Hmm…the Detective Story images didn’t work as well as I’d like - too much of a diversion I think. Back to Neo images it is!

Ok…loon.

I think your reasoning on the Sci-Fi end is fine, though I’m not fully grasping it (probably because I’ve seen the sequels only once each). But you’re right. I don’t magically love the sequels as a result of it. The logic/illogic was only part of the reason to dislike them. What I dislike about the sequels is that fight scenes seem to lose bearing any purpose and just become gratuitous; difficult to watch even, like in Revolutions when Neo meets Agent Smith for the last time and 70% of it is in slo-motion. I honestly just started fast fowarding.

And I disliked where some of the characters went. Morpheus turned into nearly a caricature of himself, with that ridiculous speech in Reloaded (followed by the exceedingly ridiculous rave scene after it).

Very nice essay though. I’ll consider it the next time I check the trilogy out, though not sure when that’ll be.

Hi Amber, thanks for the kind words. And yeah, again, its cool if you hate the sequels. Many people don’t like them and have many reasons they can cite for it. That isn’t at all the purpose of this essay.

A few questions. How do you connect to Seraph being a former one? I thought he was a former programmer like Merovingian back in the early days of the Matrix.

I would’ve thought Merovingian would be the more likely candidate as a former one because of the line “He was like you”. I’m not challenging you or anything I’m just wondering what the dots are and how you connected them.

Great article BTW. Amber is a loon.

Responding to Spikethebloody on whether Seraph is a former one:

As is stated above, Neo’s mind was a combination of human and sentient program. When his body died, the sentient program portion of him was returned to the source in order to reboot the matrix. Seraph is a previous “one” in the sense that the sentient program portion of him returned to the matrix - the human portion of him died long ago. In other words, the only essence of a “former one” would have to be a sentient program.

There are a number of references to Seraph being the former one:

• He completely holds his own with Neo in a fight (nobody else can do this, and Seraph indicates that he had to “fight” him to be sure he was the One)
• The Merv refers to him as the prodigal son returning, and makes it clear that he used to be in his service (presumably as a cost for passage for the trainride from the source to the matrix), but then at some point betrayed him.
• The Henchmen refer to him as “wingless” meaning no longer can fly like Neo can. Seraph in some religions also means “angel,” which implies he used to be greater than he is today. Fallen angel could also mean he has fallen from the machine city (the equivalent of heaven in this context).
• Mr. Smith alludes to the fact that they fought before in a previous incarnation of the Matrix - this seems to indicate that Seraph’s role was different than from what it is now.
• Seraph’s a program and is Gold code, means he is clearly from the Machine city. This is the clearest indication, and fits the facts.

But again, depending on the storyline (religious vs Sci-Fi), the same character means something completely different. Seraph can be seen as the knight templar watching that which is sacred - the holy grail of knowledge (the oracle) in a religious view. He is also a betrayer of the Merv (who is the decendant of Jesus) so he is called Judas.

Very interesting dude! I’ve always thought it was possible to see Seraph a few ways but there can be little doubt that you have a compelling argument for silencing the debate on his origins.

On the subject of Neo do you think he is not really “dead” in so much that like Seraph he is still alive in the source and that is the reason for the oracle saying that they’d see him again someday? I got the feeling that he was gone completely because Smith had overtaken him and to destroy Smith would mean destroy Neo. Faulty logic on my part?

Hi Spike, yeah, the whole Mr. Smith/Neo integration part is pretty critical to the religious view, and also to a pure cybernetic perspective where we look at the Oracle as a positive feedback cycle (increasing change from an initial goal state) competing against the Architect, which is a negative feedback cycle (negating change from an initial goal state), but this is another essay.

In the Sci-Fi view, Neo - the sentient program HAS to be alive, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to reboot the Matrix. But I think it’s a safe bet that Neo - the person is definitely dead.

That essay is probably the best overview of the Matrix Trilogy ever! I have found it most helpful and agree on all points

Thanks Nexyde. All compliments accepted and appreciated.

[…] […]

Initially I never really enjoyed the Matrix films. I have given them several chances in the past, each time enjoying them less. However, I started looking into the philosophy behind the Matrix story. I have concluded that while the Matrix has some terrible acting, and far over hyped action sequences, the Wachowskis are geniuses for their work in the philosophical depth of their creation.

I love to hear different peoples interpretations of the story, and so far I think you probably have the most inciteful view I have found. Very nice work.

Before I go, this is my first time posting on your site. A few months ago I discovered this site looking for info on Casshern. Ever since, I’ve been hitting back almost every day looking for new cyberpunk stuff. I honestly didnt even know that cyberpunk was a genre before I found this site. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to a name for the entertainment I love the most.

Keep up the good work!

Hi Jesse, thank’s so much for the kind words! I really do think the Matrix trilogy is an absolutely incredible effort on a lot of levels, even with some dialogue and acting moments thrown in the mix. While the religious and philosophical aspects of the trilogy have gotten a lot of press, very little is ever said about the straight SciFi aspects - those too are well worth discussion.

