h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This I like but its hard to explain the film to people, or at least the people I know,

I hope the sequals are as good as the first

i wonder what the computers want to do and what they do do, as my wife asked, where do the agents want to go, if they hate the matrix, I supose thats the ultimate question whats the point in life, the humans want their world back but what exactly do the rest of the computers do who don't take care of the matrix

but that's their world. The machines created the matrix to be able to survive themselves. So it's a catch-22 really.

There's no sun, so the machines need the energy that the humans generate to survive. Hence the reason the matrix was created - to harvest this energy (remember the harvest scene, where they pick the babies in the big crops?)

I agree...the sequels should be good, as hopefully they'll take us to the underground city where the 'non-assimilated' (bit of a Next Gen/Borg reference, but i can't remember the city name off the top of my head right now) humans live.

And the resolve to the issue...now that "The One" has been found, how do they continue that? A hard plot to continue....i'm intrigued as to how the Wachowski brothers will continue this!

yeah the whole matrix idea is fine, but the thought is that they get the power from the humans, what do they do as well as maintaing the matrix?, what are they hoping to achive in the long run?.

yeah i'm looking forwad to the sequels, when are they comming out, do you know?.

I think that's all they did - they had to maintain the matrix for their survival, and i guess it's a pretty big job! Maybe they go home in the evening and curl up in front of the telly??

Well, their goal was total control of the planet, but they couldn't since the sun was destroyed....so i guess their goal is just survival at the moment....

The two sequels (Matrix: Reloaded, and Matrix: Revolutions) have release dates of 2003 at the moment.....they're both filming now at Fox Studios in Sydney...

can't wait, I did watch the matrix revisited dvd, not bad.

was that the "making of" dvd?? there were so many tv things about the making of, that i didn't watch that (otherwise i'm totally confused! )

The phrase they've been using for the 'freeze time and spin around something' effect is bullet time.

The city was Zion, or Xion, or something that sounded like that. I think.

yeah it was the making of, it was more a doucmentary about the film, and a whole making of thing.

it would be nice to see the city.

it WOULD be rather groovy. I'd like to see how they go about designing it.

Have you seen the trailer for Reloaded yet?? Looking good...

it's here:

http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/sequel_trailers.html

Yes, 'bullet time' seems to be the official term for the sweeping digital camera effects - has crept into lots of action computer games like Max Payne (sp?) and Perfect Dark.

The Matrix also seems to have kickstarted the Korean sci-fi film industry - lots of great films coming from their now that have been obviously inpsired (I've just seen Volcano High which is Rival Schools meets Ranma 1/2 meets erm.. The Matrix. It's also fantastic.)

Seen a little trailer.
I think revolutions looks better.
(Agent Smith!)

Does anyone else see the Messiah storyline in this film. Or is it just me?

Searching..........
To believe in yourself,to find out who you really are, to die and be resurrected by love.
Lots of other hidden lines in there.
Betrayed by a 'Judas' figure.

Noticed the music beneath the Oracles speech..... ( and hey she's making fortune cookies !) ?
it's..... 'I'm beginning to see the light.'

Also reference to a carpenter.
anyone get any references/in jokes I've missed.
it took me ages to realise that Neo was an anagram of One. Doh!
I also liked Ciphors desire to be 'someone really important, an actor perhaps and not to be able to remember anything.'
and his name is Reagan !
Geddit?

yeah....the whole thing did have a slight biblical reference...but it was more of a field day for platonians!!! It's Plato in and out...

Can you condence Plato for me?

Well, one of Plato's main theories was his "Myth of the Cave" (Plato's Cave Theory as it is sometimes referred to).It was basically this:

Imagine you have a line of prisoners standing side-by-side inside a cave, facing the inside of the cave. Now, just outside the cave is a road, with people walking past, carrying on with their everyday lives. Past the road, on a hillside, is a fire. This fire casts shadows of the people on the road into the cave. So the prisoners are there watching these shadows dancing on the wall.

For the prisoner's this is their reality.

Even though they are merely images - representations of reality - the prisoners do not know that. That is their world, for they do not know that anything beyond their wall of images exists.

Plato states that mankind - us - are the prisoners. What we view in the world - the people that we see - are merely representations. Not actual reality (if you think about how many 'people' you really are - you have a 'home' you, a 'work' you, a 'friend' you, etc).

It is for us to see beyond the representations and into the ACTUAL reality. (ie, break out of the cave, from the chain gang, into the real world).

The Myth of the cave is pretty much that, Plato goes on, and takes it a little further:

Now, if for example, if one of the prisoners was taken outside, and shown that what he had seen was not 'real', and that the shadows were just shadows of the real people, he would be shown the truth. But would it really be the truth? He is just being shown 'another reality' according to him. Which would he believe? And if he did, and was then put back into the cave, the other prisoners would not believe him......

So basically it's a vicious cycle, of you're screwed, or you're screwed.

So, the Matrix is basically Plato's Myth of the Cave. Philosophists everywhere had a field day with it (I study communications, and do a LOT of philosophy, and the amount of times the Matrix has come up is phenomenal!!!)



(sorry...best I could do at condensing it for you ...I was always bad at summarising!!! )

"it took me ages to realise that Neo was an anagram of One. Doh!"
It is, isn't it... whoah...


Another aspect of Plato's cave is that it can hurt to be taken out of the cave: if you've spent all your life in a dark cave looking at shadows, and you are suddenly taken out into the bright sunlight, it will hurt your eyes.

The agents are programs. So what do the programs on your computer do when they are not being applied?
The human city is Zion.

Yes, Jesso
Neo - One
And there's lots more like that running within the storyline of the film, which makes re watching it worth while.
It is Platos theory and it is the Messiah story underneath all that action packed attactiveness.

Also, if Neo is one , then the whole idea that we are all 'One' applies. we are all potentially our own Messiahs,
We can save ourselves ! by walking out of the cave.
If those still in there choose not to believe, why go back in there?
We get to be 'cruxified' in life until we see that it may not be real.

crucified

Yeah, there's whole groups of obsessives who talk about the philosophy of the matrix.