In this assignment I will be talking about a short sequence from The Matrix (The Wachowskis, 1999) and expand the idea of use hyperreality in this film extract. Nevertheless explain the key features of the hyperreal and look if there is any escape from this, in selected film sequence. To apply this suggestion of hyperrelity into our extract, first of all I would like to discuss what actually hyperreality is. Afterwards, continue to explain very short excerpt of The Matrix.
The hyperreality is a failure of recognition to identify reality from a reproduction of reality, specifically in state-of-the-art societies. In other words hyperreality is a condition where real world and fiction world are seamlessly merged so there is no visable distinction between where one ends and the other begins. Very modern example of it is virtual reality (VP) which allows co-mingling with human perception with artificial intelligence.
The film extract that I have decided to write about is The Matrix from 1999 directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. The Matrix is a fantasy/science fiction genre movie. As a brief to understand an idea of the plot, The Matrix is a movie which represents unreal reality and the upcoming future. It is important to remember movie is from late 90’s where till now we see plenty of modern fantasy/sciene fiction genera movies. To underline as well greatness of this piece, let’s remember this movie is famous for it’s “bullet scene”. There is something about the movie that we keep on coming back to and still find it fascinating. I find it very interesting how the suggestion of hyperrerality can be implied in this classic film.
The film sequence I will be discussing, talks about unreality of reality surrounding people on a daily basis. Neo who is played by Keanu Reeves is main character in this full plot twist with Laurence Fishburne playing Morpheus which is considered by Neo to be the most dangerous man alive can resolve his unknown about Matrix.
The sequence to which I will be applying suggestion of hyperreality and explain its features shows both of characters wondering around metropolitan area, where Morpheus leads Neo in city centre and explains him different variations of system. It is clearly visable how people in this scene seem like robots as everything is just perfect, where everyone is the same. Neo seems very confused whilist the leader which is pace walks towards and explains the environmental system they are living in. It comes to a break where young man gets lost and just can not capture everything at the same time and loses his common sense, then he is reminded this is a practice for him to understand real Matrix.
We as an output do not learn until well into the film that The Matrix is simply a digital data that creates a unreal world for its ‘prisoners’ which is the society. Nothing in the world of this movie is “real either realistic – everything is a big simulation, created by artificial intelligence machines. The most dangerous man alive explains this to Neo after his person is reborn into “reality” created.
Hyperreality is based on rules, just like reality, for example like soldiers, they must be trained to defeat the enemy which in this case will be always “the system”.
As mentioned before, what this specific short sequence of The Matrix shows, and how the hyperreality is suggested is based on the surroundings and the behaviour from the main characters. It all seems so real but it is not, It is impossible to have such a real reality based and profiled on perfection. The key features of it, is the way each role is played and it is clear to understand each emotion as well as the movement of characters. Very important role in this scene is the woman in red dress, she is a simulated character and conspicuous feature in the program. She is meant to appear harmless but to catch trainees attention. Her character is the only character in the program’s city street setting wearing a vibrant shade of red, in comparison to other people (pedestrians) attire is mostly black. In the sequence she makes an eye contact with Neo who is the subject in this case and she continues to smile flirtatiously upon crossing paths, where at this point Neo gets distracted and looses his senses as mentioned before. The moment he is stopped, he realises and the lad in red dress transforms into a simulated Agent, armed with gun and dangerous.
To escape the hyperreal is to understand what Matrix is actually about. It is a system, which is to be resolved either to be understand by humans.. The moment it is all resolved the hyperreal disspears and its unknown being becomes no longer valid. The Matrix itself can be understood as a literal interpretation of Baudillard’s hypereality. Jean Baudillard is a French sociologist were this postmodern semiotic concept of hyperreality was coined by. Humans within The Matrix live entirely inside a construced as well as controlled reality and must make a monumental choice and take deliberate actions to escape from it.
When Morpheus speaks this line to Neo he is paraphrasing Baudrillard’s first chapter in S&S. Baudrillard proclaims that our world is no longer really “real.” Instead, it has become “hyperreal,” a simulation of reality that is disconnected from whatever was real before. What’s more, the mass of western civilization actually prefers simulation to reality itself. Out of this basic truth, simulacra proceeds, the endless unfolding of copies of things until there is no longer a trace of anything original or until originality is trivialized. The combined effect of S&S is that reality takes on the qualities of a desert, harsh and lacking genuine sustenance.
When Morpheus speaks this line to Neo he is paraphrasing Baudrillard’s first chapter in S&S. Baudrillard proclaims that our world is no longer really “real.” Instead, it has become “hyperreal,” a simulation of reality that is disconnected from whatever was real before. What’s more, the mass of western civilization actually prefers simulation to reality itself. Out of this basic truth, simulacra proceeds, the endless unfolding of copies of things until there is no longer a trace of anything original or until originality is trivialized. The combined effect of S&S is that reality takes on the qualities of a desert, harsh and lacking genuine sustenance. Simulation is our norm and should not be confused with “representation.” A representation can be used to distinguish falsehoods because by definition representations are about something else. A simulation, however, proclaims itself as the whole of whatever is being simulated. In a simulation there is no reference point from which you can distinguish what is and isn’t genuine because everything within a simulation is counterfeit. Like Neo’s hacked software hidden in an imitation of a book of philosophy. “The real,” writes Baudrillard in S&S, “is produced from miniaturized cells, matrices, and memory banks, models of control – and it can be reproduced an indefinite number of times from these. It no longer needs to be rational, because it no longer measures itself against either an ideal or negative instance. It is no longer anything but operational.” This, of course, is the concept behind the matrix as presented in the film. “You’ve been living in a dream world Neo,” Morpheus proclaims matter-of-factly. Human beings supply the energy by which highly developed systems of computers and machines rule the earth. In exchange for the energy, human “residual self-image,” the “mental projection of your digital self,” is “inserted” into what Morpheus labels “a computer generated dream world. The “real” world depicted in the film is nothing other than “operational.” The computers and robotic machines that have mastered and imprisoned humanity go about their efficient tasks, growing humans, maintaining the matrix, running programs in search of those renegades who would disrupt the workings of relentless technological systems.