Through The Glass, Thirdly.

Hmmm.

We have a distinct excess of crisps.

For those of you who follow me, you probably realise that, skint as I am, this means myself and an old friend have been watching the third of the ‘Matrix’ movies, “Matrix Revolutions”.

Which is lighter on the philosophy and heavier on the action than the first two entries in the series.

Mind you, I wouldn’t mind one of those giant APU things.   As Adrian put, it wouldn’t half make the shopping easier …

Wouldn’t it just?

I love to be in one if someone in front of me is paying by card when I’m in a rush, I know that!

But I digress.

So you know, I’ve put a link into the IMDb entry for The Matrix Revolutions there, so you can look up the plot summary.

And there’s possible a point to get onto here, as well …

As I mentioned earlier,  The Matrix Revolutions is a bit lighter on the philosophy.

It was much more action based.   Very different to the first two, in that sense.

But I think I can state the blindingly obvious, here, and point to the fact that this part of the trilogy has a strongly messianic feel to it – I’m assuming this link, a christian one that argues exactly that, will link to others – and simplifies the philosophical elements that attracted many people to the series in the first place.

Now, as I’ve always said, this isn’t too much of a problem, for me: beyond reaching for the dictionary, of course

One thing I have always felt is that whatever works for you, is fine by me, and so long as we both look at each other’s beliefs in the same way, we’ll rub along fine.   I’m also thinking that the ol’ pop pagan idea – that, that doing your own thing is fine, so long as you harm no one – is a nice little ethic to go along by.

And, in this case, I felt the simplifying was helpful, in a way.   It let the trilogy bounce along to an emotionally satisfying conclusion, without having to do a quick mental double check, to see if one’s caught all the references.   Something I felt that maybe the first two films suffered with, although it did make for interesting discussion, afterwards.

But I do realise that many will disagree with me, here.   After all, for many of us, part of the Matrix trilogies appeal will have been the floating of philosophical concepts that we wouldn’t have otherwise come across, and having a chance to investigate them further.

Which has been burried in science fiction for years, now, I think.

Certainly, a lot of political philosophy, if I’ve understood what I know of Karel Capek’s R. U. R., the play that introduced the English speaking world to the word ‘ROBOT’.

It’s generally known that Gene Roddenberry always encouraged writers on the various incarnations of Star Trek
to tell an entertaining story first, but work in a nice point, where possible.

But messiahdom in sci-fi has cropped up, before …

Frank Herbert fans will know exactly what I mean.

One of my favourite novel’s was Frank Herbert’s Dune: a book that strikes me as being relevant, here.

Matrix Revolutions and Dune, while I find them both entertaining, both seem to take very different views.   The Matrix trilogy, in the end, takes a traditional view  of its central character: that Neo, ultimately is there to save the world.

Paul Muad-Dib, the central character in Dune, isn’t.

He’s a warning.

In the context of the novel, he’s a well educated, superbly bred, almost super heroic warning: messiahs fuck you up.

We only have to look at Adolf Hitler,  Josef Stalin and the likes of Osama bin Laden, to see that our religious feelings can be manipulated to another’s ends.

There’s also talk of how this can be argued about John F Kennedy, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush.

Let’s be frank, we all want a hero, to save us from ourselves.

That’s not a bad thing, not at all, but I also believe we forget that messiahs are human …

Don’t forget, Frank Herbert grew up during World War Two, and was in his late twenties during the Kennedy years; – Kennedy, Hitler, and Stalin can be seen as very human, and very culpable Messiahs

I can do no more than quote from the original novel.

“When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. Their movement becomes headlong - faster and faster and faster. They put aside all thoughts of obstacles and forget that a precipice does not show itself to the man in a blind rush until it's too late.”
Bene Gesserit proverb, Dune (Frank Herbert)

“When law and duty are one, united by religion, you never become fully conscious, fully aware of yourself. You are always a little less than an individual.”
‘ … from “Muad’Dib: The Ninety-Nine Wonders of the Universe” by the Princess Irulan’

I think I’ll quietly admit I’ll leave it there, for now, and blog more in the morning.

But I can’t help but still agree with that first quote.   Considering the USA’s current and previous president can be seen as having overtones!

The Matrix Reloaded: Back Thorough the Looking Glass

Hmm: another night in …

And I swear those crisps will eaten, before the sell by date … !

You can tell we’ve little in the way of money, can’t you?   And that everyone else we know is out, busy or ill …

Anyway, Adrian and I near enough decided, last week, that we’d watch the complete set, and chew themes and sequels over.

And both agreed that middle movies always seem to suffer.

It’s always the way, though, isn’t it?   We felt so so: mostly on the basis that the story arc in a trilogy is, after all, only part way through.

Let’s face it, it has to tie off loose ends from part one, and set up part three.

But here’s the plot, in case you’d like a quick look.

And I’m thinking that’s largely the way movies are made, these days, means the middle film of a threesome is going to suffer.

As far as I’ve understood it, the two Matrix sequels were made back to back – much like the two Back to the Future sequels – and some time after the first entry in the respective franchises.

Which, if I’d understood the received wisdom – it certainly seems the case with Back to the Future: Part Two – that the middle child can be a mess.