For instance, much to my great dissapointment, the commentaries on the Matrix box set, for instance, barely even mention the idea that the Matrix trilogy is also a SciFi movie. Disc 10, which has terrific documentaries on philosophy and the actual scientific basis for developing AI, also don’t go over the scifi aspects of the movie. This is all the more annoying considering they had Andy Clarke on as one of the guests. His book, Natural Born Cyborg, is one of the best at penetrating this notion of the co-evolution of man and his tools, yet NOTHING was said about this in his interviews. Here we have one of the most interesting and visually compelling instances of cyborgs in cinema, yet nothing in the commentaries or extras discussed this.

BTW, I still plan on going back to Casshern to put some better screencaps there. Early on in my reviews, you’ll notice a lot of them are shorter, and some, like Casshern, I just used screencaps I found. Since then, my reviews have become a bit more detailed and I am almost always using my own screencaps (except for movies like Ultraviolet, which hadn’t been released on DVD yet).

WOW dude. I am utter apreciation at the essay above. The only aspect of your work I didn’t “like” was that you fell neccesarry that one should seperate the two interpretations of the Matrix Trilogy. I feel That each parts work within the other allowing one to get a true grasp of the Purpose and meaning behind such an epic tale. Ty for taking the time to write though for my understanding increased ever-so slightly…

Hi Adrien, thanks for the kind words. Your criticism (that I separated the interpretations) is valid, and is one that has been mentioned to me before. Just to clarify, by no means do I reject a more holistic view of the trilogy. I would agree that the holistic view is probably how the Wachoski brothers view it. The problem is in trying to write clearly about it. Unless one is truly a gifted writer, attempts to describe everything in one perspective usually end up looking more like muddled thought than clarity in purpose. The other problem is that as one goes to a higher level of abstraction in describing the trilogy (which is necessary to describe it holistically), this almost negates discussing the details with any degree of specificity. For these reasons, it made sense for me to focus solely on the SciFi perspective.

And as I mention above, there are a plethora of attempts already to describe just the philosophical aspects, and many more attempting to describe it holistically. However, I have yet to come across any which focus solely on the scifi stuff. I hope this essay helps to fill that void.

SFAM wrote:
…This is all the more annoying considering they had Andy Clarke on as one of the guests. His book, Natural Born Cyborg, is one of the best at penetrating this notion of the co-evolution of man and his tools,

Gee! There use to be interest in the notion of the co-evolution of man and his drugs. (See Terrance Mckenna: Food of the Gods).
I find the different scientific paths, taken by man in his evolution intresting….

Organics:
Herbs, Weed and Mushrooms…organic biology that alters one’s consciousness, and possibly, one’s evolutionary path…(often cited as initiating profound spiritual experiences…and greater natural holistic connectiveness…Imagine the White Rabbit…a psychedelic drug reference from the 1960’s..( “Go ask alice…when she was still small….”)

and

Inorganics:
Electricity, Machinery, Synthesised Music, Electronic mediation, Cds, telephones, soundwaves and other electronic “gifts”…with conscious states “hovering” above rapid information flow, even evolving around it. Creating greater communications, greater connectiveness, even altering the human mind…

All very intresting. Two very compatable “Scientific” explorations, centered around human evolution…all in the same film!

Wow. I’ve never really heard the Matrix put like this before, but it’s a fascinating way to look at the movies (particularly the sequels). Major kudos.

Hi Cyberpunk Hero, welcome to cyberpunkreview

Great name, BTW. And thanks for the compliment. It always amazes me how seldom the Matrix is discussed from a science fiction standpoint. While, yes, the philosophical stuff is truly cool, there’s more to the movies than that.

I’m the “anonymous coward’s” who wrote:
“There use to be interest in the notion of the co-evolution of man and his drugs. (See Terrance Mckenna: Food of the Gods).
I find the different scientific paths, taken by man in his evolution intresting….”

Sorry I offended you. I don’t understand why my post made me an “anonymous coward.” Feel free to erase this, and my previous post. (Question: When has the adjective: “intresting” equated with “crackpot idea”?)

Anyway, this post is not proving anything, I personally find these ideas “intresting”. The book I’ve mentioned, The Matrix movie, the articles you have recommended…all intresting. That is my opinion, not me “making a point…”

Also, I am female…but it is o.k. to assume my gender (it’s common to address most of humanity as “mankind.” Although gender is important, most writers ignore it, or default to “masculine” modes of address, for example: he said…)

Finally, I’m not sure why my post was offensive, but feel free to erase any material, or opinion you feel unnecessary, or offensive.

At the risk of becoming annoying, I’ll briefly mention another Science Fiction classic: Dune. There are many layers in Dune (and the Dune collection.)
One aspect I particularly liked was the author’s treatment of drugs (the spices), which were used to “expand” human ability (and ultimately became linked to its evolution); while simultaneously, technology was also expanding what was humanly possible ( Space travel, human cloning, human knowledge etc.)
Dune is very much about the evolution of different sub-groups along different paths, yet, linked together.
Dune is brilliant in that it weaves together different groups and several ideals, along side one central story line.
I find similar themes running throught out the Matrix Films.

