The Matrix Revolutions

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:Unreferenced Template:Cleanup-date Template:Infobox Film

The Matrix Revolutions is the third film in the Matrix trilogy. The film, a combination of philosophy and action like its predecessors, sought to conclude the questions raised in the previous film, The Matrix Reloaded.

1 Background
2 Plot
3 Interpretations
4 Philosophy and religion
5 Reception
6 Soundtrack
7 Trivia
8 External links

[edit]

Background

The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. It was released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5, 2003. This was the first time a Hollywood film opened in India at the same time as the rest of the world. [1] It was also the first live-action film to be released simultaneously in regular and IMAX theaters.

The Wachowski brothers were present in Tokyo at the opening of the movie, as were stars Keanu Reeves and Jada Pinkett Smith. In Moscow, the film's premiere was accompanied by a demonstration organized by the youth wing of the Russian Communist Party who welcomed the film as an allegory for Communism. [2]

The Matrix Revolutions ultimately grossed $140 million at the US box office altogether and $456 million worldwide. This is roughly half of The Matrix Reloaded box-office total. The Matrix Revolutions did extremely well in DVD and VHS rentals and sales when it was released in April of 2004.

[edit]

Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film's events immediately follow those of The Matrix Reloaded and assume familiarity with the story of the last two films.

The revelation has been made that the prophecy (Neo will set humanity free) was simply another 'system of control' designed by the machines. With Neo having rejected the system of recycling the systematic errors of the Matrix program (Neo's intended function), Agent Smith is left free to destroy the Matrix and soon the Source/machine city itself, while the pending invasion of Zion means that all life - both human and machine - is facing extinction.

Having no more 'use/purpose' as it were, Neo must now grapple with what he can do to change things not as a messiah, but as a man.

Bane and Neo are both comatose. Morpheus is now depressed and dispirited after the destruction of the Nebuchadnezzar and after discovering the true nature of the Prophecy at the end of the last film. He starts a search for Neo, who he believes could be present in the Matrix while not being "jacked in". Neo is in fact trapped in limbo: a subway station named Mobil Avenue that is a transition zone between the Matrix and the Source. At the station, Neo meets a 'family' of programs, who tell him that Mobil Avenue is controlled by the Trainman, a program who is in turn loyal only to the Merovingian.

Seraph contacts Morpheus on behalf of the Oracle, now resident in a different "shell" (in reality, actress Gloria Foster, who played the Oracle in the first two films, died before the completion of the third and was replaced by actress Mary Alice). The Oracle informs Morpheus and Trinity of Neo's captivity. Seraph, Morpheus and Trinity pursue the Trainman, but he evades them. The trio enters Club Hel to confront the Merovingian in an effort to secure Neo's release. After the Merovingian demands "the eyes of the Oracle" in exchange for Neo's release, Trinity provokes a gigantic Mexican standoff, forcing the Merovingian to release Neo.

Troubled by new visions of the machine city, Neo decides to visit the Oracle before returning to the real world. As he enters the Oracle expresses that she had hoped that the batch of cookies that she was baking had been finished before Neo arrived. This hints that with her change she can no longer predict the future as easily. She informs him that as the One, his abilities are actually rooted in a connection with the Source, and because the Matrix is derived from the Source, he has power within the Matrix as a result of that. Similarly, as the Source's hardware exists in the real world, so too does Neo's influence. She characterizes Agent Smith, also growing in power, as his exact opposite, his negative and elaborates on the relationship between herself and the Architect (Tellingly, each of them ejects an exasperated "Please!" when Neo asks them about the other). She also tells Neo cryptically that "everything that has a beginning has an end", and warns that Smith's power threatens not only the Matrix but the Source, and eventually the Machine City. The Oracle states that the war is about to end "one way or the other".

Image:Machines Revolutions.jpg

After Neo takes leave of the Oracle, an army of Smiths arrive, who successfully assimilates the unresisting Oracle, giving Smith her powers of precognition. (It is theorized that this assimilation gave Smith the physical strength and speed equal in power to Neo, but this idea can be neither refuted nor confirmed within the movie's context. It is also theorized that she can no longer accurately see into the future, thus when Smith assimilates her he gains her faulty powers.)

