The misunderstood Matrix sequels
How are you fellows? Perhaps you are among those who liked The Matrix, but did not like the two sequels? You are not alone. The first film leaves many unanswered questions, but it is presented in a very traditional way when it comes to storytelling. It is easy to follow, although the action is based on a complex and detailed back story. The two sequels makes extensive effort to answer all the questions and explain all the connections, but not in a direct and straightforward manner. The story is told in a fragmented way, and the movies are stuffed with ideas, information and hints. This is no unusual form of storytelling in modern movies, but in this case it is done with a story that is far more complex than most other films that have used the same method. Everything happens for a reason, we learn things at different times, and we have to connect the dots ourselves.
When attempting to understand these movies, people have come up with theories based on everything from philosophy to religion. My experience is that everything is rooted in logic and human psyche. I’ve been able to find answers and natural causes for most things that happen in the movies. I will go through all the details that are relevant for understanding the movies and also go through some alternative theories that have come up along the way. I will explain the circumstances of many of the things the films have been criticized for, so it is perhaps easier to understand the filmmaker’s choices. It’s almost impossible to understand all the details of these movies by seeing them only once. Many have chosen to conclude that the films are bad because of this confusion. I was also confused after seeing them the first time, but instead became more curious and wanted to understand them better.
Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix sequels are. You have to see them for yourself, over and over.
Techtive is about creativity, innovation and productivity in product development. But like all other work, you need a break from time to time. So why not write about technology within other topics too? Like movies!
Developer perception
The Matrix films tell a story about the dynamics between machines and humans. The cornerstone of the action is logic and programming for survival in a world ruled by artificial intelligence. I do not know the background of The Wachowski, but when I watch the movies, I recognize the mindset and logic through my background as a programmer. I feel I understand how those who wrote the movies think. Or they understand how I as a viewer think. Technologists may have a more systematic and logic-based mindset, and may therefore better understand and like these movies than others?
The unanimous success
The Matrix (1999). Despite the fact that this was widely predicted to be a light sci-fi shadow of The Phantom Menace that came the same year, the first Matrix movie has become a huge success! There are several reasons for this. The film is presented in a way that is easy to recognize based on traditional storytelling on the big screen. You get to know a character trying to find his place. He comes in contact with others who can help him and give him the answers he seeks. Of course, they have some strong counterparts who want to stop them. They are going through some challenging encounters, leading to a climax where the hero wins, happy ending. It’s all packed with spectacular effects that would be impressive if the movie was produced today, almost 20 years later. In addition, you will quickly notice if you see the movie several times that every detail is very well thought out. Not a single second wasted, and as soon as you’ve experienced and heard what you’re going to in a scene, it goes straight to the next, in a logical and orderly sequence.
In the first film, it is much clearer who are the strong and the weak. What roles the different characters have. Neo is the one who learns, Morpheus is the teacher, the agents are the “evil” ones, Trinity is the strong co-player, Cypher is the mole, etc. Of course it’s never this black and white in reality, but it works well in movies. The spectacular overall experience also means that you do not react as much to all the unanswered questions after the first movie. This is a machine-controlled world that contains an “oracle” that knows “everything”. There are clear religious references in the story, and as in all other films that have supernatural characters, the context is not explained. This despite the fact that the story has a completely clear, defined reason why the Oracle says what she does and why she knows what she knows. But this is answered in the two sequels, although it is not done in an equally simple and straightforward manner that some may have wanted. What is the source of “the prophecy” that Morpheus believes so strongly? How does the Oracle know what she knows? Why does Neo get more power than the others? How could Neo come back from the dead? Why can’t the agents just move around and change what they want in the world to stop Neo and the others? How could Neo kill Smith?
Here, Morpheus summarizes what The Matrix is. Nevertheless, the keyword “Control” is the most relevant to understanding why everything is happening that way and for what reason.
The sequels
After the big success, it was time to dig deeper into the matter. It was time for the sequel. Originally, there was going to be one sequel, but it eventually became two. Many might expect a continuation of the story in the same way as in many other trilogies. But instead of trying to repeat the success by copying the elements that worked well, The Wachowskis have been true to their ambition to tell the whole story behind The Matrix. They do this by giving us a cryptic maze of information packed into some spectacular scenes that include the best car chasing scene of all time, and some fighting scenes that can be argued to be even better than in the first movie. The complexity of the story requires a different kind of story-telling than in the first movie, which may not meet the expectations many have before they see them. I’ve even come across online comments saying that the story in the two sequels was less deep than in the first. This shows unfortunately that many have not understood what the filmmakers are trying to tell, which also appears in terms of the average rating of the three films on the IMDb website. They are at the time of writing:
The Matrix (1999) — 8.7 / 10 (1 438 531 votes)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) — 7.2 / 10 (465 229 votes)
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) — 6.7 / 10 (403 658 votes)
It should be noted that there are some clear weaknesses in the sequels. Like more use of digital effects (CGI) in order to have scenes that otherwise would not have been possible to perform without. A combination of lack of budget / time and the quality level on the digital effects at the time, unfortunately makes certain clips feel more like cartoon in the otherwise spectacular scenes, but fortunately there is not too much of that.
Time to dive into the details of the story!
The story
*spoiler alert* If you want to see, interpret and understand the movies yourself, do not read on!
I will try to go through the story in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand manner. Occasionally I will put in quotes from the movies for reference to where the details came from. Note that not all contexts are explained in the movies in a way that can only be interpreted in one way. There have been many different theories. Especially around the elements that are a bit more difficult to explain. I will now present my understanding of the story.
Energy
Humans have developed artificial, self-learning intelligence. The machines have further developed into their own “civilization”. Large amounts of machines require large amounts of energy. Humans have destroyed the climate of the globe so much that the sun no longer comes through the atmosphere and can meet the energy needs. Let’s ignore the fact that the machines could build some tall towers or satellite installations to collect power from solar energy, otherwise the entire foundation of the films is gone. The machines have found that humans are the best source of energy. In order to collect this energy, they need to physically connect people to their systems.
The Matrix
In order to keep people connected for energy collection without interruptions, the machines have developed a virtual world they call The Matrix. This emulates reality with the goal of being experienced as realistic as possible. This is for people to accept it as reality, despite the fact that everything they see, hear and feel are artificially fed to their senses through electrical signals directly to the brain.
The Matrix is a distributed system. Everything that happens in the virtual world is controlled by programs, or by people connected to live in the world while they produce energy. The programs run in different places, and people outside (which are not part of the energy production) have therefore managed to hack the system so that they can connect to and enter The Matrix.
In order for the virtual world to work, and be accepted by people as reality, it is based on a large amount of rules. The rules control what programs and people connected to the system are allowed to do. This applies to everything from gravity to how different materials react to external influences. The rules govern how people perceive the things that are happening around them and what physical actions they are able to perform.
The Matrix is a very complex system. It consists of many levels of complexity and set of rules, all the way down to the smallest detail level. This is necessary for people to believe that it is their reality. If this had looked like a semi-realistic computer game, or the characters that were not controlled by people had not seemed credible, more people would reject it. This is the biggest threat to the machine’s control of humanity. At the beginning of each movie, we move through a visual roller coaster that goes back and forth between green Matrix code and viewing the virtual world the code represents. It goes all the way from an overview of the city, down the level of detail inside a clock and a telephone. This is not just for having a cool visual introduction to the movie. It is to show the complexity of this composite system. Besides the visual credibility, it is for people to believe in what is happening. People’s actions. This has an impact on how the entire system is built up. If the machines had too much freedom to do exactly what they want in this world, there would be greater danger that it would not have been perceived as credible.
Key concepts
There are three concepts that are important to understand in the Matrix universe. Purpose, Control & Choice. These are only three words, but the meaning behind the words is important for understanding how the system works. It’s about free will, and management of both people and machines through programming and logic.
Purpose
The machines defines that all programs have a purpose. This is part of the rule set for the system to function as desired. When a program’s purpose is met, the program will be deleted. Since programs are artificial intelligence in a distributed system, there is no one pressing a delete button. The program will erase itself when its purpose is met. In this way, those who have power in the system can make sure that no programs are doing more than they are intended or threaten their power and control.
