The Matrix
Pages
- 1
- 2
| Author | Topic: The Matrix |
|---|---|
|
Lifecrafter
Member # 59
|
written Thursday, November 6 2003 12:09
Profile
There is a steady decline in quality in the Matrix trilogy, although each episode has a distinct feel to it; it's not just more of the same. They killed the character I liked most. There's one thing that still bugs me - why do the machines need the humans? The 'Duracell' explanation offered by Morpheus in the first episode is extremely lame. Using their body heat?! How can it be more than the energy in the nutrients they feed the humans with, even if they 'recycle' dead humans?! That's just so high-tech...at least they could use their minds as some kind of computational cluster. If humans were only a heat source, the Architect wouldn't sternly say "there may be a different level of survival we are willing to accept" when Neo asked about the destrucion of the humans and its impact on the machines...or wait, did that refer to Zion only? Even more confusing... Somewhat on-topic - has anyone here read Neuromancer by William Gibson? Cyberspace...the Matrix...but written in 1984. [ Thursday, November 06, 2003 12:10: Message edited by: Alex ] Posts: 950 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 22
|
written Thursday, November 6 2003 12:25
Profile
Hating to defend the Matrix trilogy - however, the human body is a very effective energy transferer. If you have a suitable amount of energy in nutrients, then one of the best ways to get that energy would be through our bodies. -------------------- KazeArctica: "Imagine...wangs everywhere...and tentacles. Nothing but wangs and tentacles! And no pants!" Posts: 2862 | Registered: Tuesday, October 2 2001 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 3479
|
written Thursday, November 6 2003 18:30
Profile
I have to say that the movies themselves are being watched for the sparkley effects and ultra-massive, Oprah Winfrey-size hype. -------------------- -"Well, double dumbass on you!" -William Shatner, Star Trek: The Motion Picture Posts: 51 | Registered: Tuesday, September 23 2003 07:00 |
|
Babelicious
Member # 3149
|
written Thursday, November 6 2003 18:40
Profile
Homepage
HEY YOU FOOL I HAVEN'T SEEN REVOLUTIONS YET STOP SPOILING Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
|
Lifecrafter
Member # 3310
|
written Thursday, November 6 2003 23:24
Profile
I've stumbled upon Neuromancer. That was after I had watched the Matrix. Now I understand where the Wackovski (if that's how it should be spelled) brothers got their ideas from. But the book was good. Gibson really knows how to "poetisize" the future world and the "data-lifestyle". Needless to say, you won't understand what I'm talking about unless you read the book yourselves. [ Thursday, November 06, 2003 23:25: Message edited by: Ironweed ] Posts: 756 | Registered: Monday, August 4 2003 07:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 496
|
written Friday, November 7 2003 07:08
Profile
SPOILERS I thought Matrix3 was an improvement on Matrix2 - less vacuous philosophising and less of Neo's 'god character' superheroics (his endlessly 'saving the day' in M2 was tiresome, to say the least). As spectacle, the battle scene in M3 was most impressive, though even then tended to the bitty and unfeasible (esp. Zion's technique for battlefield reloading of APCs - absurd). So what is the Matrix philosophy? It can't make up its mind. Is it the postmodern / existentialist thing (Neo's "I choose to") that gave Matrix its intellectual cachet (shallow, IMHO, but so is pomo) or just good ol' heroic fantasy dressed up rather oddly? They try to resolve this in the last reel, pretty unsatisfactorily IMHO. Neo's existential project is Trinity, which I found insipid. Of course lovers are narcissistic but, like pomo itself, this continuous missing of 'the big picture' grated after a while. Anyway, to break out of this self-enclosure, Trinity is perfunctorily killed off so Neo can get on with his duty / destiny, purging the Matrix of the Smith virus / grey goo, thus bringing peace between the Machines and Zion. The point is that he doesn't actually "choose" to do this. His role is as a Matrix programme doing his purge repetitively, rather than as a free-willed conscious human actor. The unreality of the Matrix is maintained (allowing for future sequels) rather than ended. Zion's freedom is conditional not n its own ability to maintain its freedom but on a Matrix-generated self-sacrificing messiah figure, Neo. As myth, this was most unsatisfactory for me. I also thought the emphasis on style--those shades that never come off and the voluminous clothes I doubt it would actually be possible to fight in--fodder for clueless metropolitan fashionista trendies, inviting ridicule. Keanau Reeves striking resemblence to semi-closet gay Tory MP Michael Portillo was also unconsciously distracting, not that there's anything anyone can do about that. Posts: 2333 | Registered: Monday, January 7 2002 08:00 |
|
Master Jeweller
Member # 409
|
written Monday, November 10 2003 02:45
Profile
Homepage