In the real world, meanwhile, the remaining crew of the Nebuchadnezzar and the Hammer encounter Niobe's ship, the Logos, and its crew. They successfully reactivate the deactivated ship and begin to interrogate the now awakened Bane, who apparently has no memory of the events of the earlier battle.

After contemplating his visions, Neo announces that he needs a ship to travel to the Machine City, although he cannot explain why at the moment. Roland, the Hammer's captain, refuses him, but Niobe lets him take the Logos. Trinity decides to accompany Neo.

The two remaining crews plan to return to Zion and avoid the Sentinel army by piloting the Hammer through a series of service tunnels through which it is nearly impossible to navigate. Shortly after departing, the Hammer's crew discover that Bane has murdered a crewmember and has hidden aboard the Logos, but they are unable to return to warn Trinity and Neo.

Before Neo and Trinity can depart, Bane ambushes Trinity and takes her hostage. Neo fights with Bane, who reveals himself as a manifestation of Agent Smith. During the struggle, Bane/Smith blinds Neo by cauterizing his eyes with high voltage electrical wires. As Bane/Smith appears to have the upper hand he closes in on Neo - only to have his attack thwarted and reversed. In spite of his injury, Neo can see Smith - his connection with the Source manifesting in his recognition of Smith's program inside of Bane. Neo then kills Bane/Smith and releases Trinity, who pilots them towards the Machine City (presumably 01 described in The Second Renaissance).

In Zion, the defenders deploy infantry armed with rocket launchers and Armored Personnel Units in order to protect the dock from assault. The dock is invaded by a massive horde of Sentinels, as well as two giant drilling machines. Meanwhile, the Hammer speeds toward Zion, pursued by a large number of sentinels. Just as the remaining humans are about to be overwhelmed, the Hammer arrives at Zion and breaks through the gates, setting off an EMP and disabling all electronic equipment in the area. While this finishes off the Sentinels, it also disables the remainder of Zion's defenses. The humans are forced to fall back to the temple entrance and wait for the next swarm that will almost certainly kill them all.

Nearing the Machine City, Neo and Trinity are attacked by the city's defense system, hurling massive numbers of mobile bombs and Sentinels at the Logos. Neo uses his powers to destroy the incoming bombs, but the Sentinels are too numerous. To evade them, Trinity flies the ship above the permanent electrical storm/cloud cover, disabling the Sentinels but also the Logos' engines. After a brief glimpse of sunlight, the ship plunges into a spire of the Machine City. The impact of the collision mortally wounds Trinity.

Image:Neoguy.jpg

Neo emerges into the Machine City to strike a bargain with the machines, personified by the Deus Ex Machina. Neo warns the machines that Smith (who has by now assimilated everyone in The Matrix) is beyond the machines' control, and will soon assault the Source to which the Matrix is connected. He offers to stop Smith in exchange for a ceasefire on Zion. The second wave of Sentinels attacking Zion instantly responds by standing down while the Machines provide a connection for Neo to jack into the Matrix and confront Smith.

The city's population of Smiths stands by and watches while Neo and Smith square off. Smith explains that, possessing the Oracle's foresight, he already knows the outcome of the battle and is certain of Neo's defeat. After an extended fight scene, a defeated Neo allows Smith to assimilate him, but not before repeating Smith's favorite refrain to him: "It was inevitable." By assimilating Neo, however, Smith himself is destroyed. [For main theories as to how and why Smith is defeated, please see the Interpretations section]

