- 2,760
FoolKiller
Well, that's what people attached to the Matrix eat...liquefied dead humans. Mmmm.
The Matrix Trilogy Explained
- Thread starter Anderton Prime
- 104 comments
- 37,441 views
Well, that's what people attached to the Matrix eat...liquefied dead humans. Mmmm.
- 24,553
- Frankfort, KY
- GTP_FoolKiller
- FoolKiller1979
And all I wanted was a beer.Anderton Prime
I always suspected that but I was never sure. It makes sense as a constantly renewable energy source. Unfortunately it limits population growth as growing too fast would mean starving everyone.
- 24,553
- Frankfort, KY
- GTP_FoolKiller
- FoolKiller1979
Hmmm, would I chose to eat mush in the real world or steak in the Matrix while being fed mushed up humans through a tube?Swift
Tough call.
My independent streak says real world. I'll just plug in for some fake steak every now and then.
- 1,262
FoolKiller
That steak looked soooooooooooooooooo good. My mouth was watering, I was just like damn you......
- 9,646
- Minus955
Before i ask anything, i wanna say that i haven't seen Revolutions, so please no spoilers. 
I just saw Reloaded for the second time and finally sort of understood it, but still have some questions. What is the point of exsistence being restarted? (That's basically what the Architect said right?) What is there to gain from that?
And how did Smith end up as that guy in the real world - and who was he before?
Also, was Zion destroyed at the end of Reloaded?
Oh, and one last bit; if any of these questions are answered in Revolutions, just let me know that they will be. Thanks man.
I just saw Reloaded for the second time and finally sort of understood it, but still have some questions. What is the point of exsistence being restarted? (That's basically what the Architect said right?) What is there to gain from that?
And how did Smith end up as that guy in the real world - and who was he before?
Also, was Zion destroyed at the end of Reloaded?
Oh, and one last bit; if any of these questions are answered in Revolutions, just let me know that they will be. Thanks man.
- 10,116
- Maryland, USA
- swift-bass
GiancarloBefore i ask anything, i wanna say that i haven't seen Revolutions, so please no spoilers.
Well, that's kind of hard to do in a thread like this. Most members are willing to accomodate. But this is a thread for movies that are a few years old.
I would suggest that you go check out revolutions. Since much of this thread discusses and will continue to discuss all three movies.
I hope nobody spoils it for you until then though.
- 292
What I want to know is why does the architect say that they have managed to destroy Zion several times? If it's in the real world, doesn't that mean that the humans in the real world are also reset like the ones in the matrix? Or is this just part of the matrix, the destruction of Zion, in order to confuse the anomaly?
- 2,760
The Architect realized that 1% of humans would not accept the Matrix scenario without being given a choice. Thus he went to the Oracle, an intuitive program created to better understand / study humans, and she came up with the Neo / Zion scenario to deal with the 1% of humanity that does not readily accept the Matrix program (remember what the Architect says about this group: "Though a minority, if left unchecked would result in an escalating probability of disaster.")
Zion was NOT destroyed in Reloaded; it still exists in Revolutions. All that happened at the end of Reloaded was that somebody sabotaged the humans' plan to launch a surprise attack against the sentinels that are in the process of digging their way down to Zion, destroying several hovercrafts and killing most people involved.
Bane was originally a member of one of the ships, the one that volunteered to stay in the Matrix at the beginning of Reloaded in case the Oracle attempted to make contact. There is a short scene where Bane and another operator crash into a room through an overhead window and the first guy goes through the phone but Bane is stopped by Smith, who manages to invade him and take over his body before going through the phone to the real world. Thus Bane is a copy of Smith that has managed to cross over into the real world.
If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask!
Zion was NOT destroyed in Reloaded; it still exists in Revolutions. All that happened at the end of Reloaded was that somebody sabotaged the humans' plan to launch a surprise attack against the sentinels that are in the process of digging their way down to Zion, destroying several hovercrafts and killing most people involved.
