Is The Matrix Still Relevant After Two Decades?

Premise

The last year of the 20th century (1999) had quite a few blockbusters like Fight Club and the Sixth Sense (included in our Top 5 Psychological Movies Every Cinephile Should Watch list). But, no movie turned the movie lovers’ heads as The Matrix did. Will Smith still regrets turning down the lead role “Neo” (or The One) which Keanu Reeves later made his own.

So, the brief story of The Matrix (for the cavemen who still haven’t seen it) is – Evil machines took over the planet and humans “brilliantly” thought of an extraordinary plan to cover the sky with some chemicals that will block the sun, eventually starving the machines of energy. Except, the machines started human farming which is a technique where people are used as energy sources while keeping them in simulated dreams, we call the real world. Among these happily sedated humans, one will rise and free all humanity from the dream world.

Also Read: The Ingenuity of the Movie ‘Inception’

Argument

I’m not going to insult any movie lover by lecturing about how the movie or the story is. If you had an internet connection or a pen drive during the torrents era, you’ve most probably seen it already and liked it too. So, let’s talk about the core concepts that may have gone unnoticed in The Matrix trilogy.

Being in a simulation where it seems like we possess free will and control is not a new concept. Since we had computers do the work for us, few have been ranting about it. So, when The Matrix hit the silver screens with its state-of-the-art graphics and visuals, people flocked to see how it can be, because like it or not, nobody reads anymore. Visual storytelling has a much better reach and effect than a novel written by yours truly.

The movie has some fair points about free will and made us question it. Do we really have free will? We are programmed by our DNA to be tall/short/fat/lean/aggressive among other things. Meaning? The game is rigged from the beginning. We don’t have complete information about anything but act like we are the masters of our own will. At the same time, we are hurling around a boring star on a very common rock, floating in what seems to be an empty and a cold universe.

Still, we decide which animal lives, and which dies in the city. That’s why there are no wolf packs hunting peacocks in Hyderabad, India. However, we do have tamed wolves (dogs) tied to a leash that obey us. Why? Just because we can choose our own Starbucks? That’s not free will. That’s survival, comfort, evolution, bureaucracy and some other fancy terms at play.

We are moulded by our experiences in the past, the opinions we hold and the choices we’ve made. To cut the argument short, society shapes us, and we shape society. We are stuck in this closed loop where we are expected to do something and not doing it will make us criminals or just nutjobs. Anytime someone does the unthinkable, we cannot cope with it. Some way or another, we’ve always been afraid of the unknown. We have this urge to control our life and the life surrounding ours which is absolute madness. Control and free will are two opposite poles that can never coexist.

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Is The Matrix Still Relevant After Two Decades?

We value life and freedom. But we put the ‘mentally unstable’ behind bars like caged animals, we poison the oceans where most of the life is. We kill each other over sheer pettiness and outdated religious beliefs. Can a world be this chaotic if we really have a capable evolved mind to call ourselves the alpha species?

In all this un-explainable madness, it’s not strange to think we might be in a simulation where every decision we make is another example in the long list that questions the very basis of reality. Questioning reality is a sane thing and most responsible thing we can do as governing species of a beautiful planet. It helps us understand the difference between facts and myths.

Conclusion

Some movies age terribly and others age like fine wine. The Matrix is in the latter category that needs to be re-visited every few years to keep a check with reality.