The Smiths are deleted, and all humans (plugged into the Matrix) and all programs that have been possessed by Smith return to normal, including the Oracle. The Sentinels that were about to attack the humans withdraw from Zion; the human resistance cheers in victory, while Niobe and Morpheus share a moment of intimate happiness together. Neo, having sacrificed himself to save both the Machines and humans, is unplugged from the Matrix, and his body is carried away by the Machines. Image:Fight Revolutions.jpg The Architect then appears and tells the Oracle that it was dangerous of her to play the system at its own game. The Oracle responds by saying that she has done it for the sake of change, and asks the Architect what will now become of any humans who want to be unplugged from the Matrix. The Architect replies that they shall be freed as such. The Prophecy is finally fulfilled; the human race is finally free as the war between humans and machines is over, and the Matrix is 'destroyed' (its existence for the purpose of enslaving humanity is no more). The closing shot of the film depicts a new dawn on the world of the Matrix, signifying a new beginning (if you notice throughout all three films, every shot of a scene inside the Matrix has a bit of green tinting, symbolizing that it is in a computer program; but in this last scene, that green tint is gone).

[edit]

Interpretations

Template:Unsourced The true nature of Neo and Smith, as well as what happens to them at the end of this film is under debate and may only become clear if explained in the future via another form of media such as the Online Game or a Comic.

Popular theories include:

Smith is deleted because his function has been completed: Smith's function was to destroy Neo, and by assimilating him, his program no longer serves a function and is deleted. However, this theory ignores the fact that the Oracle states for a program with without a purpose to be deleted it must return to the Source. It also ignores the fact that Smith has already decided not to go to the source to be deleted; therefore simply not having a purpose doesn’t lead to automatic deletion.
The second popular theory is really just an expansion of the first: Smith, via Neo's body, has been "returned to the source," and can be deleted by the Deus Ex Machina. The supporting evidence for this theory comes mainly from the already mentioned statement by the Oracle and Smith. It is also supported by Neo apparently being drawn to the Source during visions in both Reloaded and Revolutions. In Reloaded he has visions of the door which leads him to the architect and then if he fulfilled his purpose on the Source. In Revolutions Neo has visions showing him the electricity cables that will lead him to the machine city and the Source. However, Neo being drawn to the Source in this way also has another interpretation.
This leads on to a third popular theory, which essentially a twist on the second: Neo and Smith get deleted, and the Matrix is reset because Neo returns to the Source and fulfills his primary function as ‘the One’. This is supported by the fact the Neo still has the visions even after he chose not to reset the Matrix at the request of the architect. It also seems to provide a sensible explanation for the deal Neo strikes with the machines i.e. I will fulfill my purpose and reset the Matrix but only if you promise to stop attacking Zion and let those out of the Matrix who want out. (The deal he could have used for the previous theory could have been ‘I’ll connect you to Smith if you stop attacking…..’). Other theorists have also suggested that they agree that his function as the One is complete, but it is not triggered by the machines, it is actually triggered by ‘accident’ when Smith assimilates him.

Image:SmithEnd Revolutions.jpg

A fourth theory is in accordance to the final. It is shown that the Oracle's powers cannot predict choice, thus Smith couldn't accuratly see past Neo's choice; whether he should give up and die, or should continue. Neo could only choose to die in the matrix as he had learned that death in the matrix is not reality and as anything in the matrix it can be bent.
A fifth theory centers around the prophecy of Neo as savior: He is the One (and only one) capable or resisting Smith's ability to overwrite another person in the Matrix; once seemingly overwritten by Smith's programming, Neo was able to infect that programming and ultimately reverse the effects of the program altogether.
The Final ‘major’ popular theory, is somewhat different to the ones already discussed and follows this idea that Neo and Smith represent the two extremes, light and dark, matter and antimatter. This follows an idea presented too Neo by the Oracle. Proponents of this theory then suggest that by Smith's assimilation of Neo, they both "negated" each other out of existence and the Matrix was put into balance; no longer requiring "ones" to reset the Matrix and allowing free humans and machines to co-exist. Critics of this theory argue that if this was the case then why would Neo need to go to the machine city? In answer to this they say it is how he negotiates peace .i.e. ‘I will destroy Smith if you stop attacking…’

Various versions of these themes have surfaced regarding the ending, but many of the ideas by fans are up to subjective interpretation. To look deeper into these theories there are many forums which have sprung up.

