The history of cinema is riddled with films that were brought down at the time of their release by the mere fact that something vaguely similar had already managed to have an impact before them. The Thirteenth Floor, directed by Josef Rusnak and produced by Roland Emmerich, is a classic case of this — an exciting creative work caught up in terrible timing. This film about virtual reality had the misfortune of coming out in 1999, a year already filled with great releases, but furthermore, the same one in which The Matrix made a giant splash. To top it all off, David Cronenberg‘s eXistenZmade its debut the same year.
Since The Thirteenth Floor was released in the U.S. about a month after both, it was relentlessly compared to them, especially to the Wachowskis‘ film, and might have even come off as a rip-off to some viewers, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Based on a sci-fi novel from the ’60s, Rusnak’s movie still holds its own as an on-point commentary about the current state of affairs. Upon closer examination, apart from the “our world might not be what it seems” twist, it’s not even that similar to The Matrix: it’s definitely not a cyberpunk action, but a much quieter sci-fi neo-noir that still packs a significant punch.
What Is ‘The Thirteenth Floor’ About?
Like many classic noir films, The Thirteenth Floor starts with a murder. An older gentleman named Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl) leaves a young woman in bed in a hotel room and heads down. Before going home, he leaves an envelope with a friendly bartender, Ashton (Vincent D’Onofrio), with instructions to give it to his friend when he visits. The whole thing is soon revealed to be a simulation of 1937 Los Angeles, built by the real Hannon Fuller, who is murdered that very night. His colleague and long-time friend, Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko), is devastated, and then shocked by the sudden appearance of Fuller’s daughter, Jane (Gretchen Mol), whom he had never heard about. He is even more astonished when he becomes the primary suspect in his friend’s murder, prompting him to conduct his own investigation, which is obviously tied to the simulated reality they created.
It’s been over a week since the Ides of March (3/15). Today we’re pitting the stars of that film (George Clooney and Ryan Gosling) against each other.
There are, of course, a few significant twists that happen along the way that might come off as obvious from the current-day perspective. To the authors’ credit, they don’t really attempt to present those turns of events as shocking for the viewers, going instead for an emotional impact that can be felt through the characters. Once again, like many noir films, the movie presents reality around the characters, virtual or not, as inherently hostile and depicted as such, with its darker, muted colors and its overall melancholic tone, reminiscent of Blade Runner (Hall even shares the building he lives in with Rick Deckard) and another cult sci-fi neo-noir of that time, Alex Proyas‘ Dark City. And just like all the best sci-fi stories tend to do, The Thirteenth Floor ends up being not only entertaining, but relatable, because it speaks of the present more than it does the future.
‘The Thirteenth Floor’ Isn’t Content with Just Being Fun, It Is Also Not Afraid to Dig Into Darker Matters
Multiple characters in The Thirteenth Floor question not only the world around them but their own identity. And the astounding effect of realizing everything you have known about yourself and reality is not true is captured with heartbreaking precision by Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance. Cast in the dual role of a bartender from the ’30s who accidently finds out the truth about his world, and Jason, a tech-savvy colleague of Hall’s who can’t help but be curious about testing the simulation, even knowing that it’s dangerous, D’Onofrio unravels beautifully in both of them. Coupled with the central performance by Bierko, who maintains his trademark charisma of a man who could easily be either a hero or a villain, it grants the film its emotional core and makes it more resonant and relatable.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Ten questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix 🔥Mad Max 🌧️Blade Runner 🏜️Dune 🚀Star Wars
01 You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02 In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03 What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04 Which of these comes most naturally to you? Your strongest skill is your best survival asset — use it accordingly.
05 How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
06 Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
07 Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
08 A comfortable lie or a devastating truth — which can you actually live with? Some worlds offer one. Some offer the other. Very few offer both.
09 Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
10 What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for.
💊 The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things, the places where the official version doesn’t quite line up. In the Matrix, that instinct is the difference between life and permanent digital sedation. You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you. The machines built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
🔥 Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you. You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon. You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it. You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
🌧️ Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely. You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer. In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional. You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either. In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
🏜️ Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards. Patience, discipline, pattern recognition, political awareness, and an understanding that the long game matters more than any single victory. Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic, earn its respect, and perhaps, in time, reshape it entirely.
🚀 Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re someone who finds meaning in being part of something larger than yourself. You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken. Whatever you are, you fight. And in Star Wars, that willingness is what makes the difference.
Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive?
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival QuizWhich Sci-Fi WorldWould You Survive?The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Ten questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
Test Your Survival →
01 You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do?The first instinct is often the truest one.
APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it.BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don’t keep you alive.CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who’s pulling the strings.DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it.EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can’t fix a broken galaxy alone.
