Flying Beastie Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I just finished reading Matrix Warrior, by Jake Horsley. Highly recommended reading, get it now; it's probably the closest we'll ever get to a Matrix novelization. It's basically a philosophy book, but based on the Matrix and what it implies about the nature of reality (similar to The Tao of Pooh, which deals with Christopher Robin's friends as psychological constructs). The book is hampered a bit by being written before Reloaded, so there are some analogies that tend to collapse in retrospect, but still, it's cool. And I think I've pieced together what Revolutions meant. Morpheus was wrong. Neo being "The One" wasn't about destroying the Matrix; in fact, we find out in Reloaded that Neo's purpose was to reboot the Matrix (explaining the minor mystery of how it can be eternally the turn of the millennium). Remember in the first movie, how Morpheus made that pitch about plugged-in people only having an illusion of free will? It's because the AI is using the humatons' (human automatons) own dreams to form the Matrix. Well, it turns out that the resistance (whom Horsley refers to as Matrix Sorcerers) and Neo's careful planning and hard work has been just another illusion of free will. This was all stated in the movie, of course, when Neo met the Architect. What the movie doesn't point out was that it was Agent Smith who had the right idea. Neo was the One, yes, but he wasn't the Only. He was the First. The Matrix isn't a trap; it's a coccoon, enabling the next step of humanity's evolution: into "Lucids." The ability (Horsley believes) is there, latent in every humaton in the Matrix --it's the very energy that the Matrix is leeching out of them, in fact. Pre-programming in "the One's" existence is a gamble for the Matrix. There are so many things that could go wrong. Yet, the AI gambles that Neo will try to destroy the Matrix, bringing about "The Great Unplugging," and thus frelling everything up again. Neo's severing Smith's mind-link was what the Matrix didn't count on. What the One should do (breaking the Matrix's pattern), is to try to create more of himself. Try to teach others how to see the code. Create more Lucids who can reshape the Matrix from within. Smith, being Neo's Jungian Shadow (as the Oracle pointed out), was corrupting this. Smith was (I believe) over-writing other Gatekeepers/Agents, humatons, and even that unfortunate Matrix Sorcerer who crossed his path. He was turning them into literal duplicates of himself, where Neo would've been turning people into, effectively, themselves, liberated from the imposed reality of the Matrix. So, Smith was the Scourge. He consumed everyone in the Matrix (as we are apparently meant to imply by Revolution's "we've been waiting"). Then, when he consumed Neo, he gained all of the Lucid's abilities. It self-destructed him, like a virus planted into the Borg collective (to mix franchises). Or more like matter and anti-matter. We see the girl and Seraph soon after, implying that Smith's victims are restored. Then we see the Oracle and the Architect, outside of their normal environs. It's over. The Matrix Sorcerers are free to "come and go as they please." It was never about destroying the Matrix. It was about balance. Morpheus himself said that some people just aren't ready to be unplugged. They're too "hopelessly dependent" on the system. The Great Unplugging would kill millions. Morpheus knew this, but was okay with it. Neo came up with a better way. The resistance has become the Gatekeepers. They can now go about unplugging anyone, anytime they wish. They have all the time in the world. Of course, if they do simply unplug everyone, that'd be a shame. We still need to evolve up to Neo's level, otherwise both humanity and the Matrix will have failed in our evolution. Kinda ironic that it was Smith --an AI program, with a personal hatred of humanity (remember his scene with Morpheus in the first movie) who served as catalyst for humanity's own evolution. Note the green tint in the Matrix sequences. It's understated in the first movie, but becomes more and more pronounced as the series continues, and Neo comes to understand the unreality of the place. Now, consider the final sunset scene in the Matrix. The green is gone. The dream-world of the Matrix has become real. We can now begin to grow. Thoughts on Trinity Horsley goes into a bit at the end about how the major Matrix characters (Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, Cipher, and Smith) are archetypes, but he kinda dismisses Trinity as a standard anima figure --simply Neo's female half. After seeing Reloaded and Revolutions, I've realized something else. Trinity is religion. When Neo and Trin first meet, Neo admits that he'd expected "Trinity" to be a guy. Trin shoots back "Most guys do." Is this really any different than Man making God in his own image? Neo's transformation into a true Lucid puts him through a physical and psychological wringer. Yet Trinity is always there for him, loving him and believing in him. Just like a man's faith. Trinity is religion, but she's the one who has faith in Neo (an idea near and dear to the Christian religion, at the very least). In Reloaded, just before the abortive endgame gambit, while everyone else is out celebrating, Neo "prays" in Trinity's arms, reaffirming everything that they're fighting for and drawing the strength to do what needs to be done. A last moment of peace before he risks sacrificing it all. When that same gambit goes south, and the Architect points out that Neo's been played, Neo has nothing left to do but make his decision based on faith --so he rushes out to rescue Trinity (apparently making the decision that centuries' worth of Neos couldn't make). Then, in Revolution, Neo reaches his full evolution. He has transcended the Matrix by learning to read the code, transcended the man/machine barrier by learning to touch the Sentinels' AI, and even transcended the "real world" thanks to Smith's blinding him (again, Smith saves the day!) and his learning to see the AI itself. Trinity's death is inevitable. The "New Son-of-Man" ("Neo Anderson") has no more need for the old religion. Yet he doesn't turn his back on her. He cries as he sees her dying, and vows to carry her memory with him. Her presence and influence has altered him from the moment of his awakening, and he wouldn't even exist at that point if it hadn't been for her. I never realized just how cool all this was. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innror Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 in my opinion the matrix sequels could have done without all that philosophy nonsens. it's an action movie that won't admit it's just action. I loved the first movie, the two next ones.....ok, but not great. The movies take themselves too seriously, and there's not much fun left, just crappy movie philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Beastie Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 But there's already a glut of action movies. Every week there's at least one big-budget shoot-em-up playing in theatres, usually two or three. The philosophy is what makes The Matrix different and unique. Why just turn your brain off for a big popcorn thing (and thus buy into the blind consumer culture of the Matrix itself) when you have the capacity to question and improve yourself. All the best stories have to have some meaning to them, some exploration of the human condition, otherwise they're just sound and fury, signifying nothing. Heck, if all you want is eye-candy and cathartic thrills, that's what video games and porn are for. Why go to movies (watch TV, read, go out in public) at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tierce Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Hmm...thats very interesting. I knew that the Matrix trilogy had more substance beneath the glitz, but to me, one had to dive too deeply into the aspects of the movie, because basically, not everyone at the movie theater had Psych. degree. But thanx FB because you pretty much explained the things that irked me about Reloaded and Revolutions. One question though...What was the purpose of the little girl ? In the game "Enter the Matrix," the Oracle alludes to her as being of great importance, worth losing her "other shell" over, but i didn't get the point...care to enlighten? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Beastie Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 I only have a theory. In Matrix Warrior, Horsley (based only on the first movie) obliquely suggests that the Oracle is a human who has mastered the matrix so much that she's been able to survive even after her "real" body has been liquified and fed to the newborns. Morpheus says that she's been with them "from the beginning," so she's over 200 years old (the age of the resistance, according to Morpheus), or possibly several times that, since Morpheus himself turns out to be just the latest in a long line. Yet the latter movies blow this out of the water when they reveal her to be a program --a part of the Matrix itself (which actually reinforces another of Horsley's points, that the Matrix actually wants to be defeated, possibly without even knowing it --that's its purpose, like Asimov's Monolith). We also know from the girl's parents that "every program must have a purpose." Maybe the Oracle has to switch bodies ("shells") every now and then. We don't know how programs age, or even if they do. Maybe the child will be the "next" Oracle. Maybe now that the Matrix has been reprogrammed, the Oracle (Id) and Architect (Ego)'s positions have been reversed. He's the one who is now superfluous, and it's the Oracle's turn to run the show --a new world order where there are no rules and anything is possible. Or maybe they're both superfluous, since it's the Lucids who are in control of their own destiny, and the girl is to be an avatar for both of them. Both id and ego combined into a new host body, now finally able to function singly. Maybe the girl is to be the avatar of the Matrix itself --of a multipart mind now incarnated in a "physical" body and able to finally experience the reality that it/they spent so much time building. . . This is starting to sound eerily familiar, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylilin Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Originally posted by Innror in my opinion the matrix sequels could have done without all that philosophy nonsens. it's an action movie that won't admit it's just action. I loved the first movie, the two next ones.....ok, but