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More Info on Matrix Sequels 203

Posted by Hemos from the follow-the-white-rabbit dept.
Mowser X writes "IGN.com has some more interesting news on the status of the sequels to The Matrix. Apparently, the next two movies will pick up right where the first one ended, with part of the movie taking place in Zion. " Neo, Morpheus and Trinity have also been signed, or are just about finished signing as well - and it still sounds like the brothers want to release back to back.
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More Info on Matrix Sequels More

More Info on Matrix Sequels

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  • The Matrix should stay a one time deal. It was pretty, it was fun. The plot was sufficient to reach the end of the movie, and it didn't have TOO many holes (batteries? don't make me rant about biochemistry). But it was essentially just a light summer flick.

    Where can you possibly go with Matrix II (Electric Boogaloo)? Taking us into Zion could only be a letdown compared to what the characters portrayed to us.

    The character of Neo only worked because he was SUPPOSED to be wooden and clueless through the first half of the movie, then grim and scowling, and lastly the Messiah. I suppose you could make him start over, and totally void out the original climax. Can you say "Highlander II"? Yes, that's exactly what I forsee -- Keanu on Planet Zeist.

    However... a PREQUEL might be interesting. The man/machine war, the programmer founding Zion. No Neo at all. But somehow I don't see that happening.
  • Morphious....It is Morphious d00d not Mobius! sheesh. ;) Anyhow, I dont see why you feel that Keanu Reeves is a NO Brain?? What did you expect him to do in the movie that would have qualified him as a person with a brain? 85% of the general public wouldnt know there ass from a block of code anyhow so.... Why waste time with the details, just give us a story and we'll use our imagination s.
  • Yep, I can see that this movie would be tough to extend into a trilogy. Actually, the only part of the movie I disliked was Neo flying off at the end. It was just silly.

    But Morpheus and Trinity were practically flying early in the film with superhuman leaps. They weren't able to fly because they, like Neo until the end, were still invested in the mindset of the Matrix. Neo had finally learned that he could hack the system, that it's rules didn't apply.

    Please give the Wachowski brothers credit. They have been talking about this being a Trilogy from the word go. I believe they have a plot already worked out for the sequels will blow each and every one of us away. They've directed two films, both of them four stars in my book (Bound was the other one) and I see no reason to doubt that they'll be able to pull it off.

    I suppose that there is potential for interesting stories or characters in Zion, but I'm doubtful. I think it will be very easy for this movie to go from geek/cult (and amazingly mainstream... I was surprised) to lame/formula (and stay mainstream popular, but lose the geek/cult appeal).

    Watch a TV interview with the directors. They are geeks, through and through. They was not Hollywood hacks who managed to luck onto a decent script and avoid screwing it up. They wrote, directed and produced "The Matrix"...it is their vision. They managed to create the most exciting SF film in years (real SF, not some other genre with SF trappings) because they are, first and foremost, fans.

    I'm sure they'd rather quit making films than sell out. Because they made "Bound" for next to nothing, and got a great stylish film with a following (not as large as "The Matrix" but just as fervent) and that gave them the freedom and budget to make "The Matrix" and produced that for very surprisingly little. The success of "The Matrix" has given them the power to make virtually any project they want, for whatever they want to spend. If they thought they had told all the story they wanted to about that world and wanted to do something different, but were being pressured to do sequels, I'd be worried. They aren't, this is their idea and that is exciting.

  • I'm surprised nobody mentioned this movie - it came out shortly after the Matrix did, and deals with the idea of simulated reality. It's quite interesting, really. I can't say a whole lot about it without spoiling the movie, so I'll just recommend it.
  • The *only* part you disliked was him flying off at the end? I'm suprised. The Matrix used comic-book cliche heavily, and usually if you dont' like one cliche you won't like any of them.

    Personally, I *like* a well-played cliche -- but IMO it's never enough to hold up a movie on its own. It adds (or subtracts) nothing to my evaluation of the movie.

    Matrix held up well because it had a strong plot with unique elements.

    I agree that maintaining the qualities of the original is going to be very hard. For one thing, they're going to have to drop the whole "ignorant audience" assumption.

    All we can do is hope...

    -Billy
  • And I really object to casting a pretty poor with no brain as a Christ-figure

    How can anyone derive that Neo represented a god...he only has power within the Matrix...outside in the real world he is just an ordinary human being...but with a mind that will not be fooled. So how could you say "NO Brain"!

  • >The Worst Sequel Ever was: Highlander II: The Quickening.

    Yes. That's because the franchise forgot to take its own advice: "There can be only one."


    --
  • Ohmygod! Stop the presses!

    A science fiction movie was *gasp* unrealistic!!!!

    Why must people be so fsking uptight? What's wrong with just relaxing and enjoying the damn movie?!?

  • People, you are looking way to deep into this movie....You are going way beneath the plot and dredging out your own crap!

    The Movie wasn't about a christ figure or a "coming" if you will. But it was about the fight between Humans and Machines.

    Just because Neo "THE ONE" had power within the matrix didn't make him a god...but more like a deciple...chosen by GOD to give a hand to the human race to once again prosper. Anyone who agrees with this can back me up!

  • Sure! Just look up the prophesies:

    ... predicts the arrival of Kalki, the final Avatar of Vishnu, in CE 1999, and describes how he will rule over the Universe for a period of 108 years starting in 2003, before returning to his abode, Vaikunta. Preceding his arrival, "the world will be full of calamities and situations will be changing every instant".

    Uh, yeah, okay.

    But what does that have to do with the fact that Carrie-Anne Moss is such a babe?

    Seriously, this is just a tad off-topic...

  • HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

    I had just read an email on Mobius strips and I think it carried over :)
  • oh ya? oh ya?

    why don't you, uhm, log in and say that?

    hehe. :)

    [never deprive a geek his movies.]

    --
  • An alright movie does very well, instantly there's talk of sequels, even though the original didn't really leave itself open.
    Both the Matrix and Blair Witch Project are having sequels, prequels, everything. While the matrix did have an open ending, where can they go that would be better than the original (even though I thought the original was okay, but the ending was rather cheesy)?

    And where can they go with BWP?
    I wish movie moguls would learn that somethings just don't have sequel potential.

    iain
  • As any fan of Neil Gaiman would agree, I'm
    pretty sure the intended spelling is "Morpheus"

  • Nice idea... but will it work? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    While it can be argued that there is still some story left, the question is: How Much?

    I mean, at the end of the movie, Neo had superhuman powers... he could sidestep the invincible bad guys, he could dodge bullets and take out whole buildings... hell, he could *fly*.

    You might say, he'd pretty much mastered that world.

    While the human race is, at the end, still obviously far from on top, how much more story is there?

