A Few Notes
before you start watching!

Notice the green tinting (representative of the Matrix code) and lack of blue while we are in the Matrix -- even the sky is grayish most of the time. Yet on the Neb there is a lack of green and more blue to give the feel that this is NOT the Matrix.

The color green is associated with sickness, decay, disease, and impending death, such as in, "You look a little green". The color green is also associated with naivety, such as someone new to an area or job. This makes All the people inside the matrix don't have a clue that they are really living in a false reality and that they are actually prisoners.

Blue is considered to be a peaceful, spiritual color; healing, soothing, and relaxing.

In many scenes floors, and costuming are black, white, or a combinations of the two. "Black out" refers to to a temporary loss of consciousness or memory, as in sleeping in a 'pod'. Black itself indicates inner strength, independence, a strong will, and determination, perfectly describing the crews mood. As a color of mystery, secrets, and intrigue, associated with darkness, death, remembrance, and mourning, it perfectly describes their revolt.

White, on the other hand, is hope, faith, confidence, and enlightenment. With the endless possibilities the 'construct' provides, along with the complete lack of assumptions white suites it. It is also fitting that Switch wear white, a 'switch' from the black the rest of the crew wears.

The lack of color represented by black and white together draws attention to the opposing forces at work. The conformity and unindividuality of the Matrix and the unity, rebellion of the crew. The choices that the crew must make are 'black and white,' as well. There are no inbetweens; there is true yen and yang:

• reality / illusion (the matrix)
• truth / lie
• life / death
• conscious (awareness) / unconscious (sleep)
• good / evil
• wisdom / ignorance
• humans / machines
• freedom / slavery
• free will / determinism
• peace / war
• belief / disbelief

All of the scenes in the Matrix feature grid patterns...tile floors, tiling on walls, pictures hung in grids. There are lots of long lines and few curves. All of these things are representative of a computer screen, with the square patterns that the pixels create.

The many reflections we see, in the glasses, in mirrors, in windows, gives us a glimpse of ourselves. Our idea of ourselves and our understanding of who we are is challenged when we look into our own eyes. Reflections are are worlds within worlds, showing us that there is surface reality and deeper truths

However, the most important part of the movie to me is the central theme of faith; faith in ourselves, faith in the truth, faith in God.

Just as Neo (Thomas) must learn not to trust that which he sees (the Matrix), so we must learn not to trust in the world. In the movie, the faith that the team has gives them the ability to defy physical laws. In parallel, we are no longer held captive to the laws of this world.

As a side note, I use the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yeshua, throughout this discussion. It is just something I do.

DVD Script
(fairly close, anyway)

Notes

(A blinking cursor pulses until a phone rings...)

MAN (V. O.): Yeah?

WOMAN(V.O.): Is everything in place?

TRINITY (WOMAN) (V.O.): I said, is everything in place?

CYPHER (MAN) (V.O.): You weren't supposed to relieve me.

TRINITY (V.O.): I know but I felt like taking a shift.

CYPHER (V.O.): You like him, don't you? You like watching him?

TRINITY (V.O.): Don't be ridiculous.

We are listening to a phone conversation between two people; the man's name is Cypher (meaning zero, or hidden; also a reference to Lucifer, another of Satan's names), the woman is Trinity.

Cypher is another form of the word, "Cipher." In the dictionary, "Cipher" has several meanings:

• An arithmetical system meaning "0" or zero.



• Having no quantity or magnitude.



• Something of no value or importance.



• A person of no influence.
  
• A secret method of writing as a specially formed code of symbols. (This perfectly describes the code of the matrix.)

Cypher may represent several different people in Scripture, which I will explain as the scenes arrive:

• Judas (the disciple who betrayed Yeshua)
• A demon
• Satan

Trinity also has several interesting meanings:

• The number three, which Pythagoras referred to as the perfect number.
  
• The union of three people or things, such as:
  
  • body, mind and spirit
  
  
  • birth, life and death
  
  
  • mother, father, and child
  
  
  • past, present and future
    
• In dream theology, Trinity can signify the female principle, entry into the mysteries, or a sense of completion.

Trinity can also represent several characters:

• 'Everyman'
• Mary, Yeshua's mother
• Mary, the sister of Lazarus
• Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Yeshua
• The Holy Spirit
• And Carrie-Ann Moss explained in Xpose Magazine, "I always thought it represented the combination of me and Laurence and Keanu." So we have Morpheus - the Father, Neo - the Son and Trinity - the Holy Spirit.

CYPHER (V.O.): We're going to kill him. Do you understand that? He's going to die just like the others.