The Oracle's mysterious words (I suspect we'll see him [Neo] again, someday...) imply that Neo either somehow survived Smith's destruction, or was reborn in the Matrix, either as a human being or another program. However, if the "light/darkness" theory of Neo and Smith holds true, then Smith may still exist as well.

At The end of The Matrix Revolutions, Neo is seen as an orange colour under the Matrix code, similar to when Neo saw Seraph in the Teahouse (The Matrix Reloaded fight scene). In theory many believed that seraph was previously seen as the One (referring to the Conversation Neo had with the Architect about previous versions of the Matrix). Although the Conversation with the architect mentions "The function of the One is now to return to the Source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program. After which, you will be required to select from the matrix 23 individuals--16 females, 7 male--to rebuild Zion". If this were true and Seraph was previously the One,he must have also chosen the path Neo did resulting in a "cataclysmic system crash". This could explain why so many versions of the Matrix were developed, because of the choice the "One" eventually made." There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept" shows that this has previously happened before and the architect accepts that it will happen again.

[edit]

Philosophy and religion

The Matrix Trilogy includes many philosophical, religious, mythological and literary allegories.

[edit]

Nietzsche

Neo is referred to once in The Matrix Reloaded as "doing his Superman thing". As well as being a direct reference to the famed comic book superhero, it has also been suggested that this is also a reference to the Nietszchean Übermensch, or Overman, who is an entity that has transcended the realms of existing constructs and is 'above the herd'.

[edit]

Hinduism

The trilogy includes many references to Hindu philosophy, in particular, the concepts of maya and karma. The issues of free will and determinism are raised. Reflecting this, the lyrics of the closing music are based on Sanskrit slokas. There are many parallels drawn between the hindu trinity and the three most powerful technological entities in the series: The Architect (Brahma), The Oracle (Shiva), and The Source (Vishnu). Also many scenes present Neo as an incarnation of Vishnu, particularly the 6th and 7th incarnations.

[edit]

Christianity

Image:Matrix neocrucifictioninrevolutions 600.gif The trilogy includes references to the Christian religion, particularly the concept of a Messiah giving up his own life for the sake of humanity. The allusion is unmistakable, as Neo gives his life in an upright position with arms spread out, in a crucifixion-style death. The ambiguity of the exact mechanism of humanity's salvation is also present in Christianity; there are several accepted descriptions of salvation (atonement) within the Christian tradition. The events and characters in the movies seem to correlate especially with the Christus Victor theory. Reference is also later made by the Oracle concerning Neo's return from the dead. Comparisons can also be seen between Smith and Lucifer in Milton's Paradise Lost. In both works an 'agent' of 'god' rebels and is punished by being separated from their creator. Both chose to become rulers of their prisons (Lucifer-hell and Smith-Matrix) and become bent on destroying mankind. Also in both the Matrix Trilogy and Paradise Regained, the devil figure is defeated by the self sacrifice of a messiah figure.

[edit]

Literary

A very hardcore cyberpunk/science-fiction concept is that of a floating consciousness within the flow of digital information. Similar consciousnesses are seen in William Gibson's Neuromancer as well as in The Wired in Serial Experiments Lain, the idea is also touched on in Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 A Space Odyssey and its sequels. It can be theorized Neo and Smith have become a joined floating consciousness within The Source, and might make his presence within The Matrix known again as directly implied by the Oracle at the very end of the film. It has also been noted that many of the basic plot elements of the movie coincide with the plot elements of Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah.

[edit]

Buddhism

There is a blatant Buddhist reference in the form of a clearly visible lotus flower as Neo's body is being carted away by the machines (in the glowing orange "Source" vision). This implies Neo's achievement of nirvana. The act of laying down the seven bladed sword to defeat your enemies is also apparent when Neo allows Smith to overwrite him in the final sequence.

