What do you get when an early religion is combined with an innovative sci-fi movie? The answer would be: The Matrix. It does not seem like Andy and Larry Wachowski really tried to camouflage Gnosticism in the movie; on the contrary, I feel like they wanted to leave it pretty explicit for the public to see. All it takes to read between The Matrix’s lines is a basic comprehension of what Gnosticism is.
From my research I found that Gnosticists believe human beings are made of matter and spirit. They are trapped in the material world due to ignorance of the existence of a divine realm called Pleroma. The Pleroma is inhabited by Aeons, which are spiritual creatures, while the material world is the creation of the Demiurge, a creature that is the result of a sin commited by a fallen Aeon. The material world is guarded by Archons who work for the Demiurge; their job is to hide the truth, therefore denying each person a place in the Pleroma. The Saviour, Jesus, is actually an Aeon who looks like a person; he saves by enlightening beings.In the Wachowski version of Gnosticism the real world could be considered as the Pleroma. A place only for those who acknowledged the truth, that the matrix is actually only a computer program. If the real world is the Pleroma, the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar and the population of Zion could be considered as Aeons. They are enlighted creatures who have accepted reality or truth.
We’re left with the matrix, the fake and faulty reality that could be interpreted as the material world. The program was created by machines and are guarded by different agents. They could be interpreted as Archons, working for AI or the Demiurge. The job of the Agents is to keep the idea of the real world concealed.
Neo could only be Jesus, the Saviour. In Gnosticism, Jesus is sent by the Aeons to save individuals by enlightening them. One can only be saved with knowledge, there’s no punishment, there’s no pain. Once one is aware of the Pleroma and the sin of matter, his or her spirit will be able to transcend. Neo like Jesus, does not try to save every person, he is only a messenger of the truth.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Matrix and the cave
Is Neo trying to escape Plato’s cave? It appears to be the case. The more I dismantle The Matrix, the more fascinating I find it to be. It isn’t enough to see it once; it takes a few times in front of the screen to finally digest everything the movie throws at you. At first, viewers might be overwhelmed with so many special effects and a some what complex plot. You have to choose: either pay attention to the visual effects or try to understand the story and catch some of its analogies. Once one gets passed the visual part and starts to explore the actual story, that’s when the real fun starts.
After researching Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, it was impossible to ignore the similarity between the two. The first sequences of the movie take place within the matrix. Keanu Reeves’ character Neo, whom by this time is still Thomas Anderson, is totally oblivious to the fact he is living a false reality. Just like the prisoners inside the cave he’s chained and unable to look anywhere but to the wall in front of him. His daily routine, from the simple act of sleeping to going to work, was a sham. But just as the prisoners believed the shadows on the wall were true, Mr. Anderson had no problem in believing in it either.
When choosing the Red Pill, Neo commences the process of his liberation from the matrix/cave. After the red pill sequence, we see Neo in a cocoon getting unplugged. This could be interpreted as Neo being unchained and finally ready to flee the cave and look at the sun. The real world in The Matrix could be interpreted as the Sun in the allegory. When opening his eyes for the first time Neo asks Laurence Fishburne’s character Morpheus why his eyes hurt, and he replies it due to the fact he has never used them before, the same pain is experienced by the prisoner when first looking at the sun.
The Sun is the truth, and when both Neo and the prisoner acknowledge the fact they were living a lie, the normal reaction is: be incredulous. How can something as surreal as the sun beat the shadows on the wall? Since birth shadows are the only truth they know, it’s preposterous to be told any different. And just like the prisoner, Neo gets accustomed to the idea little by little, until the sun becomes their reality.
Here's a link to a video inspired by the Allegory of the Cave, enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcS05TdeuYQ&feature=related
After researching Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, it was impossible to ignore the similarity between the two. The first sequences of the movie take place within the matrix. Keanu Reeves’ character Neo, whom by this time is still Thomas Anderson, is totally oblivious to the fact he is living a false reality. Just like the prisoners inside the cave he’s chained and unable to look anywhere but to the wall in front of him. His daily routine, from the simple act of sleeping to going to work, was a sham. But just as the prisoners believed the shadows on the wall were true, Mr. Anderson had no problem in believing in it either.
When choosing the Red Pill, Neo commences the process of his liberation from the matrix/cave. After the red pill sequence, we see Neo in a cocoon getting unplugged. This could be interpreted as Neo being unchained and finally ready to flee the cave and look at the sun. The real world in The Matrix could be interpreted as the Sun in the allegory. When opening his eyes for the first time Neo asks Laurence Fishburne’s character Morpheus why his eyes hurt, and he replies it due to the fact he has never used them before, the same pain is experienced by the prisoner when first looking at the sun.
The Sun is the truth, and when both Neo and the prisoner acknowledge the fact they were living a lie, the normal reaction is: be incredulous. How can something as surreal as the sun beat the shadows on the wall? Since birth shadows are the only truth they know, it’s preposterous to be told any different. And just like the prisoner, Neo gets accustomed to the idea little by little, until the sun becomes their reality.
Here's a link to a video inspired by the Allegory of the Cave, enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcS05TdeuYQ&feature=related
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Enter the Matrix
Probably the one thing most will agree when referring to Larry and Andy Wachowski's Matrix is that it is a pretty different film from almost anything released before 1999. This blockbuster has a little something for just about every movie watcher out there.
I must admit I am something of a Matrix fan. When the movie first came out it was so innovative and fun to watch, I must have seen it a dozen times. It also caught me at a time when I was pretty into special effects and martial arts; this movie was a very sweet treat for geeks like me. Even today my favorite scenes are the ones containing a heavy dose of visual effects. Scenes like: when the audience first meets Trinity, the Neo and Morpheus fight, the whole sequence of Morpheus being rescued by Neo and Trinity and last but not least, everyone's favorite, the "bullet time effect" scene. These effects, in my opinion, contributed to much of the film's success. The story is also pretty interesting, AI taking over the world and ultimately controlling the human race, why not? If you let your imagination flow, it could be very possible in a few centuries or millenniums. The important thing to state about the plot is that it is not just a crazy, non-basis story. It is not very different from today's reality, you'll only need to substitute a few characters and cut down on the visual effects. Aren't we being told what to think, feel and consume?
For the most part it is definitely a film worth seeing. If you enjoy movie trivia check out this link http://imdb.com/title/tt0133093/trivia
Ex Animo,
Ana.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix
The Matrix on Wikipedia
I must admit I am something of a Matrix fan. When the movie first came out it was so innovative and fun to watch, I must have seen it a dozen times. It also caught me at a time when I was pretty into special effects and martial arts; this movie was a very sweet treat for geeks like me. Even today my favorite scenes are the ones containing a heavy dose of visual effects. Scenes like: when the audience first meets Trinity, the Neo and Morpheus fight, the whole sequence of Morpheus being rescued by Neo and Trinity and last but not least, everyone's favorite, the "bullet time effect" scene. These effects, in my opinion, contributed to much of the film's success. The story is also pretty interesting, AI taking over the world and ultimately controlling the human race, why not? If you let your imagination flow, it could be very possible in a few centuries or millenniums. The important thing to state about the plot is that it is not just a crazy, non-basis story. It is not very different from today's reality, you'll only need to substitute a few characters and cut down on the visual effects. Aren't we being told what to think, feel and consume?
For the most part it is definitely a film worth seeing. If you enjoy movie trivia check out this link http://imdb.com/title/tt0133093/trivia
Ex Animo,
Ana.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix
The Matrix on Wikipedia
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