The Matrix Illuminated
Your guide to the Matrix saga
Neo
“My name is Neo.”
- Neo, The Matrix
The word Neo means new, derived from the Greek word neos – like a new idea, or a new way to see the world – and it’s an anagram of “One”, the person who will save mankind from its eternal prison. Neo picked that name for himself as his hacker alias, but even the name the matrix imposed on him – Thomas A. Anderson – is loaded with hidden meaning.
Thomas has its etymology in Hebrew and means “twin”. This may be a reference to the double life he led inside the matrix; by day he was a software engineer working at Metacortex, and by night he was a computer hacker selling illegal software. And it could also reference the two sides of his existence; one inside the matrix and the other his imprisoned body in the real world, stuck in a pod next to thousands of others. It may also refer to St Thomas, the doubting disciple of Jesus, who only believed in his resurrection when he saw him with his own eyes
Prepare for The Matrix Resurrections!
Explore the Matrix saga, the lore and its characters, the philosophies behind the story, and the layers of meaning within. From German opera to Hinduism, karma to Christianity, Greek mythology to cyberpunk anime, dive into the rabbit hole with The Matrix Illuminated.
The Unofficial Matrix lore guide
Extensively researched
In-depth character analysis
Written by a lifelong fan
For newcomers and long term fans!
Available on AmazonLearn how the movies came about and what challenges the Wachowskis faced to bring the Matrix to reality.
How does jacking into the Matrix work? Who is the Deus Ex Machina? How many ships are in Zion's fleet? Find out this and more details of the lore of this universe.
An exploration of the various philosophies of the saga. What is Plato's Cave?
Is Neo in quantum entaglement with Smith and the Source? Is it a Matrix within a Matrix?
Sample
Readings of The Matrix
What is the Matrix? What did the directors, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, have in mind when they created this story? What can be read from this universe where sci-fi is united with religion, mythology, and martial arts? How and why does it examine the process of self-identification each of us goes through when we grow up? And how does it ask us to question the meaning of our existence, and the existence of our universe, our world, and life itself?
From the events of the story to the characters’ symbolic names, to the multitude of references throughout the movies, some more visible and obvious than others, almost everything can be seen as having a double meaning, connecting different ideas, referencing religions, philosophies, literary works, cinematographic works. Deciphering all of these ideas is an infinite labyrinth that pulls us in and gives us a different experience with each new piece of understanding. Each viewer of the Matrix saga will view it with a different level of perception, potentially reaching different conclusions on that basis.
This is made possible by the open nature of the story. The trick lies in telling us the minimum necessary to understand how it unfolds, without telling us everything. It’s up to the viewer, if they’re interested, to explore the different facets of this universe and discover their own truth. The movies should speak for themselves.
In my opinion, this saga – specifically the first three movies – are not the story of the matrix and the real world, but rather the story of Neo, who is a small gear in a giant machine where the smallest event can have lasting consequences. What we see in the movies is one single revolution of this machine, which fits into a larger, unknown story.
The first movie was released in theatres in 1999, which was a popular year for movies that dared to ask the big questions. The looming uncertainty that the year 2000 would bring led to other movies which questioned the nature of our existence and reality. Films like Thirteenth Floor, ExistenZ, and Dark City propose that our reality is illusory, fake, or in some way unreal. In doing so, they call attention to the fact the systems that govern our world are simply borne of concepts from our minds, and perpetuated by habit.
Reader reviews
— When I first picked this book, I didn't expect to be challenged with a mix of theological and philosophical explorations (which all make surprising sense) about the nature of reality, Christianity, Hinduism, Nihilism, Jungian psychology and much more, while exploring characters and situations of the trilogy. Highly recommended, if you enjoy well supported ideas, symbolic exploration and fine writing.
— The Matrix Illuminated looks at the trilogy as an unbiased whole, but the success of Geraldo’s great book is that it discusses complex and diverse themes such as quantum entanglement, Hindu philosophy and Jung in an easy to grasp manner that never drifts into pretentiousness.
Geraldo Nascimento is a game developer and software engineer based in the UK. He’s a huge fan of all things cyberpunk, DC comics, and a die-hard Matrix stan.
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