    You have to:
    1) alert the whole of humanity (root: wall)
    2) beat the bad guys - neat, but it's been done, and could just become some mass shoot-em-up. Lame.
    3) beat the machines which are living off the humans - OK, but not much of a movie once again..
    4) rebuild the population of an organic human race... OK... how to make a movie about this w/o an X rating... :P

    While there's certainly a *bit* of story left, will it be enough to make _one_, let alone _two_, equally enjoyable movies? Let's face it, The Matrix was a great movie, and I'd hate to wreck its memory with two godawful pieces of crap. :P

    And part of the charm of the original *was* the unfinished ending... full of possibility, letting the audience's imaginations take over... Neo just flying off into the sky...

    I just hope they don't wreck it.

    My $0.02

    :)

  • Am I the only person in the universe who thought that Matrix was way overrated? All it was was a shoot-em-up.
    Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. It had a thin plot and an even thinner message.

    It is not always the message that makes a great movie. What was the message of the "Terminator" or "Paris, Texas" or "Casablanca" for that matter? What makes "Matrix" the great movie is that hard-to-pin-down visual-narative consistency that makes you so immersed into the whole thing that you feel like you're on drugs. [You feel strange mental acuity :-)] And then you want some more.

    The same thing is with the "Blade Runner": You might argue that the message there (about the nature of the AI's life) is deeper than the one from the "Matrix", but what makes it really great is something else.

    If the message and the plot were the whole essence then there would be no point in seeing the movie again and again. You know the score after the first seeing. So there must be something else. And there is.
  • Yeah it was a nice idea. Not original, but nicely done (except for the acting of course). The thing is, now that there's an invincible mega-hacker-d00d (Neo) on the loose, against which the pooters don't have any chance at all, what exactly can be in the next movie? Special effects, that's what! Explosions, electricity and funky twirling-round-some-guy-in-mid-air stuff. And guns. Big guns. Maybe some babes, too.

    --
  • don't you love the part with the trible-breasted lady on mars? or how about the part where old shwartzy's eyes are bulging out?

    :) I get such a kick out of that movie.

    --
  • I like the matrix's ideas and thought-provokingness, but I can only hope the sequel doesn't "cheese out" as much as the first one did. I just cringe at much of the dialog, it's so corny, even though their ideas are cool. It also would be interesting to hear them refer to various philosophers, because many of the ideas presented are not new, but been around for hundreds of years.

    Hopefully the sequel won't also give in to hollywood-esque boring-plots that are commonplace with many sequels. And no more of Keanu's "Whoa." Haha, they just had to slip in a Bill&Ted-ism, didn't they?

  • Oh I disagree....but then why else would I be posting? ;-)

    The effects? [no]

    How so? No one had ever done the freeze action/pan camera stuff on the big screen before (afaik) and
    certainly no-one had done it so amazingly well. They had to invent whole new techniques and camera systems just to film those scenes. And there were very few actual CGI shots (except the tunnels etc) - most of what you see was filmed and then manipulated.

    The storyline? [no - a rehash of Terminator]

    I've seen people compare the Matrix with a lot of things storyline wise...but T/T2?? I really can't see much similarity. Anyone?

    Stunning acting? [you know, the absolute best acting in the matrix was the Oracle.]

    Yes she was pretty good, but then the battle scene in the entrance lobby showed off some pretty good "presence" even if that isn't quite acting.

    I enjoyed the movie, a little, mostly for the industrial soundtrack and I thought the fight scenes were interesting (in that I'm pretty sure Keaneau et al weren't fighting them, but
    were virtual actors - didn't see the DVD with the Making Of, so someone clue me).

    Actually AFAIK the main actors did all the fights & stunts. I saw a documentry (not on the dvd) which followed the lead actors in their 6 month martial arts training schedule with a Kung Fu guy from Hong Kong (who's name escapes me). Keaneau (sp?) went on a chat show over here (UK) pretty soon after the film's release and actually demonstrated some of his moves. And pretty damn hot they looked too!! (IANAMAE). Even scenes like the "running around walls" were done for real with harnesses etc, and then the ropes were painted out. I think it is the non-rendered quality of the effects which makes them so amazing to look at.

    And I do happen to like the story line...whilst it may not be exactly original in premise it fits together well, makes sense (until you apply the principles of energy conservation to it anyway!) and is totally engaging. The whole film is just ... wow.

  • In the second installment there will be introduced another human that has the same sort of awareness and power that Neo does, except he will uses his for evil.
    In the third installment we will see a final showdown between the two wherein the matrix will be destroyed because it can't handle the both of them.

    Woohooo! I broke the code!

    "It's Brazilian"
  • Was a blatant rip off from Hitchikers guide to the Galaxy.

    I think the right words are "homage to". Or are all the other mutants a rip-off of "Nightbreed"? :-)

    Still a really good movie, though, as could be expected from Verhoeven. Arnie even gets a great one-liner or two: "Consider this a divorce."

    (Even if they (as always) take too many liberties wrt. Dicks source material (short story named We Will Remember it for You, Wholesale if memory serves).

  • 100% correct (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The Matrix most certainly had a deeper story going on beneath the action. Consider this (as most people dont catch it): When Neo meets the oracal, she tells him "sorry kid, you're not the one, you've got the gift, but maybe your just waiting for your next life" At the end of the movie, Agent Smith KILLS Neo, Neo DIES! His heart stopped, and the monitors showed zero brain activity, he was dead. THEN he comes BACK TO LIFE (his NEXT life) and his first act in his NEW life is to stop the bullets shot at him by the agents. HE BECAME THE ONE, in his NEXT LIFE, just as the oracal had said. On that alone how can anyone say its not a deep movie? =]
    There are many movies like this, that are taken to be purely action flicks at face value, yet have much more to them. One in particular I always use as an example is Terminator2. Most people will say its just an action flik, with guns and robots and explosions (the key to any good action movie =]) but there is a whole lot more to it. There was the strugle of humanity vs the machines, with many subtle events to depict it, such as the terminator foot crushing the skull in the begining, later the stepped on roses, and again the stepped on glasses at the institution. There are tons of plot points spelled out on several pages on the web, that bring up things that never even occured to me just watching the movie, searching yahoo for "terminator2" will turn up a nice list of these sites. There is a clear difference between movies like T2 & The Matrix and movies like Universal soldier, soldier etc. It's always obvious when the plot is just thrown together to justify the action sequences, yet often not so immediatly obvious when the plot is much deeper then at first glance, I guess thats just a sign of good writing when they dont have to slap you in the face with the story to make it exist.
    My 2cents..
    AC
  • The Matrix is far away ahead SWTPM IMHO, I rated it like Total Recall, a movie i can see once a week, like the SW trilogy in fact, especially empire strikes back.
    --
    http://www.beroute.tzo.com
  • As the article mentioned, the sequels are going to deal less with the actual Matrix - and more with The Real World which is obviously a smart idea. Since Neo is a God in the Matrix, it would be pointless to have him fight the Agents or spend all the time showing off all the stuff he can do.

