3.1.04
Matrix Revolutions: Worth A 2nd Look

(...or, The "Lighter" Side of Mel )

"If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."

Last year's reviews of "Revolutions" capped off at about a C+.

Major rant: the Bros. "failed to deliver"; the philosophical questions posed in the first "Matrix" went unanswered in "Revolutions", taking a back seat to special effects.
Bzzzt! The Wachowskis answered questions the best way they could: by framing them synergistically, in a manner that prompted viewers to "take a red pill" and journey down the rabbit hole on their own.

Additionally, I believe Revolutions addresed audience speculation about "a matrix in a matrix" head-on!

The Matrix Trilogy can be seen as a depiction of a (Unified) Theory of Religion/Philosophy; its foundation is worlds-within-worlds (if not "reality as illusion"). Go to a source (from a November '99 on-line chat):

linusa: "Do you believe that our world is in some way similar to 'The Matrix', that there is a larger world outside of this existence?"

WachowskiBros: "That is a larger question than you actually might think. We think the most important sort of fiction attempts to answer some of the big questions. One of the things that we had talked about when we first had the idea of The Matrix was an idea that I believe philosophy and religion and mathematics all try to answer. Which is, a reconciling between a natural world and another world that is perceived by our intellect."

[...]

Ronin: "Your movie has many and varied connections to myth and philsophy, Judeo-Christian, Egyptian, Arthurian, and Platonic, just to name those I've noticed. How much of that was intentional?

WachowskiBros: *** "All of it." ***

---------

There's magic in the intersections at the following site (but you have to dig - puns intended): MetaReligion: world religions

(Note: you might want to start with ancient religions, then move to physics and mathmatics before coming back 'round to world religions.)

Again, from the Nov. '99 chat:

calla: "There are quite a few hidden messages in the movie that I notice the more I watch it. Can you tell me about how many there are?"

WachowskiBros: "There are more than you'll ever know."

Here are a few things from "Revolutions" that really caught my attention:

1) It's clear that Neo is a type of Christ-figure, and has been from the outset. However, at the end of "Revolutions", I got a whole * Valhalla * vibe as a supposedly dead Neo was born away on the great machine ship.

Note that in marked contrast to how he was plugged in, Neo was disconnected from the final "jack-in" (_very_ slowly) with what could only be construed as a form of respect. And just as Norse warriors would send flaming arrows into their heroes' death ships as they floated away, we see a golden light emmanate from the machine ship (at roughly Neo's last seen position) as it fades in the distance.

"Valhalla...is the 'Hall of the Slain Heroes', reserved for the souls of warriors who die in battle...These courageous soldiers await the 'Last Day' (a concept bearing similarities to the Christian apocalypse and last judgement), when the heroes of history will unite with the gods... and fight an apocalyptic battle..."

A Valhalla/crucifixtion combined reference is visually powerful and points to religious resonance beyond the most (Christian) obvious. It indicates (among other things) that Neo was a) not "dead", b) will be seen again, and c) perhaps the world of Zion is a matrix, too. Which brings me to...

2) The black cat at the end, that, if I'm not mistaken, fades in and out *twice* (with a interesting ("sparkly") light display at the end of the second fade that differed from the first). Trinity (?) noted in "The Matrix" that phenomena occurs when "a change has taken place".
Two fades, two changes, two Matrices??!

I've nicknamed the cat "Schrodinger", in large part due to the RL resonance with Neo's "Because I _choose_ to" statement near the end of his fight with Smith ("Why do you keep fighting; why do you keep getting up?!").

"Schr”dinger's cat paradox illustrates that we experience what I would term *** the principle of choice ***...to fully understand the nature of the conscious mind, we may require a deeper theory of the quantum world which unravels the principle of choice..."

"It is interesting to note, that the Schro‰dinger equation is not a "derivable" equation, meaning one that is built by using other simpler mathematical equations or postulates. It is, rather, what is known as an 'inspired' equation."
[Oracle: "I _believe_."]

[WachowskiBros: "...we also like the definition, the mathematical definition of the use of matrix..."]

3) The jade earrings bearing the Tao symbol that the Oracle is wearing in the kitchen scenes with both Neo and Smith. The earrings comment on (impact) Neo and Smith's relationship and her ultimate solution:

"The Tao doesn't take sides;
It gives birth to both good and evil.
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?"

[wrygrass: "Did ideas from Buddhism influence you in making the film?"

WachowskiBros: "Yes. There's something uniquely interesting about Buddhism and mathematics, particularly about quantum physics, and where they meet. That has fascinated us for a long time." ]

4) Morpheus' incredulous facial expression and exclamation at battle's end while embracing Niobe: "Is this real??!"
Is Morpheus simply addressing the end of the war, or a sudden feeling that they may be in another matrix?!
Resonates with 1) and 2).

[WachowskiBros: "...there is a lot of word play, a lot of hidden other meanings, a lot of multiple meanings...reflections in general are a significant theme in (The Matrix). The ideas of worlds within worlds."]

The word play surrounding The Oracle's "I believe!" at film's end speaks to:

* AI evolution encompassing love

* life transcending biological matrices

* the fact that Neo finally believed enough to sacrifice out in order to complete his mission; _Neo's_ concept of life had evolved

* the success of an unusual "trinity" that won the day --- Father (Architech/Deus ex machina), Son (Neo/human) and Spirit (Oracle/"mother")

* the fact that certain programs in the matrix (and thus, the matrix) had adapted from humans "alternatives to conventional computation which did not involve temporal impasse".

Or, coming full circle, Belief.

The Wachowski Bros. didn't have the Oracle (a "program" (!) ) in the kitchen baking cookies for nothing - watch out, folks. Mother's got a hobby. ;)



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