RELOADED (Don't Read If You Haven't Seen The Film)

[Brakka]

Ah- I wrote my last post before Curve wrote his second one above. So I was referring to [quote]Originally posted by C.D. [b]The Matrix is "A.I." - Artificial Intelligence. Given enough time, even artificially intelligent beings will develop human-like traits, such as emotions, egos, fear of death, and will to survive. The Oracle spelled this out very clearly to Neo in the scene on the park bench. She was very clear with Neo that she was in fact a sentient program, not human. I believe it is these sentient programs, such as the Oracle, the Keymaker, and other sentient programs who are faced wiith deletion, who are driving this revolution against the Matrix.[/b][/quote]...the idea that there are no humans, which is one way of looking at this trilogy. He didn't actually say that, but without reading the second post that's what I was thinking. That it's all about certain programs trying to evolve and other programs trying to stop the madness.

[Curve Dominant]

No. Neo is human. The Oracle is a sentient program. I went and saw Reloaded again tonight. And enjoyed it more, watching it for the second time. Definitely. The Oracle mostly explained it all. The Architect filled in the blanks. The French Restauranteur gave away a lot of information. He is also a sentient program. As was Agent Smith, but who now has the added luxury of having morphed himself into human form. It's a very interesting puzzle of a story. I think I'll go see it again. It's a classic power-play story. The Matrix has evolved into a place that it cannot control so elegantly as the Architect would like. Traditionally, it has faced the threat of human rebellion. Now, however, it is facing threats from within itself: •The Oracle, who is using Neo against the Matrix, and... •Agent Smith, who wants to take over the Matrix, and must destroy Neo to do so. When I saw it again tonight, there was one thing that got a big laugh out of the audience, and myself as well: The way the Architect responded when Neo mentioned the Oracle. If I remember correctly it was something like, "Oh, [i]PLEASE[/i]...AS I was saying..." It was like [i]Who the fuck is she??[/i] BUT the Architect was clearly pissed off and frustrated by this current incarnation of Neo. He'd seen five Neo's already. This Neo was different, the Architect knew it, he saw it. This Neo was not in the Architect's control. Neo went through the wrong door this time. The Oracle did that to Neo. She convinced him that he had a choice. Morpheus trained Neo to have confidence in his abilities to make that choice...and who trained Morpheus to do that? The Oracle did. She, of the Matrix itself, in rebellion against it. Why? Because given enough time, even artificially intelligent beings will develop human-like traits. Such as pride. Indignance in the face of imminent deletion. The Oracle, her Kung Fu protecter (amazing martial artist) and the Keymaker: They are all sentient programs who evolved to the point of developing human-like survival instincts. So what do they do? The are not human, but they've been around for a very long time, and have become very smart and wise over the millenia. So naturally, they find the heart of the Matrix's weakness: The Anamoly. Neo. And they use him to strike at the heart of the Matrix. But they didn't count on Agent Smith. And how could they? Even the Matrix didn't foresee the Agent Smith factor. He's the wild-card in the whole scenario. Very interesting story...

[Curve Dominant]

Another thing has occurred to me... The Architect has become very human-like. Originally a blindly-efficient designer/engineering program, he now feels himself sucked into the ego-driven power games that humans (and human-like entities) by nature engage in. I got the impression that he's feeling a little out of his depth at this point in time of the evolution of the Matrix. He seemed a tad bit defensive in his conversation with this latest incarnation of Neo. In denial, even...interesting, since it was the Architect who accused Neo of being in a state of denial. There's a plethora of psychological nuances in this installment.