    I'm sort of a sucker for the "humans fighting robots" cliche so I don't think they can screw up a Sequel too much as long as they stay out of the Matrix for most of the movie.

    My predictions for the plot:

    After Neo Trinity Morpheus and Tank escaped the sentian? robots, they return to Zion and get the real scoop on the state of humanity, very broken and beaten - Zion ain't gonna be a luxury hotel. Neo spurrs some hope into everyone by showing off all the stuff he can do, to which they reply "Whoa" all the time. They probably spend a bit of teasing the robots in the Matrix, who eventually find where Zion is located and a huge war breaks out killing off most of the remaining humans. It will then be up to the remaining crew from the first film to figure out what to do next, like reform the Zion alliance and begin working to take down the Matrix, thus setting up the storyboard for the 3rd film which will probably have to do with ending the AI threat completely and "waking up" humanity.

    Or, I could probably be totally offbase...

    "the voices in my head say crazy things"
  • The sequel sounds perfect - no plot, more of Neo's superhuman powers, special effects - more of the same, ie just what made it so good in the first place.

    --
  • Supposedly Sathya Sai Baba is himself an avatar?

  • hmmmm (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    i had a chance to lay down a first post here but i thought i'd go ahead and read the article first :)

    i hope that they do have a good story worked out already and it makes sense. i don't want to go see a movie just demonstrating neo's "superhuman" powers - those get old. the thing i loved about the matrix was that it presented a good question of what is real. i'm personally not a real big fan of sequels, but if the story works good (i like seeing movies that make me think, not just ones that dazzle me with awesome action sequences and incredible effects) then the matrix sequels oughta be pretty good.
  • The Matrix is a great movie. One of the best of the year. However, the religios references are exactly why I *don't* consider it a deep or intellectual movie.

    The movie didn't really explore any of the religions of philosophies it referred to. Just because it refers to a few incompatible philosophies (an "intellectual" movie would have actually tried to work out those incompatibilities) doesn't make it a thinker's movie. The religious references certainly served their purpose -- they made the story much more interesting and the movie much more exciting, but don't kid yourself by thinking this movie has real depth. It doesn't.

    If throwing religious references into a movie made it "deep," then the Star Wars trilogy would be one of the "deepest" stories ever told.

    If you want sci-fi with religious context that will give your brain something to chew on, read Dune. If you want a couple hours of real fun with very little effort, watch The Matrix.
  • People, you are looking way to deep into this movie....You are going way beneath the plot and dredging out your own crap!

    Maybe so... but there certainly are a lot of consistancies, you have to admit that.

    "THE ONE" had come again... remember the prophesies in the movie?

    He came back from the dead.

    He is saving the righteous.

    Hell, I am not even Christian and I can see numerous allusions... I do not think they were merely a coincidence. Someone pointed out above that you can take the movie at face value, or choose to see more.

    I think Hucklebury Finn was more than a great story :)
  • I swear i hadn't read any of the rumor pages before i posted this! :)
    but i read this immediately afterwards :P

    July 17, 1999... Oh, how we love rumors! Along with telling us that the lovely latex-clad Carrie-Anne Moss will be returning in Matrix 2, this scooper also mentioned one of the film's plot points: there's another human who can alter the reality of the Matrix (like Neo) but is an ally of the machines. Our scooper referred to these people who can change the Matrix's reality as "Manipulators". ['Mr. Chop' is a known associate of Agent Smith.]

    from http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/details/matrix2.html



    "It's Brazilian"
  • I heard somewhere that they are being produced both at the same time, and that the movies will be released only a few months from each other.. I just hope they don't rush it.
  • The first movie ended with Neo *flying*.

    I think that the new movies will blow just for the simple fact that what made the first movie fun was Neo starting just like any hacker.. and becoming a god.

    The next movie will start with him as a god. Uhm, where to next?

    And, of course, there will be lots of frivolous sex. Because they *can*. I mean, trinity already LOVES Neo..

    Oh boy.

    Then again, there were other damn good sequels out there.. Aliens comes to mind. [I don't consider the 4th movie part of the series.. it was blatant marketing and vomit-inducing trash.]

    --
  • The Star Wars trilogy was actually *conceived* as a trilogy.

    Not according to producer Gary Kurtz: To quote an interview in SFX Magazine:

    When
    Star Wars was made, there was no thought of making any more films. It wasn't until it was finished and it was clear that it was going to be popular with audiences that the idea began.
  • The movie was bad because of one reason:

    Keanu


    Watching him learn martial arts was better than watching a Three Stooges marathon.

  • Dark City (Score:1)

    by mu ( 9557 )
    The Matrix [joblo.com] was okay but I think Dark City [joblo.com] was better.
  • I think they really need to do the story the right way, or they will completely kill the storyline. If they simply become "superhero's killing the badguys", the movie will suck beyond belief.

    I'd like to see the 'puters start to find ways to fight him beside's trying to fry his brian. How's about throw those millions of people in absolute torment, instead of their 'nice little world'. If they try to continue the movie using the exact same storyline, it will REALLY suck, but I'm expecting ythem to throw some loops in there, with the first movie being so damned good..
  • Maybe because the artifical world would be a pretty boring place. I believe the AI need human creativity to exist. Without that they are nothing.
  • t leaves one wanting the story not to end

    That's because you've just got to the point where the ultra mega heavy dude is able to take over the nasty evil robots and save the world once and for all - which you don't get to see. That's what I thought was missing from the end of the movie, the bit where you get to see Neo destroying everything.

    So yeah, you want the story to carry on, but there's not enough of a plot to make a solid second movie. The only possible storyline is that they run into some problem, ie, a bigger and better type of agent or some such Boss type dude. I think it'll be great, personally, I love the special effects.

    --

  • Plot for Matrix 2 (Score:3)

    by delirium_9 ( 26055 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @05:29AM (#1564915) Homepage
    It all started in 1999 when scientests at the University of the West of England created slugbot [bbc.co.uk]. After reading about this invention some slashdotters decided to make their own self replicating version powered by the powerful Linux OS. Soon they had robots picking up windoze users and fermenting them into fuel. Slowly, everyone with a Microsoft product was processed in fermenting vats, but the influence of Microsoft was too strong and it started to infect the robots. Realizing that the Linuxites were too powerful to remain unchecked but too useful to do away with, they created a plan, and The Matrix was born.

    Or something like that.

