RATING:
R
TIME:
130 minutes
GENRE:
Science Fiction
STARRING:
Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence
Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, and Jada Pinkett-Smith
DIRECTORS / WRITERS:
The Wachowski Brothers
PRODUCERS:
Joel Silver
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski,
Grant Hill, Andrew Mason, and Bruce Berman
DISTRIBUTOR:
Warner Bros.
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MOVIE REVIEW
The Matrix Revolutions:
Back to a Messianic Allegory
By Ted Baehr
Publisher, MovieGuide Magazine
CBN.com
The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended
it not -- John 1:5, KJV
Thanks to loony, leftist professor Cornell West, according to the
newspapers, the second Matrix movie took a left turn into Marxist
philosophy, with some anti-Christian symbolism. The good news is that
Matrix Revolution returns to its basic salvation story, reflecting
on the influence of, and the longing for, a messianic savior. This
myth is complete with Neo, a messianic figure takes upon Himself the
sins of others, dies to bring peace to the world, although there is
no sign of resurrection yet. Regrettably, Neo is a deeply flawed
messianic figure who is not only not divine but who also has deeply
sinful traits as seen in the previous movies, unlike the true Messiah
Jesus Christ.
Regrettably, the myth is presented with much apparent philosophical
and theological confusion. These pop philosophy barnacles weigh the
story down, instead of lifting it up, and include references to existential,
blind faith and an all-too-human messiah, as well as very pointed
profanities. In spite of these very disturbing theological and philosophical
flaws, the movie supports strong values such as truth, love, hope,
faith, and peace.
The movie opens with Neo stuck in a subway station, stuck between
the Matrix and the Machine World, and controlled by the Trainman.
The Trainman answers to the Frenchman, an evil computer program that
appears human in the Matrix. Trinity, Morpheus, and Seraph, a computer
program who protects the rebellious computer program known as the
Oracle, go to rescue Neo. In the midst of this rescue, there are several
false philosophical points made, like words dont have real meaning,
they mean what you want them to mean. This is especially troubling
with a misinterpretation of Karma, which in the Hindu religion is
a very negative term, but in the movie is presented as simply a type
of fatalism. The talk about karma, however, leads into talk about
the importance of love, which is defined as making positive connections
to other beings. This is very interesting because the biblical meaning
of sin, which is the antithesis of love, can be looked at as a break
in our loving relationship with God, our Creator, and a break in our
loving relationship with our fellow human beings.
Killing with reckless abandon and glee as they go, Trinity, Morpheus,
and Seraph find the Frenchman in the midst of a bisexual, homosexual,
sadomasochistic party. Whether this is the playboy shot, or a condemnation
of it, may be unclear, but the fact remains that the party occurs
in the dark, evil lair of the Frenchman, whose nihilistic attitude
is overtly rejected by Morpheus and Trinity.
After they rescue Neo, the four of them join a rescue mission to
locate and rescue the earth craft, Logos. Meanwhile, Zion is about
to be penetrated by the machines. Tremendous personal battles as well
as wide-scale communal battles take place, and finally Neo goes off
with Trinity to the city of the machines, to try to bring peace, but
the evil computer program known as Agent Smith has plans of his own.
Somewhere amidst all the action violence is a plot. There are moments
where the plot becomes so weak that the movie may become tedious and
boring for many viewers. However, once Neos goal is well defined,
the movie takes off with a countdown to rescue Zion before
machines kill all the human beings. The final battle also has to take
place within the Matrix, as Neo confronts the opposite of himself,
Agent Smith, who has become a figurative Anti-Christ.
Except for the suggestive dancing scene in the nightclub of the Frenchman,
the sex is significantly toned down in The Matrix Revolutions.
Although the philosophical musings are confused, and often contrary
to Christianity, the final outcome fulfills the basic soteriological
messianic story of a Christian allegory, except that this messiah
is all too human and not at all divine. In some ways, the blood and
violence is much more intense than the two previous movies, but it
doesnt approach the level of violence in something like Saving
Private Ryan. Still, the scenes of horrible beatings to the face
and open wounds will disturb all but the most desensitized.
Another very obnoxious thing within the movie is one character who
keeps spouting profanities. If the actor came up with this dialogue,
the director should have chastised him or fired him. If this dialogue
is in the script, it undermines the morality and Christian symbolism
of the redemptive allegory. On the other hand, the two characters
who seem to utter the most profanities are the two characters who
dont believe in, and have no hope or faith in, the ability of
the savior-figure, Neo, and the strength of the love that Neo shares
with Trinity.
The good news is that, despite its negative qualities, The Matrix
Revolutions contains apologetic, archetypal motifs that can help
lead people toward Christianity if presented properly. In fact, the
resolution of the conflicts in the movie, especially the one between
Neo and Agent Smith, presents a visual and verbal representation of
the biblical truth in John 1:15, The Light Shineth in Darkness;
and the Darkness Comprehended It Not (John 1:5, KJV). This Christian
concept of the Messianic Savior, for John 1:5 is clearly talking about
Jesus Christ when it talks about The Light, helps bring
Revolutions to a more powerful conclusion than the second movie
suggested. The fact that the movie contains some strong comments in
favor of cardinal virtues also helps. The Matrix Revolutions
also contains a positive, although confused resolution to the old
science fiction conflict between the human and the mechanical and
a provocative, ultimately positive depiction of the science fiction
theme of the human within the machine.
The bad news is that these strong positive aspects are encrusted with
some false theology, lots of strong violence, and purposeless profanity,
particularly in the first three-quarters of the movie. Like the first
two movies, The Matrix Revolutions too often seems like a cryptic
humanist, intellectual treatise on vapid philosophical concepts and
non-Christian religious concepts borrowed from Eastern mysticism.
Therefore, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution, a caution for
adults and teenagers older than age 17 or 18. For many, the movie
will fall into the excessive category.
NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide Magazine: For
more information from a Christian perspective, order the latest Movieguide
Magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVI) or visit our website at
www.movieguide.org.
Movieguide is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood
by informing parents about today's movies and entertainment and by showing
media executives and artists that family-friendly and even Christian-friendly
movies do best at the box office year in and year out. Movieguide
now offers an online subscription to its magazine version, at www.movieguide.org.
The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative
articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be media-wise
consumers.
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