Matrix: Is This World a Virtual Reality? (The plot and rich reviews of the movie Matrix)

reality versus illusion in a world dominated by artificial intelligence.

Introduction
Summary
Memorable Scene
Review
Conclusion

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Introduction

"Neo, have you ever had a dream that felt so real? If you couldn't wake up from that dream? In that case, how would you distinguish between the world in the dream and the real world?" - Morpheus -

  The movie "The Matrix" is a work that shocks audiences with its freshness and daring imagination when watched and understood. Now a legendary sci-fi film, "The Matrix" continues to receive all the praise that audiences and critics alike can offer on the platform of cinema. It's a perennial favorite on lists of great films, having been registered in the permanent collection of the U.S. Library of Congress and spawning several books exploring its philosophical interpretations.

  It's not easy to grasp all at once. It's a film that creates quite a complex stage and draws the audience into it. However, it's a film well worth the effort to understand its various mechanisms and settings. It's not at all regrettable to expend effort in understanding the philosophical meanings and interpretations hidden by the director.

 

Summary

  The protagonist, Thomas Anderson, appears to live an ordinary life as a corporate employee, but at night he operates as a hacker under the name Neo. One night, he receives a phone call in his room, and a man known as Morpheus informs Neo that the world he lives in is actually a constructed and controlled reality called the Matrix. Morpheus also designates Neo as "the One" who will save the world, offering him a choice between truth and falsehood, represented by a red pill and a blue pill.

  The Matrix is a world meticulously controlled by computer programs to easily deceive human brains. Within this fabricated world, humans mistakenly perceive the machine-created illusion as the real world, while in reality, humans are used as a power source by machines, kept sedated within capsules. However, some individuals within the Matrix begin to doubt the illusion created by the machines, leading to the formation of a human resistance, led by Morpheus, against the machines.

  Deciding to confront the truth, Neo awakens from the Matrix to a harsh reality. It's the year 2199, dominated by machines, devoid of delicious food or vibrant cities, where humans live in fear of machine attacks in a desolate environment. Despite this despairing reality, Neo must decide whether to face it head-on or succumb to the illusion created by the machines. Morpheus presents Neo with the difficult choice between the red pill, symbolizing awakening to reality, and the blue pill, representing remaining in blissful ignorance.

  Successfully extracting Neo from the Matrix, Morpheus and his colleagues take him to the Oracle, a figure within the Matrix world akin to a prophet, who has orchestrated events leading humans out of the Matrix. However, the Oracle informs Neo that he is not the savior expected by Morpheus and others. Despite this revelation, Neo becomes the one everyone believed in, saving Morpheus from peril orchestrated by Matrix agents and awakening to the power to control everything within the Matrix world.

  The film explains Neo's transformation into "the One" as a result of the power of belief. Despite Oracle's denial, Morpheus never doubted that Neo would become the savior. Even in dire situations, Morpheus's belief in Neo and his willingness to risk himself to save Morpheus became the driving force for Neo to awaken to his abilities. Additionally, Neo's resurrection after being shot by Agent Smith was due to Trinity's love and belief. Trinity, prophesied by the Oracle to find "the One" and love him, believed Neo was the one and loved him, ultimately reviving Neo, who then gained the ability to control everything within the Matrix world through the belief and love of Morpheus and Trinity.

In the end, the film suggests that overcoming crisis requires not the prophecy of one individual or the absolute power of one person, but the combined faith and love of many people, acting as the driving force to turn hope into reality.

 

Memorable Scene

  The movie "The Matrix" contains numerous iconic scenes. Even now, as I close my eyes and think back, dozens of scenes flash through my mind. However, if I were to pick the most memorable and impactful scene, it would undoubtedly be the one where Morpheus, in the white room, explains to Neo and offers him the choice between the blue pill and the red pill. Following that, Neo facing the gruesome reality of the 'real world' after confronting the truth was as shocking to me as it was to Neo, and that scene remains unforgettable to me even after 20 years.

  The film "The Matrix" encapsulates deep philosophical questions by presenting the choice between the fabricated world and the real world as a metaphor. Additionally, the names of the characters carry philosophical significance, with 'Neo' being an anagram for 'one,' interpreted as a messiah, and 'Trinity' being interpreted as a reference to the Christian Trinity, symbolizing religious faith and love. Ultimately, the meticulously crafted worldview of the Wachowski siblings' film resonates with various aspects of modern human life, conveying the desire of the directors for someone living as Thomas Anderson, unaware of who they truly are, to take the red pill, face the truth, and live as Neo.

 

Review

  It's been over 20 years since "The Matrix" was first released in 1999. As one of the groundbreaking films alongside "Terminator" and "Star Wars," it's safe to say that there's hardly anyone who hasn't seen "The Matrix." When I first watched this movie during my school days, I felt like it was something extraordinary. However, with its profound and philosophical content, my young mind couldn't fully grasp its depth. The scene where the protagonist Neo meets Morpheus, listens to his explanation, and chooses between the red pill and the blue pill was undoubtedly an important moment in the movie, but I couldn't quite understand its significance.