[edit]

Arthurian Legend

Neo, like King Arthur, is a messianic hero, destined to save their people (either of England or of Zion) and capable of feats no other can do (for example, where Neo flies, Arthur pulls the sword from the stone). Smith is a reference to Arthur's bastard child, Mordred, who eventually kills his own father and dies while doing so. Neo's death battle with Smith and his funeral barge are reminiscent of how Arthur, after dying in battle with Mordred, was carted away to Avalon by angels to heal until England had need of him again; the Oracle's prophetic words at the end of Revolutions provides an eerie resemblance to Neo's regeneration.

[edit]

Reception

The budget of the movie was an estimated 110 million United States Dollars, grossing over 139 million in the USA and approximately 412 million US dollars worldwide[3].

Revolutions is widely regarded as a critical failure, scoring only 36% on movie review aggregation site rottentomatoes.com[4]. Considered anticlimactic[5][6] and self-indulgent[7], the movie is regarded as less philosophically obtuse than its predecessor[8][9], Reloaded. Many critics, and presumably also members of the public, had difficulty finding closure pertaining to events from Reloaded, and were generally dissatisfied[10][11].

IMDb users as of 30/3/2006 scored it with an average of 6.3/10 based on 51,086 votes [12]

Metacritic.com's (similar to rottentomatoes.com) average critic score was 48/100 with a user score of 5.2 based on 256 votes. [13]

Positive reviews generally focused on the strength of the movie's action sequences and special effects[14][15].

As evidenced in the video The Roots of the Matrix, many scholars and philosophers received the films in high praise of its conceptual complexity, stating that the sequels had now expanded on the "simple dualism" of the first film and turned the trilogy into "complex literature" (Ken Wilber) with the sequels. Despite generally poor reception from film critics, however, The Matrix Revolutions broke box-office records for its opening weekend, grossing $48.5 million in its first five days of release in the US. It had a weaker opening than its predecessor that some have attributed to a more subdued marketing campaign in comparison to the Summer blockbuster event, The Matrix Reloaded. Its earnings also dropped over 70% in its second week which is perhaps owing to the alternative nature of the film and subsequent lack of satisfaction from the general moviegoing audience.

The trilogy of movies has received the recognition of scholars, cyberpunk and science fiction enthusiasts, philosophy enthusiasts, workers in the artificial intelligence community, and general fans and film fans alike. Many are interested in discovering what they believe to be the hidden meanings embedded within the content of three "complex" films that have been recognized to use their scenario to raise questions considered to be of great relevance to modern and post-modern society.

[edit]

Soundtrack

In contrast to the movie's predecessors, very few "source" tracks are used in the movie. Aside from Don Davis' score, again collaborating with Juno Reactor, only one external track (by Pale 3) is used.

Although Davis rarely focuses on strong melodies, familiar leitmotifs from earlier in the series reappear. For example, Neo and Trinity's love theme- which briefly surfaces in the two preceding movies- is finally fully expanded into Trinity Definitely; the theme from the Zion docks in Reloaded returns as Men in Metal, and the energetic drumming from the Reloaded teahouse fight between Neo and Seraph opens Tetsujin, as Seraph, Trinity and Morpheus fight off Club Hel's three doormen.

The climactic battle theme, named Neodämmerung (in reference to Wagner's Götterdämmerung), features a choir singing extracts (shlokas) from the Upanishads. Some viewers consider the occurrence of the Sanskrit prayer in the closing titles of the movie an apt conclusion to the philosophical theme portrayed throughout the trilogy. The chorus can be roughly be translated from Sanskrit as follows: "lead us from untruth to truth, lead us from darkness to light, lead us from death to immortality, peace peace peace". The extracts were brought to Davis by the Wachowski brothers when he informed them that it would be wasteful for such a large choir to be singing simple "ooh's" and "aah's". These extracts return in the denouement of the movie, and in Navras, the track which plays over the closing credits (which may be considered a loose remix of Neodämmerung).

[edit]

Trivia

At The end of The Matrix Revolution, Neo is seen as an orange colour under the Matrix code, similar to when Neo saw Seraph in the Teahouse (The Matrix Reloaded Fight Scene). In theory many believed that Seraph was previously seen as the One.