“The Matrix” movie is an artistic commentary on our lives and if we open our eyes we can see the parallels for whether or not we will believe there to be more.
It had been years since I watched this movie and I was quite intrigued to have watched it again about six months ago with new eyes. I found myself enjoying it in a way as never before and I couldn’t resist writing down some notes on index cards without any foreknowledge of what I’d do with them or who I’d share them with. Once more I find myself jumping off a cliff of solid footing into the great unknown!
In the story a man is living in a seemingly normal world and yet his spirit is restless, knowing there has to be more than this life he is living. He begins to search out a mythical character online whose name he only knows as Morpheus. After having a dream wherein he is told to follow the rabbit, he is awakened to a knock at his door. Seeing a rabbit tattoo, he follows this group of people into the night and meets up with someone claiming they too have been looking for him, and confirming the hope there is certainly more to this life than what he can see with his natural eyes.
The rest of the movie was pointed in its context of choices, to either believe or not believe. Our man is eventually lured into a room with the mythical character Morpheus who offers him this choice in the form of “the blue pill or the red pill”. One would awaken him to reality and the other would leave him behind in the pseudo reality of materialism and fleshly desires.
Our man chooses to believe and this is where his life is turned upside down. Instead of being transported into a life of luxury he is shown a life of suffering for the greater good of helping those of Zion reclaim the world now lost to them. His mates are seemingly good people and Morpheus takes on the role of teacher, showing the man that his power is not in his flesh but inward, in what he believes to be real. Although the man wants to believe this, he has trouble overcoming his doubt, and many times throughout the remainder of the story this dual mindedness hinders his progress.
The crew aboard the ship “Nebuchadnezzar” continues to fight off other ships known as “searchers” whose only role seems to be to kill, steal and destroy. The man’s girlfriend on the ship is named Trinity and she helps him grow in confidence, standing beside him through every battle. She is both tough and tender in her role. As he visits the oracle or what we would think of as a prophet who guides him on the path of this journey, he really isn’t sure of his role until he realizes just what it is the Sentients have in mind for his teacher Morpheus.
The Sentients are intriguing characters who continually show up throughout the story, intent upon keeping anyone from realizing there to be a reality beyond the world they have control over. They have the power to be anyone and no one. Possession of one’s body is a common tool for their work.
A crew member Cypher has grown weary of battle and acts like Judas giving up the teacher Morpheus with an assurance he would have no more awareness of the promised life ever again. After capturing Morpheus, the Sentient named Smith has but one desire. In starting his conversation he speaks of a revelation; he longs to break free from this prison (pseudo-world) and it’s interesting that he mentions its smell. (Testimonies of those who have been given revelation of hell talk of a stench beyond comprehension.) Morpheus is ready to give up his life for the good of his crew but they finally accept the power within themselves and choose in turn to give up their own lives in order to save Morpheus.
The resulting battles waged are truly ones to give us eyes for seeing good versus evil and how each angel of light or darkness vie for our very souls. My question is will you choose “the blue pill or the red pill”?
Here are some more interesting insights to the characters and names used in the movie called “The Matrix”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_character_names