Posted on 11/14/2003 9:33:16 AM PST by Grig
Spoilers for Reloaded ahead, you have been warned.
I had a flash of understanding on the Matrix movies last night and though I'de share. Mind you, I have not seen the 3rd movie yet, so if something in there blows this appart, or clearly confirms it, I don't know about it so cut me some slack, OK? (and I don't want to know about it until I see the movie)
The Matrix is NOT the virtual world, that is only a component of the Matrix. Zion, Neo, and the machines are other parts of the Matrix. What the Matrix is, in reality is a version of THE PRISONER'S MATRIX, something that I learned about in a psycology course.
Let's say you are a police officer, you've caught two guys that you think committed a theft, but you don't have solid proof. What you need is a confession, and how you get it is to use the prisoner's matrix.
First, you separate them, you offer one (or both) a deal that lets them off easy if they sell out the other one. Now if both of them clam up and refuse to cooperate, they both get off, but neither one can influence what the other does, and rather then leave it to their partner and risk an all or nothing outcome, they are likely to take the deal and confess. All the police have to do is to convince him that his partner will take the deal sooner or later.
The Prinsoner matrix looks something like this:
P1 Talks & P2 Talks Whoever talks first gets the deal
P1 clams up, P2 Talks P1 goes to jail
P1 talks, P2 clams up P2 goes to jail
P1 & P2 clam up P1 and P2 go free
In Reloaded, Neo is steered into isolating himself from everyone by going to see the Architect. Once isolated, he is shown a part of the Matrix he is in:
Neo returns to the Source & Zion Falls- Virtual world continues, Neo starts creation of a new Zion
Neo doesn't return to the source and Zion Falls- All humanity destroyed
Neo returns to the source and Zion Doesn't Fall- Virtual world continues, Zion no longer has 'The One' to help them
Neo retuns to Zion and Zion doesn't fall- Machines defeated, virtual world destroyed.
Now the Architect does everything he can to convince Neo that Zion will fall, just like a policeman will convince one prisoner that the other one will talk sooner or later. So it's hard to say just what would happen if Neo returns to the source and Zion doesn't fall (moot point anyway), but it would seem that at best it would ensure the continuation of the virtual world 'prison' humanity is in.
Neo however choses to risk the all or nothing outcome by refusing to return to the Source.
So, leaving the virtual world doens't get you out of the Matrix. Ironicly, Mr. Smith is the only one outside the Matrix.
Now I just need to figure out if Zion is actually 'the real world' or just another part of the virtual world.
Still a good movie, but it did not deliver what was promised in the first and second films.
Matrix one - "If everything you know, believed, thought to be true was a lie, would you want to know the truth?
Matrix two - "What is control?"
Matrix three - I don't know, I haven't seen it either.
Matrix Three: "Do you want butter on that?" is all it really asks.
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