Matrix 4 & 5

To start with the fourth Matrixfilm, I found it extremely interesting that the documentary began with announcing that everyone knows a little more philosophy than they think. This helps with the understanding of the Matrixfilms, no matter who is watching them. 

I also hadn’t made the connection to Plato’s allegory of the cave to the Matrix films before—which I’m super surprised about. Neo exists in a world where everything is a projection of some true form, and while it confuses him, it also sets him free. Things exist, but they don’t exist, and he is simply seeing projections of what he thinks are certain things—e.g. the shadow of a chair is not a chair, it’s simply a projection. 

Having the voices of multiple philosophers and scholars was a great move for the film. While there are lots of people to keep track of, it brings in multiple opinions and voices to explain some of the mythology and philosophy present in the Matrix films. I was shocked by how much detail in terms of myth and Christian themes the movie holds. A couple of the scholars spoke about how, as humans, we are stuck in a material world that we must escape—the idea that there is a way to awaken ourselves or exit this world to enter a better place. 

I think the Matrix films did a wonderful job of making viewers question the world around them and what its limits are. The ignorance of Neo serves to symbolize our lack of questioning of the world around us, but, as we should, he explores what is happening around him, and how to toy with it, testing the limits of reality. Blind submission to authority isn’t the way to enlightenment, being skeptical of authority is. 

As for The Animatrix, I thought it was amazing that so many different directors were able to create a cohesive storyline while remaining true to their own styles. Despite the short films looking different, they all flowed in a way that made sense. The anthology carried the same philosophical weight of the original Matrix trilogy, but it told nine stories in a fascinating way. I do, however, find it extremely strange of how sexualized the female characters were. Perhaps that’s just a random point, but I didn’t see the need for slicing off clothes during the sword fight in the last film of the anthology. 

Overall, I think these final parts of the Matrix series enhanced my understanding of the original trilogy.