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The Matrix 2
Well, I've had a night to digest The Matrix 2. You'd never know it from the following, but I really did enjoy this movie. Fantastic eye candy, great score and pretty people. What's not to love? If you haven't seen it, go see it!
But, the movie brought out the critic in me. Betcha didn't know I could be this picky. Well, okay. You knew.
This is long. I just couldn't stop writing. This was more of me wanting to get my thoughts down about some of the points that bugged me. Proceed at your own risk. Seriously.
Let's just start towards the beginning. Oh boy. The bash-you-over-the-head symbolism. First, the grateful kid that we never saw again. Okay, I would have been fine with him underscoring the messianic theme (actually, at first I thought it was a really nice touch). Unfortunately, they didn't stop there. Next we get the hoard of people offering gifts and wanting Neo to bless them (or something). And then the gathering a place they called the "temple" (or church or whatever - forgot what they exactly called it.) Not enough? Okay then. Let's cut to a shot of a table filled with religious trinkets (mainly of Jesus but throwing a few other religions in there as well.) GET IT?!!! *whimper* Yes! For the love of Neo, we get it!
The cutting between the Neo/Trinity sex scene and the dancers felt off to me. Visually I can see why...no, I really can't. Don't know why they did it. The love scene was *beautifully* shot and I would rather have just seen Neo's dream intercut with it. Made it all about them and Neo's lovely angst. The dancing scene was frenzied and gratuitous. The sex scene was *not* frenzied and *not* gratuitous. It was however passionate, intimate and a fantastic moment between these two - resolving the scene with desperation. Why were the dancers in there again?
Speaking of which - I thought all the "plugs" were taken out of Neo (except the head one) in the first movie. Did everyone still have these plugs in the first movie? I thought everyone just had the head ones.
The pacing of this movie - oy. Towards the middle-end I felt like yelling, "quit yapping!" The middle of the film was completely dominated by long, heady dialogues/speeches. I think it's the first time in a movie where I was *begging* for another fight scene. But I'll give them that this movie was in essence, act two of the arc. Act two is what furthers the plot. Act two is where things can start to go horribly wrong. It can have an anti-climax (which is what this did). Act two is basically a bitch if you're trying to get it to stand alone.
I gotta mention it - Neo reviving Trinity. Okay, most of that scene was *great*. I totally buy that he would reach in to start her heart - *anything* to get her back and he had that power. Very cool. It's just that...uh, the second she opens her eyes, she jumps up and kisses him. I don't think it got the reaction in the audience I was with that the makers were looking for. *wince* People in the theater laughed. (Actually, I let out a short bark myself - I couldn't help it - it was involuntary.) Who knows, maybe we're all just a bunch of cynical bastards down here, but I thought that part was cheesy. Not that they wouldn't kiss, it's just the way it was shot. I think the timing of it made it more comedic than dramatic.
Fate vs. free will. Did you catch this as a theme? Too subtle? ;) Got this from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nandamai's blog. No, she didn't write it. It came from The Matrix Essays Blog
It was this confusing logic dialogue between the two that began to make me to think that Zion is/was still part of the matrix. Then all of a sudden Neo can control sentinels in the "real world." Hmm. Very suspicious. Of course, the makers of the movies can really take this in whatever direction they want. Possible alternatives:
Whee! I love that this movie made me put on my thinking cap!
But, the movie brought out the critic in me. Betcha didn't know I could be this picky. Well, okay. You knew.
This is long. I just couldn't stop writing. This was more of me wanting to get my thoughts down about some of the points that bugged me. Proceed at your own risk. Seriously.
Let's just start towards the beginning. Oh boy. The bash-you-over-the-head symbolism. First, the grateful kid that we never saw again. Okay, I would have been fine with him underscoring the messianic theme (actually, at first I thought it was a really nice touch). Unfortunately, they didn't stop there. Next we get the hoard of people offering gifts and wanting Neo to bless them (or something). And then the gathering a place they called the "temple" (or church or whatever - forgot what they exactly called it.) Not enough? Okay then. Let's cut to a shot of a table filled with religious trinkets (mainly of Jesus but throwing a few other religions in there as well.) GET IT?!!! *whimper* Yes! For the love of Neo, we get it!
The cutting between the Neo/Trinity sex scene and the dancers felt off to me. Visually I can see why...no, I really can't. Don't know why they did it. The love scene was *beautifully* shot and I would rather have just seen Neo's dream intercut with it. Made it all about them and Neo's lovely angst. The dancing scene was frenzied and gratuitous. The sex scene was *not* frenzied and *not* gratuitous. It was however passionate, intimate and a fantastic moment between these two - resolving the scene with desperation. Why were the dancers in there again?