Bane was originally a member of one of the ships, the one that volunteered to stay in the Matrix at the beginning of Reloaded in case the Oracle attempted to make contact. There is a short scene where Bane and another operator crash into a room through an overhead window and the first guy goes through the phone but Bane is stopped by Smith, who manages to invade him and take over his body before going through the phone to the real world. Thus Bane is a copy of Smith that has managed to cross over into the real world.
If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask!
- 2,208
- 2,760
Sort of. But believe it or not, I've never read that book.
- 10,116
- Maryland, USA
- swift-bass
Just watched Reloaded again. And aside from the elongated fight scenes(especially the 1000 smith fight) it was a good movie. Lots of emotional tension and all that good stuff. The story is actually quite good as well. Just the fights were too long. Neo should've been using his "force" like powers on his enemies for instant or near instant kills instead of just regular punches. But I guess that wouldn't be too much fun to watch huh? 
- 2,760
I think Neo was bored and frustrated, since he was aware of his purpose but not of how to go about carrying it out. So he fights the agents for fun. Why else would he even attempt to take on the Smith virus instead of flying away immediately?
- 1,766
I wouldn't mind being hooked up to a machine and fed dead people, if that means my brain thinks I'm living the lifestyle of a Hugh Hefner. 
...Well so far...from this forum I learned..that..
The first movie was good...second one was lame..and the third was watchable 2-3 times...
the story is pretty cool..but biblical underlyings make for total lameness..
and both fishburn and keanu will never be able to be anything other than Neo and Morpheus
The first movie was good...second one was lame..and the third was watchable 2-3 times...
the story is pretty cool..but biblical underlyings make for total lameness..
and both fishburn and keanu will never be able to be anything other than Neo and Morpheus
- 1,766
Keanu can play Ted as well.
- 1,457
- United Kingdom
- Seven25
- Seven25
Can't believe I've never seen this thread before I hope your still willing to provide answers and comments Anderton,
I noticed that in Revolutions once Neo goes to the Machine city whenever there was a scene with Neo walking around the city he was always a black figure while the city is illuminated, however when is being carried away at the end he is also illuminated... coincidence?
Also I never figured out what the point was of the big Zion dance do you think there was a purpose to it?
I noticed that in Revolutions once Neo goes to the Machine city whenever there was a scene with Neo walking around the city he was always a black figure while the city is illuminated, however when is being carried away at the end he is also illuminated... coincidence?
Also I never figured out what the point was of the big Zion dance do you think there was a purpose to it?
- 2,760
Welcome, 725. I am always willing to impart knowledge and answers to those in search of the truth.
It's been a while since I studied up on the trilogy, but I'll do my best.
The Zion dance sequence is simply meant to illustrate the "animal" side of human nature. In the trilogy, "man" has split into its two basic parts, animal and divine being, creator and creation. Humans are animalistic, often seen as weak and fit for destruction by the machines (recall Smith, the uber-machine, and his attitude towards humans in almost every scene, especially the interrogation of Morpheus in Part I, the scenes where he speaks through Bane in Part III, and of course the final showdown with Neo in Part III).
The divine half of man has manifested itself in the form of the machines. You have to look at the entire story as man trying desperately to reunite with God. Neo is the one who must lead humans back to God. He is in love with "Trinity" (an in-your-face symbol for the Holy Trinity, or God). He chooses Trinity over mankind when given the choice by the Architect. In every action, Neo is telling us he (man) wants to reunite with the machines (God) above all else, whatever the cost. He can see the importance of this unification, even if the rest of mankind cannot (though Morpheus has some idea, which is why he believes so blindly in Neo).
You see, when man first created machines and "gave birth to A.I.," man was the Creator, or "God," and the machines were the creation. But Man severed the link and started to fight the machines (you need to watch The Animatrix to fully understand this if you haven't already). I think the trick is to look at humans and machines as being both man and God (or creation and creator) simultaneously. This really helps to illuminate the entire message of the series, which is not Neo's quest to defeat the machines and save mankind, but for him to join with the machines and save mankind. I think this may help answer the whole "black figure Neo vs. orange-light Neo" dilemma you're having too.
