1.THE MATRIX
2.THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR
3.THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
4.SOLENT GREEN
5.THE OMEGA MAN
6.LOGAN RUN
7.DUNE (ALL VERSIONS)
8.1984 (ORIGINAL VERSION)
9.THE EXORCIST
1O.ROSEMARY BABY
11.MALCOLM X
12.JFK
13.THE X FILE (MOVIE AND TV SHOW)
14.BLACK LIKE ME
15.WOODSTOCK
16.INDEPENDENCE DAY (ID 4)
17.THE OMEN (PART 1,2,3,4)
18.THE PROPHECY (PART 1,2,3)
19.AMERICAN HISTORY X
20.BIRTH OF A NATION
21.SANKOFA
22.AMISTAD
23.ROSEWOOD
24.MISSION TO MARS
25.AFTER SHOCK (EARTHQUAKE IN NEW YORK)
26.MILLENNIUM
27.ZULU
28.ZULU DAWN
29.SHAKA ZULU
30.CHARIOTS OF THE GODS
31.CLEOPATRA (ALL VERSIONS)
32.THE MESSENGER (STORY OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD)
33.THE MESSENGER (STORY OF JOAN OF ARC)
34.LION OF THE DESERT
35.ENEMIES OF THE STATE
36.THE ART OF WAR
37.THE BIBLE
38.NOSTRADAMUS
39.DARK CITY
4O.THE ARRIVAL (PART 1,2)
41.STAR WARS (PART 1,2,3,4)
42.PEARL HARBOR
43.HALLOWEEN (PART 5,6)
44.STARGATE (MOVIE AND TV SHOW)
45.AKIRA
46.SARAFINA
47.MANDELA
48.CRY FREEDOM
49.WHITE MAN'S BURDEN
50.PLANET OF THE APES (ALL versions)
51.BENETH THE PLANET OF THE APES
52.ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES
53.CONQUWEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
54.BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
55.HATE (MOVIE FROM FRANCE)
56.ROOTS
57.RETURN OF THE JEDI
58.THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK
59.THE SIEGE
60.2001 SPACE ODDESY
61.CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD KIND
62.FIRE IN THE SKY
63.HELLRAISER (PART 1,2,3,4)
65.TOTAL RECALL
66.THE TERMINATOR (PART 1,2)
67.ALIENS (PART 1,2,3,4,)
68.SPECIES (PART 1,2)
69.THE 12 MONKEYS
70.PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT (PART 1,2)
80.CONTACT
81.THE NET
82.HACKERS
83.DUSK TO DAWN
84.DEMOLITION MAN
85.DEEP IMPACT
86.ARMAGEDDON
87.BLADE (PART 1,2)
88.INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE
89.ALL THE STAR TREK MOVIES
90.E.T.
91.RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
92.INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
93.PREDATOR
94.THE SEVENTH SIGN
95.FORTRESS (PART 1,2)
96.THE MUMMY
97.THE MUMMY RETURNS
98. THE FALLEN
99.VIRTUALITY
100.WISHMASTER (PART 1,2,3,)
101.SEVEN
102.MERCURY RISING
103.CONSPIRICY THEORY
104.WAG THE DOG
105.SWORDFISH
106.BRAVEHEART
107.THE PATRIOT
108.VILLAGE OF THE DAMN
109.CHILDREN OF THE DAMN
110.V
111.PHANTOMS
112.GHOSTDOG
113.Minority Report
114.Bamboozled
115.THE BELIEVERS
116.LIFEFORCE
117.THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
118.THINNERS
119.THEY LIVE
120.THE MACK
121.INDICMENT
122.LORD OF THE RINGS PART 1 & 2
123.UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE
124.HALLS OF ANGER
125.FINAL DESTINATION PART 1 & 2
126.POWDER
127.Lone Wolf and Cub" (All in series)
128.TIME MASTER
129.DEACONS FOR DEFENSE
130.LYNCHING JASPER TEXAS
131.KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
132.I AM LEGEND
133.NARDIA PART 1 & 2
134.10,000 B.C.
