Matrix Revolutions blows - SPOILER WARNING

Lol...take that cynical view, and apply it probaly 75% of so called literary "classics" and the people who make their carrers "explaining them", and you've probably got more truth than fiction.

 

Re: Warning! Spoilers!

Yes, the Lawnmower Man redux theory. Nice cliff's notes summary too, by the way. I share your views, although I didn't think of it in terms of a controlled reboot.

 

dang joe you're right about mem wipes... I shouldve seen the first matrix as a refresher. My probs with the energy thing is the same as yours. Id think it would take more energy to keep humans alive than we gave off. Also I dont see how comatose humans or animals couldnt be used. Thats why I think more is afoot though at most a couple small hints are being given and not much more. Itd be cool to see a harvest not for energy but for sentience\awareness\emotions though I have no idea how that could be worked in a script.

Natoma ya nailed down a lot I think. It still does look as the tho the real world is indeed real but if it is then pretty much the only unresolved plot is the issue of zion's 5th incarnation's survival. It might in fact be a bit lame if zion and the real world is just a second layer of the matrix... I think Ive seen that kind of plot twist a few times... But I wouldnt mind a surprise or two in the last film. Hope Im not able to figure it out before then

 

No such thing! Actually, I thought Neo swatting Agent Smiths out of the park like A-rod at the Little Leagues was just darn cool and amusing, and Morpheus fighting with the Katana was quite stylish. Neo stopping the blade with his hand in the castle lobby was interesting and contradictory as well - he has hands of steel that can stop a blade, yet they bleed anyway?

Unfortunately, it might have backfired. That CTS Trinity was driving sure seemed to have a heck of a lot of body-roll in those chase scenes. That wasn't a pretty sight.

 

I don't believe Zion is a "Matrix in a Matrix."

The first Zion was destroyed, completely. Obliterated. The first "One" didn't take 23 people from Zion to rebuild it. He "freed" 23 people from the Matrix, who were totally unaware of anything that had occurred. Then he gave them the "prophecy" and then uploaded his mind into the Matrix and was dispersed.

Also, the AI and sentinels had no clue they were part of the ruse as well. That's why they played their parts so well. Remember what the keymaker said. "We all do what we're meant to do." The agents were built to destroy the rebels. They had no clue about the true nature of the matrix and all the repetitions. The same goes for the Sentinels. They were machines with only one purpose. Not to think. To simply seek out and destroy.

Also, I've heard that Agent Smith loading himself into a real human was proof that it was a "Matrix in a Matrix." I dispute that as well.

Think about the whole construct of the Matrix when the rebels "jack in." It's a bi-directional pathway. When you come out of the Matrix, you still retain the memories from when you were in the Matrix. When you get hit in the matrix, your body in the real world reacts to that.

Agent Smith loading himself into that character was another instance. In this case he overwrote the person's Matrix code, their mind basically, and then when it was uploaded back to his brain, smith was able to take over.

 

My assessment as well.

Also agreed.

This is also supported by the fact that Agent Smith is no longer "directly controlled" by the Architect. (No more controlled than the "aware" humans, anyway). Which actually makes Agent Smith as much of a threat to the Architect as the humans are.

Speculation mode...

It's my theory that Agent Smith's change will turn out to actually the key difference between this Matrix iteration and the past ones. In other words, this Agent Smith is the first AI (my guess) to take over the human mind outside of the matrix construct. This will turn out to be the event that the Architect did not anticipate happening, and will play a key part in the ultimate demise of the Matrix "cycle."

 

I was kind of suprised that they didn't play up Smith as a virus more.

 

Yes, so was I. That's definitely an idea worthy of further exploration in the movies. Hopefully Revolutions will do just that. Those of you who sat through the credits to see the Revolutions trailer know that Smith is still a primary player, and there is another big showdown between him and Neo.

 

I always used to hate english lit. lessons

 

Goddamn Natoma, talk about massive reply! Anyways, if anyone stated somethign similar, my appologies.

