The Matrix Reloaded!

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Fear not, the Guru is here

Ok, I saw the movie when it came out on Wednesday (The 00.02 showing) dwecked out in my agent garb . And what can I say? Man, it rocked! I was glued to my seat most of the time... and I definitely needed a bucket for all the drool. Smith, the Twins, Neo, Merovingian, Niobe...

For the record, i do not consider Monica Belucci hot. Jada Pinkett-Smith is way better

Now, for the SERIOUS matters.

I persobnally am a suppoerter of the double Matrix-theory. Take note and listen to the "Sleeping Awake" lyrics:

Reveal to me the mysteries
Can you tell me what it means?
Explain these motions and metaphors
Unlock these secrets in me
Describe your vision, the meaning is missing
Won't anybody listen?

Define the riddles of my mind
Nothing is strictly what it seems

Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Sleeping Awake
Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel what I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake
Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel like I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping...

Can you see it? The writing,
Can you tell me what it means?
Translate the symbols, Enigma
Expressions keep questioning me
The message is written, the meaning is missing
Won't anybody Listen?

Prophesy, interpretate the signs
Nothing is really what it seems

Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Sleeping Awake
Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel what I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake
Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel like I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
Can you hear what I hear?
And do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
And do you feel like I feel?
And can you dream like I dream?

Do you see what I see?
Can you hear what I hear?
Or do you feel like I feel?
Or do you dream like I dream?
Anybody see me?
Anybody hear me?
Anybody feel me?
Anybody out there?!?

Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Sleeping Awake
Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel what I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake
Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel like I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Anybody see me?
Anybody hear me?
Anybody feel me?
Anybody out there?!?

In my opinion, they support the Matrix/Matrix theory.

Zion has not been destroyed. If you stayed to the end of the credits, you saw the Revolutions trailer, in which we can see that Zion is still there. In fact, seeing as there are 250 000 Sentinels for 250 000 humans, it can be reasoned that their intent is not to destroy, but to re-insert, as the Matrix is being re-booted. Which is NOT happening, seeing as Arcitechht's plans went awry. Or not. Seeing as he never implied WHICH door Neo would take, just that he knew the choice.

Merovingian was cool. Really cool. He was so different from all the programs we had ever seen that it was a definite shock. I can't recall where the quote is from, but he has been described as a "Frenchmen straight out of Bush adminstration bestiary", and the stereotype fits. His cursing in french, the chocolate cake, the crudeness he inserted with care.... can we say wow? Thopse who have seen the Animatrix shorties, can recall that humanity became decadent... Is Mero a sign that programs, too, can become decadent?

And the twisns... The twins! I just LOVED the little kissy-face one of them made to Trinity.... *melts* they were SO cool! I loved the fact that they wore silvery white, a wonderful change from all the black and gray that surrounded them. Fitting for ghosts, eh? Yes, I calll them ghosts for their phasing ability and as a reference to Oracle's speech about redundant programs. Not to mention the fact that they were cool. Definitely cool. *sigh* I sound so fangirlish...

As for the huge dance scene... as imagery, it was fabulous, but did nothing for me. I was, to quote someone else, more interestyed in counting their plugs. It could have been ripped from a porn film. Although had Neo been with someone else (You probably know what I mean withou me needing to incur Tal's wrath) I might be able to say otherwise.

As for Neo and the sentinels... The easiest explanation is of course the double Matrix-theory, but lets go for something more complicated. Remember Smith's little speech to Neo? I'll insert it here, kudos goes to the www.matrixcommunity.org for the transcript (Sorry, Tal, I am not advertising, just giving them the credit for their hard work)

Smith: Mister Anderson! Did you get my package?
Neo: Yeah.
Smith: Well, good.
Morpheus: Smith.
Link: Whoever it is, he's not reading like an agent.
Smith: Surprised to see me?
Neo: No.
Smith: Then you're aware of it.
Neo: Of what?
Smith: Our connection. I don't fully undestand how it happened. Perhaps some part of you imprinted onto me, something overwritten or copied. That is at this point irrelevant, what matters is that whatever happened, happened for a reason.
Neo: And what reason is that?
Smith: I kiilled you, Mister Anderson, I watched you die... With a certain satisfaction, I might add, and then something happened. Something that I knew was impossible, but it happened anyway. You destroyed me, Mister Anderson. Afterward, I knew the rules, I understood what I was supposed to do but I didn't. I couldn't. I was compelled to stay, compelled to disobey. And now here I stand because of you, Mister Anderson, because of you I'm no longer an agent of the system, because of you I've changed - I'm unplugged - a new man, so to speak, like you, apparently free.
Neo: Congratulations.
Smith: Thank you. But as you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we're here. We're not here because we're free, we're here because we're not free. There's no escaping reason, no denying purpose - because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.
Smith 2: It is purpose that created us,
Smith 3: Purpose that connects us,
Smith 4: Purpose that pulls us,
Smith 5: That guides us,
Smith 6: That drives us,
Smith 7: It is purpose that defines,
Smith 8: Purpose that binds us.
Smith: We're here because of you, Mister Anderson, we're here to take from you what you tried to take from us. Purpose.
Trinity: What's happening to him?
Link: I don't know.
Smith: Yes, that's it, it'll be over soon.

Now, if Smith had parts of him overwritten by Neo, it is equally possible that Neo had parts of him overwritten by Smith. This could translate to an ability to excert control over machines in the "real" world as well, seeing as it is probable that the Agents can control sentinels.