Neo tells Trinity how he perceives the Machine City: "Beautiful. Light all around. Like the whole thing was made of light." I believe he is in Heaven here, which reinforces the Machines-as-God/Creator, and once he connects to the machines (they plug into him and import him into the Matrix) he is effectively "joined" with them. This is how they defeat Smith. It's not as simple as uploading some anti-virus software into him to destroy the entire Smith Program. That is part of it, but it goes deeper than that symbolically.
Incidentally, notice how Smith called humans a virus, multiplying and multiplying until they have destroyed their habitat and then moving on, when he is torturing Morpheus in Part I. And what has Smith become? The very thing which he despised. Smith is Neo's negative, his opposite. So while Neo is moving ever closer to divinity and a reunification with the Machines / God, so Smith is on the opposite journey, away from the machines and closer to humans.
That's all I can belt out for now. This stuff is hard to put together, even for me. Sorry if this all sounded a little like train-of-thought.
It's been a while since I studied up on the trilogy, but I'll do my best.
The Zion dance sequence is simply meant to illustrate the "animal" side of human nature. In the trilogy, "man" has split into its two basic parts, animal and divine being, creator and creation. Humans are animalistic, often seen as weak and fit for destruction by the machines (recall Smith, the uber-machine, and his attitude towards humans in almost every scene, especially the interrogation of Morpheus in Part I, the scenes where he speaks through Bane in Part III, and of course the final showdown with Neo in Part III).
The divine half of man has manifested itself in the form of the machines. You have to look at the entire story as man trying desperately to reunite with God. Neo is the one who must lead humans back to God. He is in love with "Trinity" (an in-your-face symbol for the Holy Trinity, or God). He chooses Trinity over mankind when given the choice by the Architect. In every action, Neo is telling us he (man) wants to reunite with the machines (God) above all else, whatever the cost. He can see the importance of this unification, even if the rest of mankind cannot (though Morpheus has some idea, which is why he believes so blindly in Neo).
You see, when man first created machines and "gave birth to A.I.," man was the Creator, or "God," and the machines were the creation. But Man severed the link and started to fight the machines (you need to watch The Animatrix to fully understand this if you haven't already). I think the trick is to look at humans and machines as being both man and God (or creation and creator) simultaneously. This really helps to illuminate the entire message of the series, which is not Neo's quest to defeat the machines and save mankind, but for him to join with the machines and save mankind. I think this may help answer the whole "black figure Neo vs. orange-light Neo" dilemma you're having too.
Neo tells Trinity how he perceives the Machine City: "Beautiful. Light all around. Like the whole thing was made of light." I believe he is in Heaven here, which reinforces the Machines-as-God/Creator, and once he connects to the machines (they plug into him and import him into the Matrix) he is effectively "joined" with them. This is how they defeat Smith. It's not as simple as uploading some anti-virus software into him to destroy the entire Smith Program. That is part of it, but it goes deeper than that symbolically.
Incidentally, notice how Smith called humans a virus, multiplying and multiplying until they have destroyed their habitat and then moving on, when he is torturing Morpheus in Part I. And what has Smith become? The very thing which he despised. Smith is Neo's negative, his opposite. So while Neo is moving ever closer to divinity and a reunification with the Machines / God, so Smith is on the opposite journey, away from the machines and closer to humans.
That's all I can belt out for now. This stuff is hard to put together, even for me. Sorry if this all sounded a little like train-of-thought.
the Interceptor
Premium
- 4,168
- BEL / GER
- theInterceptor77
First, I want to say that you do a hell of a good job here, Anderton Prime. I agree that all Matrix movies are very good, but a lot of people don't like them just because they didn't understand them.
Anyway, there's a question that's been bugging me all the time:
"When you die in the matrix, you die in real life!" - how is that possible? I'm okay with this principle for humans that aren't aware they live in a simulated world. When they die in the Matrix, their body "thinks" it's dead, so they die in the real world.
