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The lost vision of "The Matrix Reloaded"
By Brandon Freeman | Guest Reviewer
1999 released an awesome classic for the new century: The Matrix. This
film depicted the true battle which takes place in the spiritual realm. It
was, if you will, almost a parable of Christianity.
2003 re-enters the Matrix with a longer sequel and much more action, but sadly,
story and truth is put aside, shoved in a corner for an occasional glance. In
its place is sex, inuendo, and several minutes (seemingly hours) of unnecessary
violence.
The heart of the original message, I suppose, is still there, but it's hard to
listen to it when in the first thirty minutes you are bombarded with a horridly
explicit sex scene between Neo and Trinity. There is also another very
disturbing sexual scene which almost made me walk out of the theater altogether.
It seems as though the brothers that wrote the first movie have lost the vision
of the story or never had the vision that I thought they did (I would rather
suspect the latter is the case).
It's much harder to tell what the moral of this movie is, considering it's only
half a movie (the third installment being released in November).
The question that I know I will never understand is why filmmakers feel that
sex must be a centerpiece in a film, and violence must be its partner. Now,
certainly, this is not a perfect world, and I understand that the first movie used
violence only when it had to. But this "Reloaded Matrix" is simply an
exhibition of kicks, guns, and sexual behavior. I did not appreciate these aspects of the film, as they became both tiresome and vulgar.
On the bright side, perhaps this was just a dark section of the trilogy, and
the third will light up. Anyhow, I'm sure glad that life is more than movies.
And I'm sure glad that Jesus, not Neo, is our Savior.
David
anyone who has seen monsters ball again a 15 in sunny england would probably
agree the sex in that belongs in a porn film not a 15.
there is more violence in this film but most of it is between agents and so
there is no blood guts or gore just fluid dance like actions.
this film will grip a generation and for the church to condem it as vulgor just
alienates us more and more. yes we should have values but i can still see so
much of christian life in this film and if i can use it to show God to this
lost world then use it i will.
Jonathan
Total Depravity
1) The fall of man - initial conversation between Morpheus and Neo before
freeing him from the Matrix reveals the fallen, dark, and hopeless estate of
humanity - "You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain.
You feel it. You've felt it your entire life. That there is something wrong with
the world. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you
from the truth. ... That you are a slave, Neo, like everyone else you were born
into bondage, into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for
your mind. No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for
yourself." I realize that this "total depravity" is mixed with a heavy dose of
Buddhism, Gnosticism, and Platonism, i.e. the freeing of our minds to escape this
so-called reality.
2) The fall of the machines (made in the image of man, A.I.) - this is manifest
in the battle between the machines and humanity which resulted in "scorching
the sky" and the oppression and enslavement of humanity.
3) The fall of the programs - Agent Smith's new persona and vendetta against
Neo is illustrative of the Òprogram fallÓ through which multiple aberrant and
hostile programs (The Twins, Merovingian, the Vampires, MerovingianÕs henchmen)
refuse to be deleted are rebel against the Machines that created them.
4) The fall of real humanity - evident in the WachowskisÕ irrepressible desire
to portray the sensual and sexual, despite its incongruence with the rest of
the film. To be sure the love between the Trinity and the One is, in one sense,
beautifully emblematic of the intra-Trinitarian delight and affection; however,
I doubt this was in view.
As with all interpretation, we should strive to get at the author's (director)
intent, while attempting to deconstruct our own presuppositions which are
easily projected onto the object of interpretation. The Matrix trilogy, to be sure,
is a cinematic benchmark and more. We do well to listen to the thoughtful
philosophical reflection of the Wachowskis as well as emulate their passion for
perfection, but in the end give glory to our Father who is in Heaven.
Wurld
thanks for the review. I am not going to see the flick based on your comments.
in him!
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READER RESPONSES
i have just seen the film and yes maybe sex and violence in the film
can be seen as a little bit over the top. but then again i have seen much worse
to condem the film on the small amount of sex and all in all very little bloody
violence is sad.
Despite the mixed reviews it was an excellent film. The criticism
that the plot and character development weakened is fair; however, Reloaded and
Revolutions are intended to form a cohesive whole. Moreover, the initial impact
of the Matrix can never be reproduced. The obtrusively long "orgy-sex" scene
(about five minutes) was entirely unnecessary. In my humble opinion this
extended a theme present in the movie, possibly unbenounced to the Wachowskis, the
theme of depravity. *These are initial reflections on the theme of total depravity
present in the first two films, subject to revision and extension. This theme
is present four-fold:
Yo Free-man,