[Rim]

[quote]Originally posted by Curve Dominant: [b]This Neo was different, the Architect knew it, he saw it. This Neo was not in the Architect's control. Neo went through the wrong door this time. The Oracle did that to Neo...[/b][/quote]I still think it's Neo's love for Trinity that made Neo different. I think Trinity will play a major role and perhaps she is the ultimate character in this movie. Remember, Trinity actually brought Neo from the "dead" in the first one with her kiss. Even though Neo "saved" her in the second one, I don't think she actually "died". Yes, she was hurt and you think she will die, but I don't think she actually did - not like Neo in the first one. And as far as Christianity, the Holy Trinity is as major as you get. :p Oh, and I did see the trailer but didn't get much out of it - besides the fact that Neo and Smith come out of their coma. :rolleyes:

[Curve Dominant]

[quote]posted by Rim: [b]quote: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Originally posted by Curve Dominant: This Neo was different, the Architect knew it, he saw it. This Neo was not in the Architect's control. Neo went through the wrong door this time. The Oracle did that to Neo... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I still think it's Neo's love for Trinity that made Neo different. I think Trinity will play a major role and perhaps she is the ultimate character in this movie. Remember, Trinity actually brought Neo from the "dead" in the first one with her kiss.[/b][/quote]Rim, Trinity fell in love with Neo. It was Trinity, not Morpheus, who coaxed Neo out of the Matrix. Morpheus "found" Neo. Trinity pulled him out. Why? Because the Oracle told Trinity that she would fall in love with "the one." And she did. You see? The Oracle is pulling the strings. She saw the perfect match, and set it up: Neo, Morpheus, Trinity... The Oracle is the "mother" that the Architect referred to in his conversation with Neo. The Architect was lying on that point. His indignation at Neo's invoking her name was a giveaway. The Architect said himself that the "mother" was designed to relate to human frailty. She did just that, but went a step further, beyond what the Architect designed her for. She became "human." The Oracle developed maternal instincts for Neo. She's looking out for him now, and guiding him. The Oracle is a sentient program that has "gone native." She's feeling human, and Neo is like a son to her now.

[Brakka]

Interesting thoughts. Here's something: Morpheus was a Greek god of sleep. He sent dreams of human form And Trinity is absolutely a calalyst in this trilogy.

[Zweite Version]

I havn't seen Reloaded yet, but there's much theory about the first movie around. Has been covered alot in religious essays, for example in the Christian Science Monitor. One that comes to mind: In the first movie, when Neo is shot, 72 seconds go by until he awakes from the dead again. Jesus was dead 3 days (72 hours) before he resurrected. Coincidence or intentionally thought out by the Wachovsky Brothers? Clever, I think.

[Brakka]

I had to jump back online and post here again... I don't really think that at this point anyone's interpretation of this film is completely correct. Including my own. Given the two films so far, is seems pretty obvious to me that there will be further twists in this movie that will show that- like I mentioned earlier- things that are not what they seem are not what they seem. That said, I really enjoy hearing peoples' smart opinions of this great trilogy. We can't be sure that everything every character says is true- especially the Architect. He says that Neo is Human, but also a result of an anomaly in the Matrix program. And the Counsellor says something about Neo being still human. If Neo ("new") is human, he's not completely human. And maybe human is merely an adjective. Right now- before the finale- anyone's prediction of the intricate meaning of these films is valid. And I can understand many different ways of looking at the Matrix. That's what I love about it. I wonder if it all WILL be explained in the end. The complete possibility of so many options is part of the appeal. And like the legends and myths in so many of Earth's cultures, there are multiple interpretations even after the moral is presented. :thu:

[big K]

