Matrix Theory

2. Upon Neo being woken up for the first time

Morpheus: Welcome to the real world...

Neo is awoken into this seemingly new world, which is the future world in which he believes he has been living in. Morpheus acts as a guide and mentor for the character, this helps the audience gain an understanding of the theory woven into the media text. Baudrillard's theory of hyper reality is what drives a great deal of what the matrix is and about, is what we are living in real?

Simulacra and Simulation was his theory behind mass media and meditation. The concept of Simulacra also involves a negation of the concept of reality as we usually understand it. Baudrillard argues that today there is no such thing as reality, so the world that Neo has been living in is purely fake and the ship he inhabits is really the real world.

'Welcome to real world' allows the audience to adapt to this new concept that has been similarly used in films like 'source code' and 'Inception'- in which large scale disaster events occur in a society. This relates to model figure 2) the (former) Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which replaced a New York of constantly competing, distinct heights with a singular model of the ultimate New York building: already doubled, already reproduced, itself a reproduction, a singular model for all conceivable development.

Being welcomed into this new world shows what is possible within this theory, that the world we live in is 'just pulled' over our eyelids- we live in matrix.



3. The program

Morpheus: Your appearance now is what we call residual self-image. It is the mental projection...of your digital self. Two chairs appear in front of them, and Neo reaches out to touch one. He runs his hand along its back.

Neo : This....this isn't real?

Morpheus looks at him

Morpheus : What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain….

'What is real' Morpheus says, this can be applied to media texts, such as the news- how can one person in another country really know what they are seeing is actually happening unless they are there. Baudrillard claims reality is like a menage-a-trois with identical twins (attractive ones, Baudrillard seems to assume), where the fantasy comprises having perfection reproduced in front of your eyes, though the reality behind this reproduction is nil and impossible to comprehend otherwise, since the twins are still just people. This directly relates to this 'program' that Neo has been placed in and that his appearance is just a 'residual self-image'.

Neo replying with 'This...this isn't real' shows humanity's ignorance and fickle nature to the fact that we could be living in a superficial earth. Point 2 of simulacra and simulation, The second stage is perversion of reality, this is where we believe the sign to be an unfaithful copy, which "masks and denatures" reality as an "evil appearance - it is of the order of maleficence". Here, signs and images do not faithfully show us reality, but can hint at the existence of something real which the sign itself is incapable of encapsulating.

7. The Oracle

Neo looks around the room, and sees he is the only adult there. Most of the children's heads are shaved. Some are playing, others meditating, or practising their gift. Neo watches in amazement, as a little girl levitates wooden alphabet blocks. He turns around, and sees a skinny bald boy sitting on the floor, holding a spoon, which sways and twists as he bends it with his mind. Neo crosses over to him, and sits in front of him, interested. The boy looks at Neo as he picks up a spoon and tries to imitate the boy's actions. Despite his best efforts, Neo cannot make it bend.

Spoon Boy : Do not try and bend the spoon...that's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth...

Neo : What truth?

Spoon Boy : There is no spoon.

Neo : There is no spoon?

Spoon Boy : Then you will see, it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

'Instead only try to realize the truth' this line from the infamous spoon boy, tells us how we should try to think outside of the box instead of being contained within. this is closely 'associated with the postmodernity, where the simulacrum precedes the original and the distinction between reality and representation vanishes. There is only the simulacrum, and originality becomes a totally meaningless concept'. This shows how Baudrillard's theory realates in parrallel with the media industry. this idea of a kind of pre concieved perception in our mind tie in with the 'fourth stage is pure simulation, in which the simulacrum has no relationship to any reality whatsoever. Here, signs merely reflect other signs and any claim to reality on the part of images or signs is only of the order of other such claims'. Baudrillards theory is complex and difficult to follow but in 'the matrix' aspects are used to create a strong narrative structure that involves the audience deeply, and leaves a profound effect on them, this is partly down to why it achieved such success. Baudrillard's 'simulacra and simulation' is even shown within in one of the scenes, and this adds a slight humour to piece.