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The Matrix Reloaded

Started by Tay, October 21, 2004, 04:09:37 PM

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idolfree1

Peace be upon you Warda,

QuoteI think it was the first. Matrix. Where Neo is thought of to be the chosen one, but the Oracle tells him he ain't.

Yes, the first one. But realize this, as long as you THINK you are not the one, no one can tell you any different. The Oracle only told Neo exactly what he wanted to hear. You will have to watch the other two sequels to see this unfold.


QuoteIn the end Neo and Trinity fight against hundreds of the ??? (Who are they by the way?) They have to free Morpheus and Trinity and Neo fall in love...  

I think you are referring to the "smiths". They symbolise your "shayteen", your rejecting thoughts/emotions. They represent egoism, and seperation. Notice they keep trying to say the Neo is only "human" (as oppossed to being a divine being in a physical body). They keep calling him "mr anderson" while Morpheus and others call him "Neo" (O-N-E).

What is a "smith"? For example, a SHOE smith, an IRON smith, etc. These "smiths" work on you, they help you to realize who and what you are. We should look at adversity the same way, like a weighlifter looks at weights. Without the resistance, we don't grow.
It is interesting that WILL SMITH was the one they wanted to play this part, but he truned it down. I'll repeat the name WILL SMITH.  :D


QuoteDo you remember (since you watched the movie 20 times  ) what, I think it was Morpheus, said to him (Neo)? To believe in something is one thing but you have to do something, or to DO something is something else...

I'm not sure which part you are referring to.  I'm about to leave the house, but later tonight, I'll try to spark your interest more  :D

warda

Peace Idolfree

QuoteWe should look at adversity the same way, like a weighlifter looks at weights.
This is really very nicely said.

QuoteI'll try to spark your interest more

You can bet that's what you did! I'm curious to watch the other two movies also.

Salams
warda

beatnik

Quote from: "idolfree1"Notice they keep trying to say the Neo is only "human" (as oppossed to being a divine being in a physical body). They keep calling him "mr anderson" while Morpheus and others call him "Neo" (O-N-E).

SPOILERS FOR THE TRLOGY:
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Ah, but remember much of what Morpheus does and says in the first film is wrong (perfect example when he tells Neo about the 'first one that freed' them).  This is highlighted at the end of Reloaded when he realises everything he believed in was a lie ("the one wasnt meant to end anything, it was all another system of control"), and then in Revolutions Niobe decides to help Neo, and Morpheus says "I thought you didnt believe in the one?" and Niobe replies "I still dont.  I believe in him".  Meaning, she believes in him as a person, a human being, not a prophecized infallible One.  She doesnt believe in the religion Morpheus was a follower of, she was doing the socratic skeptic thing and it paid off for her, wheras Morpheus got swept away and became a blinded zealot.  It is in this way the films are anti-religious, I'd say.  (not necessarily anti-spiritual, which is very different than being religious imo)

This is not to take away from Neo's character, but he is just a human being with a gigantic antenna stuck in the back of his brain, essentially.  The philosopher's commentary to the trilogy is pretty good when it comes to describing the qualities of messiahs and such, and how Neo's character defies them all in that he keeps doubting the prophecy and the ideology of The One and believing he ISNT everyones saviour, he keeps rejecting what people say he is.  How can he be a saviour if he doesnt believe it! lol.

Anyway, back to the first post, thats a good observation.  The Wachowskis created a great movie universe with all these little quirks and rules and laws to make it tangible for the viewer, and so we come away with the idea that, "hey, ghosts are just programs/Jinn/other cultural-religious thing!" etc, etc.

As for the line Warda was thinking of, I think it might be "I can only show you the door Neo, you're the one that has to walk through it".
[Peace]
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zenje

Salaam Warda,

Morpheus: She told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all. Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
If they turn away, then Say: "God is enough for me, there is no god but He, in Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the great throne." [9:129]

idolfree1

Peace be upon you Beatnik,

QuoteAh, but remember much of what Morpheus does and says in the first film is wrong (perfect example when he tells Neo about the 'first one that freed' them).

What did Morpheus say that was wrong? He was only telling thier history. Morpheus was right on point the whole movie  :D  In the first Matrix, he was the focus, because he represents the WILL. The WILL is what allows us to transcend the animalistic side of our selves. This is why they wanted Neo(the thinking part-Neo Cortex) to give him up, because without a WILL, others make you slaves.