135.SUPERNATURAL SEASON 1 & 2
136.JERICHO SEASON 1 & 2
137.SEMPTEMBER DAWN
138.ALL STARGATE MOVIES AND TV SERIES
139.STARGATE ATLANTIS
140.LEGEND OF THE BLACK SCORPION
141.HEROES (ALL SEASONS)
142.BLACK INDIANS:AN AMERICAN STORY
143.IRON MAN
144.STARGATE THE ARK OF TRUTH
145.KUNDUN
146.PRINCE OF SLAVES
T.V. SHOWS THAT ARE DROPPING KNOWLEDGE
1.X FILES
2.STAR TREK
3.V
4.DARK SHADOWS
5.STARGATE
6.STRANGE UNIVERSE
7.SIGHTINGS
8.QUANTUM LEAP
9.SLIDERS
10.FIRST WAVE
11.THE TAKEN
MOVIES THAT HAVE BEEN ANALYZE
"The Matrix: Reloaded,
Esoterica Wrapped in CG and Choreography Overkill" (Pt. 1)
By Dan Tres OMi (of UZN)
When the first Matrix movie was premiered on the cable
networks, I had the opportunity to watch it for the fifth time while
at a race conference at American University in Washington DC in
2000. We were waiting in the student conference center lobby
watching the Matrix on a big screen TV. I shared a sofa with a total
stranger. Of course after watching a movie several times, one sees
things that were never noticed before. Unfortunately for the
individual who shared the sofa with me this was not the case.
Throughout the climax he kept yelling how Neo and Trinity sported
Desert Eagles. He pointed out how lethal that particular handgun
was. I found it shocking that this individual, who like myself
watched this movie several times, missed much of what the Matrix was
about. Later I learned that this is actually the norm. When
discussing the symbolisms found in movie cinema, many of my peers
comment how "it's just a movie, it's not that serious" or "you
trippin'" or "just watch the movie, man." Yet there are symbols used
by organizations in our every day lives that most of choose to
ignore. Some are good and some are bad. Once we understand what
these symbols are and their origins, we can make the connections
necessary to navigate through life in a much more ordered fashion.
In a fashion which will allow us to stay out of the "matrix." Many
will argue that Neo, the protagonist of the trilogy, is supposed to
be Jesus the Christ. I will point out that this theory is partially
correct. To just make that statement will make the movie lose its
overall significance since most people avoid this topic altogether.
It brings the idea of some apocalyptic event such as that found in
the book of Revelation which most people misinterpret anyway. In
this essay I will focus on the Matrix: Reloaded film but will
support my findings with scenes and symbols found in other movies. I
will start with the characters and then the scenes. Before we go any
further, I must stress that the symbols, names, characters, and
scenes found in many movies we flock to watch are not put together
by accident. These concepts are written for specific reasons. The
best way to find out why is to figure out who writes and who they
are affiliated with. Yet this topic is another article altogether.
Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, is the focus of the Matrix
trilogy. In the Reloaded movie we find that Neo, who Morpheus
considers as the "one," has no idea what he is supposed to be doing.
Let us look at the name used for the protagonist. Neo comes from the
obvious Greek neo which has a modern transliteration of "new." Neo
is supposed to represent something "new." We learn through how
people treat Neo that he is much different then the average human in
or outside the Matrix. Many of the inhabitants of Zion treat him as
some sort of a messianic figure. Some even ask if he could heal some
of their relatives. In the beginning of Reloaded, one of the agents
refer to Neo as an "anomaly." This is where we deviate from the
concept of Neo being the Messiah. Another example would be how
towards the end of the Reloaded movie, Neo fails to save Zion.
During his dialogue with the Architect, we learn that he was not the
first one to infiltrate the core of the Matrix. We learn that he is
the 6th one to do it. We learn that Neo is not a "messiah" per se,
but a new being or a new level of consciousness. When the
Nebuchadnezzar arrives at Zion and Neo is approached by "the Kid
(Clayton Watson)," Neo tells him "you saved yourself." Here is a
good reference to the idea that anyone can reach the so called
Christ consciousness. Just as the ancient Egyptians believed that
one had the potential to become Heru through the concept of Ma'at,
so too can anyone become Christ like. We must also note that at this
point of the movie, Neo has no clue as to what he must do even after
he meets with the Oracle.
Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne, seems to be
everyones favorite character. Morpheus is the captain of the
Nebuchadnezzar, a ship that patrols what is left of the earth and
searches for humans who need to be awakened. We learn through the
Matrix:Reloaded and the Animatrix series that there are many other
ships that do the same. His crew was the one that found Neo and
brought him out of slumber. Morpheus was a greek god. Hypnos, the
god of sleep and Morpheus' father, was the son of Thanatos or the
god of death and Nyx or the goddess of night. Hypnos had numerous
sons which were called "dreams." Hypnos, when needed by the gods,
would induce sleep while Morpheus had the power to make human forms
appear in the dreams. Movie watchers recall Morpheus offering Neo
the blue and red pills and asking him to make a choice to leave the
Matrix or go back to "sleep" and allow everything to be as it was.
In a sense, Fishburne's character relives the role of his namesake
by awakening Neo from his sleep by coming to him in his "dreams."
Morpheus' ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, is a reference to the
Babylonian king in the Old Testament who besieged the kingdom of
Judah. Daniel the prophet was taken to his court with all of the
Kingdom of Judah's intellectual elite. Nebuchadnezzar had two dreams
which no one but Daniel could interpret. The ship traveled through
the network to awaken people from the "dream" of the Matrix. So like
Morpheus, we encounter the concept of dreams. This is very important
since the humans attached to the matrix are actually asleep. The
matrix creates this world in their subconscious. So the lives they
supposedly lead are actually dreams. The Aborigines of Australia
have a belief system that centers on dreams. They believe that we
live in a dream and when we actually sleep and have dreams that we
are actually living. This point is significant because it explains
what the freed humans can do while in the matrix but couldn't do
before when there were "asleep." When the humans in the movie are
connected to the matrix, they have abilities that seem almost
superhuman. They can jump buildings, smash windows with no harm to
themselves, and have tremendous speed and stamina. It is similar to
the movie "Last Action Hero" with Arnold Schwarzneggar and the
book "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. Yet when they were
originally asleep, they could not do this. When the humans from Zion
enter the matrix and fight against those who are still caught in the
matrix, we the heroes prevail over incredible odds. It is not until
the agents arrive, that the heroes have problems. Those who are
freed, have a new level of consciousness when re-entering the
matrix. Even without the martial arts and weapons training
downloads, the heroes have a sizeable advantage while re-entering
the matrix. Having knowledge of their new selves, the heroes are
able to perform remarkable feats.
Another character that returns from the first movie in the
trilogy is Trinity played by Carrie-Anne Moss. The term Trinity
refers to the concept used by Christianity in reference to God.
Trinity is the father, the son and the holy spirit. The character in
the Matrix trilogy is a throwback to when the Catholic Church
originally used Mary the mother of Jesus instead of the Holy Spirit.
Of course, the original trinity was used in ancient Egypt with
Horus, Isis, and Heru. It is also a throwback to the time when man
worshipped women as gods. Trinity also can represent the feminine
energy to balance the universe. In one scene, Trinity tells
Neo "they need you (when referring to the `flock' that awaited Neo
at his room in Zion)" and Neo replies, "I need you." Many will take
this in a physical sense, but I will elaborate on this topic later
on.
Another character that needs discussion is that of the
Oracle who is played by the late Gloria Foster. Even though in both
movies she may have played in a short amount of time, her character
is very important. According to the Dictionary of Word Origins by
Joseph T. Shipley, oracle comes from the latin oraculum which means
a little mouth that produces the still, small voice of destiny. An
oracle was a person through which a deity spoke through. It can be a
considered a medium in modern terms. In ancient Greece, an oracle
was a shrine where people went to gain knowledge and insight. In
many eastern religions, people approached oracles for advice. The
concept is used again in the Matrix trilogy as Morpheus and the
others consult the Oracle for advice. In the first Matrix, the
Oracle is smoking a cigarette. Many people wonder about this. This
can be interpreted as a metaphor for Elegba, a Yoruba deity that was
a messenger for the head of that pantheon, Oludamare. Elegba or Esu
(pronounced ey-shoo) has a good and a bad side. He is the trickster
but does this to teach lessons. He is also pictured as smoking a
cigar. Hence the cigarette smoking that the Oracle did in the first
movie. When Europeans first came to Africa, they assumed that Elegba
was similar to the devil, however this assumption was wrong. In the
Reloaded movie, we learn that the Oracle is not a human but a Matrix
program that later became what the characters refer to as
an "exile." Basically, there are programs in the matrix that once
they become obsolete, are subject to deletion. Some escape and
become independent of the matrix and continue to function in the
matrix. In one way, the Oracle was created to be evil and later
freed itself from the matrix and became good. In Reloaded on the
other hand, she advises Neo to question her position in the war. She
explains that she has no allegiance and asks Neo how he knows what
she says is valid. The Merovingian points this out as well.
