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![]() | The Matrix - the concept - its roots | |
![]() | Posted By: agd | Date: 6/10/03 8:10 p.m. |
![]() | In Response To: Re: Matrix Question... (SPOILERS) (RunnerPaul) : I'll grant you that. However, I still have reservations about the whole human
: I think the Conversatron says it much better than I could, so I'll leave a
Okay, so this is not Marathon, but if the sci-fi discussion may be allowed to continue.. I haven't actually seen Reloaded yet! But I'd like to comment on the Matrix in general. Yes, it's got a lot to discuss philosophically and in terms of the plot logistics. But I don't think that the Wachowski brothers' genius is in their philosophical meanderings, or their story. I think they've done so well because they've been able to appropriate and rehash older concepts for a wider audience. E.g. I take it many of you will have seen Ghost in the Shell (I'm talking about the 1995 movie, not Masamune Shirow's manga). The Wachowski brothers readily admit to the influence of anime in the creation of the Matrix, but if you watch Ghost in the Shell, you will see just how blatant this is. Bodily in-built computer hardware? Landing heavily atop buildings? The 'number-stream' credits thing? The cold-stark-minimal direction of photography/design? These were all in the Matrix (no. 1 at least).. ..but first in GitS. The Matrix positively reeks of GitS, even though the plotlines are really quite different (in the details, though not the man-machine interface concept). I would even go so far as to suggest that the Matrix movies are little more than a re-hashing of anime/sci-fi ideas (as seen in GitS) for mainstream western audiences, with a hip soundtrack laid over the top. It's here that I think the Wachowskis have been so clever - they've made various things, formally of more 'underground' niche subcultures, appealing to pop culture (the Matrix is only one of a number of steps in this direction, however). Indeed, they have opened these subcultures themselves to pop culture in general. Personally, then, I don't think the Matrix is particularly exciting or original. But its creators have made a darn good job of assimilating various things, and because of this, the Matrix does break new ground, despite its lack of basic originality. Plus, its weaving-in of hi-tech special effects is noteworthy. If you haven't seen GitS, then do so. It's got a rad, Durandal-esque, complex storyline (and hey, it could be worth comparing Project 2501 with Durandal himself!).
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