QuoteThis is highlighted at the end of Reloaded when he realises everything he believed in was a lie ("the one wasnt meant to end anything, it was all another system of control"),


Nooo!  :D  It was only Neo (thinking) that chose the wrong path, so he LIED to Morpheus. Morpheus did not error, NEO did.  :D

Quoteand then in Revolutions Niobe decides to help Neo, and Morpheus says "I thought you didnt believe in the one?" and Niobe replies "I still dont. I believe in him".

Yes, she believes in the NEW THOUGHT (ISa, son of Maryum) that was forming, which was enough to get her to act.

QuoteMeaning, she believes in him as a person, a human being, not a prophecized infallible One. She doesnt believe in the religion Morpheus was a follower of, she was doing the socratic skeptic thing and it paid off for her, wheras Morpheus got swept away and became a blinded zealot. It is in this way the films are anti-religious, I'd say. (not necessarily anti-spiritual, which is very different than being religious imo)


No, this movie is about spirituality, not religion. DO you remember that Morphues said that he does not require others to believe as he believes in the second matrix. Morpheus was right on point!


QuoteThis is not to take away from Neo's character, but he is just a human being with a gigantic antenna stuck in the back of his brain, essentially
.


YOu are missing the picture, ALL Of these characters were part of the same BEING. Neo was the consciousness(thinking part) , Morpheus was the WILL, Trinty was the subconscious that was still fixed to tradition(christianity), Link was the part of him that was to put it all together, etc.

QuoteThe philosopher's commentary to the trilogy is pretty good when it comes to describing the qualities of messiahs and such, and how Neo's character defies them all in that he keeps doubting the prophecy and the ideology of The One and believing he ISNT everyones saviour, he keeps rejecting what people say he is. How can he be a saviour if he doesnt believe it! lol.

Its like the people here when they read
(2:225) YOU ARE THE MESSENGER!

They don't want to THINK that is correct, they always look outside of thier own selves for the God when the God said that He is omnipresent and closer than your jugular vein.


QuoteAnyway, back to the first post, thats a good observation. The Wachowskis created a great movie universe with all these little quirks and rules and laws to make it tangible for the viewer, and so we come away with the idea that, "hey, ghosts are just programs/Jinn/other cultural-religious thing!" etc, etc.

I agree that whoever wrote this did a great job, I am not sure what you meant after that.

QuoteAs for the line Warda was thinking of, I think it might be "I can only show you the door Neo, you're the one that has to walk through it".

Thats all anyone can do  :D

warda

Salam Zenje

Quote from: "zenje"Salaam Warda,

Morpheus: She told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all. Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

Ahh,  here we go. That's the sentence, thanks! How true. Hearing that, I thought of brother Kyle  :) .

beatnik

Quote from: "idolfree1"What did Morpheus say that was wrong? He was only telling thier history. Morpheus was right on point the whole movie  :D  In the first Matrix, he was the focus, because he represents the WILL. The WILL is what allows us to transcend the animalistic side of our selves. This is why they wanted Neo(the thinking part-Neo Cortex) to give him up, because without a WILL, others make you slaves.

Peace idolfree,

Morpheus didnt use his God given brain to figure out the Oracle was a program using him to sustain the matrix.  To understand Morpheus's journey, you have to understand that in the first film he is blind, a zealot, and manipulated by the Oracle to a big extent.  In his speech to Neo, the 'first one' that 'freed them' was merely the 5th in a row of pawns, a plan the Oracle thought up to stop the matrix from failing all the time.  So you see, their 'history' the way Morpheus explains it, is wrong, things arent black and white, you see this in Animatrix too.  Morpheus represents alot of things in the trilogy, but its important to note that he is the brazen recruiter, the terrorist, willing to overthrow the system, blindly following a woman he knows nothing about who is actually a program!  In Reloaded he gets a harsh lesson, and in Revolutions, for the first time in the whole trilogy he says the word 'hope' as opposed to 'believe', hope, 'the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness'.  For the first time he believes in Neo instead of The One, just like Niobe, he also gains the socratic skeptic attitude, he doesnt know what Neo can do against the machines, but he know's Neo's character, and he knows Neo will not give up.

He has some great dialogue in the first film, most of it true and interesting, but he is fundamentally just a pawn, and completely in the dark, not enlightened enough, not to the extent Neo reaches in the end.  Some say he is the John the Baptist figure, but I tend to avoid the Christian symbolism, not my thing.

