The movie that changed it all: Part 1

Many people are fans of Harry potter franchise, some are of Terminator series, while many are of Star Wars Episodes. Each of them is unique in their domain. We like to rewatch them again and again. Every time we watch them, we discover new things.

For me, one particular franchise, albeit a trilogy, until now; has fascinated me to dig deeper into my imagination. They have tickled me for the last 18-20 years. It was way ahead of its time. Such thought provoking it was, that I had to browse so much literature-so much information to finally understand the basics of the film.

It is none other than The Matrix Trilogy. Morpheus-Trinity-Neo. Zion. Machines. Nebuchadnezzar. Slow motion. Dodging bullets for one. A pioneer.

It explored many underlying themes that could happen with humans. It explored history, cultures, human emotion. Technologies like computer, touchscreen, internet, AI, VR were not even used 20 years back by common people. Very few had access to touchscreen in late 2000s. Most of us started using the first of the android generations only in 2012. 

A quick refresher, if some of you may not know, Matrix part 4 is a reality. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as Neo-Trinity. The part of Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus is a mystery. Jada-Pinket Smith's Niobe is also returning along with Lambert Wilson's Merovingian. 

So lets us explore what made The Matrix Trilogy a cult classic.

We actually watched Version VI of the Matrix

If you carefully observe, you will find that The Architect mentioned Thomas Anderson's Neo, that he was the sixth "The One". Before his Neo, The Matrix had already five older Neos. This changes everything. Neo is an anagram of One.

This suggests a theory that even Morpheus's Zion is the sixth version of Zion. It has always been a cycle, a loop that repeated. Why was it repeated?

Zion was built by Machines

The machines deliberately released few persons from the matrix. They started rescuing and gathering more people. Zion, the underground city, was built by the machines for these humans. They started leaving, gathering, learning, planning and preparing for the ultimate battle with the machines. They were in search of the One. 

The Prophecy of The ONE

A prophecy was implanted, The One will deliver them, The One will be their chance of salvation-their survival. A hope for Humans to not become extinct. A leader in the form of Morpheus would believe in this prophecy. He would seek for the one in the Matrix, rescue him, groom him and take his help to lead the survivors defeat the machines.

Do you really have a  choice?

The machines had control of everything. They just did not show it. The humans of Zion were made to think that they can win. They had planned every move and also had backups and contingencies. They orchestrated the beginning, the middle as well as the end. That is why they were able to reach version VI.

The birth of Human VR simulation

Just like a machines needs restart, so does the Matrix. It has to be rebooted from time to time. This was done by the machines so as to contain the humans.

The matrix is a virtual simulation. Humans are captured as well as grown as crops in a farm. They are the energy source of machines. Machines need human's energy for their very existence.

It was mentioned that during the great war, Humans filled the sky with dark cloud like substances to block the Sun, the only energy source of Machines. The machines in turn to survive, defeated them, captured them and used them for generation of electricity. New humans were grown and farmed.

But to grow them, they need humans to be kept engaged in normal day to day lives. Only this way energy would be generated. That is the reason, they created The Matrix, a simulation for humans. Data was constantly fed to unconscious human farms. The mind of the humans would believe that they were actually living a life in a normal world.

They had work, they had families, they had business. They travelled the world, became tourists. They would eat, sleep, walk, run, play, train, dream, all inside this simulation. They were made to believe they were born and had family and friends.

In reality, they were inside a software-a virtual reality (for machines)-but nonetheless an actual reality for them and fed by machines.  

Machines need to upgrade the Matrix

A software update is always needed for a program to run smoothly. The Matrix was after all a program-a software which had to be updated on regular basis, or else they can get corrupted.

To do this, Machine started moving from version I to II and so on to VI, the one shown in movies.

One thing was that the simulation was run for humans, breathing humans. Machines knew that humans are social beings whose psychology is the need of changes. One way or the other some random variable of human would become conscious and start a rebellion which would be harmful for the software. Revolution was inevitable.

This is is the reason Machines deliberately released humans and allowed them to assemble against the machines. But what they did not know was that they were still playing the game of machines. Humans were made to feel that they have a chance at winning after all. But alas, it was not the case.

Revolution by humans was a brainchild of the machines.

The machines had timed the software updates and hence the cycle continued and reached version VI with better upgrades.

I will be bringing further details in the next part.

Stay tuned to my blog.