The Matrix Still Has Me...

Meet Mr. Smith,

The Mob of Mr. Smith at the end of The Matrix: Revolutions (Wachowski Brothers, 2003)

Errrr well.... meet a bunch of him...

Yes you guessed it. We're in Sequel Territory people.

The Matrix Sequels, somewhere few Nerds wish to admit they have tred. The confusing films that try to pass off their psuedo-philosophical ideas on the unsuspecting masses. And why you ask did I willingly submit myself to rewatching these movies? Well I had to write a paper for one of my film classes and one of the films of choice was The Matrix. At first I was thinking about writing something about comparing the philosophies in The Matrix Films and Inception, and how it was commoditized and sold to the audiences. Interesting idea, but not what the class called for. So instead I decided to do something about the sequels.... Bad plan I know. I fired up the faithful laptop, put on a pot of tea and settled down to watch the movies with my partner in crime Lucy (Read wasn't around at this time. She apologized profusely saying she had to go to work... I have a feeling this was a lie and she was avoiding the apartment until I was done).

So, where do these movies go wrong? I have a theory, and I think I can apply it to other films and books that spawn unintended sequels (I'm thinking about Pirates of the Caribbean right now). It's almost impossible to capture what you had originally. Your plot is tight. Your characters face the challenge placed in front of them and learn their lesson bcome better people, die, I don't know. But they reach their destination. Look at Neo. A computer geek living in a hole in the wall becomes a Kung-fu-Gun-Master sporting his trench and his sunglasses. He rescues his Tutor and defeats his nemisis Agent Smith. Congratulations Neo you've reached max level!

Enter the Sequels... and the first problem you find is our poor protagonist possesses God-like abilities and has no where to go from there. He flies around doing nothing but looking pretty and having philosophical discussions with the Oracle until he finally decides to go to "The Source" and end the whole thing.

Which brings me to the philosophy of the sequels. In the first film you have a tight belief system based off of many things (Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation and René Descartes Brain in a Vat to name a few) but when we hit the Sequels... it falls apart which made me realize something. The Matrix wants to be philosophical so it is philosophical. Much of the "philosophy" discussed takes a very Baudrillard approach, they flip sentences. Therefore:

I watch TV becomes The TV watches me

How profound does that sound? Don't get me wrong, there are still the usual Christian symbols thrown in there plus our ever needed battle between Good and Evil.

So this brings us back to our buddy Agent Smith. I caught something when I was watching the film this time around. Smith has this little speech at the end of the last movie. He has Neo in the bottom of a pit and he looks down at him and just loses it:

"Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?"

I think this sums up my thoughts on the last two movies. Why do you keep fighting? You can't win? You're digging yourself a grave. Of course dear Neo fires off a one liner and defeats the audience in what can only be described as a metephorical pounding of the audience. At least we drag him down with us... but nope the Oracle hints that he'll be back.

Does this mean that the Wachowski Brothers have more Matrix films in store somewhere down the road? Are we all still plugged into the Matrix? Well I fully admit I am... and I question it every day.