Origin, purpose and meaning explained in full

The Matrix presents a deluge of knowledge when it comes to the franchise's simulation that houses most of humanity's minds, but the films provide everything that needs to be known to fully understand how the Matrix really works and how it came to be. Many of the most important scenes in the Headquarters The films revolve around a major twist or moment related to the extensive simulation in question. The broader narrative can be difficult to follow due to the complex world-building, so it may take more than a single viewing for the saga to make complete sense.

The Matrix The biggest appeal of films is the digital world in which the action tends to unfold. Although 2003 The Matrix Revolutions decided to focus more on the real world, 2021 The Matrix Resurrections restored the series' focus on the franchise's titular setting. The saga is a strong allegory for the Christian faith, with Keanu Reeves' Thomas "Neo" Anderson as the Jesus-like character, but The Matrix it also adopts several sci-fi tropes to make it an undeniably creative endeavor. One of the drawbacks of the Wachowskis' dense scripts is that some of the finer points can be easy to miss.

How and why the Matrix was created

The Matrix was created by the Machines to keep the minds of batch-grown humans occupied

The Matrix is ​​a man-made construct only by extension. Its initial origin dates back to humanity's development of genuine artificial intelligence at the end of the 21st century. The Machines that were initially created with this advanced digital sentience were placed at the service of humanity. The way the new life form was treated by humans soon resulted in intense conflict and, eventually, war with the Machines. Although machines won the warthe planet was devastated and the victors were left without a reliable source of energy. So, they started growing humans in groups, sucking out the electricity they created.

To keep human minds occupied during their imprisonment, their bodies in the Real World were augmented not only with tubes to supply nutrients, but also with a direct brain connection to a shared computer simulation called the Matrix. Individuals connected to the Matrix often go their entire lives without discovering that they are experiencing a highly sophisticated digital environment. Very occasionally, someone in the Matrix discovers what is going on and finds a way to free themselves and, eventually, others. As such, there is a small human population that exists outside the Matrixbut out of sight of the Machines.

Previous versions of The Matrix explained

Previous iterations of the Machines simulation felt very different

The versions of the Matrix shown in the films are not the first iteration of the simulation. The Machines found it harder than they expected to provide the human mind with a reality credible enough to fall in love with. As revealed by Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith in 1999 The Matrixinitial attempts to create such an environment resulted in the Machines creating an idyllic, paradisiacal setting in which humanity was to reside.

Smith describes the venture as a "disaster", telling Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) that"entire crops were lost"due to them not accepting the program as believable - likely causing them to die. The loss of tank-grown humans meant less energy for the Machines to harvest, so they, they continually tweaked the Matrix until the imprisoned minds stopped rebelling against the logic of the environment. Several versions were tried and tested at the time of the first film.

The Matrix Programs and Hierarchy Explained

The digital world is also home to sentient computer programs

Humans are not the only conscious entities in the Matrix, as the simulation also houses many artificial life forms, known simply as Programs. They all have specific roles, but they are also not necessarily on the same team. At the top of the hierarchy is the Architect, played by Helmut Bakaitus in The Matrix Revolutions. The Architect was created by the Machines and he, in turn, created the Matrix. The Architect's counterpart within the Matrix is ​​the Oracle - a role shared by Gloria Foster and Mary Alice.

While it is the Architect's job to keep the Matrix stable, it is the Oracle's job to keep certain equations out of balance. The Matrix is ​​also full of other shows involving Neo and other human characters. However, he said Programs tend to only interact with humans who have been freed from the Matrixand broke in from a remote location in an attempt to exploit the simulation and take it down from the inside. Otherwise, Programs tend to wander into positions of authority and other people in power.

Agents are created by the Matrix to help hide the deception. The most prominent Agent in the Matrix is ​​Agent Smith. Not only does he go rogue, but Smith also finds a way to briefly enter the real world in Revolutions. In Resurrectionsthe Architect was purged from the system by Neo's success in taking down the Matrix, and the Machines replace the Bakaitus character with a new Program called the Analyst, played by Neil Patrick Harris.

The Analyst dismisses Agents and replaces them with Botswhich are much more numerous, but which integrate into the general population in a much more integrated way. The Bots appear to be unaware that they are not human until they are called into action by the Analyst. They also have a "Swarm Mode", which causes them to quickly converge on a target chosen by the Analyst.

How Neo takes down the Matrix in revolutions

The One uses his powers to cleanse the Matrix of all copies of Agent Smith

Although Neo doesn't finish all the infrastructure at the end of the original Headquarters trilogy, he manages to bring the version shown in the first three films to its knees. Interestingly, he wouldn't have been able to do this without Agent Smith's unquestionable dominance in the digital world. Although Agents have often demonstrated the power to enter the body of any subjugated mind currently in the Matrix, Smith gains the ability to transform other people into his image in The Matrix Revolutionsand this new ability doesn't just limit you to human characters, but also to Software.

Smith gains the thoughts and knowledge of all beings added to his army of doppelgängers, including the Oracle. This makes him a truly formidable being, but Neo's power is too much for his enemy to fight, especially after his deal with the Source. Although Smith successfully transformed Neo after the fight, Reeves' character uses the connection between him and all the other Smiths to create a feedback loop of sorts, destroying the code and destroying the population of the Matrix. Although the Machines are silently grateful for wiping Smith out of existencethey are forced to start over.

How the Matrix Works Differently in Resurrections

The simulation has different parameters in the continuation of Matrix 2021

2021 Legacy Sequel, The Matrix Resurrectionsfolds in a substantial time jump of 60 years and is initially not easy to detect. After the film's meta attempts to convince audiences that the original trilogy was reconfigured into an in-universe video game series, it's revealed that The Matrix is ​​back, and the updated version has some key differences when compared to its predecessors. For example, while It has not been revealed whether it is still possible to exit the Matrix by answering a wired telephonethe main way to do this in Resurrections It's sliding through a mirror.

Similarly, the Operator can help by transforming doors into portals which can transport characters to practically anywhere in the digital world. Coupled with the fact that said Analyst is now at the top of the pyramid, audiences and characters are faced with a very different iteration of the franchise's titular simulation. Not only that, but the Machines realized Neo's importance (and Carrie-Anne Moss's Trinity) and found a way to separate their digital self-images and how others The Matrix characters notice them - allowing the Machines to keep their precious humans safe from detection.

Source: Rotten tomatoes