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"The Matrix:" Setting the questions of the ages in bold relief
By Steve Lansingh
When the bustle of everyday life quiets, the mind clears of unimportant trivia, and stillness invades a person, the basic questions of human existence begin to stare that person in the face: Is the physical world the only reality there is? Is the course of my life under my control? Is truth worth discovering if it makes life less comfortable? The daunting size of these questions force many to busy themselves into distraction: go shopping, make a snack, see a movie. But if they were to see "The Matrix" they would face the same questions all over again.
The hero of this superlative film, Neo (Keanu Reeves), is a modern-day computer hacker who seeks to discover the truth of the mysterious "matrix." (To say much more would ruin the unpredictable plot of twists and turns.) On his journey toward understanding, he is posed the same questions mentioned above. To the first two questions he answers in typical American '90s fashion: I trust only what I can see, touch, or taste. I don't believe in fate. But to the third question Ñ presented in the form of a red caplet that will give him the truth and a blue caplet that will return him to his comfortable existence Ñ this seeker answers yes. And by taking the red caplet, Neo slowly learns that his first two answers were wrong.
"The Matrix" asks the same question of its audience as it does of Neo: Are you willing to search for truth even if it demands a lot from you? Many will answer no; they will see the film as merely a cool action flick -- which it is, containing some of the most dazzling effects seen on-screen. But those who answer yes and follow the film's mind-bending trip can walk away enriched. On the subject of reality, the enigmatic Kenobi-like Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) reminds us that what we see, taste, and feel is merely the brain's interpretation of electrical signals sent by nerve endings. The body can only collect data (and only a limited range of data, at that); the brain must interpret it to construct "reality." As a Christian, I embraced this viewpoint; I find it all too easy to perceive my world only with my five senses and to forget about the spiritual world entirely. On the subject of fate, the film makes no speeches but simply follows Neo as he disbelieves his own destiny then through his own choices ends up fulfilling it. The movie presents a balanced interaction of predestination and free will -- another Christian theme rarely present in public consciousness.
Neo is asked the third question again at the end of the film, but this time it's directed toward the millions of humans who haven't yet been enlightened by the truth: Should he free them from their false yet comfortable existence -- when they don't even know they're in bondage? The film doesn't really answer this question; it leaves this loose end along with several others because the writers/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski intend the film to be the first installment in a trilogy. (Knowing this, I forgave the somewhat muddled ending; Roger Ebert groused that he was left waiting for the third act.) Regardless, I found Neo's dilemma to have another Christian correlation: How can we help people escape the bondage of sin when they're comfortable in it and don't want out? I am hoping that the Wachowski brothers get to make their sequel so we find out what Neo decides to do.
I should mention that, in addition to these Christian pulses, the film borrows from Zen wisdom, ancient mythology, Eastern philosophy, Lewis Carroll, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and a host of other sources to create a hodgepodge spiritual vision. I suppose I could have rejected it outright as being yet another all-roads-lead-to-God Hollywood product, but instead this mixture of sources gave me the most pause for thought of anything in the movie. Let's return to my opening thesis for a moment, that the big questions of life haunt every person from time to time. And although many ignore it, just as many do not. They wrestle honestly with these questions and arrive at different answers, expressing their ideas in mythology, psychology, religion, and art. Not everyone can be right, though -- which is why seeking truth makes life so uncomfortable. Doubt always resurfaces from time to time to ask if you're sure you know what you're doing.
For some Christians, then, it's easier to put up the blinders to all other religions and to art in order to quiet the doubt. But I like to examine what art, religion, mythology, and psychology have in common with my faith as well as where they differ. If the God of the Bible is who he says he is, then he's created us with longings that only he can fill and given us a core morality that is in line with his will. We should be able to know him simply by learning to know ourselves and the world around us. Paul states this in Romans 1:20-21, writing, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile." Every attempt to understand humanity and the world we live in, then, is a cry for the true God. All the false religions, mythology, and art that people have invented instead of glorifying God still have a lot in common with my faith because they were born out of the same place. When I recognize elements of my faith within art created by someone with no ties to Christianity, I am encouraged. That an artist can search within herself and come to a discovery that I first had to be told by an elder in the faith, that confirms to me the validity of the truth.