Saying that, though, I should point out that – again, as far as I know – the Lord of the Rings trilogy was an exception, there.   If I’ve understood things correctly, Peter Jackson and the rest of the Wingnut Productions crew had all three planned from the start.   I can’t imagine it being any other way, frankly.   But that was influenced by the fact that, although Professor Tolkien would’ve preferred it to be published in one volume, the then currant, post-war, paper rationing meant  that The Lord Of The Rings was published in three parts.   That’s influenced how we see it.

It certainly influenced the films’ producers.

But The Matrix Reloaded does carry on with the whole feel of the first entry in the series.

Guns, babes – however you choose to define ‘babes’ – and buried pop-philosophy, if you want to go looking for it.

There’s whole arguments floating around cyberspace about it, too, ranging from whether it’s waving gnosticism at you, to having a messianic bent.   Even if there’s a Buddhist touch to it!   If I find Jewish, Jain or Rastafarian links, I’ll put them up.

I’m wondering where Errol and Mælcum* have got to, now I really need them.

But Matrix franchise as gnostic gospel is an idea worth chewing over.   The little I know of  gnosticism in it’s various forms, does seem to be on screen.

But I should stress that others know a lot more about it than me.   I can see the basic idea, of an ‘evil’  and materialistic demiurge – demon, god, Architect? – creating an ‘evil world’ thats got humanity trapped, and its logical counterpart, of a non material ‘good’ being trying to help us by teaching us how to overcome this – the Oracle and Neo, possibly — and free ourselves.

I was never sure if I could follow all of the details, completely, though.

Given my upbringing, though, I could spot, and instinctively sympathize with a more overtly Christian view of The Matrix Reloaded: although I’m more of an agnostic view of the world.

Certainly I’ve found myself praying, in times of trouble: but whatever higher power’s up there, I could never say for sure, nor do I believe I’ve a right to dictate to you about it.

Hmmm … I’m turning deep in my old age …

Or into an agnostic equivalent of Richards Dawkins …

Either way, I personally incline more to the messianic view of the film, given who I am today.

For one thing, if Neo is The One, then Agent Smith is definitely The Other One.   Which possibly puts Laurence Fishburne as a cyberpunk John the Baptist.   Where that puts Carrie-Anne Moss’ character, considering we were watching “The DaVinci Code”, a few weeks ago …

Either way, the next chance I get, The Matrix Revolutions is due for another spin.   And given I’ve seen speculation about various trips into the underworld, floating around, means I’m probably going to have to look up the relevant parts of  The Golden Bough, aren’t I?

Anyway, enjoy the music, folks.

Could never resist the video for “Close (To The Edit)”, it’s very symbolic.

Of people wondering round railway stations, with chainsaws.

*   Alright, I couldn’t resist a “Neuromancer” reference.   This is a cyberpunk we’re talking about, here.

The Matrix: Through the Looking Glass …

Now here’s a thing.

A nicely chewy night in Adrian, and a copy of The Matrix, and lots of tea!

We have GOT to use those crisps, at some point!!

I’ve pot a link to the IMDb synopsis, here, but let me recap, briefly: The Matrix, is the story of Neo (Keanu Reeves) who finds the reality he lives in is a computer generated fantasy: designed to keep humanity enslaved and usable as batteries by computers.

As part of this, Neo also finds — through Morpheus (Laurewnce Fishburne) — that he’s the much talked of ‘One’.

Like I say, I’ve put in a link, above to the plot synopsis, above, so I’ll speak no more of it, here.   But it is one with deliberately inserted depths.

I’m no philosopher, I’ll admit, but one of the obvious subtexts – that reality is an illusion, controlled by others, for their purposes – isn’t hard to spot.   And probably be an interesting study, if I can find a halfway simple guide.

And I certainly can never work out whether, in the words of Douglas Adams, Larry and Andy Wachowski are “… getting needlessly messianic”.

We could carry on, couldn’t we?

And on top of that, there’s influences on, and from, other sources.

Film, the written word, and the odd bit of TV!!

Obviously, there’s tons of film I could point to.

The original Alien, and Bladerunner amongst them: there’s a lot more, according to Wikipedia, but those are the two I was thinking of, tonight, especially in terms of each film’s look and feel.

I’m also thinking The Matrix has influenced science fiction, and fantasy, after it, as well: certainly, the Underworld trilogy of films seem heavily influenced by it, in terms of action and colour palette.

Cyberpunk’s had a huge influence, here, as well.

I can’t remember when I first read Neuromancer, but William Gibson’s first and best known novel, does show its influence, here.   Neo is, in terms of the artificial reality he’s trapped in, a minor criminal hacker, and stylish with it, much like a certain Mister Henry Dorset Case, the central protagonist of  Neuromancer.

I can’t help but wonder, as well, if the Wachowskis ever saw some of the nineteen-seventies era Doctor Who?

I know that’s where I first saw the concept of a Matrix: a huge computer, or computer network, that one could directly plug oneself into, that fed an alternative reality into a users mind, and which could kill, if one wasn’t careful.

One really does wonder.

And that, I think, is kind of the point, with any half way bit of decent science fiction.   It’ll tell you a ripping good yarn.

But it can make you wonder …

To quote Julian May, “Science Fiction will never run out of things to wonder about until the human race ceases to use its brain.”.

And I think that’s a good quote to leave on, isn’t it?