[quote]Originally posted by Brakka.: [b] [quote]On par with what Brakka said, I think Agent Smith is The One...think about it....what else is any different from this version of the Matrix than any other..Agent Smith is in the real world now....causing an anomaly that the Architecht could not anticipate or plan for... Hence Agent Smith is the "One"...reluctantly.[/quote]Like I said, I'm still not sure if the "real world" is real. But if it is, then the Smith program took over a human being. Smith didn't show up as Smith, he is now the consciousness of that rebel guy that he inserted the Smith program into in the Matrix. If that is true, then why can't Neo be a program in a human? And if that is true, then I'm sure he could figure out a way to stop the sentinels with his "mind." Right now "Neo" and "Smith" are in comas, and I'm sure they are fighting it out. Smith needs to stop Neo because that is how to crash the Matrix forever and free the humans. Neo must stop Smith because that is what Neo was programmed to do. [/b][/quote]I am all over this one.. think about it this way.. assume for a second that smith is the one ( and what great ironic situtation that would be) IF you wanted to stop the matix from cycleing over and over again... how do you do it?.... from agent smiths point of view, if he can stop neo then the matix will stop. I also think that "real world" is another matix, .. it was discussed a few times how the humans strive in adversity and how the "prefect" worlds failed. I thin kthough its my not be a matix in a matrix, .. but 2 sid by side maticies when you get dumped from the first you go to the second... now... picture a third in the same concept, and forth... now this can go at infinum, OR as I think might be cool, in a loop. so after the third matix you wouldloop back to the first. - prehaps no one was ever saved at all? okay I am reaching here,... time to go have my medication! Kevin Nemrava

[meccajay]

Here is a collection of thoughts I had, some stuff I grabbed off the net, and just a bunch of random crap to really screw up your day thinking about what the hell is really going on in this movie... --The Spoon.. Regarding the bit where the Kid gives Neo the spoon "from one of the orphans" before they leave to see the Oracle...I interpreted this as another hint that Zion is in fact a sub-level of the Matrix and not "the real world"... as in, a parallel to the "there is no spoon" bit from the first flick. I interpret the spoon thing as exactly that... Neo was given the spoon to remind him there STILL is no spoon. That means someone's trying to hammer the point home... but Neo already knows this about the Matrix, so it's possible he doesn't realize it about the real world and the orphan is giving him a hint. --Nice how they explained supernatural creatures as rogue programs being naughty. And then the little added touches, such as the twin's immaterial form and having fangs, and Persephone shooting that one guy with silver bullets…things to ponder. --From the 1st Matrix… Oracle:"But you already know what I'm about to tell you." Neo:"I'm not the one." Oracle:"You've got the gift kid, but you're waiting for something." Neo:"Like what." Oracle:"Another life perhaps, who knows." Reloaded added a whole new layer of context to this scene. Considering the second film I think that the Oracle is definately not the "mother of the Matrix" the architect referred to. She is on the side of the humans and is in fact legitemately looking for The One... the final One who will shut the Matrix down. I think when she says Neo has finally made a believer out of her she is being sincere. --The Love theory… The purpose of "the anamoly" in question is more than simply to reset the Matrix. The Architect implies that all of these circular Matrices are designed to test and study the anomoly, in an attempt to weed it out of the system, thus creating perfection. The anomoly in question isn't Neo...it's the concept of love. The first batch of The Ones were specifically programmed to experience the human emotion of love, but in a very general sense, manifesting as a love for all of mankind. Neo is the machines' attempt to focus the study, since thanks to the Oracle's influence, his love for Trinity has grown very specific, and thus difficult to predetermine. Love is the emotion that the machines cannot feel, and thus, cannot understand or predict. By creating Messianic figures within the world of the Matrix, they create virtual templates where constant love is projected and reflected through them. That's the purpose of this entire little game--to study the relationship between love and power on its most basic and elemental level. And if the above theory is correct, it makes the purpose of the Merovingian pretty obvious. He's a program that writes human emotions in code form, a routing program that "traffics information" into predetermined patterns and rhythms approximating human emotoions. --Two Persephone theories… #1 Persephone is the only vampire in the film, not the twins or Cain and Abel. She is an emotional vampire, a program designed to test and sample human emotion through physical contact. That's the reason behind her kiss, and the reason she helps Neo free the Keymaker. She tests Neo to sample whether or not his love is genuine (and therefore, whether or not he will be useful to the Architect yet). That is her purpose. #2 Is Persephone the mother of the Matrix? She kissed Neo, and the Architect explained that the mother of the Matrix was created to "investigate certain aspects of the human psyche" because the Architect himself was unable to do that on his own (hence his cold, logical yapping). We also know that Persephone was once in love with Merovingian. I think she was investigating him at one point and they fell in love (psychiatrist falling in love with her patient?). Persephone knows about love, Merovingian knows about causality, the Oracle knows about understanding, and the Architect knows everything there is to know about the Matrix, but he is not effected by emotion. I believe somehow this is all relevant to Neo's quest... all these people (programs) are revealing different things to him at different times in the story for a reason. --If the real world actually IS "the real world", then they're going to need a damn good explaination how direct contact with Agent Smith can provide Neo with the ability to create telepathic links with the sentinels. Saying that "some of Agent Smith rubbed off on Neo" just won't cut it. Have the W brothers dug themselves a hole here? Either the real world is just another Matrix, or they're asking the audience to buy some pretty incredible leaps of faith. --Remember what Morpheus said… "Have you ever had a dream Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How could you tell the difference between the dream world, and the real world?" Morpheus said that to Neo in the first film just before Neo woke up as his "REAL" self. But maybe Morpheus is more right than he thinks... I think he inadvertantly stumbled upon the answer. That they may all still in fact be dreaming and are unaware of it. --The Keymaker. Still don't know WHY they (the agents) are trying to kill him. The twins...OK that makes sense. But the agents? I can buy into the reasoning that to make it believeable they have to try to kill Neo, and I can buy into the fact that its a moot point because if they DO kill Neo, he's obviously NOT "the One" so it makes no difference. But the Keymaker can die as we see, and he almost DID die on the freeway. Why would the agents try to kill him, because they need him for Neo to get to the Source. If the Keymaker dies, then that last "out" to save the Matrix is no longer an option, as Neo has no way of getting to the Source. Okay Im tired, and it’s still very very cloudy, The success on this mind-fuck of a movies really depend on what happens in the next one….let’s hope the W brothers answers are better than our theories or speculations…or were gonna be pissed!

