as a postmodern film

1. THE MATRIX
AS A POSTMODERN FILM

2. HOW IS IT POSTMODERN?
• THE MATRIX REFERENCE BAUDRILLARDS PHILOSOPHY
WHICH DEMONSTRATES THAT THE MOVIE IS AN ALLEGORY
FOR EXPERIENCES IN A HEAVY COMMERCIALIZED, MEDIADRIVEN SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY IN DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES, THIS INFLUENCE WAS BROUGHT TO THE
PUBLIC’S ATTENTION THROUGH THE WRITING OF ART
HISTORIANS SUCH AS GRISELDA POLLOCK AND FILM
THEORIST SUCH AS HEINZ PETER SCWERFEL.
• IT MAKES MANY CONNECTIONS TO SIMULACRA AND
SIMULATION IN THE EARLY SCENES , IN THE BOOK WHICH
NEO HIDES HIS ILLICIT SOFTWARE.

3. • MORPHEUS REFERS TO THE REAL WORLD OUTSIDE THE
MATRIX AS “THE DESERT OF THE REAL”, WHICH WAS
DIRECTLY REFERENCED IN SALVOJ ZIZEK WORK, WELCOME
TO THE DESERT OF REAL.
• THE MATRIX MAKES MANY CONNECTIONS TO SIMULACRA
AND SIMULATION. IN AN EARLY SCENE, SIMULACRA AND
SIMULATION IS THE BOOK IN WHICH NEO HIDES HIS ILLICIT
SOFTWARE. IN THE FILM, THE CHAPTER 'ON NIHILISM' IS IN
THE MIDDLE, RATHER THAN THE END OF THE
BOOK.MORPHEUS ALSO REFERS TO THE REAL WORLD
OUTSIDE OF THE MATRIX AS THE "DESERT OF THE REAL",
WHICH WAS DIRECTLY REFERENCED IN THE SLAVOJŽIŽEK
WORK, WELCOME TO THE DESERT OF THE REAL. IN THE
ORIGINAL SCRIPT, MORPHEUS REFERENCED BAUDRILLARD'S
BOOK SPECIFICALLY.KEANU REEVES WAS ASKED BY THE
DIRECTORS TO READ THE BOOK, AS WELL AS OUT OF
CONTROL AND EVOLUTION PSYCHOLOGY, BEFORE BEING
CAST AS NEO.

4. HYPER REAL
• IT DESCRIBES A REALITY PERCEIVED BY HUMANS IS
ACTUALLY THE MATRIX. IT REFERENCES THE REAL
WORLD WITHIN THE FILM ITS SELF

5. IMMITATION
• THE MATRIX HAS OUR CONSUMPTION OF THE FILMS, THE
MERCHANDISE, AND THE WORLD AND MYTH THE
WACHOWSKIS SELL US, AND OUR COLLECTIVE ORGASM
OVER THE EFFECTS AND PHONES, GUNS, SHADES AND
LEATHER, REPRESENT OUR INTEGRATION INTO THE
VIRTUALITY IT PROMOTES.
• THE MATRIX BECAME A VIRAL MEME SPREADING
THROUGH AND BEING MIMETICALLY (MIMICKED I.E.
COPIED) AND ABSORBED INTO MODERN CULTURE,
EXTENDING OUR VIRTUALISATION.MERRIN –
BAUDRILLARD AND THE MEDIA.

6. PASTICHE
• THE FILM REFERENCES THE CYBERPUNK AND HACKER
SUBCULTURES; PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS IDEAS;
AND HOMAGE TO ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND,
HONG LONG ACTION CINEMA AND SPAGHETTI WESTERNS.

7. SIMULACRA
• WACHOWSKI BROTHERS WERE KEEN THAT EVERYONE
INVOLVED UNDERSTOOD THE THEMATIC BACKGROUND
OF THE MOVIE, JEAN BAUDRILLARD WAS REQUIRE TO BE
READ FOR THE CAST TO UNDERSTAND.
• NEO OPENS A COPY OF HIS BOOK ENTITLED “ ON NIHLISM”