Control
A virtual world with a complexity and a level of detail like this, with a very large number of devices connected (both humans and all artificial applications such as animal and environment management) requires huge amounts of data and processing. It is not possible to have full control of this, even for the machines. The architect that designed The Matrix (an artificial intelligence), understood this early, and has therefore attempted to find and perfect a system to handle this in a way that maximizes control over what’s happening.
The goal is to control people so that they can work for the purpose the machines have given them, to give them power. When the Architect first made The Matrix, it failed. What was wrong was that a large number of people did not accept it as reality. The problem was that people were applied to an artificial predefined reality where they themselves had no control of what was happening. In practice, they did not have the opportunity to make their own choices. This in order for the machines themselves to have full control of what is happening in The Matrix and that no one should understand that it is not reality and trying to get out of the virtual world. The Architect therefore tried to understand the weaknesses and build a new matrix where a larger proportion would accept.
Choice
When the Architect worked on improving The Matrix, another artificial intelligence came up with a solution that made it more widely accepted as reality. The solution was to give people more freedom of choice.
Here the Architect had to make a choice himself. By giving the people connected The Matrix more freedom, he could make sure that a high enough number of people would accept the virtual world as reality. But at the same time, this will make it harder to control people because they are more likely to influence what is happening in The Matrix.
The Oracle
One of the most interesting characters in this film series is the Oracle. To understand the impact she has on everything that is happening, it is necessary to see it in a large context.
Let’s get it out of the world right away. The Oracle does not know everything. She does not know what’s going to happen. She analyzes what is most likely to happen. She is an example of how far machine learning and analysis can evolve in the future. We are not talking about a simple analysis of events, trends and behaviors, but a detailed in-depth analysis of the relationship and dynamics between all the devices connected to The Matrix. When the Oracle “knows” that Neo is going to crush the vase in her kitchen in the first movie, it is the result of a complex analysis. Factors in this analysis include extensive knowledge of Neo, his features, personality, motorics, etc., and not least experience from the earlier iteration of The Matrix.
This is part of what makes this story so exciting. Several of the characters appear in supernatural ways with religious references. Both the Oracle and Neo have skills and behaviors that are difficult to understand both for the viewers of the movie, but not least for the other characters in the film that relate to them. But when you go deeper into the story and the details, you soon find that everything is based on certain choices, which are made for certain reasons. Everything is governed by two programs that both cooperate and counteract each other, but in a complex, characteristic way.
The Architect wants to maintain The Matrix so that it helps the machines to get the energy they need. The Oracle wants the same, but also wants to help humans.
Another system of control
The machines have several methods for maintaining control of humans. This is to prevent them from taking back control of the world or threatening their existence. Through the choice introduced by the Oracle, there was also the challenge of keeping track of what the people who get out of The Matrix are doing. Especially considering they also connect to The Matrix in order to free more people. The machines have therefore come up with an extensive process that is based on people’s psyche and the need for belonging. The whole process is most likely developed by the Oracle. It includes elements such as “The Prophecy”, “Path of the One,” the war between machines and human cities like Zion, and not least our friends Neo and Smith.
Repeat & Reload
This control mechanism includes a repeating reload of The Matrix. In cycles of about 100 years, the people who have gotten out from The Matrix build up a small civilization in the real world. In the 6th interaction, which we follow in the three films, this is in the form of the city of Zion. Besides the danger that people can get enough strength to attack the machine on the surface, this poses a danger inside The Matrix.
When the number of “redpills” increases, that is people who have understood that the world is virtual, gotten out, and then reconnects to free others, this degrade the stability and performance of The Matrix. If this percentage becomes too large, this can lead to a huge system crash. The basis for the system to crash is not explained in detail, but it is probably about how the entire system of logic and rules is put together. When too many act beyond the defined rules and do things they are not supposed to, this can have a domino effect on everyone connected. It may be that the system itself is unable to handle this to a great extent, or perhaps because it will cause all people to see things that make them stop believing in the virtual world and thus are not susceptible to the signals they are fed in the same way as before. Anyway, the Architect knows this and tries to do everything in his power to avoid it.
The Matrix is designed for anyone connected to accept it as reality. It is not designed to handle a single rejection. This may sound strange, but think about how the system is built. Each connected person receives a wealth of input signals to perceive the world through their senses and respond with their output signals in the form of controlling their character in the world as if it were their own body in a real world . This is a very complicated process. It includes an extensive set of logic and rules to make it play together in the right and credible way. And millions of people, maybe billions connected in this way, should also interact with each other so it becomes like a complete real world. How much more logic and management systems would be needed if the entire system additionally had to handle some believing what they see while others do not believe it but pretend they’re part of it?
The Architect’s solution is to eradicate the free people so that the percentage of accepting individuals in The Matrix goes back to 100%. Then the system can perform a reload, reset many elements to a more appropriate state, make some optimizations and then operate in optimal mode for a long time. Sooner or later, a portion will begin to reject this reality again, but this will take time. We see example of such a reload at the very end of Revolutions, after the machines and the people have declared peace. Although this is probably a bigger change than otherwise because Smith has made far greater changes in The Matrix than what was done during the earlier iterations.
The synchronization between human eradication in the real world and reload of The Matrix is important for the process to work. This is the reason why the Oracle has introduced The Prophecy, and Path of the One. These are control mechanisms to have a closer insight into what happens to the people who reject The Matrix, and not least to control them in the direction the machines want.
The Prophecy
With me so far? One of the control mechanisms the Oracle has made to steer people in the direction the machines wants, is The Prophecy. It plays on people’s psyche and needs to believe in a better future.
Notice that he who free the first here is the Architect. After a reload, the Architect will disconnect those people the previous One has chosen to rebuild the human city. This is part of the process called Path of the One. This is also the way they make sure that the cycle begins to go in the direction they need for the same set of actions to happen again. Otherwise, more or less anything could happen without the machines having the same control over the circumstances. He plants some ideas among the free people, introduces them to the Oracle and helps to establish her as an “all-knowing” so the rest of the cycle can take its course towards a new reload many years later and the machines can continue their existence with full control of humans.
The Oracle is the closest thing to a psychologist from the machine world. An artificial intelligence that understands people’s psyche, and is able to analyze their needs and motivation even when this seems unnatural in terms of the machine’s own logic. The Prophecy is a story of a future meant to guide people. The Oracle knows that people do not interpret this from a logical point of view, whether it is possible to know if this is truth or not, but in a more religious context where they choose to believe it not, without any explanation. This is especially effective at a time when people experience a lot of resistance and little reason to believe in a peaceful outcome of their lives. When individuals like Morpheus in leading roles strongly believe this, they will inspire everyone around to go in the same direction. A very effective control mechanism.
Another question one may ask, is why the machines do not just submit a character of their own to inspire people to do as they wish, rather than using Neo who is an ordinary human being. Well, they do that in the form of the Oracle. But it’s not enough to have some kind of all-knowing god figure. They need an equal representative from their own. And not least one who lives in the real world. One they can believe in when it’s hard to believe other better solutions, the same way people have done with religion for thousands of years. One who might have supernatural powers so it’s not possible for people to doubt that this is a very special one among them. This is The One. Another concept made by the Oracle.
Path of The One
The process designed for The One is called Path of the One. This is part of the system programmed into The Matrix. It is linked to all the other logic, can not be changed by the machines at any time. This is because it will cause problems, possible system crash, not to mention the danger of more people rejecting the world and wanting to get out.
When The Matrix is to be reloaded because there is too many redpills, this can only be initiated by The One. This means that the machines themselves can not choose to do a reload. Humans are reliant to follow the defined process to survive, and the machines are dependent on the people conducting this so that their system do not crash. Why is The Matrix programmed so that only the one who carries on “The Prime Program”, ie the person who is The One can initiate a reload? A not unlikely theory may be that the Oracle did this in order for the machines to be dependent on people’s choice, and not just vice versa. It’s once again about choice. Notice the following conversation that can support this theory:
Anyway, when the people who have gotten out of The Matrix have found out who is The One (with some help from the Oracle, ref actions in the first movie), people will give that person the strength and motivation to become that hero the role implies. This includes learning to stretch the rules that govern people’s actions in The Matrix in the same way that others do, and not least to learn how to use the special abilities that only The One has (through The Prime Program). This is also important for the person who is The One to choose to save humanity. We will soon come to that.
