The Concept of Reality in The Film the Matrix

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The Concept of Reality in The Film the Matrix

As the dawn of a new millennium approaches, people from all walks of life find themselves asking questions like "what will become?" and "what will destiny bring in the next century?" An event that happens but once every thousand years brings with it a sense of anticipation. In some, this anticipation is one of nervous fervor, and in others, it may be a cautious eagerness for a fresh start. Whatever the polarity of this event may be on the individual, one cannot help but notice the way the millennium is engulfing our society.

Thousands of clever devices in our society pull for our attention every day using what is referred to by many as "Millennium Madness." Through using our anxiety, hopes, and fears for the new century, governments, corporations, and artists use various forms of media to get their agendas to our consciousness. One of the most popular comes in forms of moving pictures. Commercials tap into the madness by proclaiming their product is the official one of the millennium, while huge corporation hope that somehow through this moving picture many will trust them and make their product part of the millennium experience.

Another popular form in this particular medium is movies. Movies, although seen by the majority as entertainment, offer another chance to get ideas to the masses. One movie in particular, The Matrix, uses millennium madness in a much different way. The Matrix not only entertains with dazzling effects and stunts, but at deeper levels it challenges our very existence. The Matrix, to put it simply, is a graduate thesis on consciousness in the sheep's clothing of an adventure flick.

Keanu Reeves plays Thomas Anderson by day and "Neo" t...

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...tely, taking us somewhere we do not want to go. We may be enjoying the trip, but we have clue as to our destination.

Looking back at the film, when Neo was being interrogated by Agent Smith, Smith highlighted Thomas' normal life. "You work for a respectable software corporation, you have a Social Security number, and you pay your taxes." These are all aspects of today's world: our reality. The film is trying to tell us that this is an issue to deal with now, not when it is already too late. The Matrix is telling us that we are already slaves to a technological society where life is all around us, but hardly ever affected by us. The film ends with a challenge from Neo to us. He challenges us, now that are eyes are opened, to see the world for what it really is, not the world created for us to be. He asks us to fight the Matrix, and escape form it.

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