**spoilers again** Myself I was very disappointed in Revolutions because it fails to give any answer to the questions raised in Reloaded, and because of the sheer ridiculity of large parts of the plot. For instance the entire battle at Zeon doesn't serve a purpose since without Neo's solo-action everybody would have died anyway. It's also weird that the only EMP-blast they have is on the ship that's out of dock (instead of having multiple EMPs lined up in the dock which would have been sensible). They could have done a lot more cool things with Bane other than just having Neo killing him. It is never explained where and how Neo got special powers that worked /outside/ the Matrix. And the end really doesn't make sense, especially the part where all the humans suddenly start cheering becuase somebody explains that the war is over (deus ex machina, anyone?). Finally while I like martial arts movies, all the action scenes in M3 are either massive metal armies, or very similar to dragonball Z. Sigh. -------------------- Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heilighthum! Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng getheilt, Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Pieter Simoons aka Radiant Official Crystal Shard and SubTerra webpage Posts: 798 | Registered: Monday, December 17 2001 08:00 |
|
Shock Trooper
Member # 18
|
written Monday, November 10 2003 03:10
Profile
Homepage
quote:That's simply not true. One of my friends did a thesis on the energy economy of the human body, and we rank WELL below most of man's machines - including the original steam engine, made by Stephens. It's one of the big reasons The Matrix has always pissed me off, it's entire reason for existance is flawed. Why couldn't the computers just give everyone a frontal labotomy anyway? Why even give humans a world to live in? Just keep them all in permanent, life-long comas. Sheesh. Damn stupid computers, they're too humane. Md. Posts: 304 | Registered: Monday, October 1 2001 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 126
|
written Monday, November 10 2003 05:04
Profile
Homepage
I always really thought the matrixes were just regular action/sci-fi/kung-fu movies with a few interesting notions about life tacked on for flavor. Are you sure you're not looking a tad too deeply at this? Am I sure I'm looking deeply enough? I am number 6, who is number 1?!? -------------------- Check out the DIARY, why doncha? It won't bite. Probably. "We were heart companions, We were companions in the woods, We were fellows of the same bed, Where we used to sleep the balmy sleep. After mortal battles abroad, In countries many and far distant, Together we used to practice, and go Through each forest, learning with Scathach". Posts: 161 | Registered: Monday, October 8 2001 07:00 |
|
Shock Trooper
Member # 3605
|
written Monday, November 10 2003 05:54
Profile
Homepage
matrix 1 was the best in the trilogy, at least it had some reasonably new ideas and teqniques. Id only watch 2 and 3 if you'd like to see more story, seeing as the action can get a bit repetitive. th action scenes are the best against mr smith in the second one and when they attack the base in the first one. the rest of it is a half hearted attempt to make poeple think philosophicly about realiy and life, which kinda ruins the other aspects of the film -------------------- "Is that smell glandular, or do you wallow in your own filth?" - Last Words of Fredrick the Idiot Posts: 358 | Registered: Monday, October 27 2003 08:00 |
|
Senile Reptile
Member # 547
|
written Monday, November 10 2003 15:46
Profile
I cannot for the life of me understand why, but I loved Revolutions. The dialogue was absolute tripe, the fight scenes were anything but spectacular, the plot was terribly predictable... that movie had no redeeming factors, yet I loved it just the same. Eh. -------------------- Polaris Posts: 1614 | Registered: Wednesday, January 23 2002 08:00 |
|
Agent
Member # 27
|
written Monday, November 10 2003 16:59
Profile
I haven't seen the third one yet, but I want to. I liked the first Matrix movie. Alot of action, climaxes, cliff hangers. It had everything a movie should have. The Matrix Reloaded, was complete ****. My broad analysis of the movie has broken its plot down into easy to bite pieces. Action, Sex, More action, more sex, action, Math, action, corny love sequence. I doubt I could stand to watch it again. Want to see the third one... Has anyone here met one of those people who understand the movies, and seem to think they know what the movies really meant? They really need to get a life, the plots were very simple, and I was never "blown away." They like to judge their I.Q. by understanding a movie, how sad. -------------------- "Wow, fish." Hahahaha, I crack myself up. Posts: 1233 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 496
|
written Tuesday, November 11 2003 06:19
Profile
Some movies are meant to be 'understood' more deeply, like literature, but the philosophising in the Matrix was largely bluffer's stuff, throwing around a few flash names and ideas without coherence in the hope viewers would 'over-read' them. Posts: 2333 | Registered: Monday, January 7 2002 08:00 |
|
Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
|
written Tuesday, November 11 2003 13:49
Profile
For the record, I loved Matrix Revolutions. Good man, Motrax. I really don't know why I loved it, I just did. And the whole series, actually. I'm not going to bother defending it, since I can't anyway, but hey. I walked out happy; whether that's the point or not, I don't know, or care. The Frenchman was an idiot, though, and the philosophy sucked more than usual in the second; I'd love to fix those parts. But, for some inexplicable reason, I loved The Matrix. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon TEH CONSPIRACY IZ ALL Les forum de la chance. Incaseofemergency,breakglass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