If we can agree that Neo's existence and rise to power in infact due to some self-propogating, anomalistic error then the two choices seem much clearer from the Architects PoV:

(a) By choosing to save humanity at the expense of Neo, this would allow the erronious code that is Neo to be replaced, ala the previous 6-odd "Ones." The Architect was attempting to persuade Neo into choosing this with his talk of a "Logical" choice over an emotional one, aswell as the pictures of humanity flashing threw Neo's mind (as seen on the TVs in what's a brilliant scene).

(b) By choosing to leave and preserving himself, Neo (who I believe to be quite a bit more powerful than expected) has allowed himself to have a 24hour window to end this. Which, as you alluded to, will ultimatly lead to a Revolution.


Also of note is the very cool transition thats occured in the setiment of the collective and the general population at Zion:

In the first film, Morphius was seen as a prophetic and visionary man. His thought was unparalleled, his grasp of the situation constant. This is contrasting to the setiment of Neo.

Now, we find that Morphius is seen as an outcast to many of the elite in the Zion Hierarchy - an almost theological mystic. He's vision that was so clear in the first, that gave rise to Neo and Zions assent to power is now clouded. Neo, himself, has lost all hope of the future based on the words of his nemesis, the architect.

I can't help but feel that in traditional trilogy and epic style; there will be a Return of the Prophecy and within the next 24hours (which Revolutions takes place in) the will be a revolation inspired by Morphius, one which will bring closure to this.

Also, I can't help but feel the overriding theme of this was Choice and what it's composed of. Which was brilliantly displayed by using an almost Quantum Mechanical means to show the infinate concurrent choices on TVs and the, as in real life, navigating a channel of just one choice between the infinate sea of possibilities. I think the presentation and Theoretical Physics aspect was so damn cool, but yet it kept the philisophical overtone by asking when and who ultimatly makes a choice. Anyways, I saw it almost 10 hours ago and need some sleep.

Ahh yes, yet more blatent stealing of contemporary philisophical thought (eg. Putnam and Cohen). But, its great that the general public learns things like this, as they would have no ambition to come across it any other way.

 

http://www.pvponline.com/rants.php3

Now, discuss.

 

Reloaded sucked donkeys balls. Completely disappointed.

 

But I heard that Reloaded has got the biggest opening ever in US history!!!

 

XXX had a big opening also, but that doesn't mean the movie didn't suck donkey balls.

 

Perhaps it's just me, but it seems that many of the people who thought it sucked had pre-existing expectations for this movie. I went in with a mostly blank slate, other than that I had heard it would be more action oriented, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Seems like most others with few expectations felt similarly.

 

Well, XXX only scored favorable reviews from 48% of critics. People I went to see XXX with walked out on it. Reloaded is at 75%. Original Matrix was 88%. Suckage, I think not. Maybe hong kong/anime style action isn't your cup of tea, maybe it didn't meet your expectations, but there is a difference between a poorly acted, poorly written, poorly filmed, and poorly directed movie, and one that is atleast adequately done on those scales.

People keep whining about the relatively *few* scenes that used CG (most of the fight scenes were in fact, not done with CG. The Agent Smith fight is the extreme) But, how is this different from LOTR, Two Towers, Attack of the Clones, Spiderman, movies which used significantly more CG, and didn't look any less cartoonish (e.g. Legolas riding on the back of the Cave Trool)

Even the original Matrix used "CG", people didn't complain because they hardly noticed it. (Bullet Time shots used interpolation to morph between missing frames. Background was entirely prerendered on rooftop and subway shots using image based rendering)

If you dislike something, you can always find a way to nitpick it. If you like something, you suspend disbelief.

 

Curious, but where did you get your stats from? I haven't seen Reloaded yet so, er, don't ask me about the movie.

 

Some of Reloaded's CGI was so bad it beat my disbelief down like a redheaded stepchild. I'd prefer less ambitious fight scenes using actors than some of what I say last night. Blech!

 

Exactly what CGI scenes are you referring to?