Maddenation
Matrix Reloaded
What happens when Star Wars meets Superman meets The Terminator meets War Games? Dan and I saw it today, Matrix Reloaded. Or maybe it should have been titled Crouching Men in Black, Hidden Plot. Well, the special effects were cool. I just had trouble suspending disbelief, which I normally do so well. I mean, I like the idea of the matrix, and the philosophy of artificial intelligence and virtual imaging, but I need the story to fit together a little better than this one did. And maybe I need dialogue that sounds more like human beings talking than cyborgs. (Although, in the matrix, I like the way the virtual programmed people talk better than the humans.) I suppose, with all the hype, you gotta go see the movie so you can talk about it with your philosophy professor, but there are definitely better things you could do with your time.
The thesis of the movie is that all the decisions you think you’re making have already been made in some timeless “future.” The important thing is learning why you made them. Meanwhile there’s this matrix where Neo goes to work out. Why? I don’t know. It’s just that the movie wouldn’t be very interesting if the characters didn’t download into cyberspace to pursue their quest. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you what their quest it. I can’t spoil it for you because I still don’t know what their quest is or why they have to enter the matrix to pursue it. I mean, yes, I know the machines are after the humans, trying to destroy their last stronghold, where they have a cute little scene in which they talk about how dependant they are on the machines that run the place. But wait, don’t the machines that are out to get them need the humans to keep them running? Which came first, the machine or the humans or the matrix or the architect of the mainframe?
I think if I saw it again I might be able to better understand some of the dialogue where they were trying to sound technical and philosophical. I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that maybe they were just talking fast so we wouldn’t notice that they had nothing coherent to say. Or maybe they were trying to take our mind off the fact that there was an awful lot of intense fighting for no recognizable purpose. Can somebody please tell me what the point of all those mind games is in the first place?
Dad • Reviews • 05/27/03 • 2 comments
Comments
Dan • 05/28/03 • 1:32 AM:ugh. the matrix. cool movies, i guess. good effects. good action. cool ideas. but i don’t think anyone really understands the movies.
on the subject of determinism in the 2nd movie: they stress that all of neo’s (keanu reeve’s, ted theodore logan’s) decisions have been made. but even so, he must understand why he makes the choices he does. what? well then, if he’s going to understand them, then he’s just going to “understand them” and then proceed to act. what’s the point of understanding your decisions? if someone told me that everything i did was predetermined (and i believed him/shim), then i guess i’d probably just make a bunch of decisions and not think about them. after all, whatever i do is what is going to happen, whether or not i understand why. and what if you reluctantly jump off a skyscraper? that’s suicide, but is it? after all, if you do it, you know it was going to happen. it’s not like you wanted to (of if you thought you wanted to, then you were supposed to). so something else made you jump. i’m not even making sense. neither is the matrix.
foresightedly, i think the matrix 3 will refute determinism. in the matrix 1, neo denies belief in it by saying that he doesn’t like the idea that he’s not in control of his life. for some reason, a neil peart lyric is ringing in my ear. some of these people were born in lotus land.
Patrick • 05/28/03 • 11:11 PM:I just saw the first Matrix movie last night (first time I ever saw it). I had high hopes, but in the end was disappointed by many of the same things that disappointed Dad. The ideas behind the movie were kind of interesting, but the dialogue and action were amateurish. It seemed like a bad 80s movie, like Mad Max or something, combined with Star Wars dialogue. And so much of it was explanatory. I guess Neo had to have things explained to him, but they could have done it without the constant winking at the movie audience.
In some ways, it’s a movie version of Descartes’ thought experiment of the evil genius deceiving us into believing we are living, experiencing, etc. But it could have been done much cooler. And without Keanu Reeves. He’s like the adult version of the kid who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars episode I.
I guess I’ll still see the Matrix II, and I’ll try to salvage from philosophy from it.
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