Matrix, the saga that revolutionized the science fiction industry

Literally, people are like batteries and our physical body is enclosed in a device that allows us to milks, while our mind lives an illusion.

However, there are some humans who resist and have freed themselves from that illusion, living in a real world devastated by the war we had.

Who runs the Matrix saga?

The first three Matrix films were directed by the Wachowski sisters, Lana and Lili Wachowski.

The address of the most recent, Matrix 4: Resurrections, run solely by Lana Wachowski.

Main actors and what characters they play

Main actors

• Keanu Reeves. He plays the role of Neo, a hacker in the Matrix and a chosen one capable of unleashing tremendous power. The constant references to some kind of Christ the Savior or to Superman are very unsubtle.
• Carrie-Anne Moss. Play Trinity, other hacker freed from the Matrix and a member of the resistance against the machines, who helps wake Neo up and fight the computers. As the saga progresses, her love affair with Neo will be increasingly central to the plot.
• Laurence Fishburne is Morpheus in the original trilogy. He is the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar, Zion-based human resistance ship. He will not return as Morpheus in Matrix 4 and he does not know why: “Ask Lana” is his answer when questioned about that. He is a leader in the real world and a dangerous terrorist in the Matrix illusion, highly sought after by agents. And speaking of agents …
• Hugo Weaving is the haunting Agent Smith, Neo’s main rival. The agents are programs with their own artificial intelligence, which are in the Matrix and control that everything is in order. To do this, they pursue members of the resistance that enter and leave the virtual world, in addition to stopping other rebellion attempts and preventing humans from discovering that, in reality, they live a kind of virtual dream in a false world made by computer.

Supporting actors

Many more actors have gone through the saga. Some of the main secondary ones have been:

• Joe Pantoliano and Marcus Chong are Cypher and Tank, two crew members of the Nebuchadnezzar and members of the resistance. The first will end up being a traitor.
• Gloria Foster (and Mary Alice in the last film of the original trilogy) it is The oracle, a program that will help Neo in his adventure.
• Helmut Bakaitis is The architect, creator of Matrix and one of the oldest shows. Responsible for its operation and the six versions of it.

Other actors have been Monica Bellucci (Persephone), Lambert Wilson (The Merovingian), Randall Duk Kim as The Locksmith …

Almost all major characters with plot influence make shows, as the action happens in the Matrix most of the time. These programs, being endowed with their own artificial intelligence, have their own interests and are helping or hindering the heroes in their fight against the machines. Many times, with little logic, because who knows what a program wants certain things for, but hey.

What films make up the saga and what is each one about?

The hardest part comes. Explain what happens in the Matrix because, frankly, what starts out as something simple and it’s a masterpiece, soon derails into a confusing and unnecessarily complex argument. In fact, I don’t think even the Wachowskis know very well how it all fits together.

So far, these are the movies out there and what each one is about.

The Matrix (1999)

Neo is a hacker who awakens to the reality of the Matrix and embraces his role as the chosen and supposed liberator in the war against the machines. He will be endowed with special powers that allow him to influence the Matrix as a kind of superhero or demigod.

You see? Simple. It is still a masterpiece that no time passes by and with a clear and classic structure that works.

The hero awakens, fights alongside his allies, sacrifices himself, and embraces his role and power as a liberating messiah. The story of the chosen one that has been told a thousand times and that, in the Matrix, is done perfectly. An impeccable setting, abundant innovative action and a taste technoretro that gives it a special flavor.

One of my favorite movies.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Let me see how to explain it. The saga could have ended with the first movie and it could have been perfect. We already imagine that Neo / Superman / Cristo fights and wins. But no.

Here we are told how the war between humans and machines accelerates. These send their sentinels (sinister and powerful robots of real life) towards Zion, city of resistance and stronghold of humanity that remains awake.

Meanwhile, an increasingly powerful Neo begins to have haunting visions of a dying Trinity. So consult the Oracle, a program that tells him he has to get to the core of the Matrix.

There, after a handful of fights that no longer surprise so much, but are fine, he meets the creator of the Matrix, the Architect. Boring and pretentious we release what seems like an eternity of exposure in which he explains, among other things, that Neo is not the first Chosen.

The Matrix is ​​not a perfect program, it degrades and, every 100 years or so, it needs to be reset and recharged. Hence the title (Reloaded, do you get it? Bah, it doesn’t matter).

Neo is faced with the dilemma of continuing his role in the cycle, allowing Zion to be destroyed, choosing a group of people who will break free to repopulate Zion and for everything to start over as usual. The other option is to allow the Matrix to collapse, killing all of humanity connected to it. That would make, along with the destruction of Zion, all of us disappear.

Live enslaved or die free. Neo chooses the latter and tries to save the people of the Matrix. Suddenly, here comes the surprise, it turns out that Neo not only has powers in that virtual reality, they cross the threshold and he’s also superman in the real world. With his mind he destroys some Sentinels and falls into a coma.

Besides that, Agent Smith goes haywire and becomes a dangerous virus for the Matrix. I know download in the real world inside the body of Bane, a member of the resistance and the film ends with Neo and Smith / Bane stretcher to stretcher, in a coma.

An important and too complicated mess, where logic jumps through the air. But hey, you forgive him because the previous movie is almost perfect.

Matrix Revolutions (2003)

We continue where we left off after Neo’s decision. The machines about to destroy Zion and Neo trying to save everyone in the Matrix. East He is in limbo during his coma, but his companions rescue him.

It’s been a long time since it was time to ask how the logic of virtual reality works, programs, inputs, outputs and others, it does not make any sense.

Neo visits the Oracle again, who tells him that Smith does not stop replicating himself, endangering the Matrix and acquiring powers similar to Neo’s. In the real world, Smith / Bane starts killing everyone and blinds Neo. But since Keanu’s powers extend into the real world for some reason, nothing happens and he can see the machines in that real world. Neo charges Bane and flies with Trinity on a ship to the city of machines. to stop the war.

Meanwhile, the Sentinels, finally, arrive at Zion and a battle of almost half an hour takes place where the robots use the most stupid strategy in history, so that they are contained.

Neo and Trinity crash into Machine City and Trinity dies giving the last kiss with less chemistry in history. Neo finds Deus Ex Machina (of course the name suits him) that he is supreme leader or something like that. He negotiates a peace with the humans in exchange for Neo destroying Smith in the Matrix.

Keanu succeeds, but the effort kills him. After that, the Matrix is ​​reloaded in a version that seems more colorful and friendly than the previous one, while Zion celebrates peace.

The Matrix: Resurrections (2021)