Essay: The Matrix – interconnectedness of human and machine

The Matrix
Directors – Lilly Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
The Matrix, directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, is a film about Thomas A. Anderson, otherwise known as Neo in the hacking world. He is contacted by a man named Morpheus who shows him the real world, where it’s nothing like we know it. Morpheus explains that what we are perceiving every day is an artificial reality created by machines, and that humans are imprisoned inside. Neo needs to go back into the Matrix and find a way to eliminate the Agents which are targeting him. The Agents are powerful computer programmes designed to kill anyone who finds out about the real world. The Wachowski siblings explore the idea of a blurred line between humans and machines and the relationship between body, brain and mind. They incorporate these ideas through effective symbolism and techniques.
The Matrix is not just a sci-fi classic but a movie showing how the line between humans and machines has gotten more and more blurred as technology has progressed. Since the start of human evolution we have used technology, even if it’s as basic as rock tools, to help make our lives easier. These days machines created by man are literally all around us. It’s hard to walk into a room that doesn’t have a system with some sort of artificial intelligence in. As we have become more technologically advanced, we’ve learned how to create things that do jobs faster and better than humans. Their precision and intelligence have made them become perfect employees for a every job that humans no longer want to do. Not that long ago, 70% of the world worked on a farm. Today, only 1% do; the rest of the jobs have been taken over by machines that can do the human work for them. In the Matrix, one of the agent’s dialogue is very ironic: “Never send a human to do a machine’s job.” It won’t be long before we are expecting machines to do all of our jobs, and it would seem ridiculous to let a human do what a machine could do faster. I wonder what jobs will be redundant by the time the young children of today choose a career. The Matrix has really opened my eyes to just how much we rely on technology and machines to do even the most basic tasks. Technology is threatening to become smarter than humans, and that concept could change the way society lives. The directors raise the question of how interdependent man and machine actually are. As long as humans turn to technology to solve human problems, man and technology will always be interdependent.
The film explores the relationship between body, the brain and the mind. The connection between these is altered when the world turns out to be an illusion. Characters in the Matrix can feel physical sensations, created by the mind, and it is made clear that the body cannot live without the mind. Humans need the body, brain and mind working together simultaneously to function in the world. It is based on this idea that the Wachowski siblings infer the power of individuality and humanity. The existence or absence of all three elements separate Neo, Morpheus and Trinity from the Agents.
Lilly and Lana Wachowski interweave sunglasses and eyes into the film to act as motifs in order to portray the ideas of illusion vs reality and the obscure line between humans and machines. The Agents are almost always seen wearing sunglasses during the film. The glasses hide their eyes and reflect those being looking at. The removal of sunglasses symbolises that the character is gaining a new perspective. There is a scene in which Morpheus offers Neo the pivotal choice between a blue pill or a red pill. The blue pill is reflected in one lens of his glasses, the red pill in the other, which is an unconcealed reference to the two starkly different perspectives of the world which Neo must choose between. Another feature of The Matrix which is used to convey a deeper understanding is the green light of the Matrix. Everything within the Matrix is viewed as if the camera lens is covered by something green. This odd choice of colouring suggests that, unlike in the real world, what we see in the Matrix is being filtered through something else. When Neo eventually develops the ability to view the Agents as code rather than as their fake human portrayals, he sees them in the familiar green hue which saturates the rest of the Matrix. The dark hue of green used throughout the film also has negative connotations which suggests something evil or poisonous. This is shown in the scene in which Neo slaughters Bane/Smith as there are green flames which surround him, portraying the annihilation of evil.
The ideas surrounding what reality actually is have intrigued me, and the Matrix developed this idea in my head even further. Near the beginning of the movie, when Morpheus first shows Neo the real world, his dialogue consists of, “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”. This quote made me reconsider what reality actually is, and whether there is anything outside of what I’m sensing through my brain. Morpheus later says “Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?“. This makes the viewer question their own reality, as i’m sure almost everyone has experienced a dream which feels as if it has actually happened. This film prompts the viewer to consider what is real, or whether what is conceived as ‘reality’ is actually not. It’s difficult to grasp the idea, and I wonder whether I would rather not know.
The Matrix is an intelligently directed film which examines the interconnectedness of human and machine and questions the interpretation of reality. The Wachowski siblings explore these ideas through a range of thoughtful dialogue, motifs and symbols. The Matrix is intriguingly philosophical and I’ve never seen a film like it, that challenged the ideas of reality and man vs. human in such a captivating way. It’s a cinematic triumph that should be watched by everyone.