The next step in Path of the One is that The One should come to “The Source”. This is described as a form of data center or core central for the management of The Matrix. It is also referred to as the place where programs are sent when they are to be deleted. It may not be a physical location, it may be part of the network that all devices connected to The Matrix are part of. The steps towards The One finding The Source, is a comprehensive and complex challenge for the humans. The Architect has deliberately designed the system so that this will be possible, but people need to feel that they have achieved something difficult and put a lot of effort into this. Particularly in view of the connection between The One and humanity. A key person (phun intended) for The One to come to The Source is the program called The Keymaker. He must be rescued and lead The One to a special door on a special floor in a building that is strictly guarded.
When The One enters the door that apparently will lead to The Source, they will instead enter an oval room where the Architect is sitting. This is also part of the Path of the One. The process has ensured that The One feels a responsibility for all mankind. He is prepared to save humanity by destroying The Matrix. But instead, the Architect tells him the whole truth. He explains the process in a quick and efficient manner. He then gives The One a choice between two doors.
Here again, the relation between the key concepts Choice and Control comes into play. The Architect gives The One a choice, but in practice there is no choice. (“… even if they were only aware of the choice at a near-unconscious level.” — the Architect) The choice is between the door that goes to The Source and the door that goes back to The Matrix. The Oracle has led Neo to believe that he will save humanity by entering the door leading to The Source, without saying directly what it means.
The Architect clearly points out what will happen if The One chooses to enter the other door. It will lead to a huge system crash, and all people connected to The Matrix will die. In the same way as the Oracle, he does not tell all relevant details, but focuses on what will make The One make the choice the machines want. He shows images of war and people suffering for appealing to the human side of The One, and his sense of attachment and responsibility to all mankind. As described above, the outcomes described by the Architect can be quite logical as to how the system as a whole is built and depends on everyone believing in the reality they live in. But the Architect does not say if this happens immediately when he enters The Matrix. Probably it will not, but the parallel processes with Path of the One and the people who have built themselves up outside The Matrix will most likely cause the extent of the problem of people who reject reality to be so great that the system can not handle it.
Neo also tries to argue with the Architect why the machines can not let the system crash (ie, if he chooses the “wrong door”). That if the system crashes and people die, the machines will not get the energy they need. The architect responds that “There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept.”, And directs the conversation quickly back on what Neo must be willing to accept if he makes that choice. It’s a choice that’s not really a choice.
The architect gives Neo the impression that he has a choice, but really there is only one possibility. The control mechanism has worked 5 times, but this time it does not work because of the Oracle. More on that further down.
Neo
Who is Neo and why is he “The One”? Neo (which is an anagram of One) is a human being born / grown in the machine world to provide energy the same way as everyone else. In the fifth iteration of The Matrix, the fifth The One completed Path of the One and disseminated “The Prime Program”. It is not said whether the person himself chose his successor, if it was a randomly chosen person, or if the successor is chosen based on specific characteristics and personality that will make the person more susceptible to complete the Path of the One. Most likely the latter, and that the Oracle has made an analysis that has led to the selection of the next The One.
The architect has attempted to avoid Path of the One and instead find solutions that allow everyone to accept The Matrix as reality. But as long as this is not the case and too many rejects will threaten the entire system, he has accepted this as a necessary control mechanism.
Machine battle & peace
We have already gone through why the machines and the humans go to cataclysmic war when the machines attack Zion in the third movie. This has been the subject of much criticism of these films. But if we look at the story, this war is a key element that is closely linked to all the events in the movies. It is a planned part of the repetitive cycle initiated by the Oracle and the Architect. I don’t know what the critics think it should have been focusing on instead. But historically, many films have failed at this point, just by not doing what they have done in the Matrix trilogy. When a movie becomes a great success, the sequel will often try to do more of the same. More of what people liked in the first film, stretching this even further and exceed to impress even more. It usually fails. The trilogies where people like the sequel at least as much as the first, is usually where the film draws the story itself in new directions. Focus on other events or locations, include other characters than what the first movie was successful with. Here I can mention examples like Aliens (1986) and The Dark Knight (2008). The Matrix sequels do exactly this.
Although this machine war in Zion has also occurred in similar ways in the previous iterations of The Matrix, there is a big difference this time. It ends with peace, and not the extinction of the human city. This does not happen because of Neo, but because of the Oracle. She is behind this whole change and has taken care of the factors that make it possible for Neo to create peace when coming to the machine city at the end of the last film.
The Oracle understands people in a completely different way than the Architect. She is still working for the machines, but also wants peace between machines and humans.
In this 6th iteration of The Matrix, she has therefore initiated other events than the previous editions. Earlier, The One had full focus on the responsibility to save all mankind and their future. But Neo gets another element in his life that takes up more focus than his role as a rescuer. His love for Trinity. The Oracle knows the human psyche well. She has done analyzes that include the irrational human feelings and actions associated with love. She has therefore devised a plan to use this as a step towards peace. In the first movie, we know that the Oracle has told Trinity that she’s going to fall in love with the One, but she does not know who it is. She has a strong confidence in what the Oracle says, the same way as the others, and she is part of Morpheus’ crew at The Nebuchadnezzar. She is influenced by Morpheus’ obsessed quest to find The One (which is also initiated by the Oracle), and when she meets Neo, everything is set for the two to fall for each other. The Oracle may even have analyzed that the two have personal characteristics that make the probability high for a good match (TheOracleMatch.com). Perhaps this was part of the calculation when Neo was chosen as the sixth “The One”? The Oracle could obviously not know for sure that they would fall for each other, but everything was arranged for it to happen.
Neo’s love for Trinity is why he chooses the other door in the Chamber of the Architect, instead of the door that his 5 predecessors have chosen. The Architect understands this at some point (“dangerous game”). It’s uncertain if he knows it before Neo reaches him, but he nevertheless tries to carry out the same repetition and reload of The Matrix as before. But Neo choosing the other door is not enough to achieve peace. It prevents the usual process with reload of The Matrix, but the machines will still try to destroy all the people of Zion. Enter Smith.
Powers in the real world
In the first sequel, a small group of sentinels comes to attack Neo, Trinity and the others outside The Matrix. Suddenly Neo turns and says he can feel them. As they approach, he holds out his arm and they fall like flies. In Revolutions he does the same when he and Trinity are on their way to the machine city and are attacked by a high number of machines on the surface.
This has been the basis for much negative criticism. The first movie leaves behind a lot of unanswered questions and events that can not be understood, but when something incomprehensible happens in the sequel, the films are bad. Instead of criticizing this, let’s think systematically on the circumstances.
One theory many have come up with is that they are not really outside The Matrix. That the real world in the movies is really a new Matrix that is built around. There is nothing that points in the direction of this theory otherwise in the movies. In addition, this would require huge amounts of data, processing and logic in the system. Consider how comprehensive the system is, how everything is handled down to the smallest detail, and not least all control mechanisms. A system with multiple Matrix on top of each other would then be incredibly much more complex and resource consuming for the machines to maintain. And for what purpose?
Instead, think about how important Neo is for Oracle’s plans. He is the link between humans and the machines’ agenda. He carries code that the machines rely on to make their cycle of reloads, and not least, in this edition of The Matrix, he is one of the key players in her plans to achieve peace. In The Matrix, he is relatively well secured through the abilities he is given in his role as The One. In addition, the Oracle provides guidance to help him achieve what he needs. But what about the time he spends in the real world? The Oracle knows very well that the machines and the humans are at war. Would she have taken the risk that such an important person for her plans could be killed in some random encounter between man and machine somewhere?
Of course, she has provided some kind of security for him in the real world too! Probably in collaboration with the Architect. It may for instance be through the technical implants in Neo that allows him to connect to The Matrix. The link to the brain that is used to feed him with signals and read his actions. Perhaps they have a wireless connection to the machine’s network and the Oracle has given him a form of access that allows him to override the machines that attack him? Or maybe the machines themselves simply have a programmed barrier that prevents them from killing him. Maybe both. However, if Neo had not been able to do this, the story would have made no sense when considering the scope of the control mechanism for the Oracle and the Architect. This is probably also the reason why Neo and Trinity both save each other from dying at two different times in the trilogy.
