The first part of the Matrix movie trilogy saw the world in 1999. Literally from the very first days, the creation of the Wachowski brothers was dubbed the “cult.” The success of the science fiction action movie was due not only to the stunning special effects for that time, but also to interesting dialogues with ambiguous overtones. So what is the meaning of the film “The Matrix”? And how does the plot of the picture resonate with the latest scientific discoveries and trends in modern philosophy?
Creativity of the Wachowski brothers before and after the Matrix
The Matrix trilogy was released by the mysterious Wachowski brothers (at the birth of Lawrence and Andrew). The duet was a discovery for the world of cinema, since no one had heard anything about the brothers before. Only later it turned out that under this pseudonym two sisters were hiding - Lana and Lilly. Both sisters are open transgender women.
Lana and Lilly from a youthful years had a craving for theater and cinema, but did not receive the appropriate education. Instead, the Wachowski sisters engaged in the construction business for a long time, and composed comics in their free time.
Just in such a difficult period of life, the plot of the future cult picture was born in their heads. Gradually, the same elusive meaning of the film “The Matrix” was formed.
It still remains a mystery how Wachowski managed to get into the world of big cinema from the construction business. Nevertheless, in 1996 they released their debut film "Communication", and three years later - "The Matrix". At the moment, the duo has nearly 13 film projects in the arsenal and the status of universally recognized cult directors.
Brief plot of the Matrix trilogy
What is the meaning of the film “The Matrix”, it is impossible to understand if you miss the main milestones of the development of the plot.
The trilogy begins with an acquaintance with the main character - Thomas Andersen (Keanu Reeves). Thomas’s life usually goes on, so millions of megacities live around the world: in the morning he leaves for work, all day he somehow performs his duties in the office. But in the evening, Andersen is keen on what he loves: hacker on the Internet under the pseudonym Neo.
Once upon a time, a hacker girl Trinity comes to Neo. He meets her in a night bar, then talks to her friend Morpheus and receives confirmation of his guesses: there is somewhere else a life that is not like the one he lives now.
Neo takes a red capsule as a sign that he agrees to find out the truth. In response, Morpheus shows Andersen the true reality. And she, unfortunately, is terrifying. The world has long been ruled by cars. They enslaved people, locked them in peculiar capsules and connected them to a computer matrix to receive energy. Machines feed on this energy; they exist at the expense of it. And the “normal” life that Thomas contemplated every day is just an illusion, part of the program.
Neo freed himself from the yoke of the machines and joined the rebels who are fighting against them in the real world and in the matrix. The young man had to lose many friends and give his life in order for the Main Computer in the final to provide all interested people with the opportunity to leave the Matrix.
Leading actors
Keanu Reeves is an unchanging starring actor in all parts of the trilogy, including the Matrix 3 picture. The meaning of the film was ambiguous, and the main character is so selfless and touching that Reeves instantly turned into the most intriguing Hollywood star.
Carry-Anne Moss played a partner and lover Neo. For the Canadian actress, participation in The Matrix is ​​still the best movie work.
And especially colorful on the screens looked Lawrence Fishborn, who played the mentor Neo - the mysterious Morpheus.
Interesting facts hidden in the storyline
So, what is the meaning of the film "The Matrix", hidden behind meaningful dialogues, have been trying to find viewers and film critics for more than 15 years?
In search of subtexts, people analyzed every frame and every component of the plot of the cult film. Here are some interesting facts that I managed to notice.
- Thomas Andersen’s apartment number is 101. In the 1984 book by George Orwell, this number included a torture chamber in which people were tortured with artificially created fears.
- On the bookshelf with Neo lies the publication Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard. This is a philosophical work developing the theory of the illusory nature of the visible and tangible world.
- The name of the company in which Andersen worked as a programmer is literally translated from Latin as “going beyond the brain.”
- Morpheus in ancient mythology is the god of sleep. The hero of Lawrence Fishbourne, in fact, is such, because he has learned to be the master of his fate in the matrix - the kingdom of people with a "sleeping" consciousness.
- The main unresolved secret of the film lies in the 18th minute of the film: Neo's personal file is clearly displayed in the frame, in which the passport expires on September 11, 2001. The whole world knows this unfortunate date when the twin towers collapsed in New York. However, the Matrix was released three years before the events.
The real meaning of the film "The Matrix"
An incredible number of attempts have been made to identify the true meaning of the Matrix trilogy. The most incredible ideas were put forward. For example, that behind the Wachowski brothers there are actually extraterrestrial civilizations, and it was they who whispered to the directors the script in their ear. What for? To leave a secret message to earthlings!