Hi 2c Me, the Dune series definitely uses drugs in an evolutionary, or in fact transformational sense. In looking at the Matrix trilogy, I’d be interested in to hear how you see this similar analogy applying. I certainly get the Alice in Wonderland connection and the entering the Matrix. Are there other linkages in the films that perhaps I’ve missed?

Incidentally, I do agree with the evolution - especially in though - of the different subgroups (humans and machines) along different paths that are certainly linked together.

I am so glad that I found this. Ever since I saw the first movie, I just wanted to have things “broken down” for me. When the last movie came out, one of my co-workers said from a computer programmers view-point, the Matrix make so much sense. However, he didn’t explain. I figured out somethings from watching the movies over and over, but this is really great! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Very well written. I never thought about the “seraph as the former one” thing before either. I am not a very big fan of the matrix trilogy (they are okay, not my thing. Especially the religious undertones) I will re-watch them with all this in mind.

However, there is one important thing people forget. Humans can’t be effectively used as batteries! Humans are rather inefficient producers of energy. We eat food and convert everything to either a piece of our structure, ATP or waste. ATP is the chemical humans use to store energy it has a link of three phosphate groups. One is broken off, and the energy released from the bond breaking fuels whatever the body is doing. ATP, being unstable, is converted to fat if not used quickly.

However, almost everything the body does takes ATP. From replicating DNA, where every nucleotide takes one molecule of ATP, to active transport of chemicals through cellular membrane, even a completely stationary human uses a lot of energy. The brain alone uses a huge amount. It would be much easier for robots to make energy from food with bacteria or machinery. It would be easier than that to use wind energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy or orbital solar energy, or nuclear energy. Humans cannot produce more energy than they are given, nothing can, and only a machine with 100% efficiency can produce as much energy as they receive, humans are no where near 100% efficient. Not to mention the cost in energy of keeping up the matrix for the sole purpose of producing an illusion for the batteries.

Also, the humans blotting out the sun in the first-place is unfeasible. They did it because the robots ran on solar, but they neglect the fact that all life on earth would die if left on a sunless world, and since robots can run at night, or when it is cloudy the obviously store energy, so they could use their time to figure out how to utilize other forms of energy, and that’s assuming the absurd, in that they ONLY used solar, which is highly unlikely. To do something like what they did would be like turning earth into Venus.

So, even if the events in the movie are very well thought out and intricate, the core premise is flawed. I know every is going to tell me it is sci-FI so I should just shut up, but since this is an in depth discussion I thought I might as well and come out and say it. Its bugs me every time I watch the series >.

Hi Syzygy, welcome to cyberpunkreview. I would certainly agree that the robots could have created other forms of energy, besides humans (or modified humans in the case of the battery people - they are filled with implants). It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that some of the rationale for choosing humans is based in personal history. The Architect does indicate that there are other potential energy sources, but they clearly haven’t been exploited very well. One could certainly envision the machines taking a far more rigorous risk management approach in coming up with alternative energy sources. But regarding the sun comment, I would point out that life on the planet is pretty much wiped out. Did you get a different impression than this, or are you questioning whether this was a wise strategy by the humans?

You are clearly a very intelligent man. I did not catch all of what you had to say, but I see you put a lot of time and thought into your passion.
On a separate note though, I and all of historical Christianity disagree with your belief that Jesus was like Budda and was merely realizing his higher self. Honey, Jesus was the one and only unique son of God, who is the 2nd person of the trinity. Also,consequently, Jesus is The Savior of the world. It is only through bowing the knee and asking him to have a relationship and getting to know him and asking him to save you from your sins and your self that anyone can be saved. He is the unique one and we will all stand before him and give an account one day. Jesus said of himself, ” I am the Way, the Truth and The Life and no one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Hi Supermom, thanks for stopping by. Just to point out, my comment above was more to set the context for this being an essay from a SciFi perspective, and not a commentary on the whether or not Jesus was greater than, less than, or equal to Budda. I merely use that as a counterpoint to show that this essay was not about the wachowski’s religious/spiritual viewpoint of the series. Honestly, that discussion is better edjudicated elsewhere.

I like this explanation a lot. It explains the Matrix pretty thoroughly, at least for someone like myself. A friend of mine (when asked about Smith’s role and demise) replied that Smith, as a program, forgot his limitations, and that a computer (the world he operated in) can simply be turned off/rebooted, or a program can be deleted.

Do you agree? If not, what do you think Smith’s role was from a Sci-fi POV?

SFAM,
I enjoyed reading your article, but was dissapointed that you did not provide an explanation of Neo’s “Destruction” of former-Agent Smith at the end of Revolutions. Why, right before Smith copies himself over Neo, does Smith act paranoid, recoil and say “Stay away! It’s a trick!” ? How does Neo defeat Smith by letting Smith consume him? How do you explain the surge of energy that The Source (deus ex machina) passes into Neo after Smith has copied himself over Neo?
Thanks for taking the time to respond!