But what about the humans that know about the Matrix? Shouldn't they all be immortal, because they know that the Matrix just is a simulation? And how can they start blooding in the real world when they get hit or shot in the Matrix? Their bodies can't hurt themselves without being touched, can they?
Regards
the Interceptor
Anyway, there's a question that's been bugging me all the time:
"When you die in the matrix, you die in real life!" - how is that possible? I'm okay with this principle for humans that aren't aware they live in a simulated world. When they die in the Matrix, their body "thinks" it's dead, so they die in the real world.
But what about the humans that know about the Matrix? Shouldn't they all be immortal, because they know that the Matrix just is a simulation? And how can they start blooding in the real world when they get hit or shot in the Matrix? Their bodies can't hurt themselves without being touched, can they?
Regards
the Interceptor
- 2,760
That is a problem that can only be explained the way it was explained in the movies. The machines did such a good job making the Matrix as real as possible that it basically is another reality. Morpheus explains that it is impossible for a human to seperate mind from body, so much so that when the mind thinks the body has been injured or killed in the Matrix, it somehow induces massive trauma to the body in the real world. You'll notice that when someone is punched in the Matrix they don't get a bruise in the real world where they were punched. When Mouse is shot hundreds of times in the Matrix, bullet holes don't magically appear on him; all he does is spit blood and die in the real world. The same goes for Neo when he misses the jump during training in Part I and Trinity being shot as she falls out of the building in Part II. The blood I think was only included for visual effect; what it really symbolizes is internal injury or death, because if someone gets shot to death in the Matrix and just simply stops breathing and dies peacefully in the real world, it would be pretty lame and boring to watch on screen.
Those status machines hooked up to each person jacking into the Matrix from the ships give a clue as well; they usually show the heart beating tremendously fast when someone is being hurt or killed in the Matrix, so I assume what's really happening to them is that their mind is experiencing something so real that it causes the heart to go into cardiac arrest because it's beating so hard and fast, and the brain also becomes severely damaged by the pseudo-trauma being inflicted on it in the Matrix. Think of stories of people having night terrors and dying in their sleep...
Neo was able to save Trinity at the end of Part II by pulling the bullet out of her and then reaching inside her Matrix body and jump-starting her heart. You may ask why they cannot simply apply a defibrilation machine (electric shock paddles) to a person who has gone into cardiac arrest while in the Matrix, and the answer lies again in the fact that the mind will not accept that the heart can be restarted unless it is restarted from inside the Matrix, where the "mind" still technically is before a person is unplugged again after dying (hope that's not too confusing). So because Trinity was never unplugged from the Matrix and was "saved" while still inside, she was resurrected.
Also, Neo has powers that no other human has, so when he saves Trinity, the exception to the rule is justified.
Those status machines hooked up to each person jacking into the Matrix from the ships give a clue as well; they usually show the heart beating tremendously fast when someone is being hurt or killed in the Matrix, so I assume what's really happening to them is that their mind is experiencing something so real that it causes the heart to go into cardiac arrest because it's beating so hard and fast, and the brain also becomes severely damaged by the pseudo-trauma being inflicted on it in the Matrix. Think of stories of people having night terrors and dying in their sleep...
Neo was able to save Trinity at the end of Part II by pulling the bullet out of her and then reaching inside her Matrix body and jump-starting her heart. You may ask why they cannot simply apply a defibrilation machine (electric shock paddles) to a person who has gone into cardiac arrest while in the Matrix, and the answer lies again in the fact that the mind will not accept that the heart can be restarted unless it is restarted from inside the Matrix, where the "mind" still technically is before a person is unplugged again after dying (hope that's not too confusing). So because Trinity was never unplugged from the Matrix and was "saved" while still inside, she was resurrected.
Also, Neo has powers that no other human has, so when he saves Trinity, the exception to the rule is justified.
- 1,457
- United Kingdom
- Seven25
- Seven25
Very impressive when I watched Reloaded I did notice that the Zion dance did seem very animalistic.....