Or there is a version that Masons had a hand in creating the trilogy.
But even if you do not dig so deeply, do not drag into the creation of a film of Masons and aliens, it is worth paying attention to the dialogues of the characters in which they voice quite interesting thoughts.
Morpheus, explaining the Neo laws of the Matrix, constantly emphasizes that all restrictions exist only in a person’s head. If Thomas removes these restrictions, then any action - fly up to heaven, jump over the abyss, smash a stone wall with one blow - will cease to be a problem.
The whole universe, created by the Wachowski sisters in the film, is proof that the way of thinking completely determines the reality of man. Perhaps this is the main thing that you need to learn by looking at the trilogy.
Interpretation of the "Matrix" from BER
Can you still find any hidden meaning of the film "The Matrix"? BER (a public movement code-named "The Concept of Public Safety") gives its own decoding of the idea of ​​the film.
BER draws parallels between the structure of the universe in the trilogy and the state of affairs in the real world in which we all live. KOB compares the supercomputers that enslave the human population in the Matrix with people endowed with unlimited power in our world: we are talking about corporations, political organizations and other structures that dictate the unspoken laws by which society lives. This interpretation is very branched, and in a nutshell you can not describe it. But by its main characteristics, it gravitates to the theories of the world conspiracy that are now popular .
Religious interpretation of the film
There were also such critics who believe that the Wachowski sisters wrote the plot of The Matrix on the basis of well-known biblical stories.
The Matrix is ​​a kind of Garden of Eden, which was created by God for people. The matrix architect is God. Morpheus is one who offers to taste the fruits of forbidden knowledge, like snakes. And the image of Neo is the image of Jesus Christ, who paid with his life for the sins of people. Moreover, Thomas Anderson in the final part, like Christ, gave his life in exchange for people getting the opportunity to leave the Matrix.
Supporters of religious subtexts explain the meaning of the film “The Matrix: Revolution” in a peculiar way. Spectators will surely remember the spectacular scene in which Neo and Agent Smith fight in the rain, but no one can win. One explanation for this scene is as if Agent Smith is the second Self, Neo, but only negative. It is as if he is fighting with himself, with his dark side. That is why throughout all 3 films their fights end in a draw.
How do the ideas of the Matrix resonate with the scientific discoveries of recent years?
If we consider the secret meaning of the film “The Matrix”, according to which human thoughts form reality, then interesting discoveries have been made on this subject over the past 20 years. Nowadays, many scholars tend to agree with the statement that thoughts are material. Especially if you interpret this phenomenon from the point of view of quantum physics.
As for the illusory nature of the world, Rene Descartes still tried to justify a similar theory. But he did not succeed.
But from the point of view of modern psychology, the surrounding reality is really an illusion generated by the human mentality. That is, on the material level, of course, houses, streets and other objects exist. But in what context to consider everything that happens and what is seen, the person himself chooses. It turns out that if two individuals are in the same room and in the same conditions, they see completely different worlds for themselves.
The secret meaning of the film "The Matrix" and popular esoteric movements
After the release of the Matrix trilogy, all kinds of esoteric teachings gained a second life, helping to control reality by the power of thought.
In 2004, the literary bestselling book “Transformation of Reality”, created by St. Petersburg writer Vadim Zelandom, was published. Zeland explains the picture of the world in much the same way as it was done in the film: the power of thought determines what the person’s reality will be, over people there are some superstructure-pendulums that feed on human energy. Quite similar to the masked allegory, the hidden meaning of the film “The Matrix”.
Two years after Reality Transurfing was translated into 20 languages, similar esoteric teachings appear in the United States. In particular, the film “Secret”, which exactly repeats Vadim Zeland’s theory about the structure of the world, was very popular in 2006.
Films similar to The Matrix
The Matrix trilogy influenced not only the development of esoteric philosophy, but also introduced a certain fashion for films similar to The Matrix in meaning. Oblivion (2013), Surrogates (2009), Equilibrium (2002) - all these paintings tell the story of a future in which people are subjected to mass enslavement and are waiting for salvation from a certain “Chosen One”. Much more often he began to use a technique in cinema when reality turned out to be different from what it was imagined: Vanilla Sky (2001), Island (2005), Mysterious Forest (2004), etc.
Conclusion
The hidden meaning of the film "The Matrix" haunts people to this day. New theories about the true meaning of the cult picture appear with enviable frequency. Perhaps none of the voiced interpretations is related to reality. Or, conversely, there is some truth in every assumption. But this will not affect the fact that the Wachowski sisters trilogy has already turned into a classic and had a huge impact on the cinema.