Thus the main story of “The Matrix” is told in the 3 movies, important information is enveiled in the “Animatrix”. It is told that the machines “exiled” from the human cities to form their own city - Z-01: Zee-one - Zion. That makes me believe that Neo and all of the people in Zion are actually machines or better cybors (something like Terminator). Now the human factor…I believe the matrix and Zion as opposite sides create a balance and control over AI and machines. This “universe” might actually been created by humans to end the war with the machines and keeping them controled.

I would like to say that the whole idea of taking “Matrix” ideas a step futher is like taking Star Wars to be some kind of holy scripture to be seriously analysed.. Philip K. Dick explored these ideas of reality and humanity in his novels decades ago, in a much better and logical way. I liked the movies, but they’re not really deep. They’re just entertainment. You have to plough through a lot of second rate prose to find really deep ideas, and all the best hollywood movies are based on books by respected SF authors.

I’m glad I’m over the period when I read anything that was “hard scifi”, since I can’t stand the style anymore. Lee Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy was recommended to me, and I found it utterly boring, like I find most of SF. Matrix movies are full of action and Star Wars to the secondth power, so to speak. They’re good entertainment. That’s all.

The future will be quite different (and quite unpredictable). The ideas that the movie proposes, well, it’s here and now, with the internet and on-line games. Some people “break the matrix” by exploiting the faults in the system to cheat. All the hocus pocus
after that is just that, hocus pocus and blah blah the Force be
with you and dilithium crystals and all the magic.

Today it’s possible to link special cameras to the visual processing parts of the human cortex, and the blind can “see”, if they learn to do it. Just like it’s possible to link an artificial arm’s movement to functional nerves at a person’s abdominal muscles to operate it, it’s not seeing like “you and me”, nor is it having an arm, like “you and me”, it’s about learning to live with it. A new kind of sense or a new kind of control.

Sorry about the rant, I’m not an especial fan of Matrix (though they’re good movies), and happened upon on this site by chance.

Very nice.. I liked it…

To all the people that say “bad acting and too much fighting squences” is both right and wrong. He is right that is was a little too much.. but dont you forget its a HOLYWOOD movie.. and it has to have those (all the studio birocrasy and stuff) but in contrast to other holywood movies the crew here did a realy good job of putting a later of real philosopical qulity underness…
(I had a philosophy cource at my unevirsity, and the lecurer mencianed matrix like 10 times in 2 hours!!)

and back to the assay - i wanted to see matrix as totaly sci fi and couldnt realy undersabd it.. so it was kind of in the mindle.. but now that i read this, i totaly magicly fell in love with it.. tnx

Did you ever consider you might be obsessive/compulsive ?
Seriously, it takes a special kind of person to go to the extremes evidenced here. Thanks for a great ride !
Sci-fi always has its shortcomings positing realistic alternatives to reality. For a series of novels John Campbell would appreciate, I always found Robert Forward ( who ?) in a class by himself.
All space opera novels skip over the problems of impacts with matter at high relatavistic velocities. I don’t find the efficiency problems of people used as powerplants - in comparison - sufficient to blow the whole idea of a world wired for sensorium.
Fighting sequences ? No problem working off aggression here !
Looking at the matrix as a game network/imaginary world I certainly see no reason why it wouldn’t be as nuts as network television.

Hi Opit, I actually know people who have obsessive compulsive disorder. So I can confidently say, “No, I am quite positive I do not have obsessive compulsive disorder.” But I’m afraid I got lost on your network/imaginary world analogy of the Matrix as it relates to network television.

Hi Crawleymang and David, regarding the power required to reboot the matrix, and what role Mr. Smith plays in this, the first part, the power to reboot the matrix comes from the Machine City. This is right out of the original control system designed by the architect, whereby the sentient portion of Neo returns to the Source to provide the information necessary to reboot it.

Regarding the role Mr. Smith plays, Mr. Smith is in essence a virus created by the Oracle. The Oracle in essence took a portion of Neo’s essence and tied it to Mr. Smith. The Oracle also “gamed” Mr. Smith into wanting her eyes, which allows her to plant a false vision of his success. When Neo lets Mr. Smith invade him, the portion of Neo that was used to keep the Smith program together (if you remember, when he was destroyed, he was supposed to leave but didn’t) is reunited with Neo, and thus, the Smith program dissintegrates. As this happens, everyone returns back to their former state.

Cremator said:
“I would like to say that the whole idea of taking “Matrix” ideas a step futher is like taking Star Wars to be some kind of holy scripture to be seriously analysed.. Philip K. Dick explored these ideas of reality and humanity in his novels decades ago, in a much better and logical way. I liked the movies, but they’re not really deep. They’re just entertainment. You have to plough through a lot of second rate prose to find really deep ideas, and all the best hollywood movies are based on books by respected SF authors.”

Hi Cremator, just a thought here - because this site focusses on movies in no way says that it is cheapening scifi books. If this is what your saying, I don’t know where this comes from. If you’re saying that its a waste of time to take meaning or to be intellectually stimulated by movies, lets agree to disagree. I actually find vast stimulation in virtually all media types, including graphic novels. Call me low brow if you like.