I forgot about that, very true
Also I've never really been sure about the beginning of Revolutions I'm not sure what the purpose of the train station was and Sati? what do you think she symbolises I know Smith refers to her as the 'last exile' do you think there is any more to it?
In the earlier posts people were talking about the fight between the Smith's and Neo (Burly brawl), I don't think Neo knew that he was equal to Smith, I think that they really don't like each other although they are two sides of a coin they want to defeat each other and neither of them wanted to throw the towel in so to speak, so I think Neo kept fighting for as long as he could I personally really enjoyed the fight one of the highlights of the trilogy 👍
Anderton Prime
I forgot about that, very true
Also I've never really been sure about the beginning of Revolutions I'm not sure what the purpose of the train station was and Sati? what do you think she symbolises I know Smith refers to her as the 'last exile' do you think there is any more to it?
In the earlier posts people were talking about the fight between the Smith's and Neo (Burly brawl), I don't think Neo knew that he was equal to Smith, I think that they really don't like each other although they are two sides of a coin they want to defeat each other and neither of them wanted to throw the towel in so to speak, so I think Neo kept fighting for as long as he could I personally really enjoyed the fight one of the highlights of the trilogy 👍
- 2,760
You have to delve into some aspects of Hinduism to fully understand Neo's character. I'm not completely literate in this area of discussion, so I will just try to explain the basics. The Neo from Parts I & II is the sixth version. He represents genuine human beings, in that he disobeyed and left "the Garden" (the Matrix) which was a heaven-like environment that the Machines (in their "Creator" role) designed for the humans to live in.
However, at the end of Part II, Neo slips into a coma, and remember that this is shortly after he disobeys the Architect and chooses the door back to Trinity. That's good old "Neo 6.0" doing what he does best, disobeying. This coma is meant to symbolize death for Neo 6.0. The Neo we have been riding alongside for the first two movies is dead; he never makes it past the train station. The Neo we see in Part III is an entirely new version, the one who will bring man and God back together.
Before we go any further, let's clear up some symbols here:
1. The Mobil train station is limbo, the place where purified souls go to await the ascension of Christ back into Heaven. It is the river Styx. The boat is replaced by a train, and Charon the boatman is replaced by the Trainman.
2. The Christ figure has split into man and God when Neo becomes comatose. Neo (man) has gone to Limbo, while Trinity (God) has gone to hell to save him.
3. Obviously, the Merovingian is Hades, Lucifer, Satan, whatever you want to call him. He was cast out of the Machine City and is forced to live in a hell of sorts. You see, to the Machines, the Matrix is hell. Trinity goes to hell to bargain with the Devil, and ends up succeeding by playing him at his own game. She then ends up coming back and reuniting with Neo to take him out of Limbo and begin his ascension. We know the train goes between the Machine City and the Matrix (heaven and hell), and this shows that Neo will have to go to the Machine City if he is to ascend to heaven and unite with God.
I know this sounds confusing, and believe me it is even more confusing to try to explain. I'm sorry for that, but every time I try to decipher one mystery of the trilogy, three new mysteries pop up and I need to deal with them first.
Sati literally means "self-immolation," or a Hindu woman's right to sacrifice herself by burning should her husband die. Sati represents what Neo will have to do if he wants to ascend. He will have to sacrifice himself.
The first thing Sati says to Neo - indeed, the first thing that happens to Neo at all in Part III - is she says "Good Morning." This is blatant. Welcome to a new day, Neo. You are a new person. Good morning.
She asks him if he is lost. Obviously he is, because he doesn't know where he is and did not get there intentionally. Later, the Oracle explains that he tried to touch the Source (unite with God) too early, that he wasn't ready for it. Neo 6.0 was never meant to attempt the ascension, as he was immature and unprepared. But Neo 7.0 will be the one who succeeds.
Neo says to Rama-Kandra (the father of the family), "I know you." ON the surface, this means Neo remembers seeing him in the Merovingian's restaurant. But symbolically, Neo is recognizing himself, he is loking into a mirror. Rama-Kandra is the seventh incarnation of Neo. He will take the torch and the two souls will switch bodies (which is why Neo 7.0 still looks the same as Neo 6.0).
