I am trying AGAIN to watch Matrix 3: Home Renovations, but AGAIN I am having difficulties.
I have a couple of questions .
Firstly, why are we trying so hard to save humanity again? I mean, tell me how these stony-faced, one-dimensional characters have anything interesting or unique to offer the universe?
Unlike most of the world, I didn’t hate Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, & the reason was in the struggle of John Connor to overcome his doubts and embrace the duty of his place in the world. To me that seemed to have some kind of humanity in it: weakness & striving; the battle with the self; the anxiety & desire to quit and the survival instinct, the refusal or inability to do that; the sense of responsibility to each other that keeps us going when we want to give up. That was where we had something to offer that the machines could never match, & surely that narrative was worth protecting in the world.
But I’m looking at the Matrix & I’m thinking: the machines are cooler. Agent Smith’s cold delight and curiosity outweigh, to me, the moribund musings from one-note humans with slight frowns pasted across their foreheads. Only slight ones, mind you, because the main human goal in this film is to be photogenic. “I’m scared,” frowns Trinity, slightly, “It took me ten minutes to do up my boots.” Thereby indicating the depth of her fear has lent ice to her fingers. Or so I suppose. Or maybe she’s scared _because_ of the Ten Minute Boots. Who wouldn’t be?
The lines are delivered without irony or insight, because the lines don’t matter. It is all about how well the ambient lighting picks up the slightly furrowed brows. I haven’t seen anyone in designer shades yet, though. I mean, if humans, living like rats underground, have developed an infrastructure to support the creation of fine designer sunwear (such as that worn in the second movie, Matrix: What Goes Around Comes Around), well, that might be a reason to save them. But no, they’re pfaffing about in dark textiles and — no, no, NO, I will not start wondering why they have a textile process. No.
And another thing: OK, I know it’s dumb to pick out one unbelievable thing in a movie like this, but the Oracle bugs me. “What did she tell you?” asks Morpheus. “What she always does. Exactly what I needed to hear,” says Jada Pinkett Smith’s character, whatever her name is.
Yes! That’s right. So why waste all that time hunting the mad old witch out? Skip the whole journey & get a headstart on the machines. Give _yourself_ some pieces of inconclusive wisdom & move on. Here, go read your stars at http://www.cainer.com, that’s all yer need.
Also on the Oracle, why is she another older-woman style magical negro? She’s a computer program, for chrissake, why didn’t they just replace her with, oh, I don’t know, Rupert Everett. He was fantastic in Dellamorte Dellamore as the urbane, unimpressed undertaker doing battle with the undead. Now *that* would’ve been an Oracle worth visiting. “Seabreeze, anyone?”
Oh, gosh, look, on screen, Trinity is dying. “You can’t die,” says Neo. “Yes I can,” says Trinity. In fact, she should’ve died in the LAST movie, or been sucked into the Matrix as a virus. Eh, her frown was living on borrowed time.
“The gods envy us, because we will die someday. It makes everything so much more beautiful.”
–The Illiad.
Also, note to shadowsandice: I found the frog. :(