Again and again I find human professionals discovering what the Bible has always said is the best way to live. The laws in the Pentateuch about ritual washings of dishes and of people who have touched the dead make perfect sense to us in this century since the discovery of germs. And psychologists have found that people who give away a portion of their income (what Christians call a tithe) are happier and more content because they feel they have more than enough to survive. Zen ideals for a teacher-student relationship mirror almost exactly Jesus' relationship with the disciples. Art, rather than lecture, is the communicator of truth, which is why Jesus taught in parables and the Bible tells the story of God's relationship with people. The Greek philosophers were contemplative because it was the only proper response to a "world of spiritual beauty that is more real, has more density, more mass, more energy, and greater intensity than physical matter," writes Henri Nouwen in "The Genessee Diary."
When other worldviews differ from my own, I try figure out where. And what it usually comes down to is that they see redemption as the result of our own deeds. Christianity is unique in that our salvation is a gift. To some people that seems simply too easy; others might not want to put themselves in debt like that -- so they figure out something more to their liking. What I loved about "The Matrix" was that Morpheus offers Neo the red caplet as a gift; it costs nothing and can be turned down. And when he accepts it, he has only begun a long journey toward truth, just as a new Christian is only one step down the path. Each step further on the path must be consciously taken by Neo himself; Morpheus says, "I can show you the door but you have to walk through it." It's such a clear depiction to me of the many doors God has led me to and asked me to step through, even though I was afraid and it meant that my life was a little less comfortable.
I encourage you to see "The Matrix" and follow Neo on his path into the unknown; it will involve you with its twists and startle you with its visuals -- a smooth, rare blend of both substance and style.
Ed Hara
PS -- To the brother who complained of the "New Age" and Gnostic flavor of the movie, try reading the Gospels and imagining that it is not Christ, but Buddha speaking. The similarities to what they say are erriely similar -- forsaking all to follow truth, renouncing materialism, loving one's neighbor more than self, contentment with little, peacemaking, etc. Just consider that the Eastern non-christian religions borrowed the truth from us, and not vice-versa. --Brother Ed
John J. Wagner
The salvation offered in Matrix is one of new thinking not of God's grace
offered for the forgiveness of our sins and new life. Gnosticism has always
had a close association with Christian terminology while having an entirely
different world-view and message of salvation. Although I don’t think any
viewer would take seriously that if only we could loose the chains on our
minds we might some day even be able to literally fly (the ending of the
movie). But we do hear every day that we make our own reality, and there
is nothing that we can’t do once we can break free of the restrictions
(including moral and religious rules) that others have put on us. Let us
not be so quickly taken in by Christian religious sounding references. It
may be telling to expand upon the name of the Christ figure: "Neo Anderson"
can be taken to literally mean, "New son of man"!
Bob Beeflips
Artiom Palikian
Thilo Hennrich
totong
Andreas Wahlin
Thomas Ohren
TS
Stefan Isarie
Etienne Ziller
Gary McElroy
Caro
Jack Bell
Mr. Cool
Agent M
READER RESPONSES
Fantastic movie. Very Christological in what it presents. You have to watch it twice to get the full effect. Note that Neo keeps sensing that there is something more than the world in which he lives and moves. Yet when he finds Morpheus, he is told that he was not seeking Morpheus, but Morpheus was seeking him. What a great picture of how the Holy Spirit disquiets the hearts of men and how it is God ("Morpheus, he's more like, well, like a father to us" -- Tank) is the one seeking us. Then Neo is offered that which will change his life. The red pill is a great symbol of the Blessed Eucharist (wasn't colored red by accident). By recieving the Eucharist in faith, we enter into the most mysterious of the Christian mysteries. Neo is the redeemer figure, but like our Lord, he must learn who he is. Scripture says that Christ "learned obedience" by suffering. I always used to wonder about how the perfect Son of God needed to learn anything, but I forgot that our creed makes him both Son of God and Son of Man, fully both, two natures in one person. And thus Neo meets evil on its own ground. I also saw in Neo a picture of each of us as we, being adopted by God's grace into the family of God, work our growth in sanctification. Eastern Christianity has a word for this -- "theosis" -- becoming fully the children of God in His likeness. We put on Christ, and become like Him (except in essence). Yet our flesh, represented I believe by the evil agents in the film, continues to try to kill that life of God in us. Loved the last scene where Neo comes to full consciousness and enters into the agent's body. The fullness of the "Sun of Righteousness" bursts forth in brilliant light which destroys the dark and evil agent. The more we are receptive to the Holy Spirit, the more this happens in our lives. Can't wait for the sequel.
I was impressed by the possible Christian images cited in the review and
in the readers' response section (Bob Beeflips). In addition to the names
cited, no one has mentioned the mysterious center of the resistance,
"Zion", which presumably will be further developed in the next installment.
