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Matrix was documentary

ZenRaiden

One atom of me
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Interesting take on history of media and social structure through the symbolism of Matrix.
 

EndogenousRebel

Even a mean person is trying their best, right?
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Netscape mentioned. Holy shit Netscape autocorrects to capital N lol
 

melin376

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The Matrix has so many layers when you think about it. It's wild how it connects media, control, and society in such a smart way.
 

fractalwalrus

What can we know?
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The Matrix has so many layers when you think about it. It's wild how it connects media, control, and society in such a smart way.
Absolutely. I knew someone who was so enthralled with it that they became Neo, in their own mind anyways. They were a little whacky, but that was fun. Definitely more fun than the morass of the masses that are too cowardly to do something different.
 

kuoka

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Matrix is a cultural commentary and an appeal to individual free will. I don't think the actual universe or action in the movie is that important, it's more visual candy.

If one imagines life as a constant grind for money, family and other basic elements, this is essentially what is portrayed as the system, or the matrix. It is predictable, deterministic even. A person's entire future can be predicted, planned, calculated like an equation. And the rebels in the matrix rage against being deterministic.

Neo as a character is not an average guy. He is a highly developed soul, but presented in a relatable way. He is not representing the masses, because it takes a certain level of personal growth to arrive at the stage where the system becomes noticable. Most people never reach that stage and are instead unconsciously integrated into the society, rather than breaking away from it.

The main character, who notices that they are a cog in the machine, starts asking questions, making their own choices and they realize how it involves going against the whole system or needing to escape it. Over the course of the story he joins a rebellion, realizes that all out conflict against the man made world and reality leads to the destruction of the whole world, or their death, and finally learns how to balance his individual needs with common good.

It's a lot like positive disintegration or mental maturity post physical maturity, realizing one's own individuality. The authors, considering who they are and what influenced them must have been going through a process of positive disintegration and becoming aware of that before they wrote it down as the movie.


It's kind of a revolutionary movie in the sense that Neo is the template of a revolutionary character who everyone can feel inspired to follow, but not everyone can follow. Because the revolutionary idea is questioning reality, society and the whole materialistic world and most people are not equipped to attempt that.
 

scorpiomover

The little professor
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Matrix was a culture clash.

Blade Runner was in 1982. By then, Japanese corporations like Sony were so successful, produced such great and reliable products like Walkmans, and looked after their employees so well, even in factories in other countries like the UK and the USA, that it seemed as if the future would be one where everyone would be working for a Japanese corporation.

Neuromancer was in 1984. That was the classical Western rebellion against the system, which is how Western culture is believed to have evolved, through a series of protests and rebellions.

Thus, Western films like the Divergent series, tend to destroy lots of existing institutions and buildings, in the hope of rebuilding something better.

However, it was set in the world of Ono-Sendai, the Japanese corporate internet.

Japanese films and TV also tend to have themes of rebellion. But these tend to be loyal citizens fighting against corruption within the system. The characters tend to protect valued objects while fighting. They often portray Shinto spirits and Shinto morals, such as living within nature.

So you have “Rage against the Machine” versus “fight against internal corruption”, tear down the system versus protect the system.
 
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