TRINITY (V.O.): Morpheus believes he is the One.

Even here we see that Cypher is a negative influence, so sure that this man (Neo) will be unable to save them and that he will end up dead because of them. This should be a hint that he is the traitor, the Judas character.

CYPHER (V.O.): Do you?

TRINITY (V.O.): I... it doesn't matter what I believe.

CYPHER (V.O.): You don't, do you?

TRINITY (V.O.): If you have something to say, I suggest you say it to Morpheus.

CYPHER (V.O.): I intend to, believe me. Someone has to.

We discover that Trinity is not yet sure if this is the man they are looking for or not. But she seems determined to find out, determined to have hope.

She does appear to have great faith in Morpheus, just as John the Baptist's disciples had great faith in him.

(The final number pops into place.)

TRINITY (V.O.): Did you hear that?

CYPHER (V.O.): Hear what?

TRINITY (V.O.): Are you sure this line is clean?

CYPHER (V.O.): Yeah, 'course I'm sure.

TRINITY (V.O.): I better go.

Notice that the final number is...0. And we are dragged into that zero and into the 'nothingness' that is the Matrix.

BIG COP: Police! Freeze!

BIG COP: Hands behind your head! Do it now!

Trinity is in Heart O' The City Hotel (the heart represents emotions, life and love as well as the spiritual center.) The hotel appears to have been burned but not completely destroyed, yet it appears abandoned. We are in room 303, a fitting number for Trinity.

3's will appear often, perhaps indicating that we need to rely on the Holy Trinity, or perhaps that it takes:

1) the community of believers, and
2) God, as well as
3) our individual effort and faith to advance the Kingdom of God.

AGENT SMITH: Lieutenant?

LIEUTENANT: Oh shit.

AGENT SMITH: Lieutenant, you were given specific orders--

((The license plate number of the Agents' car is 70858. Coincidentally (or not?), Kevin Bacon's birthday is 7/08/58 - Kevin Bacon was originally used as an example of '6 degrees of separation.))

LIEUTENANT: I'm just doing my job. You gimme that Juris-my-dic-tion crap, and you can cram it up your ass.

AGENT SMITH: The orders were for your protection.

LIEUTENANT: I think we can handle one little girl.

LIEUTENANT: I sent two units. They're bringing her down now.

AGENT SMITH: No, Lieutenant, your men are already dead.

We get to see how well Trinity has learned to bend the laws of physics!

TRINITY: Shit. (She makes a phone call.)

MAN (V.O.): Operator.

TRINITY: Morpheus! The line was traced! I don't know how.

MORPHEUS (MAN) (V.O.): I know. They cut the hardline. There's no time, you're going to have to get to another exit.

TRINITY: Are there any Agents?

MORPHEUS (V.O.): Yes.

TRINITY: Goddamn it!

(Yes, she fires an awful lot of shots for a handgun, however the Glock 19 can hold 18 rounds in a high-capacity magazine.)

MORPHEUS (V.O.): You have to focus, Trinity. There is a phone at Wells and Lake. You can make it.

TRINITY: All right--

MORHPEUS (V.O.): Go!

Notice throughout the movie the names of streets and places. They all have subtle meaning. Most of the streets names, for instance, involve water. Some of them are obvious, like these two, but others are names of rivers or lakes.

Water, in our world and in the movie often represents cleansing, baptism, newness, freshness, and a dreamstate.

(More fun as Trinity runs from the Agents!)

COP: That's it, we got her now.

COP: That's impossible!

(Trinity sees a light and makes an impossible leap for it.)

TRINITY: Get up, Trinity. Just get up. Get up!

This is a great scene - light represents many things: God's word, wisdom, Yeshua, truth. I love that Trinity does not even hesitate to dive for the tiny window of light she finds.

((There is an advertisement for "GUNS" in one of these scenes...the gun pictured in the ad is exactly of the same make and model [Israeli Military Industries' Desert Eagle] as the guns used by all agents during the film.))

(We see Trinity reach the phone just as the truck smashes the phone booth...where did she go?!)

AGENT BROWN: She got out.

AGENT SMITH: It doesn't matter.

AGENT BROWN: The informant is real.

AGENT SMITH: Yes.

AGENT JONES: We have the name of their next target.

AGENT BROWN: The name is Neo.

AGENT SMITH: We'll need a search running.

AGENT JONES: It's already begun.

We are sucked again into another world, this time through the phone into an apartment.

This is our first introduction to the Agents...FBI-like men. Notice that they look almost exactly alike.

Notice, also, how they are able to bend the laws of physics as easily, if not more easily than Trinity.