Regarding whether the Matrix movies are “deep,” almost always this thought is expressed with regards to the philosophy. Whether or not I agree with that, this essay really isn’t about the philosophical aspects of the movie. I’m sure you can find other places to object to the matrix if this is your concern. If you are proposing that this essay somehow implies that I think “taking the matrix ideas a step further” means that I think this is how our world will end up, I’m afraid you’ve lost me. There is clearly enough content on this site where I express thoughts on this specifically, although this essay is not one of them.

very nice sfam. I never did understand many of the later scifi parts, I expect I will enjoy the later 2 movies much more now. I don’t think anyone really understands why humans are the chosen source of energy when they are so inefficient. The fact that the design choice is lost to history seems to symbolize how closely man and machine will continue be tied together, even in this seemingly us vs. them scenario.

Hi SFAM,

This is by far the best explanation I’ve seen of the Matrix Trilogy purely from a Sci-fi perspective. I agree with you .. the Trilogy has always been sold as philosophical/religious with some action thrown in, even on the DVDs, as you pointed out, and I believe this is why so many people were disappointed .. philosophy and religion will always be subjective, so it’s easy to either love or be let down by it from that perspective.

Personally, I very much enjoyed the philosophy behind the Matrix (we’re here to understand the decisions we’ve already made, etc.) but I also enjoyed the purely factual/sc-fi side of it. By factual I mean of course the storyline itself .. the sequence of events that play out, that are mostly objective. Your breakdown of events very closely resembles my own perspective, which makes me relieved, and you’ve also brought to light things that I never considered before (like Seraph being a former One, etc.)

Thanks again, and well done!

Hi RobUK, thanks for the kind words! And BTW, I really did the philosophical side as well, but thought that would be a complete waste of time writing an essay on it, as there are already multiple books on it, commentaries, and all the rest. I just don’t get why the Scifi viewpoint, which seems just as intentional, is always completely glossed over.

SFAM, I have to agree with most of the people here and say this is an amazing explanation. I’ve had several lurking problems with the Trilogy for a while that I decided just to kind of leave alone. But this explanation has me ready to watch them all again with new enthusiasm.

In response to Syzygy’s post, I have a theory that might expain the “Humans are rather inefficient producers of energy” problem. So here goes…

We know that the machines used humans as a power source even though they had the technology to produce more effecient power sources (like “a form of fusion” mentioned in M1). We know that the machines used to serve and protect humans and spared great expense to make sure they didn’t suffer in the first matrix. So if the machines didn’t care about the ultimate fate of humans, why didn’t they completely exterminate them?

What if the Matrix was the machines’ way of protecting and preserving humanity while eliminating them as a threat? What if the Matrix was a way to keep humans in stasis until they had “grown up” enough to learn to accept the machines as life form with equal right to live? What if the Matrix was the machines’ way of forcing humans to understand their wrongs by putting them through the same oppression and servitude they had placed the machines under?

The machines were certainly smart enough to realize that humans would not stop hating them and would destroy them outright if given the chance. In fact, the humans tried so hard to destroy the machines, they actually endangered their own survival in the process (blacking out the sky).

This explains the philosophical perspective that the machines were ugly and sinister in the first movie, but had transformed into things of beauty by the end of the third movie as Neo’s understanding of their role changed. In other words, Neo came to understand that the machines actions weren’t vindictive, but were trying to help humanity. The machines actions were in the best interest of humanity, even if the humans couldn’t see it.

In this way I think Mr. Smith was a form of conduit that allowed Neo to transfer this new understanding to everyone in the Matrix, man and machine alike. By invading and taking over everyone in the Matrix, Mr. Smith unwittingly allowed Neo to reach everyone directly through Neo’s own code.

Using humans as a power source, then, just becomes a practical way of harnessing otherwise wasted energy. And it would likely only power the Matrix, not the whole Machine City.

Great Explanation! Just a few questions though:

The Oracle lives within the Matrix. What was her purpose for creating Mr. Smith? And if she created him why does he attack (assimilate) her?

Mr Smith spreads (essentially) like a virus - “worming” his way throughout the Matrix. The Architect doesn’t seem to be concerned about this - unless he feels that by rebooting the system the “worm” would be eliminated.

Here is my theory:
I think that Mr. Smith was created by the Oracle to protect her but he turned on her. Her mission now becomes self-preservation and she finds Seraph to take his place. Now the humans want to destroy the Matrix but why would the Oracle want this? She knows that she has to go through Neo to defeat Mr. Smith and so, she places a “cookie” within him that allows him to interface (jump into) Mr. Smith - an ability that Seraph, I guess, doesn’t have. This affords Neo the ability to shut him down. But the interface worked both ways and Smith came back smarter. Now the Oracle has a bigger problem. To defeat Smith this time she hides within herself the code to completely destroy him. However, knowing that Smith’s assimilation code undoubtedly checks for harmful code she left the unlock key out (which is the same code as the “cookie” that is still within Neo). When the time came a simple message to Neo through Smith i.e. “I am suppose to say ….”, encouraged Neo to let Smith assimilate him. Once the key opened the code it executed and like a “worm” spread to all instances of Smith destroying them all and saving Zion at the same time. Since the Smith code was simply a “wrapper” the original programming took over thus allowing the Oracle to survive. The question now is, “How did she know that Neo would strike a deal with the Machine City?”

