Exploring The Matrix

The Matrix trilogy combines action with philosophy in a way that is unprecedented. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving (also of LOTR fame) as Agent Mr. Smith, these movies also create a merchandising empire that includes action figures, anime shorts, books, and The Matrix video games. Taping into the feeling of "something more" that a majority of people across the world experience at one time or another, the stories focus upon the Messianic figure of "The One" and his ascent from the sedative world of illusion to the chaotic real world. In this odyssey he goes from ordinary cubicle rat to a master of his own mind, able to bend the boundaries presented by false existence. In this he finds the center that will enable him to face a multitude of challenges. Combining many religious and esoteric motifs, The Matrix and its sequels tackle such topics as love, survival, what it means to be human, death, and what it means to exist overall.

The story opens with the ordinary world of Anderson, a.k.a. Neo (Keanu Reeves). He has a boring life and boring job; his only escapes are in the virtual reality realm, where he is a computer hacker, and in the seedy underground of drugs and raves. But none of these things satisfy him; they are only vague attempts to get closer to the real, to alter his perception on his quest to find out "what is the Matrix?" His world is turned upside down upon meeting Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). He has found his contact to Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), the master hacker, the one that will show him what he needs to know. There are only a few problems. The agents (computer programs) and the machines.

So begins the journey. The movies play out in the style of a novel. Similar to the experience of reading a book series, viewers must guess about the ending until the last film in the sequence is released; in the meantime, audiences are often left with cliff-hanger "chapter" finales. At the end of the first film, Neo transcends nearly all the boundaries of the implanted real world. However, by the end of the second feature he is face-to-face with new boundaries--the responsibilities of true power, as well as the consequences of invoking of a source he did not fully understand. At the conclusion of the third movie, everything--for Neo--comes full circle. But like many stories that tackle the many complicated circumstances of existence, the end is only the start of a new beginning.

After the last movie, there came an online Matrix game intended to continue the struggle with the machines. And The Path of Neo, a new game released for video game consoles, allows players to "be" Neo. There are several installments of The Matrix trilogy DVDs, including a special edition DVD box set. Posters, statues of characters from the movies, and clothing lines round out the continuance of the films. All items are available online and at various retailers throughout the country. Through interactive game play and musing from philosophers, fans of the franchise are able to delve deeper into the rabbit hole.

Stars of the movie:

• Keanu Reeves
• Laurence Fishburne
• Carrie-Anne Moss
• Hugo Weaving

Written and Directed by:

• The Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry Wachowski)