|
Babelicious
Member # 3149
|
written Tuesday, November 11 2003 17:34
Profile
Homepage
quote:If you ask me, it works better if you figure that Morpheus was wrong, and the Matrix is actually a distributed computer system researching protein folding. Or maybe their brains are being used to store pirated robot porn videos. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
|
Infiltrator
Member # 1220
|
written Tuesday, November 11 2003 17:58
Profile
Homepage
If they need heat by a fricking space heater -------------------- Ohh YEAH!!! -------------------- My god could kick you god's ass. -------------------- Getapc -------------------- Teh Flamin sworrd of bd gramer has now become the Flaming Sword of not perfict grammer. -------------------- Worning not perfict grammer behind. -------------------- DOLNEY HAS CHANGED TO A guy with not so perfict grammer -------------------- I shortened my sig. Posts: 484 | Registered: Monday, May 27 2002 07:00 |
|
Babelicious
Member # 3149
|
written Tuesday, November 11 2003 18:49
Profile
Homepage
For once, I was mildly amused by Dolney here. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
|
Lifecrafter
Member # 3310
|
written Thursday, November 13 2003 05:30
Profile
BTW, has anyone of you read Michael Ende's novel Momo? No, I'm not going to tell you what Momo's connection to Matrix is. Besides, those who have read it undoubtedly know it already. Posts: 756 | Registered: Monday, August 4 2003 07:00 |
|
Master Jeweller
Member # 409
|
written Thursday, November 13 2003 06:50
Profile
Homepage
Ironweed -> yes, but that was a long time ago. Now that you mention it it does have its parallels. I guess I'll have to reread it (been meaning to reread Ende anyway) -------------------- Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heilighthum! Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng getheilt, Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Pieter Simoons aka Radiant Official Crystal Shard and SubTerra webpage Posts: 798 | Registered: Monday, December 17 2001 08:00 |
|
Law Bringer
Member # 2984
|
written Thursday, November 13 2003 10:32
Profile
Homepage
You can certainly see a few parallels in the story, but not in the symbolisms. The 'Grey Men' (whatever did they call them in the English version?) can't be compared to agents, and the world they live in is definitely not like the Matrix. The Matrix actually symbolizes Plato's Cave Allegory, where the people are trapped in an unreal world and do not want to see reality. "Momo" is about people having more time for their children, or at least something approximately like this. There is no 'enemy' in that sense, the enemy is supposed to come from humans themselves (the quote runs something like "they [the grey buggers] exist because the people have allowed them to exist". -------------------- "And all should cry, Beware, Beware! His Flashing eyes, his Floating hair!" S. T. Coleridge --- "It is as if everyone had lost their sense Consigned themselves to downfall and decadence And a wisp it is they have chosen as their beacon." Reinhard Mey. --- Quote of the Week: "I have a high opinion of myself, which makes up for my total lack of intelligence." Anon. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
|
Lifecrafter
Member # 3310
|
written Thursday, November 13 2003 22:45
Profile
As you said, in Plato's Cave Allegory the people don't want to see the reality. In the Matrix, they cannot see it even if they would want to. It's a small difference, but it's there alright. Posts: 756 | Registered: Monday, August 4 2003 07:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 517
|
written Friday, November 14 2003 03:05
Profile
Not necessarily. In the cave allegory, the people are tied up, not allowed to move, heads held in position. That's like the Matrix: the people can't leave the Matrix without help (in the form of red pills...). But when someone does leave the cave/matrix, and returns to tell people about it, how can they believe something they can't even understand? How can they understand something they've never seen? -E- -------------------- Let them eat cake! Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially. Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 496
|
written Friday, November 14 2003 06:28
Profile
I think Baudrillard's postmodern critiques of simulation and even the likes of Debord and Vaneigem's of spectacularisation are more directly relevant to the Matrix than Plato. Which doesn't mean it still isn't pseudy toss. Posts: 2333 | Registered: Monday, January 7 2002 08:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 1479
|
written Saturday, November 15 2003 19:02
Profile
The Matrix is more a knock-off of Descartes than anything else. But really, all of these connections to actual (or pretend  ) philosophers are probably giving the movies more credit than they're due (I think Baudrillard even said that he thought he'd been completely misinterpreted--not that he's the most easily interpreted writer out there, but still).Posts: 15 | Registered: Wednesday, July 10 2002 07:00 |
|
Babelicious
Member # 3149
|
written Saturday, November 15 2003 22:34
Profile
Homepage
If you watch the Matrix DVD, the commentary has the directors explaining which part of the movie corresponds to which part of Plato's Cave. :-p At least Matrix I was directly based on Plato. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
Pages
- 1
- 2