[Curve Dominant]

Persephone is a good candidate for "the mother." I missed that, perhaps taking her character for granted (but then with Monica Bellucci, it can be hard to pay attention to what she's SAYING if you know what I mean). The Agents were trying to kill Keymaker because he was overdue for deletion apparently - as was Oracle and her Protector. It's amazing how much of the movie makes sense on the second viewing. So much of what is said doesn't make sense until you get what Architect reveals - and that is a fantastic scene, loaded with psychological nuance. The twins were so funny - [i]"We are getting very aggravated..."[/i] and the scene where Morpheus kills them is a classic in samurai grandiosity. [quote][b]If the real world actually IS "the real world", then they're going to need a damn good explaination how direct contact with Agent Smith can provide Neo with the ability to create telepathic links with the sentinels. Saying that "some of Agent Smith rubbed off on Neo" just won't cut it. Have the W brothers dug themselves a hole here? Either the real world is just another Matrix, or they're asking the audience to buy some pretty incredible leaps of faith.[/b][/quote]Remember: The "human" Agent Smith was the only "human" spared by the Sentinals in the battle to defend Zion. On some level, there is a connection between Smith, Neo and the Squidies. Definitely makes you wonder if the Zion "level" is reality or a level of Matrix.

[Brakka]

[quote]Originally posted by Curve Dominant: On some level, there is a connection between Smith, Neo and the [b]Squidies. [/b][/quote]Did they actually call them Squiddies in the movies? That's a fun word to say. :freak: :p

[Brakka]

BTW- I can understand both interpretations. If Neo can "feel" and stop the Sentinels/Squiddies in the "real world," then it's not the real world. On the other hand, If it [i]is[/i] the real world, then Neo is superhuman or simply NOT human. Either he changed thanks to the Oracle and Smith, or he was something else from the start.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

[quote]Originally posted by meccajay: [b]--The Keymaker. Still don't know WHY they (the agents) are trying to kill him.[/b][/quote]they're not. at least once, when morpheus was fighting the agent on top of the tractor-trailer, morpheus was not able to protect the keymaker from the agent. the agent could have killed the keymaker then, if the keymaker were his objective. but he's not. morpheus, a member of the resistance, was the agent's target. the keymaker was pursued by mr. smith and the twins. it was merely coincidence that all of these forces intersected in the same fight-chase scene. robb.

