Matrix Reloaded

The 2nd layer of the matrix would be a viable assumption if the only reasoning behind the theory was the constant use of the word "backup" in the last 15 minutes of the movie. At the end, I think the building was a symbol for the entire virtual existence, powered by two systems, both which must be taken out to truly succeed.

Either that or Neo went on this entire journey in hopes of finding exactly what those 11 herbs and spices are. How else would you account for Colonel Sanders sitting in that chair at the end?

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Originally posted by MVS
Just because guys would fuck a chick, doesn't mean she's hot.

I've punched below my class a few times, sucks, but that's how it goes.

She is not attractive in the slightest, incidentally.

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for the first time in like 3 months i'm with matt on this shit. carrie ann moss = teh ugly.

all you cyber punk rpg and matrix fans can blow yer load all you want...but i aint down with that dyke lookin hooker.

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Originally posted by MrWhitefolks
for the first time in like 3 months i'm with matt on this shit. carrie ann moss = teh ugly.

all you cyber punk rpg and matrix fans can blow yer load all you want...but i aint down with that dyke lookin hooker.

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Wow.

Gon

I saw this movie yesterday. I loved it. Fuck the haters.

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Originally posted by Dolemite
Redheads are underrated.

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Damn straight, they're a scarce resource, I worship every one I've gone out with :) .

I enjoyed Reloaded. I don't know if it's a healthy attitude but I assume every summer movie will come up short on plot and thus just go along for the ride. The discussion with the old fart boosted the movie a bit for me I was really getting tired of conversations on cause and effect and man's dependence on machines.

Bring on Revolutions. *-neo

Okay, I just saw the movie again tonight and I've had some time to think about the ending. Here are my thoughts:

* The "Matrix within a Matrix" idea is complete bullshit. One, it's just too stupid to be viable, and it reduces everything in the films -- Neo's struggle to understand his destiny, the rebels' long war against the machines -- into a cheap plot twist. Uh-uh, not gonna happen.

* The Architect told Neo the truth. His story jibes with Zion's recorded history (as told by Morpheus in the first film) and it fits perfectly with Reloaded's overarching theme of choice and destiny. The early Matrix (Matrices?) failed because it sacrificed human free will in favor of utopia. So instead the Architect created a Matrix in which humans could exert their will freely over others. Once the Architect granted humans the power of choice, he was ironically able to control them -- by trapping them in the Matrix. Of course, this would necessarily mean that some humans would choose to reject the Matrix entirely, which leads me to my next thought:

* Zion is real. Zion is a dumping ground for humans that reject the Matrix. Citizens of Zion are permitted to rebel against the Matrix to the extent that they do not upset the human/machine equilibrium. So periodically the machines must destroy Zion as a crude form of population control. But the machines cannot destroy Zion entirely, or else the entire Matrix would collapse. Instead they allow previous incarnations of the One to start Zion anew, and perhaps erasing the memories of the survivors. In fact if Zion never existed, the machines would probably have to create it -- perhaps Zion as it exists in the real world was created by machines?

* Neo is a program. Or at least part of him is. The Architect suggests that Neo was specifically engineered to be the One; perhaps his personality was artificially bred by the Matrix. Or perhaps he was bred with some artificially-created technological affinity that allows him to manipulate the Matrix at will. If this is true, this would explain how he was able to disable the sentinels in the real world.

But this is an unsatisfactory answer. If Neo were born with these technological powers, then why weren't previous incarnations of the One able to work the same magic in the real world? Perhaps the answer lies in his final confrontation with Smith at the end of The Matrix:

* Neo has transcended death. When he died, Neo's understanding of the Matrix combined with his love for Trinity allowed him to reverse the cycle, to fundamentally alter the rules of the Matrix in ways his predecessors had not done. In that same moment Smith also transcended his own existence and gained the ability to possess bodies in the real world, essentially ganing Neo's powers in reverse.

So those are my thoughts in semi-coherent form. Any comments?

Matrix in a Matrix would be a huge cop-out.

Other than that, they seem logical, I guess.

Is Neo his real name, or just a nickname?

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Originally posted by Green
Is Neo his real name, or just a nickname?

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It's his internet hacker name! His real name is Thomas Anderson.

sleeveboy > i don't think neo was specifically engineered to be the one. the architect said that he was an anomaly, which implies that he came about by accident. fearing that he would cause a major disturbance in the matrix, the machines created the prophecy of the one and basically used him as a tool to work their cycle, thus maintaining the balance between man and machine.