Smith
Then we have come to Neo’s big opponent. The monster role in the trilogy. Smith begins as an ordinary agent. The security officers in The Matrix who have the task of stopping all redpills that have been connected from the outside. Until the end of the first movie, Smith is apparently a regular Agent. But we get a hint that he has something else in him when he tries to break Morpheus to obtain access codes to Zion. Smith has been reprogrammed by the Oracle to have a different role than a regular agent. Whether it happens when he dies in the first movie, or if it was done at his first entry into The Matrix at an earlier time, is uncertain. But the Oracle has other plans for Smith.
Oracle’s plan includes letting the machines see that they rely on Neo to survive. She has ensured that Smith survives, despite the fact that Neo kills him when he finally fully accepts his role as The One at the end of the first film. Neo clearly shows that he sees past the events that happen around him. He no longer believes in the danger of the bullets coming from the agents shooting at him. He believes in his role as The One, and because he carries the code referred to as “The Prime Program”, he also has authority from The Matrix as a system to make changes that others are not able to. Like stopping the bullets and killing Smith.
Afterwards Smith also get skills that give him the opportunity to do more than others in The Matrix. He builds himself up to become Neo’s great counterpart. This happens in a way that makes the machines understand the threat Smith poses. He may threaten the entire system that the machines rely on. The Oracle has led Neo on his way to the machine city. Here Neo comes in contact with “Deus ex machina”, the closest we come to a physical representation of The Source. Neo convince it that he can stop Smith and that the machines have nothing to lose by letting him try. The machines know the circumstances, are probably surprised that a human has gotten up there without being stopped on the way there and therefore chooses to give him the opportunity to complete what he promises.
Even though Smith sees himself as free, this does not change the fact that he hates humans, and he hates The Matrix. This is clearly expressed on several occasions. He just wants to destroy everything. The other agents do not have this intense hatred. It’s probably a part of the change or the features the Oracle has given him. He begins to take over every single person in The Matrix, until the end of the last film is not a single human being left. Even the Oracle herself is taken over at some point. In this scene, Smith’s statements show how he does not fully understand the role of the Oracle, and at least not her plans for him.
In the end, he has managed to destroy everything in The Matrix. Then Neo arrives. Smith believes Neo has connected to The Matrix from the outside in the same way as before, he does not know he is in the machine city and connected to The Source. He thinks Neo has come to destroy him.
One thing is important to understand in connection with this. An important factor in the Oracle’s plan to provide peace through the struggle between Smith and Neo. When Smith copies himself over other avatars in The Matrix, he does not kill the human who controlled this avatars earlier. He just takes over their programs (“Programs hacking programs” — Neo). He thus gains access to their information, memories, and any other data the system has through the person’s connection to The Matrix. We got a hint about this when Smith took over the Oracle. She asked what he had done with Sati, and another Smith quotes something Sati said earlier in the film. The Smith avatar that is fighting Neo in their grand battle, is the Oracle. Smith has read the memories and the knowledge of the Oracle, and she has ensured that his control over her avatar gets a set of information that will make him interpret as much as possible in a direction she wants. We notice this already when Neo arrives. Smith says he has seen what’s going to happen, something he has not done before. So he has seen the Oracle’s analyzes and predictions about the outcome of the battle between Neo and Smith.
In other words, Smith is convinced he will win anyway, so he does not need to send all the clones of himself to take Neo. This is consistent with the outcome, since he actually wins over Neo. At the end of the match, when Neo is in the crater and Oracle-Smith is in front of him, he tries once again to understand why Neo continues to fight when it is impossible for him to win. Smith has expressed clearly that he does not believe anyone is free. As the Oracle explains to Neo in one of their conversations, that neither machines nor people can see past choices they do not understand. For machines, this means that when they can not understand why some (ref people) make a choice, they can not look past it either. Because when an analysis fails to determine why one of the most relevant steps along the way happens, it can not be analyzed what will happen afterwards. Of course this also applies to Smith. He does not understand why Neo continues to fight, so he can not understand how his intentions are connected and the reasons for it.
Here’s another important thing to point out. Although Neo has not completed the Path of the One by selecting the door he was supposed to do in the chamber to the Architect, he can still initiate a reload of the Matrix. But whoever holds the Prime Program (ie the one who is The One) must do so voluntarily. As with the rest of the Matrix, this is a conscious choice, and part of the system’s rules. We know what would have happened if the possibility of making choices was not present. The machines relies on the fact that The One makes a choice to save humanity by initiating a reload. It may seem unrealistic that the machines should limit their leeway like this, but it is determined by the system administrators, presumably by the Oracle because this creates the dependency that makes it possible to complete the repeating cycle of reloads. The only difference is that in the 6th edition, the Oracle’s plan has ensured that it can also provide peace between machines and humans, thus avoiding the killings of everyone in Zion. This is one of the reasons why Neo answers “Because I choose two”. He chooses to pass on The Prime program, so that the Matrix can reload, and all Smith’s destruction can be reset. In addition, Neo’s statement helps to annoy and confuse Smith to take over the control of Neo’s Avatar, which was Neo’s plan all along.
Just before Smith takes over Neo’s avatar, his actions are again clearly influenced by the information and memories he has taken control of through the Oracle. Or maybe the Oracle has such a high access level in the system that she can still control what her avatar taken over by Smith does or says.
Notice that he refers to him as Neo, and not Mr. Anderson as he has done on all of their previous encounters. Smith suddenly realizes that he does not have full control over his actions. He looks surprised and gets scared because he does not understand what will happen next. What is the outcome of what he is doing. He has foreseen everything that would happen, but this was the Oracle’s analysis.
Smith still believes that Neo is connected to The Matrix from the outside in the usual way. He takes over his avatar as he has done with all the others. At that moment, Deus ex Machina realizes what Neo has done. Smith is now connected to an avatar that Neo has controlled through his connection through Deus ex Machina. This is a direct link to the system (the machine mainframe).
This connection is therefore not limited by the same set of rules and security levels as when programs and people connect to The Matrix otherwise. The machines are given the opportunity to delete Smith. The Smith program controls all the avatares he has taken over, and when Deus ex Machina delete the program, control over all the other avatar will be lost. Smith has not anticipated this, and the Oracle has made sure he did not know it when he took over her avatar. At the same time as Smith is destroyed, Neo allows the Prime Program to be disseminated. Thus, a reload is initiated for the 7th revision of The Matrix, as we see visualized, and we see Sati lying in the streets after it is completed.
This last part of the story has also been the subject of much criticism. “Neo comes to easy to the machine city”, “Neo can stop sentinels when he is not in the Matrix”. “The duel between Smith and Neo is unrealistic.” “Smith should be able to kill Neo easily”. This criticism is understandable if you have not understood the details of the story. The relationship between Neo and Smith, and why the Oracle has initiated all of it. But when the actions make sense, the final stages of the trilogy are exactly what they are supposed to be. A magnificent climax and a symbol of everything that has built up through all the events in the movies. And not least, some awesome and entertaining visual effects!
After the reload to version 7, we see a brief conversation between the Architect and the Oracle, confirming Oracle’s extensive role in the new development, diverging from the cycle they’ve gone through 5 times earlier.
The others that Oracle talk about here is not all the people who are still connected to the Matrix to give power to the machines. It is future “redpills”, ie the 1% portion of people who end up rejecting the Matrix as reality. But if they do not go back in to release more (as part of the peace agreement), it will not threaten the system in the same way.
One may wonder why the machines have not just stopped Smith themselves. Can’t they just delete him? The Matrix is a distributed system. Smith acts as a virus, ironically, in the same way he himself described humans when he was still an agent in the first film. The system consists of a comprehensive set of features and rules that play together. It is not possible to just go in and change anything. The fact that agents can move in and out of other people’s avatars, on the other hand, is a planned part of the security routines. Erasing Smith goes against the whole foundation of how the system is written and is therefore not possible. This can be compared with how viruses and computer worms infiltrate computer networks and devices in real life. The Oracle has determined what additional skills he should have access to, the rest is controlled by the system’s capabilities and maneuverability.
