Some comments on when you talk about the 'Chosen One' and the Potentials around 20 minutes in: the kids seen in the Oracle's apartment aren't potential Ones but rather potential redpills. This was a concept carried over from earlier script drafts that was somewhat downplayed and lost context in the final film. But the idea was that as children, human minds were far more capable of manipulating reality in the Matrix, as they were not yet conditioned to view the world rationally. They had greater 'potential' than adults, which is why redpills were unplugged as kids. In an earlier draft, there was a running gag where multiple people thought Neo was way too old to be unplugged. In the final film, the only reference remains when Morpheus tells Neo about how they don't unplug a mind that's reached a certain age.
Regarding the ending: I find that it makes perfect sense for the film's internal logic, which is basically that of mind over matter. I go into this in-depth in my article on the film's superpower system, but essentially, the mind ultimately controls reality in the Matrix, meaning one's limits in the system are entirely self-imposed. You cannot break the rules of reality until you believe strongly enough that it is possible. If you don't believe strongly enough that you can jump an impossible distance, you will fall. If you believe that you will die after getting shot, then you will die. And the body in the real world simply reflects what happens to the mind.
Trinity basically convinces Neo to believe in himself, to believe himself to be The One. And once he fully believes himself to be the One, he then becomes The One, meaning he realizes that he really cannot die (unless he allows himself to) and that there are in actuality no limits to what he can do in the system.
"Trinity’s confession has in effect filled him with so much self-belief that he was able to overcome any lingering internal doubts and break all his mind’s self-imposed limits. Including that of death. Remember, the mind makes death (of the physical body) real. But it ultimately too is a construct, and thus something that can be overcome."
That's an interesting nugget! It makes sense they're evaluating children to see who can be unplugged. That said, I still prefer my version of events, that there are other possible The Ones. :D
You're not gonna get me on board regarding the ending. Neo flatlined. His One-ness powers don't transfer outside the Matrix; he's Clark Kent. It just lands as flat, and Trin's death bed confession / kiss doesn't help imo.
It would've played better -- for me -- if Neo was dying in the real world, hadn't yet flatlined, and THEN overcame with his self-belief. As it is, it just plays as kinda hokey, which is tonally out of whack with the rest of the film.
I know you're a huge Matrix fan, and your read is probably the correct one. I'm just saying, I don't like it. lol
There are definitely other potential Ones in the first movie. Really, The One isnt fundamentally different from a regular redpill. Rather he takes the redpill's potential to a logical extreme. They retconned the heck out of this in the sequels sadly. Even the kids became AIs!
I still occasionally think about seeing the first Matrix in the theater. Definitely a mind blowing movie. The sequels certainly have their issues, but I remember seeing Reloaded in IMAX and it was awesome, especially fight with the Twins leading into the freeway chase.
Some comments on when you talk about the 'Chosen One' and the Potentials around 20 minutes in: the kids seen in the Oracle's apartment aren't potential Ones but rather potential redpills. This was a concept carried over from earlier script drafts that was somewhat downplayed and lost context in the final film. But the idea was that as children, human minds were far more capable of manipulating reality in the Matrix, as they were not yet conditioned to view the world rationally. They had greater 'potential' than adults, which is why redpills were unplugged as kids. In an earlier draft, there was a running gag where multiple people thought Neo was way too old to be unplugged. In the final film, the only reference remains when Morpheus tells Neo about how they don't unplug a mind that's reached a certain age.
Regarding the ending: I find that it makes perfect sense for the film's internal logic, which is basically that of mind over matter. I go into this in-depth in my article on the film's superpower system, but essentially, the mind ultimately controls reality in the Matrix, meaning one's limits in the system are entirely self-imposed. You cannot break the rules of reality until you believe strongly enough that it is possible. If you don't believe strongly enough that you can jump an impossible distance, you will fall. If you believe that you will die after getting shot, then you will die. And the body in the real world simply reflects what happens to the mind.
Trinity basically convinces Neo to believe in himself, to believe himself to be The One. And once he fully believes himself to be the One, he then becomes The One, meaning he realizes that he really cannot die (unless he allows himself to) and that there are in actuality no limits to what he can do in the system.
"Trinity’s confession has in effect filled him with so much self-belief that he was able to overcome any lingering internal doubts and break all his mind’s self-imposed limits. Including that of death. Remember, the mind makes death (of the physical body) real. But it ultimately too is a construct, and thus something that can be overcome."
That's an interesting nugget! It makes sense they're evaluating children to see who can be unplugged. That said, I still prefer my version of events, that there are other possible The Ones. :D
You're not gonna get me on board regarding the ending. Neo flatlined. His One-ness powers don't transfer outside the Matrix; he's Clark Kent. It just lands as flat, and Trin's death bed confession / kiss doesn't help imo.
It would've played better -- for me -- if Neo was dying in the real world, hadn't yet flatlined, and THEN overcame with his self-belief. As it is, it just plays as kinda hokey, which is tonally out of whack with the rest of the film.
I know you're a huge Matrix fan, and your read is probably the correct one. I'm just saying, I don't like it. lol
There are definitely other potential Ones in the first movie. Really, The One isnt fundamentally different from a regular redpill. Rather he takes the redpill's potential to a logical extreme. They retconned the heck out of this in the sequels sadly. Even the kids became AIs!
What!? That's nuts!
I still occasionally think about seeing the first Matrix in the theater. Definitely a mind blowing movie. The sequels certainly have their issues, but I remember seeing Reloaded in IMAX and it was awesome, especially fight with the Twins leading into the freeway chase.
The Reloaded freeway scene was mind-blowing. 🔥