This page is a discussion of the story of the first film, primarily material significant to the overall mythology, and further to that the meanings and interpretations that have been applied to it. Whilst the way in which the plot fits into the whole story is fairly straight forward (unless the Wachowskis' throw in some hellish twists), the interpretations section of this page is extremely open minded and if you have seen a view, or have one of your own - post it, and if it can be supported by evidence in the movie, it will be added to this page.

What We Learn The Story Interpretations

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The Story

This movie primarily centres around a hacker named Neo and the revelation to him that the world that he, and everyone else he has ever known, has been living is an illusion. Up until this revelation Neo felt that there was something wrong with the world.. he couldn't put his finger on it but something just wasn't quite right.

Early in the movie, Neo is contacted by a man named Morpheus, warning him that he is being watched. Neo is "arrested" by those who are watching him, what we later learn are called "Agents". Morpheus again contacts Neo and they meet. The awful truth that the world in which he has been living is an illusion is revealed to him. Neo was then given a choice; forget everything which has happened and continue living in ignorance OR, and this what Neo chooses, to leave "The Matrix", the illusion, and enter the real world.

Once Neo has recovered after his salvation; he had never used his muscles, his eyes, his physical self and so his body had to effectively be "built" again, Morpheus reveals to him what "The Matrix" really is, and gives us our first real insight into the extended story.

Morpheus reveals to Neo in the construct, a "loading" program, what The Matrix is. Neo is told that even though he had believed that it was the year 1999, in the "Real World" it was actually closer to 2199, although no one knew the exact year for sure. It is believed that early in the 21st Century, humans gave birth to true Artificial Intelligence - a conscious machine. This single consciousness in time grew to a race of machines. At some point, and for reasons untold in this first movie (although it can be found on the The Story: Beyond Film page), and the party who instigated it unknown, a war was started with the race of machines and the race of humans in opposition. The machines were solar-powered at the time, and so the humans thought that if they were to block off the sun - to "scorch the sky", the machines would not be able to survive. The machines however, were able to enslave humanity, discovering a method of creating enough electrical energy to survive off from these humans enslaved in "power plants", The Matrix created so that the unwitting slaves would never realise their imprisonment. Morpheus reveals that now in these "power plants", these fields of humans, individuals are no longer born - they are grown.

Once Neo has come to grips with this nightmare, and accepts its truth, he is told by Morpheus why he was rescued. We learn that when The Matrix was first constructed, a man was born in it who could remake it as he wished. Morpheus says that it was this man that freed the first of the humans and taught them of the the truth of The Matrix. He says the when he died, the Oracle prophesies his return, and that when he did return he would signal the destruction of The Matrix and the freedom of humanity. Morpheus then implicitly states that he believes that Neo is the return of this man.

(Just something which appears throughout the fanbase the really irks me. Neo gets the nickname of "the one" throughout this film, as in "the one who will save humanity". I'd just like to point that I don't think that the original man who freed the humans should be called "the first one" or "the original one" as some fans like to say. "The one" really refers to the 2nd incarnation of this man, so really he should be referred to as "the original incarnation of the one" not simply "the original one"

Prior to his "training" in martial arts, Neo learns from the ship's operator, Tank, of the existence of the last human city named Zion. As humans need heat to survive, the city is close to the hot core of the Earth.