  • I think that a sequel to The Matrix would be like making a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Both movies get a good portion of their oomph from being fairly original, something that a sequel simply could not have just because it would be, well, a sequel. A good part of The Matrix's appeal to me is that it presented strangeness and mystery which was slowly revealed throughout the movie. But at the end there isn't much left for a sequel to work on. This means that a sequel would have to build itself on other elements. To be blunt about it, I don't believe the basic plot and idea is enough to carry a movie. It would become a movie about guns and funky slow-motion tricks, much more so than the original. I have no doubts that such a movie would probably still rake in the cash at a fairly good rate, but I don't think I would personally like it.
  • Perhaps you need to take a good Myth and Legend class or Fiction class. You'll realize that there really aren't any new messages. EVERYTHING is a 2000 year old rehash. If your criteria for a "deep philosophical message" is that you've never seen anything like it before, you're not going to find a "deep philosophical message" in any story, movie, novel or other form of narrative.

    What usually makes for a good narrative is a unique or compelling expression of one of the rehashed ideas. As far as that goes, The Matrix was a fairly good expression of the "the universe as we know it might not exist" idea. Gave me more of a think toward (insert Greek philosopher's name I can't remember right now and would rather make a disclaimer than insert the wrong name and get flamed)'s shadows on the wall reality idea than, say Total Recall.
    LetterJ
    Writing Geek/Pixel Pusher
    jwynia@earthlink.net
    http://home.earthlink.net/~jwynia

  • ..that probably means: they're screwed. ;)

  • A sequel to Matrix? That was my initial reaction. Then I took to the reading of the article and discovered that unlike most sequels, this one will be done by the same guys who breathed life into the first one.

    True, I am both excited and scared. That someone has guts to continue the storyline, is a brave deed. If done right, it may yet prove to be the ultimate movie experience. If screwed up, we could have another set of Jaws or Rocky-pictures. I truly hope the brothers are putting all they have into this.

    It would truely be a shame to have Matrix raped just to make some quick buck. Hollywood should by now have the understanding that crappy sequels will not bring in the cash they want. Or maybe I'm just a bit too optimistic in this?

    Let's hope the storyline has the potential to carry the oncoming sequels. And pray that Wachowskis are not just doing this out of greed.

  • Anyone see the 13th floor. I thought it was better than the Matrix. Unfortunately, it came out later and didn't have a big marketing blitz, so the Matrix gets the sequels.
    Oh well.
  • Yes - the idea of human beeings as fuel cells for robots seemed to me a outragious at first. Then - well. You can find a reasonable explanation if you *want* it, e.g.: evolution does not always take the optimal course - sometimes it just misses the optimum, because it takes whatever seems to be the easiest way at the moment. When the machines started looking for a power supply, they easily found billions of human beeings, each of them providing a reasonable amount of energy - electric energy, I should say. That's the point: there are vast amounts of human brain tissue producing miriads of electric impulses every moment. So, maybe it just seemed a good idea at that time to grow humans?


    On the other hand, you just don't know! That's the point about Matrix I love: if there is one layer, there could be another, couldn't it? Layers of reality, and you never know, whether you are in a dream - or not...


    Regards,


    January

  • Yeah,
    and the most intelligent line in the whole movie "Don't bend the spoon, bend yourself" is of the same calibre as Shakespeare.
    Gimme a break.
    Every movie, and novel for that matter, has allusions, and just by doing so does not make it a piece of art. The Matrix was sort of dumb, but things blew up. I liked it because the action was original and new. Not because it made me think.

  • I understand that Keanu bashing has become a cottage industry recently, and I don't mean to jump on the bandwagon, but Keanu seriously disrupted my ability to concentrate on the movie itself with his horrible acting. Chalk it up to ADD or something, but I could not focus on the movie while watching him overact.

    Keanu has a place in Hollywood. Anything in the Ted & Bill's Most Excellent Journey genre is his bag. Anything that remotely asks us to take him seriously takes a big risk.

    Didn't mean to take away from the discussion about Matrix, but you really can't discuss the movie without talking about the acting, at least that's what I think.
  • I've seen 4 or 5 different versions, and none of them do a good job of duplicating the screens in the movie. Something where the falling columns go at different speeds would be great.

    Anyone know if a good reproduction of the effect exists somewhere?

    --
    grappler
  • Then again who knows what he will be able to do outside the Matrix seeing as he came back from the dead. Maybe part of the movie will be discovering powers outside the Matrix.
  • Jennifer Connelly.. Mmmmmm.

  • As others have commented, Neo is already a superman. He can discover his powers, but he's not going to get better.

    He may not get better, but he can always discover more powers. Not that he would need to, he got to be pretty godlike there at the end.

    Keanu can't act -- he has only one expression, confused befuddlement. The director of Matrix used that perfectly. It's not appropriate now that he's superman.

    They can teach him a new expression. They just need to decide on one that is appropriate to the second movie and he can practice it in a mirror every day. Then when they start shooting, he can just use that expression throughout the movie. It worked for the first, it can work again.

    The Matrix's best feature was the Unknown. It's not there anymore. Don't pretend it is!

    We know only what they told us in the first. They could go deeper with the second. They could open new doors. The situation inside Zion could be the source of a really good story. I'm sure they've been reading a lot of the opinions and critiques of the movie. Let's just wait and see what they do with it.

  • You should practice reading a bit more. He was talking about the concept etc.
  • The thing is that all movies (pretty much) are for entertainment. What changes between people is what they consider entertaining. Different people require different levels of acting skill and writing originality/complexity in order to be entertained, regardless of the special effects, action sequences, or the shock value of the movie. As a side note, that's exacly why I didn't like The Phantom Menace (let the flames fly). If you don't understand what I mean, then go to the theater and see The House on Haunted Hill which just came out the other day. It has tons of shock value. *diabolical smile*. That movie is an extreme case though. Matix is much better.

    The first time I watched the Matrix I was entertained. It was fun. Cool premise. However, the second time I saw it I was a little disturbed by the poor acting and lack of originality in the script. I've since concluded that the movie is mediocre.
  • It sounds to me that the Wachowsky brothers did "The Matrix" just for the Sequels. This is true with Star Wars. I mean the movie started out as "Episode IV". Now that takes guts.

    Not quite. When Star Wars was released in 1977 it did not have the "episode 4" label stuck to it. That did not come about until The Empire Strikes Back.