not great. The movies take themselves too seriously, and there's not much fun left, just crappy movie philosophy. Yeah, God forbid a movie actually makes you think about someting. Damn those Watchowski brothers, DAMN THEM TO HELL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innror Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 i think you guys misunderstood me. I have nothing against thinking . I just think that the two matrix sequels put too much emphasis on the philosophy aspect. Besides that, i think the action sequences were too long. they were well done technically, but, for instance, why did Neo fight all the agent Smiths for 10 minutes, and then fly away in reloaded? He could have flown away earlier if he wanted to. But hey, i guess it had to look cool . And i still think the sequels take themselves too seriously, plus that whole Jesus symbolism didn't work for me, but hey, if you liked it, fine with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba The Hunt Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 erm Ithought the sequels had a lot less philsophy really, reloaded at lots of it but it seemed as if they had just pasted it on afterwards, rev had almost none it was just totally an action movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 The movies lack too many realistic things. Where were the people in the real world that were eager to take the fight to the machines in the real world? The people willing to fight for the machines knowingly? Additional things along those lines? Even though in the real world, going directly against the machines would have brough certain death, there are literally millions in this world that would rather die on their feet than live on their knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zargon Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 i think they got too caught up in themselves to right better movies, relaoded f;ing blew, it was just crap, i dont care if it was a bridge, it sucked, and its their fault for trying to go all intellectual instead of staying what they did best, guns and FX. the dialog is terrible in first and second one(too busy to bother with 3 yet), i wrote it off as a sideeffect of being a sci-fi action move, its part of the genre, then they brought it to the for front and no one would put up with it, so the bottom dropped out of the sales bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tierce Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I agree. Reloaded just sucked in all sorts of ways. Too much philosophy that ran in circles. Too much fighting without a purpose. The Bros. lost their way. However, to some extent, they redeemed themselves in Revolutions. Some extent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jem Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I alway knew that Reloaded and Revolution would suck. It was just so obvious. As obvious as how episode 1 & 2 would suck and how episode 3 will suck even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Originally posted by Jem I alway knew that Reloaded and Revolution would suck. It was just so obvious. As obvious as how episode 1 & 2 would suck and how episode 3 will suck even more. You obviously should just stop watching movies because you say movies that didn't suck suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jem Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 My opinion is that they did suck. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and there's nothing you can do about it. I won't think a movie didn't suck just because someone else thought it didn't and I don't expect it to work the other way around either. If I go see a movie that I know will suck it's for social gatherings and maybe if a friend and I are bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba The Hunt Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 yeah reloaded has alot of fights without much purpose, and they tried to turn things back on themselves, making them look really confident and then saying they were just following a path... but remember with star wars, empire and jedi were all better than the previous ones and episode 2 was as good as a new hope i thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Reloaded sucked. Haven't seen Revolutions. Episode I didn't suck. Episode II did suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K_Kinnison Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 it seemed that the message in the matrix wasn't relgious, tho it did have a religiuos slant to it. but a matter of choices and free will. It starts with the Red and blue pill and everyones quest for a better life.. do you think you would have a better life in the Matrix, or in the real world? You see the "first" meal Neo gets is some sort of cereal slop. is this better? Then at the end you see smith asking neo "why are you doing this" and Neo replies.. "becasue I choose to" It was the freedom of choice that drove Neo. he didn't do well with people telling him who he is or what to do. Just being himself and having that freedom was enough. And by creating peace by sacrificing hims he would give everyone else freedom and the chance for a better life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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