Alternative theory: Smith is The One
There have been many theories about the plot of The Matrix trilogy. One of them is that it’s not really Neo who is “The One”, but Smith. Let’s look at what has led to this theory.
The theory is supported by the prophecy saying “A man born inside”. Neo is obviously not born inside The Matrix, he is a human being connected to the system. Smith is a program and thus “born in The Matrix”. The prophecy further states that he dies, and returns to destroy The Matrix. Smith dies in first movie, Neo kills him. He also returns and tries to take over control of every single person in The Matrix.
There are several reasons why this theory does not hold. First, Morpheus says that this person was first present when The Matrix was new. Although Morpheus does not know this is the 6th edition of The Matrix, he knows that the struggle between humans and machines has been going on for almost 100 years. The Oracle has also fed Morpheus and the others with prophecy many years ago, and this does not match Morpheus’s statement that “After he died, the Oracle prophesied his return,” as they know this long before Smith is killed by Neo. Smith is also not part of any of the steps in the Path of the One, which is carefully described by the Architect and the Oracle. And not least, the prophecy is a lie. A control mechanism to control The One and the free people to do what the machines want.
Other things to answer
I’ll go through some other things that can be hard to understand in these movies.
Rescue each other from death
In the first movie, Trinity rescues Neo from dying by kissing him. This fit well into a classic storytelling in film format, and people accepted it as part of the amazing first movie. But when Neo rescues Trinity from dying in Matrix Reloaded, it becomes the basis for criticism. We have already reviewed how it is entirely natural for the machines to provide a security network around Neo because they are so dependent on completing Path of the One. But in the sixth iteration, the Oracle has changed things. She uses Trinity and the love between her and Neo to change the rules of play to achieve peace. So what’s more natural than providing a safety net around her too? Keep in mind that when people connected to The Matrix die inside the virtual world, it is the system that feeds this information to the brain, just as everything else that happens around the person. As Morpheus explained in the first film, this is the reason why you die in the real world if you die in The Matrix. The Oracle has made sure that there is no doubt about the love between the two by Trinity saving Neo using a kiss when all indicates that he is going to die. As part of The Prime Program, Neo has supernatural powers that enable him to live the role of The One. He can therefore also change elements in The Matrix. He can stop bullets flying through the air towards him and he is able to get the bullet out when Trinity is shot. Her chance to survive in the real world is a combination of biological characteristics (just as if she had a real injury) and the way the system feeds her signals of what’s happening.
Bane
In Matrix Reloaded, Smith takes over the avatar of Bane as he tries to disconnect from The Matrix with a phone. Afterward, Bane is apparently controlled by Smith in the real world. There may be several possible reasons for this. One is that there is some kind of control from the machine side through the implants in the same way as Neo communicates with the machines outside The Matrix, although it may not be the most likely explanation. Another possibility is that the system has made changes to Banes memory as he disconnected while Smith had control of his avatar. Keep in mind that the machines are able to make changes in people’s memories, not only feeding them with visual perception. We get to know this in the first movie when Smith and Cypher agree that Cypher will be reinstated in the power plant and he demands that he should not remember anything about his time outside of the Matrix. Unless this is a lie from Smith of course. It can also be a combination. Neo sees Bane through his machine interface when he has been blinded and sees him as a visualization of Smith. That is, the machines have details about Banes’ movements, possibly through the connection that allows Smith to control him.
The Oracle switches avatar
In case you did not know this, Gloria Foster (who played the Oracle in the first movie) died at the same time as the two sequels were recorded. They just finished filming her conversation with Neo in Matrix Reloaded, so that scene could still be included. But the rest of the scenes had to be filmed with another actor.
The conversation with the Oracle in Matrix Reloaded
Now that we have gone extensively through the details to explain the story and the actions in the movies, let’s go through the three conversations that contain the most information. The conversations are quite compressed and difficult to understand if you do not know the story from before. Not least because understanding of the details in the conversations is linked to things you learn in other parts of the movie series. First, the conversation between Neo and the Oracle in The Matrix Reloaded.
Oracle: Well, come on. I ain’t gonna bite ya. Come around here, and let me have a look at ya. My goodness, look at you! You turned out all right, didn’t you? How do you feel?
Neo: I, uh…
Oracle: I know you’re not sleeping. We’ll get to that. Why don’t you come and have a sit this time?
The Oracle speaks in a completely different way from the Architect. She speaks more “human”, for natural reasons, considering what she is and how she progresses to achieve her goals.
Neo: Maybe I’ll stand.
Oracle: Well, suit yourself.
Neo: I felt like sitting.
Oracle: I know. So. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way.
Neo: You’re not human, are you?
Oracle: Well it’s tough to get any more obvious than that.
Neo: If I had to guess, I’d say you’re a program from the machine world. So is he.
Oracle: So far, so good.
Although we as viewers might need to verify that the Oracle is an artificial intelligence, it is interesting to see how Neo also may have believed for some time that she was a human. Human belief in supernatural events makes us easy to control and manipulate, something the Oracle has used to the fullest.
Neo: But if that’s true, that can mean you are a part of this system, another kind of control.
Oracle: Keep going.
Neo: I suppose the most obvious question is, how can I trust you?
Oracle: Bingo! It is a pickle, no doubt about it. The bad news is there’s no way if you can really know whether I’m here to help you or not. So it’s really up to you. You just have to make up your own damn mind to either accept what I’m going to tell you, or reject it. Candy?
She says it just as it is. He can not know if he can trust her. Everything else he and the other people have been fed with has been a lie or leading information. Such as The Prophecy and the steps that are part of the Path of the One. But Neo do not know this yet. What he does not know is that the Oracle actually wants to achieve peace between the people and the machines. Despite the fact that the last step in that plan implies that she is leading Neo to sacrifice her life for it to happen. So it is up to him to choose whether to accept her word or not. What’s more challenging is to understand why she gives him the information and choices she makes. As she soon points out herself.
Neo: D’you already know if I’m going to take it?
Oracle: Wouldn’t be much of an Oracle if I didn’t.
Neo: But if you already know, how can I make a choice?
Oracle: Because you didn’t come here to make the choice, you’ve already made it. You’re here to try to understand why you made it. I thought you’d have figured that out by now.
She obviously does not talk about the choice of taking the candy or not. But his choice of following her guidance or not. He explores the circumstances of free will.
Neo: Why are you here?
Oracle: Same reason. I love candy.
Neo: But why help us?
Oracle: We’re all here to do what we’re all here to do. I’m interested in one thing, Neo, the future. And believe me, I know — the only way to get there is together.
She continuously analyzes all the information she has available, in order to anticipate future actions, both of individuals where it is of importance, and for the whole outcome of the relationship and the war between machines and humans. So that she is only interested in the future, makes sense. And as we know, her solution for creating peace depends on certain steps and actions both by the machines and by humans.
Neo: Are there other programs like you?
Oracle: Oh, well, not like me. But… Look, see those birds? At some point a program was written to govern them. A program was written to watch over the trees, and the wind, the sunrise, and sunset. There are programs running all over the place. The ones doing their job, doing what they were meant to do, are invisible. You’d never even know they were here. But the other ones, well, we hear about them all the time.
Neo: I’ve never heard of them.
Oracle: Of course you have. Every time you’ve heard someone say they saw a ghost, or an angel. Every story you’ve ever heard about vampires, werewolves, or aliens is the system assimilating some program that’s doing something they’re not supposed to be doing.
This is to explain why there are other characters that have supernatural abilities, in addition to The One and that redpills like Trinity and Morpheus who can jump unnaturally far, etc. But it is also to understand the circumstances of everything that happens with Smith.
Neo: Programs hacking programs. Why?
Oracle: They have their reasons, but usually a program chooses exile when it faces deletion.
Neo: And why would a program be deleted?
Oracle: Maybe it breaks down. Maybe a better program is created to replace it — happens all the time, and when it does, a program can either choose to hide here, or return to The Source.
Neo: The machine mainframe?
Oracle: Yes. Where you must go. Where the path of The One ends. You’ve seen it, in your dreams, haven’t you? The door made of light?
The Oracle is back to leading Neo to the Architect, one of the steps in the Path of the One. He has great faith in her knowledge and trusts her. Therefore, he doesn’t ask why he should find this door. What and why “Path of the One” exists. He has accepted his role.