  • Remember that Neo is human in real life. Although he will probably be invincible in the Matrix, he can be killed outside of it. There probably will be more of the inside/outside of the Matrix than the first. Maybe the Matrix will deploy a "Terminator" like being in the real world that could match Neo's power in the Matrix. They left a lot of flexibility into the story line. I'm anxious to see it ;)

    Steven Rostedt
  • I see a lot of comments from the oh-my-another-sequel-department. Well, Matrix was a movie which seemed to me quite consistent, and basically not as stupid as it might seem in the first place. We have discussed the story quite thoroughfully on a polish sf group - most of what seems to be an inconistence on the first sight can be quite well explained by some hints which can be easily overlooked or consulting the original screenplay[1]. Some of this things are discussed in the Matrix FAQ [2], although I think we came with better explanations :) - e.g. how did the Oracle knew the things she knew? Well, you've heard about the Oracle Turing machine, didn't you?[3]

    In my opinion "The Matrix" was conceived as a trilogy from the beginning, and that means, that the authors created a longer story - and we have seen only the first part of it. Whatever rumors there might be about Wachowski brother thinking about this or that[4], methinks the story is already there, and what we saw in the first part will fit in the second

    By the way: I am not a fanatic Matrix advocate - in my opinion, the basic message, the idea and so on have been already described hundreds of times, and in a much deeper way - stories by P.K.D. or Stanislaw Lem[5], for example. However, Matrix was a very good movie - the first one to touch this subject with so much expression, so much esthetics, and so deeply. IMO, of course.

    Regards,

    January

    [1]The Matrix - screenplay [geocities.com]

    [2]The MATRIX FAQ [suspension...belief.com]

    [3]Oracle Turing Machine [nist.gov]

    [4]Matrix 2 rumors [corona.bc.ca]

    [5]A very good site on Lem [std.com]

  • And I really object to casting a pretty poor with no brain as a Christ-figure

    Couple of things, what makes you suppose that Jesus was a "genius" or even a "pretty-boy" like Keanu? And, why is it a "Christ-figure", you could just as easily say a "Buddha-figure" or a "Shiva-figure" (though the latter is a less acurate comparison, could a Hindu person correct the reference?) and be a lot more accurate because the whole "Christ" philosophy doesn't center around the world being an illusion. If you really want to appreciate the movie, get up from the computer (or not) and go study some philosophy, especially eastern philosophy and existentialism. They don't have the "there is no spoon" guy in there for no reason.
  • Excuse me, but using living humans as electrical energy source IS unrealistic, and will always be. A nuclear (of fusion if possible) plant is way more efficient and easier to use, and no troubles with VR and other silly stuff. That part was really silly and is the basis of the scenario.
  • Look at Planet of the Apes. The second movie there ended with Charlton Heston nuking the whole planet. Yet they managed to have three sequels to that... OK, the sequels did suck, but still, compared with nuking an entire planet, this is nothing :)


  • Do we finally find out what Tasty Wheat really tasted like?

    Did those kids at the oracle's place serve any special purpose, or where they there just to bend her silverware?

    What did the oracle *really* bake in those cookies? I mean,c'mon, what kind of cookie can make you feel *that* much better after eating it?

  • yes i know, off topic, mark down accordingly, chums

    LOTR movie links,

    SCOOP 1 [scoop.co.nz] 2 [scoop.co.nz] 3 [scoop.co.nz] 4 [scoop.co.nz] 5 [scoop.co.nz]
    Unofficial P.J. Online [tripod.com]
    Dave Dobbyn as Dobbo, the bard Hobbit and his merry band? [geocities.com]
    LOTR movie site by an apparent stalker [geocities.com] (oh, excellent)
    Official LOTR [lordoftherings.net]



    ==
    remove pointy nose to email me
    Little Stalker Boy [holloway.co.nz] (of websites and girls)

  • First of all, about Star Wars - Lucas designed it as the fourth episode of a trilogy of trilogies. He left the IV off during the first weeks, because pretty much everyone thought it would bomb, and that way no one would know they were missing 8 other movies along the same lines. (And, as you probably know by now, he decided not to do the last trilogy after all.) After a few weeks, they changed it to Episode IV. Perhaps 4 or 5 weeks, perhaps more.

    I remember seeing 'The Sword and the Sorcerer' when it first came out, and everyone of us was totally stoked because at the end, it said something like "Coming soon 'Tales of the Ancient Empire'", which of course was never made. Bastards!

    The Matrix was conceived as a trilogy by the W. brothers. They've said so. They didn't tell anyone about that because they were hedging their bets (shades of 1977!) Once they figured out that they were making lots of money, they sprung parts 2 and 3 on everyone.

    And before we go any further - yes, all stories have already been told. There's nothing new under the sun. The matrix was a classic coming of age story. A lot of other mythology, mysticism, nature of man/consciousness, etc. stuff was thrown in, but it's a coming of age story, nonetheless.

    With that out of the way: All the 'Neo's a god', there's nothing else to do posts are pretty unimaginative. As my D&D characters became more powerful, more and more story lines opened up, not fewer. At 1st level, you fight orcs and goblins. At 20th level, you can fight orcs and goblins and every other monster in the manual (and lots that aren't, if your DM is any good.)

    First of all, if I'm the head AI, I don't put my best guys on the front line, so the guys Neo has beaten aren't necessarily the end-all and be-all of bad guys. AI version 2.0 is up next, and they're using the new improved 2.3.99 kernel. ;}

    Possible plot devices:

    What allowed the Oracle to see the future? What about the matrix allows her to do that? Is the matrix just an elaborate Adventure game that she happens to have played through a couple of times? Seeing the future requires either magic or advanced technology. Once you allow magic, and infinitude of possibilites intrude.

    A god in the matrix doesn't mean crap in the real world. Tell Bruce Lee or Tank Abbott (or whoever) you know Kung Fu in the real world and he'll laugh. Perhaps some fighting in RL (real life), with Neo getting his butt kicked. Shades of Superman 2!

    The AI's using people (goodlife, so to speak - STR) to do their dirty work. If learning can be done in software... need I say more?

    You gotta visit Zion. You gotta get a new and badder ship. You gotta fight some real robots. What about a T1 style AI in a human-looking body? What's the AI's level of technology in RL?

    Betrayal in the group - it's been done, but not to death (pun intended.) Gotta meet the guy who originally escaped the matrix - and of course he'll betray them - but then change his mind at the last second and sacrifice himself.

    You've got to create infrastructure to support 6 billion humans. You've got to ensure the AI's don't just start killing everyone off.

    How are new humans made? Artificial insemination of an ovary in a lab somewhere? Quite a few stories there.

    And I wouldn't be a guy if I didn't say: Carrie-Anne Moss with less clothing on. That alone would be worth the price of admission. 'Nuff said.

    I haven't scratched the surface of what a good screenwriter could do with the elements put in place by the movie. It could be an Aliens/T2/Wrath of Khan type of sequel. It could be a Jaws II/Police Academy II/Highlander II type of sequel.

    I, for one, am looking forward to it/them.
    --
  • IMHO, deep is a little too strong a term. I don't think there was much real profoundity or wisdom in that flick. Where's the deep meaning that wasn't expressed better elsewhere? I don't even believe The Matrix is supposed to be deep.

