You have to see it for yourself.
Most people are aware that this quote almost comes from The Matrix, a film claimed by many to be revolutionary and incredible. Obviously, I've had to modify this quote slightly to fit the parameters of this webpage. The original version involved the fact that no one could be told what the Matrix was, and that you had to see it for yourself. Like many things in the movie, this quote was meant to be deep. Because no action/sci-fi flick can be complete anymore without some supposedly complex metaphysical and philosophical statements. By attempting to confuse the audience, the producers of the movie hope to deceive them into believing that it's so much more than just an action film. They don't even really have to make sense. Their purpose is accomplished so long as some people leave the theater confused and baffled. The inspiration for this week's quote is a perfect example. Despite what Morpheus claims, I can quite easily explain what the Matrix is*. Basically, it's every computer geek's dream come true. Suddenly, with a few clicks of a mouse, you can imbue yourself with extreme martial arts skills without even having to lift yourself out of your favorite computer chair. Consequently, the Matrix was quite popular among this demographic. Now, don't get me wrong. It's not that I disliked The Matrix. In fact, I thought it was quite a good movie, and am looking forward to seeing its much hyped sequel when it reaches the cheap theaters. But this doesn't mean I can't pick out a few problems with the first Matrix film.
Unlike certain computer science profs, I didn't love the Matrix. And also unlike the aforementioned profs, I would say that there was a problem with the Matrix. Though some might wish me to do so, I'm not gonna walk away from this page until I've finished describing it. While I confess to being a fan of action, I have to question any movie that takes its own action scenes too seriously. Especially when those scenes are way over the top. In this case, I'm referring to the scene in which Neo and Trinity storm the government building, literally shooting down dozens of heavily armed guards. How is it that they avoid getting shot in this incredibly intense firefight? Their strategy seems to consist of running on the walls and moving in slow motion. As far as I'm concerned, neither one should be overly effective in this situation. Sure, Neo may be fast enough to dodge bullets, but when there's that many being fire in his direction, dodging one would put him right in the path of another. And despite what some people may claim, the fact that he's walking on a wall does not at all make him immune to bullets. Some people have attempted to counter this argument by noting that since the Matrix is only a virtual reality, Neo and Trinity can ignore the bullets simply because they realise that they don't really exist. But if this is the case, they wouldn't even need to attempt to avoid the bullets that couldn't hurt them. So why would they bother running on the walls? Just because they could? Actually, that's not a bad reason. Even I can't deny that it would be kind of cool to run on a wall in slow motion.
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