As for Bane/Smith, there is no question of is he Smith or not. Hugo Weawing himself has confirmed that yeah, it is Smith. And if it isn't really clear (For a singlwe viewing it may not be) the guy at the enfd on the table IS Bane/Smith.

This supports the Neo/Smith connection theory... they are both in a coma. Of course, Smith's coma could be explained by the fact that he was in one of the ships that got whacjked by the Sentinels after the EMP went off too ealry (You get three guesses why... ) But I think the fact that both he and Neo are in a coma is far more significant.

Well, enough ranting for now. Suffice to say, the movie ended far too abrubtly. I was, like "NO! It can't end now! Not like this! Not like this!" How can I last till November? I sure as heck will go see it again, repeatedly

And yeah, I will remember to bring the drool bucket

 

Thanks Ara,
Agent Smith and Neo's relationship seems like a good idea, yeah very good..hm.....
I just paid 3 dollars for a VCD recorded in cinema [Turkey's full of that stuff, and film you want ].I watched it many times and I think at last I'm beginning to understand.
By the way, the dance scene SUCKS, really SUCKS and SUCKS *repeats until Tal bans him*.I liked what Neo said after 3 agents came for our men and women "upgrades".Wow really cool.
By the way I have a problem the last scenes of VCD has some errors, can anyone tell me if Ghost from "enter the matrix" dead or not and/or if Niobe's ship destroyed and/or she's alive?

 

Ah yes, I had even more to say but I forgot seeing as I was in such a hurry...

Morpheus. A complete, total, religious fanatic. The way he acts in the mavie shows WHY exactly the Brothers W have said "He's crazy". And when he looses his footing with the prophecy (Or does he? ) and his world crumbles... Heck, we could compare it to a situation in which we make contact with aliens and get told "Oh, your Jesus Christ? That's Cousin Albert. He's a bit funny. Don't tell us you bought his messiah stuff." (No offense meant to any Chriastians... this can be applied to any religion and any prophet....)

And yeah, Niobe and Ghost are alive, I think.

 

Actually the movie has quite a bit of christian ideology in it.

 

My theroy on the end of Reloaded....

**SPOILERS**
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To We all Know that the one is a program; we are told that in the movie.
But a program doesn’t have a human body in the real world; it only exists in the matrix.
So for the program run it has to find a host, if you will.
That’s why there is a different oracle in revolutions; the oracle program needs a host to run. ( I know the actress that played her died but this is one way they could explain the differnt actress playing the same character)
The same is true for the one.
That's why Neo had to die to become the one.
Mr. Anderson is dead and the program has taken over even in the real world. That’s how he came back to life.
Think this isn’t possible? Smith does the same thing; his program takes over Bane in both the real and the Matrix world. So when The One program tries to run in the real world, Neo has the powers for a brief second. But then it encounters an error and the program returns to the source in the matrix, while Neo's body is left comatose without a mind to call his own.
That last bit is confirmed in the game when the Oracle tells Niobe that Neo's mind and body will be separated.

 

I'd still like to hear how you who think the Zion world is real would explain Neo's ability to contact the machines? Like I said, it's sci-fi, not fantasy. From a human body it doesn't matter how much of Smith was in Neo, or how much of an AI Neo was in the first place, there just isn't crud he can do. Unless they come up with a real cheap solution to cover for that.. which would imply that even they don't know what the heck is going on.

Then again, the fight that we see in the rain between Neo and Smith in Revolutions might well be some sort of final countdown between the best and toughest the matrix and humanity has to offer. And Neo would awaken from the coma only after he had proven to surpass the most efficient combat-oriented program in matrix. Or something.

 

True, but couldn't one call it Cyberpunk to be a little more specific?

 

What difference would that make? Other than give some further implications to the cruel and dark world that the outside of matrix seems to be. Besides, aside from the plugs and humans acting as batteries, there's nary a sign of any cybernetic ability-boosting technology.

 

Foradasthar, What I mean by the Smith/NEo mindmeld thingy is, well, basically, I can't transfer it into technobabble as well as I would like, but what I mean is that the code that is Smith could very well have mingled with Neo's bioelectronic singnature/brainwawes and would thus provide some sort of a wireless effect. Sort of a like a cobbled-together remote-control, or a cell-phone. Does that make any sense? One that is short-citrcuiting, thus the coma.

Sounds immensely stupid, I know.

 

Well you never know what the film-makers can come up with. I just stick with the most realistic-sounding answer because if I cross the line between that and fictional imagination, then there're one million more possibilities to what's really going on.

I'd still connect Neo's abilities within Zion to his meeting with the Architect. Compare it to Matrix one if you will. Out of his own free will he joined Morpheus. And out of Morpheus' words in the combat program, he learned to become better. That information that he learned which enabled him to believe in himself and gain more power can be directly compared with what the Architect told him. And his own choice of taking the door leading to Trinity. For me the most obvious triggering factor for his powers is the new awareness his encounter with the Architect brought him.

There is a connection between Neo and Smith, no doubt. But I think it's more of a connection between two "common" rivals than anything more.

Edit: (damn failing mainPC) All speculation though.

[ May 27, 2003, 09:52: Message edited by: Foradasthar ]

 

Wow - just finished reading all these posts. You guys have so many theories, I now don't know what to believe. Some of you have minds that work in truly scary ways.......
I hope the ending to Revolutions isn't as convoluted as you all make out. Because then the other 95% of us who don't think as deeply as you won't have a clue what is going on!
Keep up the good work though.