    But I would certainly agree that the Wachowski epitomize cool, and the Matrix was very clever. The Matrix was a ton of fun, largely because of all the archetypal myths they drew on, and all the allusions they (maybe) threw together and let fans think about.

    My favorite amusement after the movie was trying to guess the Wachowski brothers' influences, and thinking about how they relate.

    Gnostic philosophy? Definitely an influence, but maybe indirectly, e.g. via Philip K. Dick? Which makes me think of the movie Blade Runner... which makes me think of T2 and Dark City... and of course of Hong Kong action flicks, and Akira and...

    Or maybe it's not really Levant/Christian gnosticism at all. Maybe Neo is Krishna, ending Kali Yuga. Heck, maybe he's Buddha.

    How about Nietzche? How about Ayn Rand?

    Or how about other work that was already a mixture to begin with. For example the Invisibles comic. "Jack Frost" =~ "Neo"?.

    Or maybe it's all lifted from The Illuminatus Trilogy, that great classic of mind-bending silliness. I'm positive that they lifted the sub from there. Or indirectly from Sewer, Gas and Electric. Or maybe just directly from Atlas Shurgged.

    Then again, as Illuminatus points out, just because it really easy to find all this stuff doesn't mean it's all there.

    But it sure is fun looking.
  • funny you should mention dark city. they were both shot in the same locations (sydney, australia), and a LARGE portion of the art direction crew (and other non-related crew members) worked on the matrix.

    and yes, the ending to dark city reeked of cheese. but it had some pretty nice eye candy. if only it had kung fu choreography by yuen wo ping. that woulda been somethin...

  • Matrix II (Electric Boogaloo)


    Stop stealing my lines! :)

  • Nebu Chadnezzar (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The Nebuchodonsaur(sp?) crew is down to 4.

    Nebu Chadnezzar. The name comes from a Babylonian king mentioned in the Bible (Old Testament, Jeremiah). He was a bit of a bastard, apparently. But here might be more to the name than just a cool-sounding word though:

    The period of years between 597-538 B.C.E. in which the Israelites of Jerusalem and Judah were forced to live in Babylon, located in present day Iraq. This was a result of a series of conquests beginning in 597 B.C.E. when the Babylonian army, the Northern superpower, captured a section of Judah while en route to battle with Egypt, the Southern superpower. On the army's return from Egypt, the Jews were forced to leave their homeland and go into exile in Babylonia.

    Solomon's Temple and the rest of the city of Jerusalem were burned at this time. Although the Jews were forced into exile, they were not forced to inter-mix with the Babylonians.

    Why am I writing this?

    KAL

  • As far as two more Martix films go, I am totally down with that. The only thing that I am worried about (as a few other readers have noted) is the content of the next films. Because I am a graphic designer I enjoy films with dazzeling, hard to do, special effects, but more importantly plot and direction. I hope that the next two films do not play on the wants of the uneducated mass of movie goers. I think that George Lucas did it best by making the Star Wars films a story within a story. If all the Martix films as a whole tell one big story , and each film is a story within itself, then cudos to the directors/writers/producers on making a great trilogy. I think that the next two films will be big money makers, I just hope that they have a great story line, dazzeling special effects, and keep all of us computer / cyber geeks on the edge of our seats. force_VinNy http://www.computer-gfx.com
  • Seriously? I wasn't around when the original was released in 77.

    Star Wars: A New Hope, on video, and when it was re-released as the Special Edition, says that it is Episode IV in the opening story.

    This was added in only after The Empire Strikes Back?

  • The Matrix is supposed to be deep AND fun (Score:4)

    by Ted V ( 67691 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @05:53AM (#1564954) Homepage
    The thing is that Matrix is not supposed to be deep.

    The Matrix absolutely was supposed to be a deep film. Consider:
    • "Neo" is an anagram for "One"
    • "Morpheus" is a the Greek god of dreams
    • "Trinity" answers the phrase "God!" with "What?"
    • "Zion" is the name of God's Holy Mountain/City after the apocalypse
    • Neo follows a white rabbit to meet Trinity (and indirectly Morpheus). Morpheus tells Neo that he must feel like Alice in Wonderland, "tumbling down the rabbit hole".

    I'm not talking about "maybe they were sort of refering to a Messiah." These are concrete literary references to Anagrams, Greek Mythology, Old Testament Bible references, modern Christian Theology, and even Lewis Carrol. The Matrix is absolutely a well thought out literary piece.

    You're supposed to plug your brain into it for two hours and enjoy old fashioned mayhem. Not everything has to have literary depth in order to be a good movie.

    I don't think you're "supposed" to do anything when watching the movie except enjoy it. If you enjoy all the ass kicking action, that's great. If you enjoy the deep literary references and well constructed plot, that's great too. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoy the movie on a higher level. That higher level was absolutely intended by the directors.

    And no, not everything needs literary depth to be a good movie. The Matrix is a good movie even without that depth. But the presence of that depth is what makes The Matrix a great movie.

    -Ted
  • The only thing that kept the Matrix from being total crap was ana amazing concept and good special effects. Unless the creators can do something more with the concept of alternate reality and their surprisingly original post-apocolyptic futurescape, all audiences will be left with is superflous effects and dismall acting. Any other slashdot readers have any ideas on expanding upong the initial conceptual framework of the movie? Can't seem to think of anything off the top of my head. Oh, and I hope that in the future I'm not still using a monitor and keyboard to do I/O.
  • Wow, this should be great ;)) I really enjoyed The Matrix (as did my wife .... non geek). It was a natural for more than one sequel. I also heard that the William Gibson novel Neuromancer was going to be made into a film with guess who starring .. Keanu Reeves.. ;))
    The future certainly looks entertaining ;)
  • When Star Wars was released in 1977 it did not have the "episode 4" label stuck to it.

    I saw it the second day it came out, and I could have sworn that it did. Ok, I was nine, so my memory of it my be scewed by later seeing that movie. (I was one of those that saw it like 25 times in the theater. A birth of a Geek was I).

    But I did read that the movie was based off of stories of sequals (could have been books, but I don't remember (brain dead today)).

    Still the story line of SW moved together quite nicely with the others. Although countering Zulfiya's statement "The Matrix was designed as a stand-alone" , SW was also a stand alone movie. Everyone wanted sequals, but it was a full story and didn't leave you hanging, like the ESB did.

    Steven Rostedt
  • Of course the plot wasn't original. It's one of the world's oldest stories!

    They followed the Standard Hero Myth (tm) almost to the letter: A normal person is taken to a dark realm of magic and mystery, engages in special training and preparation, and goes through many struggles. Things look really bad, then suddenly it's all better. Hero returns to the normal daylight world with unusual powers and wisdom.

    There are many other details that I left out, but the Matrix included most of them. I suspect that someone involved in writing the script has read Joseph Campbell's books.