Oracle: What happens when you go through the door?
Neo: I see Trinity, and something happens, something bad. She starts to fall, and then I wake up.
Oracle: Do you see her die?
Neo: No.
Oracle: You have the sight now, Neo. You are looking at the world without time.
Neo: Then why can’t I see what happens to her?
Oracle: We can never see past the choices we don’t understand.
This is a very important detail! The information that has given Neo these dreams is fed by The Oracle in one way or another, either directly or indirectly. But he does not see the outcome because it depends on what he does in the chamber of the Architect! This is also a very interesting comparison between how humans and machines (artificial intelligence) work. Both analyze in their own way what we do and why, not least what we will do in the future to achieve what we want within the circumstances we are part of. But neither humans nor machines can analyze beyond important choices that we do not know why we should take, and hence can not know the outcome of.
Neo: Are you saying I have to choose whether Trinity lives or dies?
Oracle: No. You’ve already made the choice, now you have to understand it.
Neo: No, I can’t do that. I won’t.
Oracle: You have to.
Neo: Why?
Oracle: Because you’re The One.
Back to how the Oracle has ensured that Neo is led by love rather than his connection to humanity, unlike his predecessors. It is this dilemma that is his choice. And it is controlled by his feelings, not logical sense. Therefore, he has already made the choice subconscious. But even though he basically knows what he will choose when he eventually faces this choice, the choice does not seem any less difficult as long as he has not made it and therefore still has to think through the consequences of both options. It is the Oracle that has introduced choice and free will for the people, so it is her who gives Neo this choice, although it is not really a choice.
Neo: What if I can’t? What happens if I fail?
Oracle: Then Zion will fall. Our time is up. Listen to me, Neo. You can save Zion if you reach The Source, but to do that you will need the Keymaker.
As with other things, Neo is a human being, and he does not follow preprogrammed rules. The Oracle can not be one hundred percent sure that Neo will choose Trinity over mankind when he reaches the chamber to the Architect. But she has made sure everything indicates that he will do it. And if he should not do it, it will be as she says. Zion will be destroyed and a new reload of The Matrix will be initiated.
Neo: The Keymaker?
Oracle: Yes, he disappeared some time ago. We did not know what happened to him until now. He’s being held prisoner by a very dangerous program, one of the oldest of us. He is called the Merovingian, and he will not let him go willingly.
It seems The Keymaker and the difficult process of getting to “The Door made of Light” (ie, the door leading into the Architect’s chamber) is designed for people and not least Neo to feel a great sense of accomplishment by doing this. That way, the seriousness of the choice he faces in the chamber will feel so extensive and important that it will help guide him to the choice that is part of the Path of the One. But in this case, it has the opposite effect. Instead, it strengthens Neo’s desire to save Trinity.
Neo: What does he want?
Oracle: What do all men with power want? More power.
Oracle: Be there, at that exact time, and you will have a chance.
Seraph: We must go.
Oracle: Seems like every time we meet I’ve got nothing but bad news. I’m sorry about that, I surely am. But for what it’s worth, you’ve made a believer out of me. Good luck, kiddo.
The conversation with the Architect
Next up is the conversation between Neo and the Architect in The Matrix Reloaded. It is packed with details, advanced words and references to actions and people from all parts of the story. I can imagine that The Wachowskis has gone quite a few rounds before they ended up with the final dialogue for this scene.
Architect: Hello, Neo.
Neo: Who are you?
Architect: I am the Architect. I created the Matrix. I’ve been waiting for you. You have many questions, and though the process has altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably human. Ergo some of my answers you will understand, and some of them you will not. Concordantly, while your first question may be the most pertinent, you may or may not realize it is also the most irrelevant.
The process he is talking about is Path of the One. It is explicitly designed to lead the person chosen to be The One towards the goals of the machines. His consciousness has changed because the events in the process lead to that change. Because Neo is a human being, the Architect knows that, despite being influenced by the process, he makes choices and asks questions from a human point of view and not “machine-logic”. From a machine’s point of view, it’s not relevant why he’s there. It is the process that has led him there, and what is relevant from a machine’s point of view is what choice he will make now.
Neo: Why am I here?
Architect: Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly, which, despite my sincerest efforts, I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden assiduously avoided, it is not unexpected, and thus not beyond a measure of control. Which has led you, inexorably… here.
A typical explanation of the machine logic. Here he is talking about “The Anomaly”, which is the fact that he has not managed to get 100% of the humans connected to The Matrix to accept the world as reality. He is familiar with this challenge, he does what he can to find solutions to avoid it, but as long as it still exists, it is expected and he/they can take the necessary steps to control the outcome of it.
Neo: You haven’t answered my question.
Architect: Quite right. Interesting. That was quicker than the others.
Neos@TV: Others? How many others? What others? Answer my question!
Architect: The Matrix is older than you know. I prefer counting from the emergence of one integral anomaly to the emergence of the next, in which case this is the 6th version.
Neos@TV: 5 `One’s before me? 4 3 2 What are you talking about?
Ok, so here’s the first time we get to know about the repeating cycle. And that The Matrix is many hundred years old, and not just about 100 years as Morpheus believes.
Neo: There are only two possible explanations, either no one told me, or no one knows.
Architect: Precisely. As you are undoubtedly gathering, the anomaly is systemic - creating fluctuations in even the most simplistic equations.
Simple statement, but incredibly important! The machines are completely dependent on this repetitive cycle in order for The Matrix to operate. Every machine and program are not aware of this, it is probably only known by the Architect and the Oracle. He is talking about how the complex structure of The Matrix, all the rules and features that make up the system depends on each other to function optimally. When something goes beyond the defined rules and logic, such as when people reject the Matrix as reality, every little calculation, function and logic in the system will be affected. This can lead to chain reactions that can cause the entire system to crash when the problem gets big enough. It becomes a “systemic anomaly”.
Neos@TV: You can’t control me! I’m gonna smash you to bits! I’ll fuckin’ kill you!
Neo: Choice. The problem is choice.
So, the former people who have been The One had less understanding of this process and everyone affected by it. However, because the Oracle has learned more and more about people’s psyche, feelings and responses in every iteration of The Matrix, The One has also been chosen on a better basis. Neo understands the circumstances better than his predecessors. He understands better how the machines “think” and he understands that the challenge for solving “The Anomaly” is the freedom that people have gained through how the system is programmed.
Architect: The first Matrix I designed was quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art - flawless, sublime. A triumph equalled only by its monumental failure. The inevitability of its doom is apparent to me now as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in every human being. Thus, I redesigned it based on your history to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature. However, I was again frustrated by failure. I have since come to understand that the answer eluded me because it required a lesser mind, or perhaps a mind less bound by the parameters of perfection. Thus the answer was stumbled upon by another - an intuitive program, initially created to investigate certain aspects of the human psyche. If I am the father of the matrix, she would undoubtedly be its mother.
First a little history about the first editions. He also takes a form of self-criticism for why he failed to solve the challenges, but put the blame on what he sees as limitations in human logic. Before the Oracle’s entry, the Architect did not understand how people are not driven primarily by logic. Interesting how he describes himself as the one who has the greatest capacity and understanding of how it all fits together, or should have done. But it is the Oracle that pulls all the strings. She is the one who has initiated the most drastic changes in the system, and controls the process in a new direction in this edition of The Matrix.
Neo: The Oracle.
Architect: Please. As I was saying, she stumbled upon a solution whereby nearly 99% of all test subjects accepted the program, as long as they were given a choice, even if they were only aware of the choice at a near unconscious level. While this answer functioned, it was obviously fundamentally flawed, thus creating the otherwise contradictory systemic anomaly, that if left unchecked might threaten the system itself. Ergo those that refused the program, while a minority, if unchecked, would constitute an escalating probability of disaster.
”Please …” — The Architect bases all his choices on logic and algorithms. He thinks the human way of basing things on emotions and impulses is stupid because they are not predictable and it is harder for him to control the outcome of it. He therefore find it silly how people give this artificial intelligence a title like “The Oracle”. The changes introduced by the Oracle led to far better results than what he was capable of himself, but he is painfully aware that the result is not 100% and still looks at the solution as inadequate. As long as someone gets out, they pose a danger to the machines and the system because they have the freedom of choice to influence things with their actions. “The problem is choice”.