Training is initially done downloading information into Neo (via a "plug" in the back of his head which initial connected his brain to The Matrix), he once again enters the construct (again, connected via the plug) to practice his new found knowledge, and come to understand that The Matrix does not function entirely the same as reality.. The construct functions similar to The Matrix except that it is controlled by Morpheus and his crew on their ship (a hovercraft), called the Nebuchadnezzar, with programs being loaded at their will. Morpheus tells Neo that whilst The Matrix has some rules (like) gravity, these rules are able to be bent and some are able to be broken. We learn that in The Matrix an individual is not limited by their physical strength, Neo's training primarily to allow him to come to terms with this fact. The first part of his training has him learning to move fast and hard whilst performing martial arts and the second part tries to demonstrate that in The Matrix it IS possible to leap buildings in a single bound. Once he emerges from the simulation, Neo's lips is bleeding (after he has taken a hard fall). Neo says "I thought it wasn't real" to which Morpheus replies "your mind makes it real". Significantly, when Neo asks "if you die in The Matrix, you die here?" Morpheus replies "the body cannot live without the mind. Basically this demonstrates that if you believe you have died in The Matrix, you die for real, but if you are strong enough, as Neo turns out to be, and know that it isn't real you can become invincible.

Finally we learn more about the mysterious Agents that were pursuing Neo, in another training program. Morpheus tells us that they are "sentient programs" and that the are able to "move in or out of any software still hardwired to their systems". What this means is that anyone that hasn't been unplugged from The Matrix is potentially an agent. They cannot materialise out of nothing but they are able to take over the representation in The Matrix of a human still in a power-plant. Morpheus reveals that they are the "Gate Keepers.. they are watching all the doors, they are holding all the keys", also adding that all that have fought them in the past have died. But Morpheus continues, saying that the time for running must end - their defeat is crucial in the path to destroy The Matrix.

Neo is taken to the Oracle who basically tells Neo that he is not that "the one".. that he's not ready, that maybe he's "waiting for something.. another life".

When the crew are about to leave The Matrix they are hindered by the Agents and a SWAT team who are at the exit (EXPLAIN EXITS!). Cypher, another crew member on the Nebuchadnezzar, has basically made a deal with the Agents to allow them to capture Morpheus. They want the access codes to the Zion mainframe, which all ship captain's know, whilst Cypher, sick of living in the Real World, wishes to live ignorantly and be reinserted into The Matrix. Morpheus previously says to Neo that it is not possible to be reinserted, this is obviously from the perspective of someone not allied with the machines.

Morpheus is captured whilst most of the crew are killed in The Matrix, and some by Cypher when he returns to the Nebuchadnezzar Tank is about to pull the plug on Morpheus (why would this kill him... is his consciousness actually "downloaded" into the matrix? so it separate from his physical body if the plug is removed?), when Neo and Trinity embark on a rescue mission. At the same time, Morpheus is being interrogated by some Agents. Agent Smith reveals that the first Matrix was designed to be a human paradise, where none suffered. But no one accepted this reality and "entire crops were lost", that reason being why The Matrix was redesigned to its current state. Smith says that some (A.I.?) believed that the failure was due to a lack of programming ability in describing the perfect world, but he believes that humans define their existence through suffering. He also says that he believes that humans are a virus, with we (A.I.) being the cure. The fact that their is a differing of opinion among A.I. demonstrate that it is not a singular consciousness, rather a true race of individuals. Smith also expresses his desire to "get out of here", and also exhibits some human qualities.

The rest of the movie features the rescue of Morpheus and Neo becoming more confident in his abilities, demonstrating in the end the he really is "The One". Once Neo is about to exit The Matrix he is seemingly"killed" by Agent Smith. However Trinity, who the Oracle prophesied that the man she would fall in love with would be The One, kisses Neo from inside the Nebuchadnezzar, allowing him to realise that he had not been killed. Neo "destroys" Agent Smith, with Agents Brown and Agent Jones running off, demonstrating fear of dying, which means when Agent Smith said he had wanted to leave The Matrix he didn't mean ceasing to exist.

The movie ends rather mysteriously, with Neo talking to an as yet unknown individual. Neo reveals that he knows of his existence, and that he will show the people a world without rules and boundaries (is he talking about the fact in the matrix the rules can be bent and broken, because I would say the real world would have more roles than a comp. system). It ends with him saying that where they go from there is up to this unknown individual, and demonstrating his presence within the Matrix by flying up up and away (quoting a version of the script ;-)).

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Interpretations

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