Go ahead, now, and reveal the holes in my theory.

To SFAM,

I like your essay, but I believe your whole “sentient program” idea is seriously flawed. Here’s why:

1) When Neo is shot by an agent at the end of the first film Trinity (in the real world) reveals that she has fallen in love with him. She then kisses him and he re-awakens. It wasn’t some computer program that woke up inside him! it was her kiss that brought him back to life!

2) If Neo was a “sentient program” in a human body for the last to movies how do you explain all the emotion that he felt? Machines don’t feel emotions! They’re cold things driven only by porpoise. Neo was not driven by porpoise but rather by hope, love and belief! The thing that caused Neo to commit the sacrifice was not that he was “The One” because “The One” was a lie; “The One” never existed! (See the end of Reloaded.) What drove Neo to commit the sacrifice was his belief in Humanity, his belief in Xion, his belief in those he cared about and his belief in himself! He was e selfless hero! Not a cyborg! Not a Christ-figure! Not a foot-stool! But a Hero!

Ben Johnson

Hi Old Trekkie, in looking at the Matrix Trilogy from a cybernetics viewpoint, the architect represents a negative feedback system (negating change from an initial goal state) whereas the oracle represents a positive feedback system (increasing change from an initial goal state). This too is intentional as we can see from the dialogue. The architect always talks about a control system (negating change from an initial goal state) wheras the oracle talks about stirring shit up. In this viewpoint, Mr. Smith is the oracle’s tool to create change from an initial goal state. She CLEARLY wants Mr. Smith to become a virus - in fact she created him as such (he even refers to her as Mom). The assimilation was also intentional - the Oracle wants Mr. Smith to do this so that she can implant a false vision in Mr. Smith, who, at the end, tells Neo what he “needs to hear” to figure out how to beat Mr. Smith.

Hi Ben, feel free to disagree with me, but please make sure you’re characterizing my comments correctly. I did not say Neo was a sentient program - I said Neo is a combination of human and sentient program - this is flat out told to us by the Architect at the end of Reloaded. Regarding the Trinity kissing Neo, this is in no way contradictory - Neo HAS to die in order for the sentient program to turn on - the Oracle even tells Trinity that Neo won’t become the One until them. Please keep in mind though that I’m in no way discounting the massiah storyline. Please read above - I clearly state that there are two separate storylines going through the trilogy - this is why so many scenes need to be “specifically vague” - this allows them to be interpreted differently depending on which storyline you follow. So yes, Neo is absolutely a Christ figure, but he is just as clearly a cyborg - then again, ALL battery people are cyborgs, or did you not catch the massive implants running through all their bodies?

This very insightful look into the Matrix movies. However , I have some questions:

What is the actual role of the Metrovengan?

Why the Agents in reloaded were trying to kill the Keymaker though he is leading Neo to the Source?

What about zion council? are they the people chosen by the one when restarting the system?

Why the use of Kung-fu in the movie ? is it has any meaning at all?

If Neo is eventually will return to the source to restart the matrix? Why ther are freeing the minds of the people of Zion? Why the machines are attacking zion?

Too many questions i know but I will very much appreciate your answer.

Hi Matrix Fan, not to put you off, but I would prefer that this entry not become a “but then how come…?” type thread. If possible, I’d like the questions I answer to relate to my perspective above. The purpose of this entry is more to explain the overall trilogy from the Scifi perspective, not the broader issue of attempting to answer all questions people may have about the trilogy. There are MANY people asking LOTS of “what about” type questions for the matrix movies. These are probably best posed in a Matrix-only board. Feel free to post these questions in the Meatspace forum as well.

Thank you anyway, however what do you think of my questions?
I believe they are legitamite.
Another issue, If W brothers make further installments of the matrix, I think that people or movie goers might like them, because it seems that most people needed time to understand and admire the theme or the plot storyline. What do you think?

Hi Matrix Fan, in no way was I questioning the legitimacy of your questions. I just don’t want this essay to be the place that all questions are attempted to be answered by me. As for sequels, I don’t imagine that the same cast will be used if there are any. More likely, it would be a different cast in a future time or something.

Great summary, SFAM, I am in complete agreement with you on all aspects that covered and you opened my eyes to a few angles I hadn’t conceived in my personal analysis.

I have been living the transformation that Neo experiences throughout the trilogy and you seem to understand the ideas very well. While parallelling in some respect your same views, I see the trilogy representing and illustrating a direct realization of the duality of Self and the separation of the Human Self and the Spiritual Self. I understand and sympathize with Neo’s struggle, the completion of self-awareness and self-control (Matrix 1), the question he poses in Matrix 2 of what his purpose should be with this new realization, and his eventual understand in Matrix 3 that in order to truly become immortal, he must combine the two aspects and relinquish control to ascend to something greater. You are correct on many levels and I appreciate your views. I agree that aside from such a spiritual underscore, the movies have every right to be appreciated for the sci-fi element they introduce, and the mind-blowing reality of worlds withing worlds and AI control. I was uncertain about Merv and Seraph being former ones, but you are right that although their human bodies have died long ago, their residual digital forms are preserved, in my opinion to guide the next one to his destination. No matter how much acclimation the trilogy gets, it could never be enough.

