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While The Matrix is one of the most popular sci-fi movies from the late 1990s, there was another film that also deserves attention. The Thirteenth Floor is an underrated movie with a fascinating plot and a quick pace. Craig Bierko, an actor known for movies such as Scary Movie 4 and Cinderella Man, starred in the movie.
Although most would consider themselves fans of The Matrix who were excited to watch the 2021 sequel The Matrix: Resurrections, not everyone has seen The Thirteenth Floor. There are many reasons to check out this compelling sci-fi story.
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What Is The Thirteenth Floor About?
Craig Bierko played three characters in the underappreciated '90s sci-fi movieThe Thirteenth Floor in three different timelines. He played David (who exists in 2024), Douglas Hall (who exists in 1999), and John Ferguson (who exists in 1937). People think that Bierko's character killed Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl), whose company just released a virtual reality programset in Los Angeles in 1937. Since Douglas Hall works there, he is under suspicion right away. As Hall gets further into the VR world, he discovers strange facts about the world around him, and he begins to wonder what is virtual reality and what is real.
The Thirteenth Floor Director | Josef Rusnak |
|---|---|
Writers | Josef Rusnak, Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez |
Cast Members | Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Dennis Haysbert |
Release Date | May 28th, 1999 (United States) |
Runtime | 100 minutes |
Rotten Tomatoes Score | 28% |
Where To Watch | Rent on DirecTV, Buy on AppleTV+ |
The Thirteenth Floor is a forgotten '90s sci-fi movie, but it shouldn't be. Its exploration of VR might feel a little dated since the movie was released in May 1999, but The Thirteenth Floor tells an engaging story about how humans deal with technology.
Another memorable aspect of The Thirteenth Floor is the relationship between Douglas Hall and Jane Fuller (Gretchen Mol). In one scene, Jane says, "I fell in love with you before I even met you."
Hall replies:
"How can you love me? I am not even real. You can't fall in love with a dream."
Jane says:
"You're more real to me than anything I've ever known."
In an interview for the Germany DVD release, Craig Bierko said:
"I wouldn't limit it to being a science fiction story. Any good story, whatever genre it's in, has to be about people, you have to care about the characters. You have to recognize something of yourself in the characters and I certainly did when I read it."
What Is The Thirteenth Floor Based On?
The Thirteenth Floor is based on the novel Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye. It was published on January 1st, 1964. The novel is about Douglas Hall, who must pick up the pieces when his co-worker Morton Lynch disappears and the top scientist at the company, Hannon Fuller, passes away.
What Other Books Did Daniel F. Galouye Write?
- Dark Universe (1961)
- Lords of the Psychon (1963)
- A Scourge of Screamers (1968)
- The Infinite Man (1973)
Like many sci-fi movies based on books, some changes were made during the adaptation process. However, both the movie and the novel are both compelling in their own ways, and they complement each other. While both the movie The Thirteenth Floor and the novel Simalcron-3 feature people who think that their virtual reality is actually real, the book is about a company that creates a virtual city to research what people think without needing polls.
Why The Matrix Overshadowed The Thirteenth Floor
Since The Matrix and The Thirteenth Floor were both released in the spring of 1999, audiences went to see The Matrix instead, and the box office numbers prove that it was a more popular movie. As Entertainment Weekly reported, The Matrix earned $158 million over 10 weeks, and The Thirteenth Floor made $1.9 million in the second weekend it was in theaters.
What Were The Box Office Numbers For The Thirteenth Floor And The Matrix? (According to Box Office Mojo)
- The Thirteenth Floor: $18,564,088
- The Matrix: $467,222,728 worldwide
There are a few reasons why The Matrix is more memorable than The Thirteenth Floor. Audiences were likely interested in the hype and buzz of The Matrix, which uses the Life Simulation sci-fi trope perfectly. If moviegoers heard about another movie that was also about virtual reality, they might have thought it might not be as interesting as The Matrix. That is a shame as The Thirteenth Floor has an exciting plot and an ending that is as riveting as the end of The Matrix Revolutions.
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