The Matrix is cooler because of its philosophical themes, and how it miraculously handles them in an entirely humbled fashion. Not an easy task, and something which its sequels weren't able to pull off as naturally.
I think people forget just how monumental this movie was, and the endless parodies and knock-offs it inspired.
Remember renting it on VHS as a kid with my cousins, aunt, uncle, and grandma; and we were all just completely floored. You watched the first Matrix when it dropped and you just fully knew you'd seen something pivotal.
The movie became part of our vernacular from discussions of simulation theory, red-pilling, "a glitch in the Matrix", etc.
All this hand-waving ITT of "b-b-but trans people" is so played-out, and short sighted in an effort to dismiss just how important of a movie The Matrix was. A cultural phenomenon. It's the only reason The Wachowskis are even known names. It's not as though they made anything genuinely worthy of note before or after the Matrix trillogy.
Give me the hyper stylized action flick which makes me question the nature of my very existence over Die Hard any day.