Great Essay SFAM. I’m a SCiFI fan and love the Trilogy.
I’ve always felt that Neo was ‘wired’ differently than the others and you explain that perfectly.
My one gripe (about the series - not your post) was stated by Syzygy - humans would make a lousy energy source!
I’ve had to ignore that basic movie premise. other than that the sci-fi perspective is very appropriate.

SFAM, a great piece of work - good to see a sci-fi viewpoint finally in a place where it will receive useful review & commentary. I’ve banged my head against the wall in a few other forums, where my sanity was questioned for not accepting Neo is a Jesus-like figure!

OK, given I have been down the same thought path myself the major difference in thinking is around how Neo works in the Real World. My theory simply being that we never see the real Real World in any of the movies - the depicted Real World is simply the virtual world equivalent of a Septic Tank, for all those minds that were not fitting into the matrix. The Machines, in the interests if maintaining stable power, use the Real World virtualisation to keep the Matrix virtualisation (relatively) clean.

In the Real World virtualisation, the actual bodies are still plugged into the power plant whilst the mind believes they are free. As you describe, Neo has different coding than the others and hence is capable of apparently impossible actions in the Real World.

The One, Neo in this version, is simply part of the Machines control mechanism to keep the power plant stable. Every now and then the septic tank needs to be flushed, this is done by having Zion fall under attack, which draws all the ‘freed’ minds back into Zion, The One seeks out the Architect and returns to The Source, and the Architect then presses Reset on the Real World virtualisation.

Now I can go deeper than this, talk about the Oracle etc., but thought it worthwhile raising the concept as something for consideration. And no it is not the often discussed “Matrix-In-Matrix” theory, but it is similar in that it assumes both environments are virtualised.

Finally, yes I like the idea of Seraph as a former One, fits nicely into a sci-fi view as part of the control mechanism.

I hated the ambiguity of the sequels and the heavy use of unexplained concepts (I had trouble seeing past the religious connotations, which don’t fit well with the cyberpunk theme), especially Neo’s actions at the end of Reloaded. If I had been aware of the ideas in your analysis before seeing the sequels I would have liked them as much as the first film.

From a scientific perspective, I prefer to ignore the idea that “humans create usable electricity”. Instead I pretend they never deviated from the original version of the script; that the machines use the array of humans for parallel processing. This explains why those who have been ‘unplugged’ are faster and stronger than the people who are still having the vast potential of their brain power exploited by the machines. Some time during the war that enslaved humanity, the machines realised electronic computers weren’t good enough to render something as complex as the matrix, so they used our own brains to process our ultimate prison. Another possible result of this theory is the means by which people are chosen to be saved. The most intuitive humans would be using the parts of the brain that the machines find most valuable, causing a weakening of the control link and making them subtly different to normal people, thus a target for the Zionites to rescue and for the Agents to kill.

Well this IS a new view on the Matrix and one which I find concise. It is satisfying but I’d rather have had Neo’s superpowers limited to the Matrix and an alternative Revolutions…But anyways I curious about Seraph being a former one. You mentioned that Smith alluded to this, may I ask where and when? Was it in Reloaded or Revolutions and in what scene? I’ll have to rewatch the Triology again so as to pick up new things now that I have been “enlighten/given the redpill” by you.

I have to say, the Matrix trilogy (the whole thing) is probably my top 3 favorite movies of all times. The blend of humanity and technology, religion and philosophy, action, romance, I can go on and on. I loved it so much I bought the big box set at Suncoast with the Neo bust and all the extras. I picked it up for 40 bucks! Best purchase ever. I have learned a long time ago though, that if someone doesnt like it, I say, thats ok and go on my way.

excelent overview, it answered most all the questions that the series raised, and shows how many levels the movie has. The one part I found quite interesting that you touched on was the oracle’s relation to Smith. I noticed you mentioned in a comment that he reffered to the orracle as “mom” and was hoping you might mention where abouts he said that, I’m quite posative I missed it (not hard with these movies.

Also, you mentioned that when the orracle was absorbed by Smith, she implanted a false vision. I’m having trouble trying to figure how a computer program would be able to pretty much “lie” to another program, esspecially since through the whole series she has only mentioned the truth.

Thanks again for the great overview

Thanks, your scientific approach helps ground The Matrix in reality (or at least a plausible version of it).

Wow, i’m glad i found this, i only stumbled over it whilst i was googling for info on that new blade runner dvd.
I am so fucking happy there’s someone else out there still thinking about these movies, it’s what half my brain cells are dedicated too!
I love this interpretation (not sure if i agree with the Seraph as former one idea, tho it IS interesting and cool, i always prefered the Merv as former one idea, as suggested in one of the Ultimate Edition’s secret Documentaries). I love the sequels, though they’re not perfect. The only concern i have about Revolutions is that there is no tension between the main characters; I mean, Morpheus has just, essentially, been told by neo that his beliefs are lies, and Morpheus’s crises of faith is shown as nothing more than him looking sad and depressed, and is never expressed through anger or even the standard hollywood emotional speech and hopeful-oscar-clutch. He should have argued with neo, or something. And neo neo just allows trinity to come with him to the machine city without argument, which makes sense for the characters, but is a big fat negative hole of drama. Bah. Still, the movies rule.
Keep the dream alive!