Neo: This is about Zion.
Architect: You are here because Zion is about to be destroyed — its every living inhabitant terminated, its entire existence eradicated.
The repetitive cycle and the war between humans and machines.
Neo: Bullshit.
Neos@TV: Bullshit!
Architect: Denial is the most predictable of all human responses, but rest assured, this will be the sixth time we have destroyed it, and we have become exceedingly efficient at it.
Architect: The function of the One is now to return to the Source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program. After which, you will be required to select from the Matrix 23 individuals — 16 female, 7 male — to rebuild Zion. Failure to comply with this process will result in a cataclysmic system crash, killing everyone connected to the Matrix, which, coupled with the extermination of Zion, will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race.
Here he explains the rest of Path of the One. He obviously explains it from their point of view to contribute to the outcome he wants, which is also part of the process itself. The people whom the One chooses will be released by the Architect after the war is over and Zion is destroyed. They are going to build a new human city outside The Matrix. This is the person Morpheus refers to when he describes The Prophecy. “When the Matrix was first built, there was a man born inside who had the ability to change whatever he wanted, to remake the Matrix as he saw fit. It was he who freed the first of us “. Morpheus was told this. He was not even one of those first 23 who were released at the start of the sixth iteration. By starting the process this way, the machines get better control of where and when the human city is built up. They always know where Zion is, they just wait to attack it until “The anomoly becomes systemic”. That is until too many have rejected The Matrix as reality, and it’s time for a new reload. As we know, this process has taken almost 100 years in the sixth iteration of The Matrix. The Architect does what he can to convince Neo that this is the only right choice and the only way to save his people.
Neo: You won’t let it happen. You can’t. You need human beings to survive.
Architect: There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept. However, the relevant issue is whether or not you are ready to accept the responsibility of the death of every human being on this world. It is interesting, reading your reactions. Your 5 predecessors were, by design, based on a similar predication — a contingent affirmation that was meant to create a profound attachment to the rest of your species, facilitating the function of the One. While the others experienced this in a very general way, your experience is far more specific — vis a vis love.
Neo points out that the machines have a lot to lose, the Architect gives a short answer and draws the conversation quickly over to what Neo has to lose.
Neo: Trinity.
Architect: Apropos, she entered the Matrix to save your life, at the cost of her own.
Neo: No.
At some point, the Architect understands what the Oracle has done that affects this process to end with a different result than in the previous iterations. But whether he knows about it before his meeting with Neo is uncertain. Perhaps he understands it there and then.
Architect: Which brings us at last to the moment of truth, wherein the fundamental flaw is ultimately expressed, and the anomaly revealed as both beginning and end. There are two doors. The door to your right leads to the Source, and the salvation of Zion. The door to your left leads back to the Matrix, to her and to the end of your species. As you adequately put, the problem is choice. But we already know what you are going to do, don’t we? Already, I can see the chain reaction — the chemical precursors that signal the onset of an emotion, designed specifically to overwhelm logic and reason — an emotion that is already blinding you from the simple and obvious truth. She is going to die, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.
He explains the choice Neo faces. Which is the crucial step in Path of the One. But he sees that Neo will choose “wrong”. He makes a final attempt to prevent Neo from choosing to prioritize Trinity above humanity.
Architect: Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness.
Neo: If I were you, I would hope that we don’t meet again.
Architect: We won’t.
The conversation with the Oracle in The Matrix Revolutions
And finally, the last conversation between Neo and the Oracle.
Oracle: That’s it. That’s the secret. You’ve got to use your hands.
Sati: Why?
Oracle: Cookies need love like everything does.
Notice that the Smith who has taken control of Sati repeats this at their meeting with the Oracle later. This is a point because his access to their information is crucial to the outcome of the match between Neo and Smith, where he has similar access to the Oracle’s knowledge.
Sati: Neo!
Oracle: I was hoping to have these done before you got here. Oh well. Sati, honey, I think it’s time for a tasting. Take the bowl to Seraph and find out if they’re ready.
Sati: Okay. (to Neo) I’m glad you got out.
Neo: Me too.
Oracle: So, do you recognize me?
Neo: A part of you.
Oracle: Yeah, that’s how it works. Some bits you lose, some bits you keep. I don’t yet recognize my face in the mirror, but… I still love candy. (offers Neo a piece of red candy)
Neo: No, thank you.
Oracle: Remember what you were like when you first walked through my door, jittery as a junebug? And now just look at you. You sure did surprise me, Neo, and you still do.
Neo: You gave me a few surprises, too.
Oracle: I hope I helped.
Neo: You helped me to get here, but my question is why? Where does this go? Where does it end?
Oracle: I don’t know.
Neo: You don’t know or you won’t tell me?
Neo has gradually understood how the Oracle leads him to given outcomes. But so far, he has not seen any reason to doubt her intentions.
Oracle: I told you before. No one can see beyond a choice they don’t understand, and I mean no one.
Neo: What choice?
Oracle: It doesn’t matter. It’s my choice. I have my mind to make, same as you have yours.
It may seem that the choice she’s talking about is helping the humans. He has begun to understand that she leads him to sacrifice his life to save the humans. But since he knows she is an artificial intelligence from the machine world, he does not quite understand why she does so much to help them. The Oracle has learned to understand humans better after many iterations of The Matrix. She has led many different The One in addition to the other relevant characters, and gradually gained an understanding of how people make choices and are controlled by emotions. She has started to see positive aspects of human existence, rather than just seeing them as pieces in a game for their own existence, the way the Architect and the other machine intelligence have done so far. She will therefore try to achieve peace and coexistence between machines and people. This is her choice. It is Neo who can not see past her choice because he has not understood her motivation and perspective around it yet.
Neo: Does that include what things to tell me and what not to tell me?
Oracle: Of course not.
Neo: Then why didn’t you tell me about the Architect? Why didn’t you tell me about Zion, the Ones before me — why didn’t you tell me the truth?
Oracle: Because it wasn’t time for you to know.
Neo: Who decided it wasn’t time?
Oracle: You know who. (She points at the Temet Nosce sign above the door)
Neo: I did. (Oracle nods) Then I think it’s time for me to know a few more things.
The Oracle has analyzed that if Neo had known all of these circumstances from the beginning, he probably would not be able to accept the role she has given him in this game.
Oracle: So do I.
Neo: Tell me how I separated my mind from my body without jacking in. Tell me how I stopped four sentinels by thinking it. Tell me just what the hell is happening to me.
Oracle: The power of the One extends beyond this world. It reaches from here all the way back to where it came from.
As explained further up, this is an necessary security measure to ensure that Path of the One can be completed. When the machines rely on The One to complete it in order to initiate a reload and ensure that The Matrix can continue to operate, it is obvious that they would not let some random meeting between Neo and machines lead to his death outside The Matrix.
Neo: Where?
Oracle: The Source. That’s what you felt when you touched those Sentinels. But you weren’t ready for it. You should be dead, but apparently you weren’t ready for that, either.
The way Neo exchanges the two-way signals, and the security features around The One make him both able to see where machines are located near him and to stop machines that attack him in the real world. This is not the same as being connected to The Matrix. He is in the normal world, with his usual senses, but also receives and emits signals through his interface implants from when he was part of the machine’s power plant. It is therefore difficult to get used to this machine communication when not actually connected to The Matrix. He was not prepared for it, and it could have become too much for his brain to handle. He ends up in a coma, but he was not ready to give up. This communication in the real world is also why Neo sees Bane after his eyes are injured, because the machines are feeding him signals with the character he is actually controlled by, which is Smith.
Neo: The Architect told me that if I didn’t return to the Source, Zion would be destroyed by midnight tonight.
Oracle: (rolls eyes) Please… You and I may not be able to see beyond our own choices, but that man can’t see past any choices.
Neo: Why not?
Oracle: He doesn’t understand them — he can’t. To him they are variables in an equation. One at a time each variable must be solved and countered. That’s his purpose: to balance an equation.
Neo: What’s your purpose?
Oracle: To unbalance it.