And of course, Neo Anderson, the semi Christ figure can indeed be taken to
mean the New ("neo") Man ("andros"), a Christian title for Jesus. But I
fear it is "another Jesus" which is being proclaimed -- a New Age Jesus and
vision of reality. For it turns out that the world is an illusion. The
Hindus call it "maya". The particulars of how the mass illusion of
humanity came to be and how it works are just a good science fiction story,
but the philosophical concept behind Matrix can be a very serious
introduction to views that are really the antithesis of the Christian
gospel. In Matrix it is by thinking differently than everyone else (may I
suggest, by having true "gnosis") that the spell of the illusion can be
broken. (And in fact when the human mind is freed up, it can do astounding
physical feats only dreamed of now.) Meanwhile, in the world of our sense,
the world we all think we share together as reality, things we think are
happening are not really, except in our own minds. Its an illusion we all
share together. But there are the elite few who have broken free of this
corporate way of perceiving reality, and consequently they threaten the
sinister powers that be. That Neo was given a choice to remain deceived
or to really see the world behind the illusion surely is the same offer
given in eastern religions. They, too, understand that the mass of
humanity is deceived, and that's okay. But those who want enlightenment
are invited by the enlightened masters to seek it.
While I would agree that the film by philosophical terms is Eastern, it nevertheless contains some of the clearest Christian images ever, starting with the names. Neo = new; anagrammed out makes it eon and the one. Jesus heralds a new commandment; he is eternal and he is the One. His other name is Thomas Anderson. Ander = man; ergo, Son of Man. He is resurrected by a loving kiss from Trinity. He experiences a virgin birth of sorts and the film ends with his ascension into heaven after giving us a challenge. All along, Neo was led by different people in his life to achieve a saving purpose -- to lay down his life for his friend, and to sacrifice his own in the process. He is betrayed by Cypher (Lu-cipher), who throws in with the evil Agent Smith to destroy the good guys from within. This film is popular because it works on so many levels, but the Christian level cannot be ignored.
COOLLLLLL
Extraordinary, stunning, cool music. Surely the best movie I«ve ever seen,
but I missed the hint, that the music was partially copied from
Propellerhead«s latest album. Wasn«t it??
the movie was real cool!!! and its like an eye opener to me. i believe that there is something that controlling our minds. yet i'm not sure what it is.
I liked the film, but didn't find it really as good as people say. Sure, I won't deny that it gave hell of a kick and I immediatly started pondering even more on the questions the film shoved me, but nothing was really new. This movie is one big compilation of other sources, nothing new or dazzling. It's just presented in a very nice wrap, all the goodies put together. This is very good indeed, but I get a little upset over the total hype on this film.
This movie is the best movie I've ever seen. It's brilliant, it's a masterpiece, it's the best movie ever. All the actors are excellent.
Lansingh mentioned that when a non-Christian has a personal revelation that is similar to that of a christian that just confirms the validity of the christian faith. Consider the other view: What if the christian faith is valid only because it is universal? That is, it is only human nature that people think in such a way -- of course that would make everyone have the same kind of experience. Anyway, that might just show what kind of universal message The Matrix has for all human kind. What are we looking at in our everyday life that we call reality? Would the Christian's view of reality be just one possible interpretation of what is real?
"The Matrix" este cel mai bun film science-fiction care a rulat anul acesta in Romania.
The Matrix has got to be the best film ever !! It's has everything you
could wish for, it is a modern masterpiece and I hope it symbolizes the
film industry for the next century. Wow !
Brilliant simply brilliant and all the guns make the movie even better I would say if only it was a bit scarier Keanu Reeves' best film ever he is cool in it and I would love to have been there to see it being made. Except the people who did this page about it didnt say too many good things about the girl in it so let's some one say somthing about her I will. Well she was as good a Keanu Reves and that flip she did was cool.
I really liked it, nowaday that most of the movies are totally superficial and without argument I THINK IT IS ONE OF THE BESTS MOVIES I HAVE SEEN
Simply the best film ever. I'm speechless from it. I haven't slept for 2 days just thinking about it. It's a masterpiece of modern film.
The Matrix is brilliant. It's not just an all-action film either... it makes you think. The Plot is twisted and turning and the music kicks
Can any one please tell me how cypher can go into the matrix and talk
to Agent Smith with out any one else knowing, i thought u had to be loaded into
matrix, did he have any help??