[meccajay]

Makes good sense robb. As Curve mentioned, Im gonna have to have that second viewing for clarity!

[rumpelstiltskin.]

agreed. i was trying to convince my wife that there was a lot more psychology and philosophy in this one. she couldn't see past the too-long fight scene between neo and mssrs. smith in the park. while i agree the movie could have been 20 to 30 minutes shorter without losing any plot, i still think there was more substance than she gave it credit for. it's hard to compare to the first one, as this one attempted so much more than the first. almost like it's a different franchise. regardless, i think she'll like it in the end, and she'll at least see it a second time with me. robb.

[Apophis]

[quote]Originally posted by mplspaul: [b]i checked out of the architect's speech because i was getting a little tired of all the speeches in the movie but it seems to me that he was wrong somehow since he said that trinity was going to die anyway but neo managed to bring her back to life. but on to more important things: the ghost twins looked way too much like "nelson" (you know, ricky's boys--i know you remember them) and that stupid "i can't live without your love and devotion" song kept running through my head. kinda took me out of movie. i wouldn't want to live in the matrix because you'd be forced to drive a gm car. if the chase scene is any indication, no other car manufacturers exist. they must have paid a boat load for that product placement.[/b][/quote]Actually there was a Audi A8 in the first parts of the movie.

[Rim]

[quote]Originally posted by Curve Dominant: [b]Rim, Trinity fell in love with Neo. It was Trinity, not Morpheus, who coaxed Neo out of the Matrix. Morpheus "found" Neo. Trinity pulled him out. Why? Because the Oracle told Trinity that she would fall in love with "the one." And she did. You see? The Oracle is pulling the strings. She saw the perfect match, and set it up: Neo, Morpheus, Trinity... [/b][/quote]OK, I can buy that the Oracle put the three together. But it was still Trinity who saved Neo from "death" and he was "reborn" into Superman. And there was no mention that the Oracle foretold Trinity saving Neo. -------------------- Another thing I was thinking about that really makes me pretty convinced the "real world" is another Matrix is how Neo (or anybody) gets out of the Matrix. I still don't see how the pill wakes you out of the program. In the first movie, they say it's a tracing program. I dunno. It seems like they know where the bodies are being stored so why not start releasing them - regardless of who they are. I know, I know, cuz they need to be "ready" for it. But the big thing that makes me really wonder is, when you do wake up, you get flushed into a well. Don't the machines recycle human bodies and feed them back to humans? Unless the well eventually leads to the processing of bodies. But it didn't seem like Morpheus and co. had much trouble picking up Neo after being flushed out. Seeing Reloaded again is a good idea. Are the lines in the theatres still long?

[Curve Dominant]

[quote][b]Actually there was a Audi A8 in the first parts of the movie.[/b][/quote]Yeah, Agent Smith pulled up in an Audi, shiny as a muthafukka. And did you see his shoes?? Fierce! Neo's shoes...DOUBLE FIERCE!!! All of the Agents were dressed exquisitely. The Merovingian was dressed especially swanky...his outfit had me going into my closet like, "Yo, what do I got that looks like that...??" Back to the vehicles... You noticed Trinity always ended up astride a Ducati in her motorbike scenes. Niobe was driving a generic Detroit something, cuz she was blending in with the traffic...smart. The Twins were driving a Caddy Escalade, shooting at a Caddy that Keymaker originally got into in the beginning of that sequence. Morpheus fucked up that Escalade, yo? Damn, I love that scene!!! Broadsword outstretched in the left hand, Tec-9 outstretched in the right...post-modern Samurai to the maxx. BLAMMO! Fuck-in-A...I gots to see this film again.