  Nevertheless, even without fully understanding it, simply enjoying it as an action movie was still great. What makes this movie remarkable is not only its story, world-building, and philosophical themes, but also the fact that it's incredibly entertaining even without a complex storyline. At the time, its innovative cinematography and unique action style also provided a visual spectacle.

  As time passed and I watched it a few more times, I began to gradually understand the content of the movie. In fact, I still can't claim to fully understand it even now, but I've come to grasp some of its meaning. One of the main messages of the movie is likely the idea that the current world we live in is a virtual reality. Most people consider the world they live in now as 'real' and go about their lives, but what Neo faces upon confronting the truth is the reality of countless humans in capsules being used as bioenergy sources. Living like in a dream in a virtual reality, preserved in capsules until they die, only to be utilized as electrical energy.

  We're currently in the era of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, with terms like metaverse being thrown around. Even mentioning those words already feels somewhat outdated. That's how virtual reality is no longer just a subject found in science fiction novels or movies.

 

  Through computer monitors, smartphones, and virtual reality headsets, we interact with others, shop for goods, watch movies, and embark on adventures in virtual spaces. Even before the invention of the internet decades ago, we've been living in and interacting with virtual spaces, albeit in more primitive and experimental forms. Now, with technology advancing, virtual reality that feels like the real world is on the horizon. Graphics in games have already reached a level where it's hard to distinguish them from reality, and with the right hardware and communication infrastructure, exploring such created worlds that are difficult to distinguish from reality will soon become possible. Within these virtual spaces, we can meet friends, experience lives that are difficult in reality, and embark on adventures to new places. In shopping malls, we can browse and buy items, watch movies, and even attend holographic baseball games where players compete right in front of us, providing a vivid sense of presence. In "The Matrix" movie, it's mentioned that eating food sends signals to the brain that it tastes good, and while we may not have that level of technology yet, in the near future, we may indeed live in virtual reality.

  If that happens, would we be able to distinguish what's real from what's not? It's like the question Morpheus posed to Neo at the beginning of this text. Or even if we know it's not real, would we still want to return to reality? We might find ourselves wanting to stay in the virtual reality, even if just for a while, before wanting to go back.

  There are two main characteristics of this movie that I find noteworthy. Firstly, it's highly philosophical. It's not easy for a science fiction/action movie to be philosophical, but in this film, Morpheus and Neo's conversation about whether the self inside the Matrix is the true self or the self outside poses many philosophical questions. One of the most prominent ones is, 'What is truly real?' Is everything we perceive and feel actually real, or just believed to be? This question has been asked countless times throughout human history and has been fiercely debated in Western philosophy, yet no conclusive answer has been reached. The Wachowski siblings, the directors, are posing these questions to us. What is truly real?

  Another philosophical question raised is whether humans are merely beings that accept sensations as electrical signals, as argued by materialists. With modern advancements in science, it has been discovered that human senses are converted into electrical signals transmitted to the brain, and humans perceive sensations through these electrical signals. Upon this revelation, many people have adopted the materialist view that humans have no soul and are only made up of our physical bodies and this world composed of electrical signals. If humans are merely mechanical beings, what is the hope for humanity, and what is the meaning of existence?

  The movie also mentions the existence of a Messiah. Most modern humans believe they are in a state of freedom. However, the question is raised about whether humans are truly free, and if not, who is the Messiah to deliver them? Many people are becoming slaves to corporations, rules, taxes, ethics, laws, etc., so are humans truly free?

The second characteristic of "The Matrix" is its strong religious undertones. There are many Christian references throughout the movie. The last refuge of humanity is referred to as Zion, a term used in the Bible as a prophetic expression of hope. Those who adhere to this belief, mostly Jews, can be called Zionists. However, while the movie carries Christian undertones, it also strongly exhibits Platonism. It subtly combines Christian doctrine and Platonic dualism regarding the state of humans. While expressed as Zion, the concept of leaving reality for somewhere else and completely negating reality is profoundly Platonic. In other words, while Christian colors emerge, it's mixing in Platonism so skillfully that it could even be seen as a threat to Christianity.

 

Conclusion

  The movie's concept was fascinating, and its execution was solid with a palpable sense of tension throughout. However, lingering questions remain about the insufficient explanation for why the machine civilization that could have dominated humans found it necessary to sustain them, and whether it was necessary to gather all humans into a single Matrix. Once you start asking these questions, it becomes difficult to reach a definitive conclusion, as it leads to more questions.

  Instead of these questions, I'm more interested in asking what the fundamental message is behind overcoming the challenges of the electronic civilization, exemplified by Neo's actions. It feels like I would need to watch the movie at least ten more times to grasp more clearly what the director is trying to convey. There may be scenes I missed that could answer my current questions.

  As mentioned earlier, Neo fulfills several important criteria of what a hero should be. However, if we were to choose elements fitting for the electronic civilization era, perhaps the only outstanding one would be an excellent hacker. While it seems to digest the classical theme of regaining control lost to machines and reclaiming lost subjectivity through self-regression, questions still linger about Neo's problem-solving capabilities. How can we ensure that the leadership of our civilization is not usurped, and even if it is, can we regain it? Moreover, while Neo's solution leads to the destruction of the computers creating this order, what should the world look like afterward? These questions continue to linger.