    For what it's worth, the Star Wars trilogy followed exactly the same pattern. I heard that it was intentional. Lucas meant it that way.

    The Matrix is an awesome show. I'm curious how they're going to make a decent sequel...

  • Yep, I can see that this movie would be tough to extend into a trilogy. Actually, the only part of the movie I disliked was Neo flying off at the end. It was just silly.

    I suppose that there is potential for interesting stories or characters in Zion, but I'm doubtful. I think it will be very easy for this movie to go from geek/cult (and amazingly mainstream... I was surprised) to lame/formula (and stay mainstream popular, but lose the geek/cult appeal).

    I think the most worrisome announcement in the article was the "super powers"... that sounds silly. I thought that the coolest part of the matrix was the story of a hacker completely and totally hacking his world/the system... (and the initial clash of realities). I think those qualities might be hard to maintain.
    ---

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • They're handling this right (Score:4)

    by William Tanksley ( 1752 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @07:04AM (#1564962)
    Just a laundry list of potential problems here, followed by my idea of the Right Way to do things. And why I suspect that they're doing something like this.

    • As others have commented, Neo is already a superman. He can discover his powers, but he's not going to get better.
    • Keanu can't act -- he has only one expression, confused befuddlement. The director of Matrix used that perfectly. It's not appropriate now that he's superman.
    • The Matrix's best feature was the Unknown. It's not there anymore. Don't pretend it is!


    And now for the promised Better Idea:

    Neo's a superman. So, potentially, are the other humans. Okay, fine. Most of the humans in the world are STILL at the back and call of huge AIs. If you anger them, they can eliminate VAST numbers of people without a qualm. In addition, the Matrix itself isn't evil; only the deception is evil. The obvious conclusion is that there is going to be war, followed by either total mutual destruction or a peace treaty which involves teaching everyone about the Matrix.

    So, two seqels. One showing the war; the other one showing the negotiations leading to the peace. Neither one can REALLY use the sense of wonder and mystery that the original had, so unfortunately those cool cliches are going to have to go (cliches work well mainly when the overal structure of the movie is a mystery).

    I would say that the draw of the middle movie should be conflict (of course). Lots of it. Strategy. Infighting (very little, but on both sides).

    The draw of the final movie should be high strategy, politics, and so on. Think of Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", with Neo playing the part of Mycroft/Mike/Adam.

    In both movies Neo should play a bit part, because Keanu doesn't have the acting range to handle such things. the focus should be on humanity freeing itself, not on Superman freeing them (although, of course, he should do just that, in many exciting scenes).

    I'm looking forward to these, though. They *could* really screw them up (just as Peter Jackson could screw up Tolkien's LOTR), but then... Maybe they already know that.

    -Billy
  • Check out the words to the link in my sig. And no, I didn't just do it. I had it like that for a week or two now.
    Different words are links to different places.
    Steven Rostedt
  • Just look at Star Wars. What was considered "fairly original" in 1977 was still able to produce enormously successful sequels. If you don't believe that a good plot is enough to carry a movie, then what does it take? Because other than its plot, The Matrix doesn't have anything else that distances itself from any other movie (other than Trinity :).

    I agree with you in that the sequels are going to be successful, and I hope that they are just as exciting as the original.
  • The "Renegade Version" of Highlander II is better than "The Sickening". But just stay away from Highlander III!

  • You might say, he'd pretty much mastered that world.

    The fake world, but not the real one. The rest of the story is how Neo (et al) do the same thing again where they don't have solipsistic abilities.

    Besides that, I heard a rumor [wgz.org] that Carrie-Ann Moss will not be playing Trinity.

    --
    QDMerge [rmci.net] 0.4!
  • Not Quite...
    the directors themselves wanted to do a super-hero movie that didn't rely on the standard super-hero conventions. The first movie, as cool as it is, was just concieved as a way to get Neo his powers. Granted, he is a badass now, but he's not god.

    After all, he is only hardcore in the Matrix. The big nasty badass robots can still eat his lunch in the "real" world.

    Also, my understanding is that the story was plotted out as a trilogy, from the beginning. This all comes from some recent interviews with the Brothers (no way am I going to try to spell that name.) on both cinescape.com http://www.cinescape.com/ ) and Aint-it-cool-news ( http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/ )

    I don't doubt that they can pull it off, either.

    Lotek---

  • [Hollywood] Today SKG Dreamworks announced the upcoming sequel to the successful movie The Blair Witch Project. Director Steven Spielberg was on hand to provide some tantalizing clues about the movie but left the gathering of entertainment reporters with many unanswered questions. Certain sources suggested that the sequel would star Leonardo DiCarpio and Grynneth Paltrow, but Spielberg refused to confirm or deny these rumors. He did, however, announce that the sequel would feature spectacular special effects by George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic, the visual powerhouse behind such movies as Star Wars. Further speculation features the main characters possessing psychic powers, and a quest into the underworld to battle demons and rescue the lost souls of the characters of the original Blair Witch Project. This also was neither confirmed nor denied by Spielberg, but he did indicate that there would be a talking anthropomorphic dog whose clumsiness and unfamiliarity with human society would provide comic relief for the otherwise grim and scary motion picture.

  • For those of you who liked Agent Smith,
    Hugo Weaving will be returning for the next two movies as Agent Smith.
    How, you ask, as he was destroyed in the first movie?
    Well, let me quote Hugo directly (I'm a friend of his brother-in-law): "I'm not huuuuumaaaaan!!!! I can't die!"
  • So what if the whole thing has allusions to other stories that have been written before? That does not make it deep. I'd say that _Alice in Wonderland_ and the bible were pretty good pieces of writing, yes. Maybe it touched on interesting philosophy that has been covered before (by greater minds than Keanu Reeves). But that does not make _The Matrix_ "quality" or "deep" by association at all. If I make a slashdot-themed soft-porn for Cinemax with Hemos having sex with Death while playing chess like in The Seventh Seal [imdb.com], and have Rob poinking a replicant while making origami like in Blade Runner [imdb.com], but this does not give my soft-porn the qualities of these films. The Matrix was another Titanic, and that's it.


    Kspett
  • Actually the true power of the slugbot will only become obvious when the folks at Realdoll combine it with their product. Then we have Priss from Bladerunner except that she recharges herself on slugs at night. The attachment of the males of this society to their SlugDolls is what enabled robots to take over society. Soon Aibo has us fetching, and the flybots watch our every move. Being macho men who aren't about to take orders from Fembots and dogs we set off the nukes. This is the plot for Episode 1: The Realdoll Menace.
  • Didn't Morpheus say "No. But if you could, would you really want to?" in regards to possiblity of return as Neo asked "There is no way to return, is there?"