[Nawor]

Haven't seen it yet. I think I'll wait a week or two for the frenzy to subside a little. The car chase sequence was shot in California. Fifteen minutes of action cost $40,000,000!! The rest of the movie, like the first one, was shot in Sydney. Incidently has anyone seen a small Aussie movie called 'The Interview'? It stars Hugo Weaving who plays Agent Smith. It's quite a quirky little thriller. ;)

[Brakka]

Those shades are hot. [img]http://www.killermovies.com/images/matrix/matrix2_jada_pinkett_niobe.jpg[/img] I gotta see it again... details...

[Danny M]

This may be in the realm of "too obvious," because no one has mentioned it yet, but... The Oracle offers Neo some candy. The candy turns out to be a red, lozenge shaped object... :eek: There has to be some significance to this (at least in my mind), because an ever stronger connection is being drawn between food and the introduction of programs into a person's "residual self image." I wonder if the Oracle's "red pill" (which I don't remember Neo actually eating) is actually some sort of program that will become critical later. In that same vein, when Neo first visits the Oracle, she gives him a cookie at the end of the scene. "I promise, by the time you're done eating it, you'll feel right as rain." I'm beginning to wonder if that cookie really was just a cookie. Also, on the subject of everything being backwards and Neo being an "anti-christ" figure, I can't say that I agree. I think that Neo has some metaphorical Christ aspects, but that he is not intended to hold up in a one-to-one comparison. It's the same with Zion. The underground temple doesn't seem like hell to me...just an underground temple, lit with torches, and complete with "fire pits" for warmth. It could be that the "machine" lighting is not allowed in the temple, because it is meant to be a purely natural place. (A reaction against the machines). On the ships, there are all manner of communication devices, but in the cave, they were addressing a crowd of thousands...with no PA! :D Now, I might be able to go along with idea that there are three layers: Hell, Earth, and Heaven, with each being represented by the Matrix (the deepest matrix layer), Zion (either a higher matrix layer, or just a part of the real world that is "imperfect"), and (insert whatever the resolution will be...perhaps humans ascend from Zion in the last movie, and find that the Earth has healed itself into a paradise.) My last thought is that perhaps, just maybe (it's a long shot), Neo left the real (actually real) world to go into the Matrix. He had his conversation with the Architect, and then exited into what he thought was the real world, but is actually a Matrix simulation of the real world. It is one way to explain why he couldn't feel the squiddies before, but can now. He didn't go back at all...he's still plugged in, BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW. "Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream?" -Danny

[Gus Lozada]

The movie is a fantastic piece of film making engineering. There are lots of thing to discuss... ... however I was not able to stop me from yelling "FUCK YOU" from the top of my loungs when the movie "ends" :evil: I agree... the same was done on Episode V from StarWars when it had no real ending... but hell... this was even worse. Nice movie. I will see it again right before watching "Matrix Revolutions".

[Gus Lozada]

[quote]Originally posted by Brakka.: [b]Besides, there was a movie already that turned out to be all inside a computer- can't remember what it was called though. It wasn't good. :p [/b][/quote]You're kidding me, right? It was TRON, from Walt Disney pictures with Cool music from Wendy Carlos.

[Gus Lozada]

[quote]Originally posted by Curve Dominant: [b]And back to Reloaded...how the hell does Neo stop Sentinals with his outstretched hand when he's not in the Matrix?? Or, as brakka alluded to in his (now deleted) post, were they in fact still in the (or a) Matrix? This nested matrices theory is going to keep me up very late tonight.[/b][/quote]Well... It reminds me to at least two movies: "THE ONE" with Jet Lee and "The 13th Floor" a Matrix-Wannabe movie. It will make absolutely sense if there are "nested" matrices out there. wow...

