Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Originally posted by: theNEOone
Originally posted by: X-Man
Yes, but the One who will save them all is a half-awake, semi-stoned white surfer dude.
Coincendence - or something more?
o common, i'm serious! go back and watch the original matrix, there was a specific reason for everything, it seems. there was to be a reason for this.
i like shiz's interpretation of the use of the name "zion". it is also interesting that being the
last human city left in the war against the machines, zion may also serves as the
first city that begins the revival of the human race and restoration of earth.
There was a specific reason for everything?? Like what?
amish
well you can read up on the many philsophical papers written on the matrix. here is one of my own:
To many, The Matrix represents nothing more than a culmination of years of technical mastery and special effects to produce a few hours of entertainment, and perhaps some brief discussion clarifying the complex storyline. Very few realize the parallels that can be drawn from it; to the more perceptive viewer the film offers a mental playground in which philosophical nuances, provocative names, social commentary, and a myriad of metaphors prevail. This multifaceted aspect of The Matrix allows parallels with other movies to be made, as is the case when compared to Fritz Lang's Metropolis. The similarities are more abundant than may first seem apparent. The main struggle of man versus machine, the presence of religion, both eastern and western, and a common social criticism are all examples of the linking elements between these two movies. But the most important theme present in both films is that of realizing your purpose and contemplating your own existence. Both protagonists are sheltered from the truth, and only after they find their true selves can they realize the situation that they have been sent to change. A closer investigation into the metaphorical and symbolic devices of each movie further illustrates these similarities.
Consider, first, the human element in each movie- that is, the common man and his purpose. In Metropolis, the common man is a worker in the industrial plant system, a slave to the very machines that maintain the city. But beyond being just a worker, the common man is a piece of the 'mass ornamentant' representing Lang's future culture, the 'mass ornament' being Siegfried Kracauer's extended metaphor for the elements of industrialization and mechanization that lend towards the melting of individuals into a collective. Each person moves as part of a unit, dresses in identical attire, and possibly even thinks as all the others. In addition to the physical burden of working in the plants as 'slaves' it seems as if the workers have been psychologically programmed to conform to the masses. This mentality is made evident in the worker's actions; even after their shift is over and supervision ends. They continue to move as a unit keeping their heads down, as if they were bowing to a greater power. This same type of mental control is exhibited in The Matrix, wherein humans are living in literal 'prisons for the mind'. The control, however, is no longer psychological. Electrodes, diodes, and complex technology allow machines to physically tap into people's minds and manipulate their thoughts. Although slightly different, each aspect of control is fundamentally the same in that it suggests that the workers in Metropolis and the human race in The Matrix are unaware of the absolute control and power that the machines have over them. The 'superiority' of machines is hinted at in both movies, in the physical placement of humans and machines- in The Matrix, the machines live on the earth, high above the humans, who live in the primordial caves of the earth. This same scenario exists in Metropolis as well, where the workers' city is deep within the earth's crust, representative of lowly human worth.
Both films, as well as having a similar criticism of technology, hint at the possibility of reconciliation. In Metropolis this reconciliation entails an agreement between Freder, the Master of Metropolis, and the workers such that they receive agreeable working conditions, a shorter working day, and consideration of the fact that they too, as Freder, are human. In The Matrix, reconciliation is not geared towards finding a middle ground. It is the absolute destruction of artificial intelligence and a return to human-controlled technology that is sought after. Aside from this difference both films seem to agree that there is an escape from a technologically overpowering future, and that this escape relies on a mediator. In both movies, the mediator takes on Christ-like characteristics. Freder, in a powerful scene where he falls victim to a machine he was controlling, assumes the position of crucifixion, symbolic of his role as a Christ figure and mediator.
Neo, the main character in The Matrix, is also portrayed as a Christ figure. In one of the opening scenes another character, speaking to Neo, says: 'Hallelujah. You're my savior, man. My own personal Jesus Christ.' This is the first hint at Neo's messianic significance. The most significant scene, which more closely relates Neo as a Christ figure and mediator, is the scene where he dies, resurrects, and ascends bodily into the sky. This is the point in which Neo has achieved self-realization. For certain periods of time Neo, as well as Freder are blind to the world around them. They are both sheltered from the truth and, likewise, they are both shocked when the blindfold is removed. In a scene where Neo goes to the Oracle, he is directed to a sign that reads 'Temet Nosce', Latin for 'know thyself.' It is this, precisely, what most characters must develop before achieving the goals- Freder finding mediation between his father and the workers, and Neo saving the world from apocalyptic destruction at the hands of Artificial Intelligence.
Then there are the female characters in Metropolis and The Matrix, Maria and Trinity, respectively. Both these women play the biblically significant role of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Although neither woman is a mother to either of the mediators, they are portrayed as life giving and nurturing. Maria is an obvious variation of the name Mary, but more significantly she is depicted in several scenes as a soothing character. Towards the beginning of Metropolis Maria enters the scene with children surrounding her, pleading to the wealthy to 'help your fellow brother' almost as a mother would plead to help her child. Later she serves a conciliatory role, keeping the workers from revolting and causing an uprising. In The Matrix, Trinity's role is not as subtle. Where Mary gave life to Jesus, Trinity gives life to Neo. After his 'death' he is resurrected with a kiss that can be considered the proverbial 'breath of life.'
Throughout Metropolis, Lang clearly portrays the submission of the individual to the masses in scenes showing hundreds of people with identical gaits and indistinguishable clothing all sharing the same solemn, solitary look on their faces. This is not as prevalent in The Matrix, where only a few scenes depict identical people walking through the construct of the matrix. It seems as if both filmmakers are presenting a future, with a twist of irony: whereas in the 20th century humans depended on machines, the machines in the 21st century are now the ones dependant on humans. The hierarchy has changed, such that the emphasis is on the development and evolution of better, more efficient machines. It is possible that Fritz Lang and Larry and Andy Wachowski are drawing peoples' attention to a disturbing reality: so much emphasis is being placed on the importance of modernism and the need for technological advancement, that we forget to nurture the soul and that with this comes the loss of the individual, for it is the soul, more so than physical appearance, that distinguishes one person from the next.
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