In Reloaded, we are introduced to the character named
Seraph. Seraph is played by Sing Ngai. We learn that his job is to
protect the Oracle. He engages Neo in a short battle which ends in a
stalemate. Seraph is short for Seraphim. The Seraphim were a class
of angels who stood before God as ministering servants in the
heavenly courts. The Egyptians used the term seref for griffins who
protected graves. Seraph in Matrix attacks Neo to ensure that he was
the "One." When Neo first approaches Seraph, he uses his "inner
vision" or third eye to look at how the matrix courses through
Seraph. We see that compared to everything around Seraph, the matrix
moves extremely fast and it gives off a yellowish color like the
tips of a fire. The term seraphim comes from the Hebrew saraph which
means to "consume with fire." It also derives from the Babylonian
sharrapu which is another name for Nergal, the fire god.
Agent Smith returns from the original movie. He is played by
Hugo Weaving. In Reloaded, Agent Smith tells Neo that he has
been "freed." He explains the Neo that since he is freed, he has
lost his "purpose." We must remember that Agent Smith is actually a
computer program created to seek out anomalies and humans who re-
enter the matrix. Despite the fact that he has lost his purpose, he
continues to pursue Neo and his co-horts. What he tells Neo is
echoed by the Merovingian.
The Merovingian is a broker of information and holds the
Keymaker (Randall Duke Kim). Ironically, the Merovingian is played
by Frenchman Lambert Wilson. The Merovingian was a dynasty of
Frankish monarchs who claimed to be descendants of Jesus and Mary
Magdalene. They claim that Jesus escaped crucifixion and that Mary
Magdalene fled to Marseilles, France. Her descendants were said to
have married a Frank. It is common knowledge that France was named
after the Franks. Originally the Catholic Church supported the
Merovingian family. In the 7th century, the Catholic Church betrayed
them by murdering the last heir, Dagobert, with the help of Pepin
the Fat. We will discuss the scene with the Merovingian later. This
information is detailed in "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Michael
Baigent, Richard Leight, and Henry Lincoln.
Another name used in the Matrix film is that of the city of
Zion. It is the last human refuge on the planet. We learn that the
ships that go out to seek humans who are escaping the matrix, return
to Zion for fuel and rest. In the Old Testament, in the book of
Psalms it reads (48:2) "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the
whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of
the great King." Here we see Zion described as something wonderful.
We get the same feeling from the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar as they
arrive on Zion. In the book of Psalms, there are many references to
Zion being perfect and wonderful. We learn that Zion is the Hebrew
word for "fort." Zion is used to describe the city of Enoch and the
city of David in Jerusalem. It is in the City of David in Jerusalem
where the ark of the Covenant, also called the Most Holy of the
Holies, is kept. Christians later refer to Zion as heaven or as a
place of salvation. In the first two matrix movies, we find that
Zion is a place of refuge or a place of salvation. It is in Zion
that our heroes can be human again. In the Reloaded movie, there is
a scene that takes place in Zion where despite the fact that 250,000
sentinels are coming to slaughter the humans, there is a great
celebration. At the end of the movie, Zion is destroyed as predicted
by the Architect. This demonstrates clearly that the term is not
used entirely in a messianic sense.
Now that we have an understanding of the names of the
characters and places, we can move onto the scenes in the movie.
Consider these names as keys created just like that of the Key
Maker. These terms are links to the symbolism used in each scene.
Once the scenes are interpreted the connections can be made. In the
next part, we will discuss the significance of the scenes in
Reloaded.
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