The Matrix

[IronMit]

I initially though The matrix was a really fun film when I was 13 but after I got into conspiracy theories for a bit and I watched Zeitgeist;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guXirzknYYE

...I saw how epic The matrix and matrix reloaded were on so many levels.

Watching the first chapter of Zeitgeist about Jesus, the Ages, cycles etc some of the dialogue is genius.

I'm sure there is an analysis somewhere of the matrix as a metaphor of juda-christian beliefs so I won't go into it.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Loved the first movie, can't stand the sequels. That's pretty much all I can say.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

I initially though The matrix was a really fun film when I was 13 but after I got into conspiracy theories for a bit and I watched Zeitgeist;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guXirzknYYE

...I saw how epic The matrix and matrix reloaded were on so many levels.

Watching the first chapter of Zeitgeist about Jesus, the Ages, cycles etc some of the dialogue is genius.

I'm sure there is an analysis somewhere of the matrix as a metaphor of juda-christian beliefs so I won't go into it.

I have a book given to me as a gift that delves very deep into the way The Matrix Trilogy is all about Hinduism. I think it's called Decoding The Matrix. It's an interesting read. I don't personally think that the Wachowskis were thinking on that level; what they were doing was fusing concepts from all over the dang place, from Hinduism to Christianity to Western postmodern philosophy to cyberpunk to anime to Hong Kong action flicks.

And that's the really impressive thing about The Matrix. It's so ambitious in its design, its very fabric, and it weaves itself together so well. The plot is relatively straightforward "hero's journey" stuff, still fun to watch, but not exactly revolutionary (c wut i did ther?). But it's the core concepts and the themes and the motifs and the philosophy that is so perfectly put together into a cohesive film, threaded through the plot in just the right amounts in just the right places, without unbalancing the pacing or the action, and doing so in a way to make the film seem entirely seamless, with a consistent tone and an aesthetic all its own. It's a true triumph of filmmaking, is what it is.

It's one of my favorite movies ever, has been since I first saw it when I was 13, and always will be.

Even the sequels don't get the credit they deserve. People complain about the new characters being boring; I get that. People complain about the plot going kinda sideways; I guess it has its issues. But when people complain about them being a mere cash grab, that's where you lose me. Watch the second film again with real attention on the themes and their various permutations throughout the movie. It's all about choice, control, free will, and the man-machine interface. If you are attentive, these ideas show up all over the place, in so many different actions and conversations, it's amazing. Revolutions, I will admit, is very inferior to the other two, but it still was no cynical cash grab; its themes are still used effectively and interestingly, even if it does get oddly preachy, and somehow boring in the middle. And Reloaded is a great movie in itself. It doesn't stand next to the original, but it's great nonetheless.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Um...hmmm.

Cinematography that got ripped off by lots of later films.

Originally, the machines weren't going to use humans as batteries, they needed the processing power of human brains for their computers or something. But it was decided that people wouldn't understand that, so they made the movie...shall we say less intellectually challenging? And it shows.

The brothers who directed it are now brother and sister.

That's all that comes to mind.

 

[tehroc]

Loved it and liked both of the sequels. The Merovingian is one of my favorite characters in all of moviedom. I'd totally watch a spin off chronicling the Merovingian's exploits in the previous Matrix (I'd guess based off what Persephone said in the sequels, The Merovingian was once "The One" and found a way to escape his fate.)

The concepts in the first movie are a hodgepodge of every belief system, not just Buddhism and Abrahamic religions which makes a lot of sense when you consider the universe it exists in. I'd wager the Matrix is at least 6000 years old and covers the entire scope of what we know as history. Considering what the architect said and I paraphrase "The first matrix was a paradise (the Garden of Eden) that they couldn't accept". The second matrix was also a failure which most likely was wiped during the Great Flood (Noah's Ark consisted of the original Zion council).

Yes I've read many an essay on these movies. The Matrix trilogy when you boil it down pretty much is the Quest For The Holy Grail.

I don't know if I'd call them dated, they still stand up compared to modern cinema. They looked just as nice then as any movie does today.

 

[hazabaza1]

It's pretty good.
Kind of cheesy at times and definitely dated and the whole POWER OF LOVE pulled out of its arse at the end is complete bullshit but otherwise it's enjoyable.

 

[Auron]

It's a superficial dressing up of a 2400-year old idea that fooled a bunch of people into thinking it had an original idea. "What if our world wasn't real?" Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha proposed all this long ago. But you know, tack on a crappy techno soundtrack and dress everyone in black leather and no one will notice.

EDIT: This is leaving aside the regular complaints about Reeve's terrible, emotionless acting, the terrible script, and the nonsense plotting that goes into the 2nd and 3rd movies.

After a relatively simple year-long study of Spec-Fi it's origins in ancient fantasy works and a published article I can tell you that nothing is original ever, so what's the problem with that? There's not a single modern work of fiction that cannot be traced back to some millenia old book and there's nothing wrong with that. The techno soundtrack's excellency is completely subjective by the way.



I like the Matrix, the sequels are more about solving the problems exposed in the first, I could have done without the Saviour stuff at the end but other than that I like the entire trilogy pretty much.

Originally, the machines weren't going to use humans as batteries, they needed the processing power of human brains for their computers or something. But it was decided that people wouldn't understand that, so they made the movie...shall we say less intellectually challenging? And it shows.