In the Hindu religion, Christ is called Vishnu, and there are 7 incarnations of him. The sixth is called Parashurama, or the Serpent. Neo is dressed in black, and represents the Serpent as I said before. The seventh incarnation of Vishnu, effectively the Christ figure who will bring man back to God, is named - and I am not making this up - Ramachandra. In the Hindu stories about Vishnu, Parashurama and Ramachandra actually meet, and the torch is passed from one to the other. Here we see the same thing. Rama-Kandra's wife Kamala represents another Hindu God, but I don't remember the name. Regardless, we can examine the whole family as one huge in-your-face message: Self-Sacrifice is the child of Divinity. Neo knows what he must do to succeed.
When Rama-Kandra speaks to Neo, he holds Sati in front of him, between the two men. Again, this is blatant. Remember Neo's question from Part II ("I just wish I knew what I'm supposed to do"). The answer for Neo is quite literally right in front of him.
When the new Neo comes out of the train station after being rescued by Trinity, he is now the seventh incarnation, the final version who must sacrifice himself to complete his mission.
Here's a difficult concept to understand: the idea of a divine enlightened being. Neo is forever moving towards enlightenment, but we must understand that to be an enlightened soul means one must possess the ability to make a decision that has no reason or purpose. It must be made completely outside the realm of any influence whatsoever. The decision is the beginning and the end, requiring no answer or explanation. Think of when Smith simply cannot understand why Neo doesn't just give up when they both know he is going to lose. Neo replies with the perfect answer from a wholly enlightened being: "Because I choose to."
Anyway, let's get back to Neo. When he is in the car after leaving the train station, the following exchange occurs:
MORPHEUS - Are you ready for us?
LINK - Almost, sir. They got some pretty ancient hacks here, we're working on it. Did you find Neo?
MORPHEUS - Can't you see him?
LINK - No, sir. We were reading something but I couldn't tell what it was.
Just more proof that this Neo is different entirely from the other one. He may look the same to Morpheus and Trinity, but he is clearly different inside, which can be seen when Link reads the Matrix code and deciphers it.
However, at the end of Part II, Neo slips into a coma, and remember that this is shortly after he disobeys the Architect and chooses the door back to Trinity. That's good old "Neo 6.0" doing what he does best, disobeying. This coma is meant to symbolize death for Neo 6.0. The Neo we have been riding alongside for the first two movies is dead; he never makes it past the train station. The Neo we see in Part III is an entirely new version, the one who will bring man and God back together.
Before we go any further, let's clear up some symbols here:
1. The Mobil train station is limbo, the place where purified souls go to await the ascension of Christ back into Heaven. It is the river Styx. The boat is replaced by a train, and Charon the boatman is replaced by the Trainman.
2. The Christ figure has split into man and God when Neo becomes comatose. Neo (man) has gone to Limbo, while Trinity (God) has gone to hell to save him.
3. Obviously, the Merovingian is Hades, Lucifer, Satan, whatever you want to call him. He was cast out of the Machine City and is forced to live in a hell of sorts. You see, to the Machines, the Matrix is hell. Trinity goes to hell to bargain with the Devil, and ends up succeeding by playing him at his own game. She then ends up coming back and reuniting with Neo to take him out of Limbo and begin his ascension. We know the train goes between the Machine City and the Matrix (heaven and hell), and this shows that Neo will have to go to the Machine City if he is to ascend to heaven and unite with God.
I know this sounds confusing, and believe me it is even more confusing to try to explain. I'm sorry for that, but every time I try to decipher one mystery of the trilogy, three new mysteries pop up and I need to deal with them first.
Sati literally means "self-immolation," or a Hindu woman's right to sacrifice herself by burning should her husband die. Sati represents what Neo will have to do if he wants to ascend. He will have to sacrifice himself.
The first thing Sati says to Neo - indeed, the first thing that happens to Neo at all in Part III - is she says "Good Morning." This is blatant. Welcome to a new day, Neo. You are a new person. Good morning.