QuoteNooo!  :D  It was only Neo (thinking) that chose the wrong path, so he LIED to Morpheus. Morpheus did not error, NEO did.  :D

Conventionally, Neo chose the wrong door, he essentially chose the life of one woman over all of humanity!  But his love overtook all other senses, love, something the previous ones had not experienced.  Morpheus is in error for most of these movies, truly, he is a slave to dogma, you know, kinda like the hadithists...

QuoteYes, she believes in the NEW THOUGHT (ISa, son of Maryum) that was forming, which was enough to get her to act.

Ok, I dont know what that means, lol.  I'm just saying she doesnt get ensnared by dogma and only believes in Neo as a human being with talent, rather than another system of control, a religious heirarchy or anything like that.  Remember idolfree, this movie is from the cyberpunk genre, its about hackers, there's alot of drug symbolism, and anarchist attitude in these films, and also a gnostic vibe, with the Oracle and Architect, playing a 'game' with humanity.  Everyone is going to have their own take on it, its amazing that religious and non-religious both like this movie and take something from it.

QuoteNo, this movie is about spirituality, not religion. DO you remember that Morphues said that he does not require others to believe as he believes in the second matrix. Morpheus was right on point!

Morpheus explains to Neo that the matrix is everywhere, you can see it when you go to church, when you turn on your TV, when you pay your taxes.  The matrix is CONTROL, religion controls people, the media controls people, the government controls people, it takes choice away from them, it ensares their minds and makes them unthinking sheep.  This movie is about escaping the matrix, all forms of oppressive control, and we both know religion is like that.  In Reloaded, Morpheus continues to defend his own belief, admirably, its a nice quote, but we both know he's wrong to believe in the prophecy, because the prophecy is false.  Sure it ended up correct in an indirect way, but only because the Oracle changed her plan this one time, to make change.  

The point of Morpheus is that in Matrix 1 he is deluded, in Reloaded he 'wakes up' and in Revolutions he matures and grows into someone who has a clear objective mind.  If his character stayed the same throughout all three films, it would be very bad writing, films have to show a character arc.

QuoteYOu are missing the picture, ALL Of these characters were part of the same BEING. Neo was the consciousness(thinking part) , Morpheus was the WILL, Trinty was the subconscious that was still fixed to tradition(christianity), Link was the part of him that was to put it all together, etc.

And they were also....JUST PEOPLE. lol.  I understand your angle, metaphorically you are correct, Ken Wilber keeps hammering on about the matrix being mind, zion being body and machine world being spirit, and thats all valid, but scientifically speaking, these are hyperhumans.  They have antennas in their head, its already happening today, I cant find the link but a scientist could control the doors in his house with a chip in his brain, so this isnt unfeasible stuff, Neo can interact with the machine world, because he is connected with the source.  They are just human beings, they die when their hearts stop beating, that is the whole point of this trilogy, the interaction between human beings and their creation of the machines, and how we define these terms.  Neo is always throughout these three films 'only human', and that is what makes him special.

Trinity can be the 'holy trinity', she can also simply be the link between Neo and Morpheus.

QuoteI agree that whoever wrote this did a great job, I am not sure what you meant after that.

Well, rather than create two sequels that just gave us the same as the first film, they expanded on the first film and created a movie universe in the same way Lucas has done with Star Wars.  But the great twist with this series is that it can actually seem real to people, the Wachowskis took alot of myths and legends, and made them somehow valid in this post modern society, where the real is slowly disappearing.  Small quirks like explaining deja vu, ghosts, things like that and incorporating them into the matrix, which can be defined as alot of things, but most commonly 'control', well its all pretty amazing and creative.  At the end of the day, alot of people feel satisfaction now in saying they live in a matrix.

Who is right, who is wrong?  Who knows?  The Wachowskis have their reasons for the religious and philosophical elements they incorporated into the films, they're surely not muslims or christians, or jews, not practising anyway.  They do seem to have a gnostic vibe to them, though I suspect they're only mildly interested and not heavily practising that either.  Maybe they take something from every belief they come across and take a truth from each one.

The Matrix trilogy, to me however, will always be a cyberpunk thriller with a heavy buddhist tone, tinged with various other philosophical, political and religious overtones.  Neo is just Neo, Morpheus is just Morpheus, Trinity is just Trinity.  I recognize them as characters spawned from Andy and Larry's minds, not direct allergies to religious figures, because that just leads to blindness and dogma again.  Sometimes people get so swept up they end up screaming on message boards "NEO IS JESUS, NEO SAVES US ALL!" and it just gives me a headache.  If people want to read about Jesus, read the Bible already!
[Peace]
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