Next Question →
02 In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely?What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don’t need resources — you can generate them.BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it.CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity.DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on.EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely.
Next Question →
03 What kind of threat keeps you up at night?Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant.BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left.CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you’re a problem, you’re already out of time.DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn’t even know I was playing.EThe Empire tightening its grip until there’s nowhere left to run.
Next Question →
04 Which of these comes most naturally to you?Your strongest skill is your best survival asset — use it accordingly.
AHacking, pattern recognition, finding the exploit in any system — digital or human.BMechanical skill — I can strip an engine, rig a weapon, or fix anything with whatever’s around.CReading people — knowing when someone’s lying, hiding something, or about to run.DDiscipline and endurance — mental and physical. I outlast things rather than overpower them.EPiloting, navigation, knowing how to get from A to B when every route is dangerous.
Next Question →
05 How do you deal with authority you don’t trust?Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it.BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better.CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy.DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can’t beat a system you refuse to understand.EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen.
Next Question →
06 Which environment could you actually endure long-term?Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters.BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest.CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions.DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand.EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire’s attention rarely reaches.
Next Question →
07 Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart?The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
AA tight crew of believers who’ve seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose.BOne or two people I’d trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks.CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice.DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last.EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts.
Next Question →
08 A comfortable lie or a devastating truth — which can you actually live with?Some worlds offer one. Some offer the other. Very few offer both.
AThe truth, no matter the cost. I’d rather live in a brutal reality than a beautiful cage.BNeither — truth and lies are luxuries. What matters is surviving the next hour.CI’ve learned to live with ambiguity. Some truths don’t have clean answers.DThe truth — but deployed strategically. Knowing something others don’t is power.EThe truth. Even when it means confronting something in yourself you’d rather leave buried.
Next Question →
09 Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all?Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
AI won’t harm the innocent — even the ones who’d report me without hesitation.BI do what I have to to protect the people I’ve chosen. Everything else is negotiable.CThe line shifts depending on who’s asking and what’s at stake.DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people’s future, even if it’d help now.ESome lines, once crossed, can’t be uncrossed. I know which ones they are.
Next Question →
10 What would actually make survival worth it?Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it.BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving.CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out.DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations.EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else’s boot.
Reveal My World →
Your Fate Has Been CalculatedYou’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for.
💊 The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things, the places where the official version doesn’t quite line up. In the Matrix, that instinct is the difference between life and permanent digital sedation. You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you. The machines built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
🔥 Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you. You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon. You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it. You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
🌧️ Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely. You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer. In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional. You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either. In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
🏜️ Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards. Patience, discipline, pattern recognition, political awareness, and an understanding that the long game matters more than any single victory. Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic, earn its respect, and perhaps, in time, reshape it entirely.
🚀 Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re someone who finds meaning in being part of something larger than yourself. You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken. Whatever you are, you fight. And in Star Wars, that willingness is what makes the difference.
↩ Retake Quiz
The Thirteenth Floor isn’t the first adaptation of Daniel F. Galouye‘s science fiction novel, Simulacron-3. In 1973, it was turned into a German TV series, World on a Wire, which was directed unexpectedly by one of the iconic auteurs of European cinema, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Despite its twists and turns, the series was largely focused on the ethical and philosophical sides of scientific progress, including experiments with virtual reality. And, while telling its own story, The Thirteenth Floor still inherits this major trait from Fassbinder’s show, leaning heavily into raising complex questions about the very nature of what constitutes reality and existence, foreshadowed by a telling epigraph with René Descartes‘ quote during the opening credits. Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, amid all the negative reviews, famous philosopher Slavoj Žižek had words of praise for the film’s ideas, favoring them over the ones in The Matrix.
Watching the film today, it is, of course, easy to draw parallels with many aspects of modern life (for instance, the Internet), making its core ideas both disturbing and relevant. Unlike The Matrix, the film’s central conflict isn’t humans versus machines, or even painful reality versus the comfort of illusion. It’s humans against other humans who get dangerously addicted to the impunity of virtual reality and take advantage of it to fulfill their, often dark, desires. This idea transpires through several characters in The Thirteenth Floor, with Fuller using the simulation to spend time with women, and another character turning to virtuality in search of an improved version of an estranged loved one. In the end, though, it all comes down to using virtual reality as an outlet for aggression and repressed violence with an excuse that nothing in it presumably truly exists — only for all of this darkness to inevitably spill into physical real life as well.
Armin Mueller-Stahl