She asks him if he is lost. Obviously he is, because he doesn't know where he is and did not get there intentionally. Later, the Oracle explains that he tried to touch the Source (unite with God) too early, that he wasn't ready for it. Neo 6.0 was never meant to attempt the ascension, as he was immature and unprepared. But Neo 7.0 will be the one who succeeds.
Neo says to Rama-Kandra (the father of the family), "I know you." ON the surface, this means Neo remembers seeing him in the Merovingian's restaurant. But symbolically, Neo is recognizing himself, he is loking into a mirror. Rama-Kandra is the seventh incarnation of Neo. He will take the torch and the two souls will switch bodies (which is why Neo 7.0 still looks the same as Neo 6.0).
In the Hindu religion, Christ is called Vishnu, and there are 7 incarnations of him. The sixth is called Parashurama, or the Serpent. Neo is dressed in black, and represents the Serpent as I said before. The seventh incarnation of Vishnu, effectively the Christ figure who will bring man back to God, is named - and I am not making this up - Ramachandra. In the Hindu stories about Vishnu, Parashurama and Ramachandra actually meet, and the torch is passed from one to the other. Here we see the same thing. Rama-Kandra's wife Kamala represents another Hindu God, but I don't remember the name. Regardless, we can examine the whole family as one huge in-your-face message: Self-Sacrifice is the child of Divinity. Neo knows what he must do to succeed.
When Rama-Kandra speaks to Neo, he holds Sati in front of him, between the two men. Again, this is blatant. Remember Neo's question from Part II ("I just wish I knew what I'm supposed to do"). The answer for Neo is quite literally right in front of him.
When the new Neo comes out of the train station after being rescued by Trinity, he is now the seventh incarnation, the final version who must sacrifice himself to complete his mission.
Here's a difficult concept to understand: the idea of a divine enlightened being. Neo is forever moving towards enlightenment, but we must understand that to be an enlightened soul means one must possess the ability to make a decision that has no reason or purpose. It must be made completely outside the realm of any influence whatsoever. The decision is the beginning and the end, requiring no answer or explanation. Think of when Smith simply cannot understand why Neo doesn't just give up when they both know he is going to lose. Neo replies with the perfect answer from a wholly enlightened being: "Because I choose to."
Anyway, let's get back to Neo. When he is in the car after leaving the train station, the following exchange occurs:
MORPHEUS - Are you ready for us?
LINK - Almost, sir. They got some pretty ancient hacks here, we're working on it. Did you find Neo?
MORPHEUS - Can't you see him?
LINK - No, sir. We were reading something but I couldn't tell what it was.
Just more proof that this Neo is different entirely from the other one. He may look the same to Morpheus and Trinity, but he is clearly different inside, which can be seen when Link reads the Matrix code and deciphers it.
- 2,760
Now for the final fight (incidentally, called the "Super Burly Brawl," as the "Burly Brawl" was the courtyard fight from Part II). Smith can't understand why Neo is doing what he is doing. He lists every reason he can think of:
SMITH - Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than just your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why?! Why do you persist!?
right after Neo answers him, he lands a crushing blow to Smith's face. Most people wanted Neo to defeat Smith through brute force, simply beating the living hell out of him and destroying all his clones as well. But this would have been akin to Ghandi picking up a machine gun and shooting his oppressors. Neo cannot win through force. He may be able to defeat Smith, but he will not ascend, which is his true purpose. The punch is meant to show how much power Neo now possesses. He could take Smith's head clean off if he wanted to, but he has the gift that Smith does not have. He can lay down his sword and stop fighting, he can win through self-sacrifice. Think Jesus going willingly with the Roman guards to be crucified. Smith cannot possibly stop fighting, another unfortunate character trait of his being Neo's opposite.
