The Matrix: Movie series and beyond

Is this piece of writing real or is your brain deceiving you into seeing things which are not physically real? Could it be that we are all stuck up in confinements somewhere and everything that we observe or experience is already coded and runs as a mere simulation? It is impossible to escape such seemingly weird but perfectly logical questions after watching The Matrix. When the movie released in 1999, it was hailed as one of the best science fiction movies ever and its action sequences coupled with brilliant ‘bullet time’ video technology made everyone sit up and notice.

The ideas upon which the movie is based are revolutionary and indeed, completely abstract. But the beauty of such a ‘fabricated matrix’ theory lies in the fact that it is impossible to verify or reject it with certainty. It’s a theory which, however odd and strange it may sound, simply cannot be rejected on logical terms. The theory presented is thus: The machines are deriving their energy source from human bodies while they have kept our minds under the delusion of a false reality. It is improbable yes, but not impossible that everything that our brain comes up with may be another line of code to perpetuate the simulated matrix that we may be living in! That is what makes this movie so powerful, enduring and a classic! Movies such as these do not just entertain viewers but take them to a whole new dimension of meta-physical and existential questions. Of course, another such epic movie is Inception which, for the record, may be the most intellectually rewarding movie ever made!

The matrix series consists of 3 movies: The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. These 3 movies together may indeed make the biggest sci-fi cult in the movie industry. The world of Matrix is fraught with sentinels and bad programs and deadly efficient agents. It is not easy to understand the movie though. Abstractions, complexities and jargons abound making it tough for a first timer to understand the movie in all its entirety and ramifications. There is more to the Matrix movie series than meets the eye. There are subtle signs and hints of deep philosophy everywhere underneath all the cutting edge technology and action scenes.

The spiritual undercurrents flowing throughout the movie offer a sense of calm, tranquillity and purpose. The dialogues within the movie series often delve deep into the existential questions of mankind and man’s nature. For example when Neo [the saviour, the one who is destined to destroy the matrix] chooses to attempt the impossible in The Matrix Reloaded, the Architect [the creator of the matrix] says about his decision; “hope: it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.”

Another classic quote and this one by the principal antagonist, Agent smith, goes as follows: “I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had, during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you’re not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure.”

Well, this movie series has a fair lot to offer to the viewers. If you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, then please give your mind a feast, go watch the movie series! It’s a classic that deserves to be watched, discussed and thought about. It’s the kind of movie that changes the way you see the world for ever.

md urooj abdullah

Employing the worth of the words to change the world...

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