I loved the first one. Watched it in theatres 5 times (i've long since given up on cinemas).

The sequels threw me. I never wathced revolutions until it came out on DVD. reloaded didn't make sense to me, hence this post.

I had expected the big twist in reloaded to be that Zion was still part of the matrix: an extra layer of control.

What actually happened I don't get. So can someone explain what it is that the Architect explained to Neo?

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;397873I loved the first one. Watched it in theatres 5 times (i've long since given up on cinemas).

The sequels threw me. I never wathced revolutions until it came out on DVD. reloaded didn't make sense to me, hence this post.

I had expected the big twist in reloaded to be that Zion was still part of the matrix: an extra layer of control.

What actually happened I don't get. So can someone explain what it is that the Architect explained to Neo?

Sorry, bro. I understood zardoz, 2001, lifeforce and even time bandits, but the matrix was beyond my comprehension.

Except that I really liked agent smith in the first one. Most believable portrayal of an AI I've ever seen.

I understood the first one, then they made two sequels and changed the rules somewhat.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;397873I loved the first one. Watched it in theatres 5 times (i've long since given up on cinemas).

Same here.  Watched "The Matrix" several times back when it was first released in the theaters.

Haven't been to the theater in years.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;397873The sequels threw me. I never wathced revolutions until it came out on DVD. reloaded didn't make sense to me, hence this post.

I still haven't seen the sequels yet.

I think the gag was that Neo's existence was built into the coding of the Matrix itself, and that the Matrix had collapsed and been rebuilt several times.

Essentially the existence of the "One" was an anomaly -- he could do all this crazy rule-breaking because he's essentially a programming error. The machines couldn't get rid of this error, so they account for it by letting Neo in on the secret and giving him a choice. One, he can reset the Matrix program and everything will start all over again; or two, he refuses to reset the program, the Matrix utterly collapses, and humanity basically gets destroyed.

Therefore Neo couldn't really win, because everyone had been through this a hundred times before.

So the second movie is a meditation on free will, I guess, or something. Also there's pie that can make your crotch explode.

Quote from: Insufficient Metal;397899I think the gag was that Neo's existence was built into the coding of the Matrix itself, and that the Matrix had collapsed and been rebuilt several times.

Essentially the existence of the "One" was an anomaly -- he could do all this crazy rule-breaking because he's essentially a programming error. The machines couldn't get rid of this error, so they account for it by letting Neo in on the secret and giving him a choice. One, he can reset the Matrix program and everything will start all over again; or two, he refuses to reset the program, the Matrix utterly collapses, and humanity basically gets destroyed.

Therefore Neo couldn't really win, because everyone had been through this a hundred times before.

So the second movie is a meditation on free will, I guess, or something. Also there's pie that can make your crotch explode.

I always avoid pie.

However it seems that the machines genetically engineered Neo (ie the one) to have all that stuff. But that aspect of the story is not explained and you just have to take on faith that he has super powers. That is what always confused me, the first film worked because all the cool stuff was explained (it's a computer program, you're hacking it with your mind). Then they took him outside the matrix and he could still do all that shit. That's why i figured zion was still part of the matrix, and i still think that would have been a cooler storyline. Another level of control to break through - the prophecy is still a machine lie.

if lucas can retcon and reengineer his movies then there's no reasons the warchowskis can't.

Just one possible take on it was that the machine intelligences realized something like "Agent Smith" could emerge, and possibly created something as a counter to it. Maybe neo's ultimate function was as a counter to an "agent smith takeover" scenario.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;398030However it seems that the machines genetically engineered Neo (ie the one) to have all that stuff. But that aspect of the story is not explained and you just have to take on faith that he has super powers. That is what always confused me, the first film worked because all the cool stuff was explained (it's a computer program, you're hacking it with your mind). Then they took him outside the matrix and he could still do all that shit. That's why i figured zion was still part of the matrix, and i still think that would have been a cooler storyline. Another level of control to break through - the prophecy is still a machine lie.

Yeah, I never cared for that part either, and chose to assume that the sequels were silently inferring that the "real world" was indeed another layer of artificial reality.

The Matrix - the greatest franchise that never was.

Someone posted a response, but i cannot see it, must be a glitch in the matrix. Perhaps an agent.