After this Smith begins to fall apart. He looks confused as he delivers his next few lines; in fact, he appears to not even know why he's saying them in the first place ("What? What did I say?"). This is a result of his not being able to comprehend Neo and the choices he has made. When Smith says, "Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo," we hear Smith call him Neo for the first time in the trilogy. Of course, it's the Oracle speaking from behind Neo, showing him the final answer. Neo now knows he must merge with Smith to destroy him, since he merged with him at the end of Part I to create him (I'm assuming you've already read my theory on how Neo actually created the disobedient Smith when he flew inside him and blew him up at the end of Part I; the Smith from Parts II & III has nothing to do with the Smith from Part I, and is an entirely different character [ultimately, the opposite of Neo, the other half of our hero's character]).
Smith's goal since his rebirth has been to join with Neo once again and take from him what Neo took from Smith. But now, when Neo stand up and prepares to merge with Smith, Smith is terrified of Neo:
SMITH - What? What did I just say? No... No, this isn't right, this can't be right. Get away from me!
What the hell is going on here? Smith is beginning to see what is coming. But you have to look at this scene as the end of Smith/Neo's split. These are the final moments of them being apart. Neo is in control, which is why Smith seems to plunge his hand into Neo's chest as though he's being guided by some unknown and irresistable force. They merge, and Smith is destroyed along with Neo (well, mostly; some part of Neo still remains I would say). The true One is all that is left. The new version of Smith, the Neo-Smith, is not art of the collective Smith at all; he never speaks. In Part I, Neo was absorbed into Smith and destroyed him from the inside, this beginning both characters' journeys. Here, the same thing happens at the end of their journeys.
We then see Neo being taken away by the machines, now filled with divine light. He is being towed towards "the source, where the path of the One ends."
SMITH - Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than just your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why?! Why do you persist!?
right after Neo answers him, he lands a crushing blow to Smith's face. Most people wanted Neo to defeat Smith through brute force, simply beating the living hell out of him and destroying all his clones as well. But this would have been akin to Ghandi picking up a machine gun and shooting his oppressors. Neo cannot win through force. He may be able to defeat Smith, but he will not ascend, which is his true purpose. The punch is meant to show how much power Neo now possesses. He could take Smith's head clean off if he wanted to, but he has the gift that Smith does not have. He can lay down his sword and stop fighting, he can win through self-sacrifice. Think Jesus going willingly with the Roman guards to be crucified. Smith cannot possibly stop fighting, another unfortunate character trait of his being Neo's opposite.
After this Smith begins to fall apart. He looks confused as he delivers his next few lines; in fact, he appears to not even know why he's saying them in the first place ("What? What did I say?"). This is a result of his not being able to comprehend Neo and the choices he has made. When Smith says, "Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo," we hear Smith call him Neo for the first time in the trilogy. Of course, it's the Oracle speaking from behind Neo, showing him the final answer. Neo now knows he must merge with Smith to destroy him, since he merged with him at the end of Part I to create him (I'm assuming you've already read my theory on how Neo actually created the disobedient Smith when he flew inside him and blew him up at the end of Part I; the Smith from Parts II & III has nothing to do with the Smith from Part I, and is an entirely different character [ultimately, the opposite of Neo, the other half of our hero's character]).
Smith's goal since his rebirth has been to join with Neo once again and take from him what Neo took from Smith. But now, when Neo stand up and prepares to merge with Smith, Smith is terrified of Neo:
SMITH - What? What did I just say? No... No, this isn't right, this can't be right. Get away from me!
What the hell is going on here? Smith is beginning to see what is coming. But you have to look at this scene as the end of Smith/Neo's split. These are the final moments of them being apart. Neo is in control, which is why Smith seems to plunge his hand into Neo's chest as though he's being guided by some unknown and irresistable force. They merge, and Smith is destroyed along with Neo (well, mostly; some part of Neo still remains I would say). The true One is all that is left. The new version of Smith, the Neo-Smith, is not art of the collective Smith at all; he never speaks. In Part I, Neo was absorbed into Smith and destroyed him from the inside, this beginning both characters' journeys. Here, the same thing happens at the end of their journeys.
We then see Neo being taken away by the machines, now filled with divine light. He is being towed towards "the source, where the path of the One ends."
