A Movie with Different Layers

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2008)

Like "Blade Runner", the "Matrix" trilogy has at least two different levels of story. Both are evident, but we, at first, only see the first and less important, which is the Matrix itself and the man-against-machine war. The second level, which is the central plot of the whole thing, is so obvious that it becomes invisible.
If you liked this movie more than the sequel, "Matrix: Reloaded", then you, like almost everyone else, didn't understand it. If you are feeling bad about that, don't worry, it took me almost eight years to finally understand it, too! Many people liked this first part, the rest hated it, and both didn't understand it. Interestingly enough, the ones that hated it were closer to understanding it than those that liked it. People that didn't like the "Matrix" trilogy always talk about the "shallow story" and the "cheap philosophy". As much as they are right about the cheap philosophy, they are complete and absolutely wrong about the shallow story. The "pseudo-philosophic junk" is, actually, junk, but a very important part of the story, and that is so clear in this first part of the trilogy that no one actually realized it. It happens because, taken alone, "The Matrix" is just a fantasy movie, placed some time in the future.
The key to realize the greatness of the "Matrix" trilogy is accepting that it is a science fiction, not a fantasy movie. With that in mind, you can find the real villain of the trilogy, then everything will make sense, including the things that make no sense at all in a science fiction movie, like Neo's skills, both inside and outside the Matrix. The really interesting thing is that the villain openly shows its evilness in "Reloaded", it even explains its reason to do the things it does, but we promptly forgive or forget it! And pay a lot of attention to the dialogs at the very ending, in "Matrix: Revolutions", don't be deceived or misled by the background, because they present the final results of the main struggle of the trilogy and you will realize who is the winner.
So, follow the white rabbit and find out who is the real villain in the "Matrix" trilogy. After that, you will see that almost all speeches in it have two completely different meanings, one that supports a weak futuristic cloak-and-dagger flick, with lots of "cool", but unimportant Greek-and-whatever references, and another that leads to a much darker reality, which will make you love the whole trilogy, or more properly, the trilogy as a whole, not only this first installment.