Have you noticed how the Architect and Oracle both responds “Please ..” on one occasion each when Neo is talking with them about the other? They are like an old couple. :-D
If everything goes according to plan, the machines will attack Zion and the people will be eradicated. But the Oracle has other plans for the outcome of that war. That choice, the Architect does not understand.
Neo: Why? What do you want?
Oracle: I want the same thing you want, Neo. And I am willing to go as far as you are to get it.
Neo: The end of the war. (Oracle nods) Is it going to end?
Oracle: One way, or another.
Neo: Can Zion be saved?
Oracle: I’m sorry, I don’t have the answer to that question, but if there’s an answer, there’s only one place you’re going to find it.
Neo: Where?
Oracle: You know where. And if you can’t find the answer, then I’m afraid there may be no tomorow for any of us.
Neo: What does that mean?
Oracle: Everything that has a beginning has an end. I see the end coming. I see the darkness spreading. I see death. And you are all that stands in his way.
Neo: Smith.
She prepares Neo to sacrifice her life to save the humans. Neo knows that Smith has gained much power, and the Oracle convinces him that he is the only one who can stop Smith. Despite the fact that she is the one who has given Smith this power.
Oracle: (nods) Very soon he’s going to have the power to destroy this world, but I believe he won’t stop there; he can’t. He won’t stop until there’s nothing left at all.
Neo: What is he?
Oracle: He is you. Your opposite, your negative, the result of the equation trying to balance itself out.
The equation. That was an interesting title to give yourself.
Neo: What if I can’t stop him?
Oracle: One way or another, Neo, this war is going to end. Tonight, the future of both worlds will be in your hands… or in his.
Other things people dislike
There are other things people have also criticized in the two sequels. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Irrelevant programs get a lot of screen time
There are several characters that get a lot of screen time, apparently without having any direct relevance to the story. This applies, for example, to Rama-Kandra, Sati and Persephone. You may notice that all the conversations and actions that these characters take part in are about understanding the system. It’s about showing viewers the difference between relationships in a machine world and a human world. They talk about how machines relate to emotions. That it is about a relationship and motivation for actions.
If you looks at the reactions of especially Neo, you notice quickly that he is affected by this. He eventually begins to respect more than before that relationships and the existence of artificial intelligence can mean something, and not just humanity. This helps to influence him in the direction that he wants to help find solutions that involve the coexistence between machines and people, and not just the eradication of the machines.
The Kid
Neo’s biggest fan is a character that has no relevance to the actions in the movies. The actor makes a good effort, but the role in itself could very well have been dropped.
Sunglasses in the dark
Early in the first sequel, Morpheus, Niobe and the other captains are gathered in a dark place inside The Matrix. They are all wearing sunglasses and some people have managed to criticize the sequels on this. In the first film, both agents and humans are wearing sunglasses in dark places all the time. This is what Morpheus refers to as “Residual self image — It’s the mental projection of your digital self.” That’s a partial self-controlled look for the avatars inside The Matrix. An image and symbol of how you want to be seen, rather than how you actually look.
Too much war
A big part, especially in the last film, is dedicated to the war in Zion. This can be a bit difficult to swallow if you expect the movies to be about the characters jumping in and out of The Matrix for various reasons all the time. But after we have looked at the details of the story, there is no doubt that the war between machines and people in the real world is a very important part of the story. Some have also criticized that they constantly shoot with regular bullets, while we see that they have, for example, handheld electric weapons. These weapons are, of course, not very safe, especially at long distances. When a large number of flying robots try to attack you in a very large room, what’s more effective than fast, accurate bullets that go only in one direction? What would otherwise have been better?
Why The Matrix
Why do the machines at all create a complex virtual world to control people? Why not just dope them down with something so they live in some kind of artificial coma and give them the electricity they need? Should you criticize the films for this, then the first movie is as big a subject of criticism as the sequels. Perhaps the machines even tried this, but found out that people did not live as long? Looking at the complexity of the most advanced programs in the movie, they may simply have wanted something different from the gray, polluted world that constitutes their reality. An artificial intelligence is not necessarily limited to one “body”. The alternative is that they either only relate to data, without any visual reality, or that they take a robot body of some sort. Perhaps they wanted a place where they could shape the circumstances more themselves, where they could test theories, people’s reactions and control the elements on their premises. A place where they could revenge the people, for having polluted the world to a level that made it necessary for them to find alternative energy sources.
The agents
In the first film, the agents are the big enemies. The ones people need to watch out for. In the sequel, they get virtually no screen time, and are easily stopped by Neo. This whole story is a long process from The Matrix going into its usual cycle, to the end point where the Oracle’s plan has been successful and the cycle takes a new direction in terms of peace. It’s like a long storytelling with a development and a climax. It’s easy to get caught up in how the first film was like a standalone story, even though it only shows a limited part of the Matrix universe. The agents are the first challenge for Neo and the others on this road. They come across many other challenges on the way to a solution. Not exactly an unusual method of storytelling. But if you want the whole story to deal with the first challenge the protagonist faces, then there may be a reason to dislike the agents’ changing role. If the attitudes and style of the agents from the first film is what you miss, doesn’t Smith more than adequately make up for this in its role in the sequels?
The light effects in Revolutions
I have seen criticism of the yellow light effects in The Matrix Revolutions. Both in the way Neo sees the world after he has been blinded, and not least the entire show at the end when he is defeated by Smith and dies in the machine city. We have already gone through why Neo sees these lighting effects. As this is a visualization of a flow of data, one will soon see that the way they appear when Deus ex machina makes sure Smith is deleted, really is quite natural. In addition, it becomes an incredibly emotional way to visualize to us as viewers what is happening.
The evil laughter
After Smith has taken control of Oracle’s avatar, he responds with a wicked laughter. Many have not quite been able to accept this. Is it exaggerated? Evil laughter may be a bit old-fashioned in storytelling on film. But the question then is what reason Smith has to react like this in this situation. Smith hates The Matrix, and he hates the humans. He wants to destroy everything on his way. When he takes over the Oracle, he gets control of the most comprehensive set of data and analyzes that exist around The Matrix. Not least, he sees the Oracle’s prediction on the outcome of the match between him and Neo. It says that Smith wins. The same prediction he cites several times during their fight. He knows he’s going to win the most important battle on his road to world domination. If that is not reason for such a reaction, when will it ever be?
Keanu Reeves
Some have criticized Keanu Reeve’s acting features. That he has too plain facial expressions. I find that he is perfect for this role. Neo is supposed to be a thoughtful character that has to absorb incredible amounts of information and prepare to save all mankind. Reeves also worked incredibly hard to play a good role in the movies, and I think the result was very good! He also gave a share of his rights to revenues from the movies to the franchise who made the special effects, out of respect for their work and to give them the opportunity to continue this work in the future. With all due respect, alternatives that were considered were Nick Cage, and Will Smith (just after he had finished the Fresh Prince series).
Conclusion
Have you got a better understanding of the Matrix trilogy? I think the story presented in The Matrix films are among the most brilliant written for film. And they are written in a way that triggers curiosity and causes you to see them several times if you want to fully understand them. Some of the actions of the characters, you only understand if you think about the choices and actions the character had to make in the time beyond what is shown in the movies. And not least in combination with things other characters have chosen and done. Unfortunately, many have also chosen to conclude that the movies are bad because they do not fully understand the story and the action. I’m glad they are presented in the way they are. I would not want a presentation that had been easier and more straight forward. It would not provide the same quality, mystery and experience.
I’m trying to free your mind
If we disregard that some scenes have a reduced quality of digital effects (remember that the sequences were made in 2003), I would say the three films are within the same quality level. They are just presented in different ways. Sequels trying to do even more of what worked in the first film, often ends up not being very good. So if you prefer movies with an easy-to-understand story, you might want to stick to the first movie. However, if you like technology, logic and complex relations, you should get to know all three movies better. Who else has made films that different people can interpret in the direction of logic, philosophy and religion? That fills the internet with theories and discussions about what really happened? With special effects that would for the most part have been received as high quality even 20 years after they came to the big screen?
And remember… It is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
This article may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in an effort to advance the understanding of the story and contents of the The Matrix trilogy and the related contents. I believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in the section 107 of the U.S Copyright Law.
