinemas is doubtful, and of those printed, most found their way into the personal collections of other Warner Bros. executives and employees.

This sci-fi action film was written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, known as The Wachowskis. It was the first film in The Matrix series, and stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano. The film is set in a dystopian future where humankind is trapped inside a simulated reality (the Matrix), created by an evil cyber-intelligence in order to use the human bodies as an energy source. The truth is uncovered by a computer hacker, who, together with other people freed from the Matrix, joins an uprising against the machines.