POST 2: actually, i just thought: if you played on the Matrix Online, which is supposed to be Canon (though i stopped playing after Morpheus died like a bitch, well, that and the game was crap) Morpheus says that he wants to find neo’s body, which the machines are refusing to release. This would seem to suggest that maybe neo’s BODY is alive, and not just his Programme side. Just a thought. Plus, in this continuation, the matrix HASNT been rebooted, infact it is still glitching after the whole “smith thing”, as the oracle puts it. hmm…

POST 3: and, does anybody know what happened to The Art of The Matrix Reloaded And Revolutions, i LOVED LOVED LOVED the first book, being a designer myself, and this book was advertised as “coming soon” in the first volume of the matrix Comics.
Which reminds me of my fanboy need to have the Wachowskis retell their tale as a comic book, where they wouldnt have to worry about running times or budgets, and could re-apraise their work, as the creators of Evangelion are about to do. Just a thought, and maybe i should shut up. :p

POST 4: After Smith infects neo in Revolutions, and the light passes into neo from the cables plugged into, which is then passed into Smith… What IS this light? Is it simply a sign of what neo is doing, or is it a supposed to show that the God Machine is downloading something into this Smith/neo hybrid? Is this a Virus? An Anti Virus? Is this an instalation for Mcafees Anti Virus 2507 for Matrix? I think Smith thinks that “it’s a trick” because Neo is so easily giving himself up. simple at that.

Sorry, i have a lot of pent up thought on this, i’ll try to keep it locked up before i fill your pages with thoughts.

POST 5: here’s another one; don’t you think it’s a bit odd that The Architect shows neo that Trinity is about to die, which leeds neo away from the source and back into the Matrix? odd

POST 6: oh god, now i can’t stop:
Here’s my thoughts on a previous posters question: The Agents are hunting The Key Maker because he is an Exile, and it is the agents job to hunt Zionites and Exiles, and The Keymaker states to one of the agents “We do only what we are meant to do”, and maybe the Merovingion kidnaps the Keymaker because he is a former One and wants to relive former glories by using him to enter the Source. Or something.
And do you think that the Source that the Architect wants Neo to return to is the same Source that The Oracle says that Neo touched at the end of reloaded when he collapsed? Though, that would be looking at it from a more religious point of view, and i had just read Hero with a Thousand Faces before i saw the sequels, and this refers to a “Source”.

Hi Dyce, welcome to cyberpunkreview! I hope you don’t mind, but I combined your comments. I’m thrilled that this essay prompted so much thinking and energy on your part. Let me respond to a few of your thoughts.

- Regarding the Merv as a former One, there have been at least 6 former Ones, so it certainly makes sense that the Merv could have been an early one, as his wife indicates. This doesn’t preclude Seraph from being a later one as well.

- I haven’t played the Matrix online, so I really don’t know the details of it. Although, I will say that the story from that point on will probably take a back seat to what works for developing ongoing customers. So if “bringing Neo back” excites people, whether or not this was originally intended, it wouldn’t be too far outside of the bounds of possibility for the Matrix Online folks to modify things in order to maintain profitability.

- The light passing into the cables is the Machine City rebooting the matrix - Neo’s machine portion is already in the machine city and is initiating the rebooting. So yeah, energy is certainly used to do this.

- The Trinity thing, no, I don’t find this odd at all. The Architect is not about deception, and its clear that most of the images on the monitors are the different minds of Neo responding - meaning the Architect has ALWAYS had a direct connection to the sentient program portion of Neo. To “hide” this from Neo would be a waste of time, as Neo has already seen it to be true.

- Regarding your last point, yeah, I do find value in separating out the religious from the scifi viewpoint (although others clearly don’t). From the scifi POV, Neo’s stopping the sentinels isn’t him touching the source, its him using these “powers” outside of the Matrix for the first time. This is merely one more step on the journey toward integration of man and sentient machine that we see Neo engage in. It’s hard at first, but becomes easy by the time he hits the Machine City.

~SFAM EDIT~

My apologies to all for editing the post. Luis Dias spent three posts over two pages essentially saying the following:

1. The Science behind the Matrix movies suck!
2. This essay sucks!
3. You idiots commenting on this essay are all losers!
4. Did I mention you all are idiots and you suck?

I will leave his final comment from his first post:

luis dias says, “GET A LIFE!”

If you would like to see the diatribes in their full glory, I’ve posted them in the “Matrix Sequels Suck/No They’re Great! You Just Don’t Get it!” thread in the meatspace. His posts are (1) here, (2) here, and (3) here.

If you have follow-up responses to this, please feel free to post them in the thread referenced above.