The Matrix Decoded

What is the Matrix in the Movie??

Again...IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE, THIS SITE WILL SPOIL IT FOR YOU! If, however, you have seen it and didn't understand the plot, much less notice anything that resembles a parable, read on!

As the movie begins, we see Thomas Anderson, who goes by the hacker alias Neo (a hacker is slang for a computer programmer, specifically one who creates illegal software, although it orginially meant someone who broke into a computers database or security in some way.) Thomas lives in what appears to be the late 20th century, full of modern technology and gray skies. We quickly discover that he is being sought by the FBI-types because of his connection with a man named Morpheus who is a 'known criminal.' We also quickly discover that the 'bad guys' are the good guys and the 'good guys' are, of course, bad. That's alway fun, isn't it?

We discover that Thomas/Neo's body is really in a 'pod,' being kept alive in a mechanical womb. His body energy is being used to power the machines that have taken over the world. This may or may not be actually possible, but that is not important...just accept it as reality for the movie, or click on the previous link for a much more detailed answer. The 'world' that Thomas/Neo has been living in is actually a software program. His mind has been hooked up to a computer and he is, basically, living in a video game. That's not exactly acurate, but it is the best way to get your mind around what the difference between the 'world' and the 'matrix' is...when they are in the Matrix, think of it as a virtual reality game. Their bodies are on the ship and they are using their minds to move around the Matrix world as if they were moving around in a video game.

So what we have is a group of people who are no longer plugged into the matrix who are trying to save their fellow humans and not get killed by the agents, who work for the matrix-program. Once Thomas is 'unplugged,' we call him Neo, so you will see these two names used interchangeably throughout the entire website.

But, what IS the Matrix?

There is a lot of debate as to exactly what we are referring to when we say 'the Matrix.' Here are several options for you:

It is the physical system, the network of computers or perhaps the one mega-computer that runs the program that keeps the people in the pods alive and keeps their dream world running.
Or, it is the program itself that the system is running. A type of dream. Or a type of nightmare. You choose.
Or perhaps it is the computers and machines that the system uses to keep the operation going. A type of workforce.
Or the dream world that the people live in. A type of our world, or perhaps a type of 'life.'

What Morpheus is trying to teach Neo is that the Matrix does not operate by the standard laws of physics that we live with in the real world. Some of them can be broken or bent, but if he thinks he is bound by them, he will be. The best way I know how to explain this is mountain bike riding. If you're riding through a tight trail and you see a curve and a tree ahead, you can easily avoid it IF you look through the curve where you WANT to go. You will, without a doubt, hit the tree if you keep looking at it. You have to believe that you can make the curve and ignore the tree. As a beginning dirt diva I can attest to the reality of this...although my skills are still quite weak I have not hit a tree since I started having confidence that I could make the curve. (I'll admit, I don't make the curve gracefully, but I don't eat bark, either.) Neo and the crew are also able to defy the laws of physics...stretch the laws of the computer program...what a gamer would call a 'cheat'; so what they can do is more than what the biking story explains, but that principle will hold true until Neo is able to free his mind from the Matrix laws.

But, more than that, Neo has to accept that he has a special gift for defeating the Matrix. As long as he believes that the agents can kill him, he is in danger. But when he finally understands that he can move so quickly that it is as if time stops for him he is able to stop bullets from hitting him and win the day.

OK...a few technical questions answered:

How does Morpheus know what is happening when he is telling Thomas how to get through his place of employment without being seen? Like, he even tells Thomas when it is safe to leave his cubicle!

Morpheus and his crew have learned to read the Matrix code...remember, the Matrix is a computer program...basically it is a bunch of 1's and 0's. Don't try to understand it, just accept that they have a lot of practice with this. Since they can read the code, they can 'see' what is happening in the Matrix if they are looking at a specific area, such as the building Thomas is in.
How can the machines use our body energy to power themselves? Is this possible?

Don't let this worry you too much. Morpheus mentions that the machines use our energy combined with a 'type of fusion' to do this. Maybe some type of fusion would make this possible, but this would be such an inefficient source of power that it doesn't make a lot of sense, except in this movie world where people managed to 'scorch the sky' and block the sun. Exactly how we would manage that, I'm not sure. And no one else I've found has a good answer, either. Think of it as a plot device and let it go.
Why were they only able to jack in through hard-lines?

"Mostly we felt that the amount of information that was being sent into the Matrix required a significant portal. Those portals, we felt, were better described with the hard lines rather than cell lines. We also felt that the rebels tried to be invisible when they hacked that's why all the entrances and exits were sort of through decrepit and low traffic areas of the Matrix." Wachowski bros.

You really should check out Peter B. Lloyd's article, Glitches in the Matrix and How to Fix Them. It is very good at answering some of the technical questions, like, how the bioport (the thing rammed into the back of Neo's head to plug him into the matrix) worked. You'll be surprised.

OK...now you're ready to move on. I suggest you watch the movie again with your new found understanding so you know you have a good grip on things. Then go ahead with the rest of this site! And if you have a question, let me know and I'll be happy to update this site.