Didn't know that, a multi-core processor would have made much much more sense.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The movie is pure style over substance. Not a shred of mentally-stimulating content can be found in it if you have a passing familiarity with Buddhism. Where people say that it connects ideas in an original way, I would contend that rather it has actors in stupid costumes make meandering monologues that vaguely reference some philosophical position, and then cutting to a silly fight scene before most people in the audience are apparently able to notice that they haven't said anything of substance about that position or meaningfully connected it in any way to a larger overall point.

In a lot of ways, it's the perfect analogy for everything that's wrong with our post-modern world: It's a spastic, incoherent name-check of various "exotic" philosophies for kids who have too short attention spans to actually read up on those philosophies for themselves, decked out in visuals that are stylish but meaningless, in a world with lots of characters who use lots of words without saying anything, centered around an audience-surrogate who is "the chosen one" because most of us are so narcissistic that the idea that we might be the center of the Universe is appealing enough of a notion to get us to ignore everything that is wrong with a movie. See also: Avatar.

You're practically lambasting this movie in the same way others are attributing too much depth to it.

 

[Woodsey]

Fucking love it. I always seem to forget how good it is when I go to re-watch it.

As for the sequels, Reloaded is quite enjoyable, Revolutions is relentlessly annoying in how much time it insists on spending in the real world, although the final fight is a fucking doozy.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I absolutely love it, from the action to its philosophical themes.

One of my childhood movies; as time went by, I gained a deeper understanding of the movie and appreciated it to new levels.

 

[Glasgow]

Overrated formulaic piece of grabage. The Matrix trilogy is bad. The Matrix (the first movie) is below average, but it brought a lot of neat ideas that made it stand out at the time.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

It's a fun popcorn flick with the depth of a thimble. It's a deep movie for shallow people, basically, but it's pretty and has some nice kung fu.

I'd say this is about 75% correct. There *was* some depth to it, but it was criminally mishandled. The Oracle's speech to Neo about the nature of choice in Reloaded is a clear enough example of that. The Wachowskis didn't know how to handle the themes they'd assembled from Philosophy 101 primers and Buddhist doctrine in a way that wouldn't involve horribly stilted talky bits.

"We gotta further our own lore!
- Yeah, but let's not forget Kung Fu!
- Okay, so Neo doesn't understand if he's made or hasn't made his choice, he doesn't know if he can even make a choice to begin with, so he goes to the Oracle where we get this big-ass spiel about pre-destination and tantalizing bits about viruses and programs pulling General Protection Faults in the Matrix and giving us supernatural whatsits and-
- 2 LNOG, KONG FEW TIEM! DOUZAND SMITTS GET THROWN AT DE SCREEN, LOLOLOLOLOLOL. KING FUUUUUUU!"

I always thought the sequels could have benefited from over a decade's worth of spending time as drafts - as well as longer breaks between shoots. Reloaded and Revolutions didn't need to be released back-to-back. They obviously suffered from it.

 

[Zanderinfal]

Watched for the first time just a few weeks ago and I cried at how well made it was. The cinematography, the characters, the metaphorical, overarching story, the action, the soundtrack... all of it was just so good! I watched it a second time the day after and got all the subtle hints in the earlier parts as well.

Probably not going to watch the sequels, because I don't want to chance ruining this brilliant movie. :')

It hasn't aged a single bit. It seems so modern and if you hadn't told me I would have thought it had came out only a few months ago.

 

[Da Orky Man]

It's a fun popcorn flick with the depth of a thimble. It's a deep movie for shallow people, basically, but it's pretty and has some nice kung fu.

And in the end, isn't that the greatest truth of all?

Indeed there was, and here it is:

Spoiler

Anyway, I rewatched it last night for the first time in years, and I'm not sure about it any more. The cinematography is very well done, and the excellent fight scenes are good, but there are a lot more plotholes than I remember.
Why use humans for power when it contravenes physics, especially when they say they have fusion? How the hell do they get people out of the [physical] Matrix when the thing is ought to be guarded more the Fort Knox? Why don't the machines use some sort of port-blocker, as available on any router now, to stop the humans from simply jumping into the Matrix hen needed?
Also, have they ever heard of Faraday cages? They could make their lives a lot easier.

And I don't consider the movie deep. Somewhat interesting premise for the story, but badly executed.

 

[Tom_green_day]

The first Matrix is genius, its a sci-fi classic regardless of personal opinions.
The second Matrix, in my opinion, is absolute drivel. The action is just over the top and the story isn't engaging.
The third Matrix, in my opinion, is alright. The visuals are good but again there is too much action which means we can't engage in the story as much. Also Neo is no longer the everyman who works in some office, and we can't relate to him any more.

 

[Snownine]

I love the hell out of that movie and damn near everything about it. I think it is hard for the younger set to truly appreciate the movie as it was when it was new as many of its visual themes and shticks have been run into the ground through homage and imitation over the past 14 years, greatly reducing the wow factor it had back in the day.

 

[Brainwreck]

Eh. Never bothered watching it all the way through.
And it's certainly not nearly as profound and thought-provoking as some might have you believe.

...really, it's just the worst.
Fuck that movie.
Stupid piece of crap.

 

[Twilight_guy]

It's a fun movie to watch. It is basically an angry rebellious teenager's philosophy in movie form though. It's still fun so long as ignore the stupidity its trying to tell you.