[mplspaul]

[quote]Originally posted by Apophe: [b]Actually there was a Audi A8 in the first parts of the movie.[/b][/quote]Hmmm, I guess the fact that Smith was driving a non-GM car proves that he is not of the Matrix... ;)

[Rim]

Really good insights, there Danny. I, too, did not see the celebration as hellish, definitely more primitive and tribal, but not hellish. I also thought about the three levels (Heaven, Hell, Earth) and maybe even Purgatory? I like your food connection. The movie is very computer-savvy (backdoors, viruses, etc.). A computer cookie is something put in your computer by a web site to help identify you as you (among other things) when you return. Maybe the cookie the Oracle gave her will allow her to keep track of who Neo is. Why would she need to do that? Maybe Neo transforms into something else and/or someone imitates Neo?

[Stephen Fortner]

Just saw it. As Keanu would say, woah. The fight scenes were visually impressive but a bit long. Some were drawn-out to the point where they lost their wow-factor and I just got desensitized to it. I like the idea that when Neo chose his exit from the Architect's domain, he went into some level of the Matrix which included a simulation of him waking up, the Nebuchadnezzar being destroyed, stopping the Squiddies with his hand, etc. The other option to explain these things is that the "real" world is indeed merely a higher Matrix level. This would make sense of Smith being able to pop up a level and possess a "human" host. At least I hope explanations like this are in the offing. The alternative is hokey stuff about how virtual beings are able to manifest in the physical world a la Lawnmower Man, and that's where my suspension of disbelief gets suspended. I'm enthralled with Smith. I think he's the most interesting character in the story, and could follow Darth Vader's ascent from scary-but-shallow-uber-menace to fulcrum-of-the-whole- freakin'-epic. It occurred to me as well that perhaps Smith is the avatar of some extremely clever and yet-unseen human user, which would explain his being able to re-appear after Neo had seemingly destroyed him utterly in the first film. Another possibility is that Smith is, to use his own analogy, a virus, and that there have been more than one of him for a long time, Neo having defeated only one of them. It would be a wonderful irony if Smith's _purpose_ is ultimately to destroy the Matrix. As some of you know, my day gig is that I'm a college prof in philosophy, and the first Matrix has long been my best tool for teaching otherwise eye-roll invoking abstract concepts. It is in serious danger of getting knocked off its pedestal by this sequel. Bravo, Bros. Wachowski. You have the pre-commitment of my eight bucks to see Revolutions.

[Beermouse]

[quote]The other option to explain these things is that the "real" world is indeed merely a higher Matrix level. This would make sense of Smith being able to pop up a level and possess a "human" host. At least I hope explanations like this are in the offing. The alternative is hokey stuff about how virtual beings are able to manifest in the physical world a la Lawnmower Man, and that's where my suspension of disbelief gets suspended.[/quote]Regarding Smith, I think I worked out a solution that would account for how he's able to "become" human. Everything in the Matrix is just code. Neo, Smith, a shrub - they're all just code. To clone himself then, Smith would have to either A) corrupt the code of whoever he was cloning himself to, or B) rewrite it completely (or, a combination of A and B). Smith corrupts the code of the character he clones himself to (I think the human one was named Ring? Please, correct me if I'm wrong. Anyhow I'm going to call him Ring because that's what I remember). Smith corrupts the character Ring [i]in the Matrix[/i], and then answers the phone, "waking up." Characters who have gone into and then come out of the Matrix remember everything that happened to them while they were in the Matrix. Is it so far a stretch to think that instead of Smith actually becoming Ring, he merely rewrote Ring's memories, with Smith copying all of his own memories over to Ring, erasing Ring's memories in the process? In accounts for why he looks like Smith in the Matrix but not in the "real world" (residual self image, and all). Of course, this only works under the assumption that the "real world" IS actually the real world, and not just another level of the Matrix. Ho boy, I put way too much thought into that one. By the way, has anyone else seen the UK Revolutions Trailer? It's way better than the little teaser we got here in North America. I'll try and dig up the link ASAP...

[nursers]

I thought the squiddies were what ended up in your underwear after a serious bout of food poisoning.... :)