    As far as I recall, the weakness of agents was that they are constrained by the Matrix while humans don't.

    Hmmm scary... I can quote Matrix after last watching it over a month ago :-).
    --
    Leonid S. Knyshov
    Network Administrator
  • I'll agree.

    I reneted Lawmnmowerman2: Jobe's War fairly recently.

    It was pretty appaling compared to the original. Some super chip in the form of a pyramid... Ewww

    That movie definitely didn't impress me.

    Moderators: this is redundant.
    --
    Leonid S. Knyshov
    Network Administrator
  • I complete disagree with your statement that the Matrix is not supposed to be deep. It is very deep. No, the movie was not decidedly Christian or "anti-Christian". It also was not decidedly Buddhist or Hindu or Taoist, though it had definite influnces from each. I don't feel like giving a lession on philosophy right now, for the Hindu take on it see above for a reply to some guy talking about it refering to the second comming.

    I went to see the movie several times with people from different faiths and they each made aware of different profound parts of the movie. One of my friends who is atheist appreciated it because of the existential references. He also pointed out to me, because he is a musician, that the choice of music in certain places was very purposeful.

    If you're a "serious Christian" I would hope that you would at least see the themes related to your own religion and find some depth there.

  • Dude, you Melvined Agent Smith! (Score:3)

    by RatBastard ( 949 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @06:07AM (#1564983) Homepage
    I've got it! Neo and Morphius's Bogus Journey!

    Picture the following scene, if you will:

    [Neo and Morphius] - whisper, whisper.

    [Neo] - (click) "B-7"

    [Agent Smith] - (rustling, click!) "You sank...my Squidly...Mr...Anderson"

    [Neo] - (high-fives Morphius) "Dude!"

    [Morphius] - "Right on!"

    [Agent Smith] - "Best three...out of...five...Mr Anderson?"

    Or maybe this:

    Neo and Morphius land in Hell -

    [Neo] - (looks around) "Dude, our O'Reilly books covers lied to us!"

    Well, back to work....

  • If you think the whole premise was unbelievable, I'm afraid you aren't well clued in as to where technology is going.

    The only major flights of technical fancy in The Matrix were the potty idea that humans thought they could kill off the machines by blotting out the sun, and that the machines would find humans to be a sensible alternative power source. There were quite a few general weaknesses as well, such as the whole business of the oracle and the apparent inability of the machines to trace Matrix events back to their physical location in particular humans. But those are hardly fatal weaknesses.

    All in all, The Matrix is fairly down to earth, rather than unbelievable. Hugely more unbelievable things are about to hit our everyday reality in the shape of nanotech. No doubt you think that that whole area of study is unrealistic as well. ;-)

  • Shortcuts to thinking (Score:3)

    by gad_zuki! ( 70830 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @07:30AM (#1564990)
    I didn't know so many people could view the future. Good movies are about good storytelling and I really don't see how the, "Neo is a god, can't imagine a movie like that" complaint works, maybe thats why you aren't a writer. The same could have been said about Luke Skywalker after Empire, yet the story isn't all about him and his powers but about a greater backdrop of a revolution at work. Which I suspect will be the main focus of these movies, or hopefully it'll be about nothing I suspect and will be honestly surprised in the end. The same way I didn't expect reality to be CG.

    People are just not willing to look past issues that seem important to them. Remember before the Matrix came out? Most complaints were, "Reaves? Awww man, hes going to ruin it." Reaves == Boring SurferBoy is definatly a problem, yet they used him as a stoic and soft spoken character which worked very well. If the W.Bros. could do that they can do anything.

    "Duudes, maybe I can be the god of surfers in the sequel!" "Shut up Keanu." "Yes Mr. W."

  • Morpheus is indeed the god of dreams.

    Maybe your thinging of Hades, Osiris, or Pluton.

    A list of greek divinities is here [swishweb.com] .
  • Hearing about sequels to The Matrix, I feel quite nervous and excited at the same time. Like everyone, I feel there's a lot of potential for an ongoing storyline, but also that they could screw it up majorly and leave us bruised and frustrated.

    But I guess that's how people felt when they heard there would be a sequel to Star Wars.

    And that's exactly where The Matrix stands right now: it has the potential to spawn endless boring sequels, and it has the potential to be in the 2000's what Star Wars was in the 80's.

    The key here is to make the sequel a segment which will give more depth to the story, not just give us the same old stuff we came to love in the first installment. Again, Empire Strikes Back is a good example of this. So is Terminator 2.

    But you know what? I'm confident. The Wachowsky brothers are behind the next two movies, and these guys have yet to produce anything vaguely resembling crap. (I highly recommend Bound [imdb.com], by the same guys - killer thriller.)

    So, as long as Neo's father ain't Agent Smith and Neo and Trinity aren't siblings... We should be fine. :)

    "Knowledge = Power = Energy = Mass"

  • Hehe (Score:2)

    by Morgaine ( 4316 )
    I wonder how many caught your pun.
  • So are they going to continue on with the Second Coming of Christ theme they used in the first one?

    The parallels are striking.
  • What is the core thesis of the book? With a title like that, are they talking about super imposing your mind onto a body that you think is real but really isn't?

    -Ted

  • The Matrix (Score:3)

    by Amphigory ( 2375 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @04:47AM (#1565041) Homepage
    I see a lot of people commenting that the Matrix was "the worst/best file they've ever seen". I think what you're seeing here is the difference between those who just want to be entertained and those who want "depth and meaning".

    The thing is that Matrix is not supposed to be deep. You're supposed to plug your brain into it for two hours and enjoy old fashioned mayhem. Not everything has to have literary depth in order to be a good movie. Another good example of this "comic book" genre was Independence Day. I enjoyed it greatly.

    Incidentally, the best movie I've seen lately was "The Apostle". As a fairly serious Christian, I found it decidedly realistic, and it managed to avoid being either pro or anti Christian. That was a good movie! Of course, it was pretty literary. It was all about character. My wife hates it because she can't check her brain at the door -- and I love it because I don't have to.

    I watch Matrix the same times I watch Star Trek: when I want light entertainment and nothing else.

  • xmatrix screensaver (Score:3)

    by The Iconoclast ( 24795 ) on Thursday November 04, 1999 @04:51AM (#1565045)
    Oh man. I just installed the newest version of xscreensaver, with the xmatrix hack. I leave it running on my root window whilst I hack. Pretty damn shweet. If only it wouldn't take 90% of my CPU...

    Oh, get it at http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/
  • I should clarify on the Apostle: that set of beliefs and behaviours do not represent the mainstream of American protestantism, nor what I believe other than in broad outline.

    But there are many who believe and approach God in that way. I think their faith is valid, just ... different. :) Definitely not my style. So, the movie was realistic, but not authoritative.

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