Throughout the course of history it seems like it's always been man's natural tendency to build machines to make life easier. for the most part, man has succeeded in doing just that with inventions that make the basic needs of life (food, water, shelter, etc.) much easier to attain, and at a progressively higher value. This seems all fine and dandy, but the Matrix illustrates what happens when man's machines become advanced enough to turn the tables, becoming the builders of man, and blurring the line that distinguishes the two from one another.
As technology advances, humans have progressively relied on its benefits and found it more of a necessary component of life than ever before. The Matrix shows that, while the humans built artificially intelligent machines, it was these machines that built the Matrix itself, and they clearly dominate it when inside. To contend with, and even survive in the Matrix, Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus require special skills and abilities that are downloaded into the through a computer program, not learned and developed over time through skill and practice (the 'ol fashion way). Man becomes increasingly dependent on machines, so much so that they need them just to survive against other machines they've built. Meanwhile, machines gain their independence and seek out humans only to sever their last ties to their original creators.
The sentient machines are driven by the last threat the humans have over them: the power to shut them down. The search for the "free" humans (Neo, Trinity, Morpheus & Co.), both in the Matrix and outside of it is fueled by the knowledge that Morpheus has the access codes that threaten the existence and power of the machines; the last remnants of the original human-machine relationship, where machines were subservient to their creators. Each "race" wields some sort of power of the other, forcing them into the sort of deadlock we see in the film, but it's questionable as to who has the upper hand in this fight, and what the success of one side means for the other. As their interdependencies flourish, their similarities also seem to become more noticeable, making it seem like, while man and machine have reached the point of trying to destroy each other, they also exist inside of each other more so than ever before.
Almost all of the humans in the movie have some sort of plug in their head that connects them to the Matrix, but also gives off the impression that they themselves are machinelike, and require a physical connection to computers to exist in the Matrix. Beyond the robotic hardware in their bodies, humans like Neo and Morpheus don sunglasses and sleek black clothing, concealing their human characteristics and making them look more like their mechanized opponents.
The machines also steal from their opponents' image, appearing as "agents" who blend in with the humans in the Matrix. Due to how advanced these machines are, they've even adopted aspects of human emotion, especially evident in Agent Smith's speech to Morpheus detailing his hatred for the Matrix. Using passionate and emotion charged words, Agent Smith seems more like a human than Morpheus does at this point, making it difficult for an outsider to tell which one is which.
By taking a closer look at the current and projected relationship of man and machine, the film begs the question, "can one really exist without the other?" The humans have become so reliant on machine service, will they ever be able to go back to life without it? And the machines are still owned by their master (humans), but for how much longer? Is it actually possible for the creator to be enslaved by his own creation, or will the original master-servant roles always exist in some form? Fortunately, the film suggest the latter; Neo eventually gains the ability to defeat the Agents with ease, and at the end of the movie he explains how he has faith in people's ability to rise up against their mechanized oppressors. It does make you question if this world will have a different outcome though; how long will it be instead of giving us directions on where we're going, our iPhones give us directions on what we're doing. It's sort of frightening to think about, but like Neo, I guess I have faith in humans' ability to exist without machines. It's an interesting point in history when we have to consider building less intelligent machines, because threats like the Matrix are becoming all too possible. That's just science fiction though. (Right?)
May 6, 2012
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