Speaking of which - I thought all the "plugs" were taken out of Neo (except the head one) in the first movie. Did everyone still have these plugs in the first movie? I thought everyone just had the head ones.
The pacing of this movie - oy. Towards the middle-end I felt like yelling, "quit yapping!" The middle of the film was completely dominated by long, heady dialogues/speeches. I think it's the first time in a movie where I was *begging* for another fight scene. But I'll give them that this movie was in essence, act two of the arc. Act two is what furthers the plot. Act two is where things can start to go horribly wrong. It can have an anti-climax (which is what this did). Act two is basically a bitch if you're trying to get it to stand alone.
I gotta mention it - Neo reviving Trinity. Okay, most of that scene was *great*. I totally buy that he would reach in to start her heart - *anything* to get her back and he had that power. Very cool. It's just that...uh, the second she opens her eyes, she jumps up and kisses him. I don't think it got the reaction in the audience I was with that the makers were looking for. *wince* People in the theater laughed. (Actually, I let out a short bark myself - I couldn't help it - it was involuntary.) Who knows, maybe we're all just a bunch of cynical bastards down here, but I thought that part was cheesy. Not that they wouldn't kiss, it's just the way it was shot. I think the timing of it made it more comedic than dramatic.
Fate vs. free will. Did you catch this as a theme? Too subtle? ;) Got this from
nandamai's blog. No, she didn't write it. It came from The Matrix Essays Blog- "Choice is the problem... If you consider destiny and free will not as a "versus", but as opposite polarities, or two sides of the same coin, then they are both present and ever working with one another. For example, if darkness did not exist, then light would have no definition either. The Matrix argues that there is no free will, that all things are supposed to be the way they are...through causality or destiny or whatever. But Neo reveals the power of choice to alter the destiny the Matrix has planned for him, even though that planned destiny has led him - through causality - the whole way. Free will exists because destiny does, and vice versa."
It was this confusing logic dialogue between the two that began to make me to think that Zion is/was still part of the matrix. Then all of a sudden Neo can control sentinels in the "real world." Hmm. Very suspicious. Of course, the makers of the movies can really take this in whatever direction they want. Possible alternatives:
- Everyone is still in the matrix. Always have been. The Architect realized certain people would never accept the "1999 matrix" and so created a "real world" where they wouldn't question it because they thought they were free. Somewhere, Neo/Trinity/etc. are still batteries.
- Ditto on the point above, except they aren't human batteries somewhere. They're all programs running around. They just don't understand that they're programs.
- Zion was real. Neo/Trinity/etc. are real and are now running around. As above, The Architect realized certain people wouldn't accept the "1999 matrix" and so really let them go. The problem is that The Architect seems to have control over Zion - they've destroyed and rebuilt it 6 times. Why risk really letting them go when it could be a safe fabrication within the matrix? [ETA - and how could Neo control the sentinels?]
Whee! I love that this movie made me put on my thinking cap!
Re: I have a hang-up about fate
Oh yeah. I'm not really in the fate camp. I just like to argue philosophy. *g*
It could be that they're trying to meld the Star Wars eastern mysticism with Christianity and just getting themselves confused in the process.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
Morpheus is of the eastern belief system where fate is paramount, and Neo is of the system of choice, that typically associated with Christianity.
Yep. And it could be that the creators were trying to have an on-screen philosophical argument, but that part was so mucky and dense that I'm not willing to give them that much credit. Yet. Drat. I may need to see it again too. Couple of other movies I want to see first though. Like A Mighty Wind.
No, it's not fate in the true sense of the word - but to the poeple living within The Matrix it *was* true fate - they had no control over events, and seemingly no choice in what happened. Everything was structured to get to a conclusion, and only Neo got the choice.
I get hung up on words. Yep - Neo got the choice in the end. I suppose you could pull in the messianic theme again here. Except Neo didn't save the world. Well, he still might. But he took the selfish choice.
No. Simply provoking intellectual conversation!
Good! I agree! :)
If choice becomes meaningless, then it is no longer choice, and hence contradicts itself. So the two belief systems are still seemingly unable to coexist.
Lousy paradoxes. *g* Yeah. Choice would be in name only.
Yup. Leaves us all guessing about what might happen next, and ensures good ticket sales for the last movie! ;)
Oh yeah.
Now, that was a cool movie - the original one I mean. And yes, I think I even saw that on a big screen. Am I dating myself here??
Well, I don't remember if I saw it in the theater or not. I might have. So I'm dating myself as well. :)