Chapter 310: Dystopian Soft Science Fiction

When Neo was knocked down, Trinity finally spoke her heart.

The Oracle had told her that the man she loved was the Savior, but she had been scared before.

Now, she could face this reality head-on and firmly believe that Neo was indeed the Savior.

She expressed her love for Neo, who lay motionless in the metal tank, hoping to awaken him.

In the theater, Nicole felt a bit shy watching this scene.

Especially when she thought about the kiss she was about to share with "Neo (Martin)" in front of the audience, it made her feel all hot and flustered.

Sitting not far away, James Cameron was muttering to himself.

This guy was sorting out the logical chain of the film.

"Neo wasn't the Savior at first—when Neo died—Trinity realized her love for him—she firmly believed in her love—believed the Oracle's prophecy was correct—only then was Neo the Savior—the Savior cannot die—so Neo cannot die—Neo is resurrected."

At Trinity's call, Neo finally awakened and underwent his transformation into the Savior.

This reminded many in the audience of the resurrection of Jesus in 07.

Legend has it that after Jesus was nailed to the cross, he was resurrected after three days and ascended to heaven.

This was a miracle that solidified Jesus' identity as the Savior, and Christianity established Easter to commemorate his resurrection.

So, was Neo representing Jesus???

As the resurrected Savior, Neo was now fully able to transcend the Matrix.

He stood still as the agents' bullets came at him, and the bullets bizarrely froze in midair.

At that moment, Neo not only could withstand the bullets but also alter their trajectories within the Matrix.

"the.one. He is the one!" Excited cheers echoed in the theater.

At this point, Agent Smith was no match for Neo, getting beaten into a pulp. In the end, the special code representing Smith was torn apart by Neo, and the other two agents fled in terror.

The applause in the theater rang out once again.

"I know where you are. I can feel you. You're afraid. You're afraid of me. You're afraid of change... I will show everyone the real world!"

After a monologue directed at the Matrix, Neo soared into the sky, standing suspended, as if a true god!!!

Then the screen went dark, and the green code fell, forming the credits.

The film ended.

The applause in the room was continuous, with cheers like "That was so cool!" and "Amazing!" ringing out.

Amid the applause and cheers, Martin led the crew onstage to thank the audience.

Unexpectedly, in the subsequent press conference, the reporters directed more questions at Nicole Kidman, who played Trinity, rather than at Martin.

Perhaps it was because Nicole's character had undergone such a drastic transformation in the film?

"Ms. Kidman, this is your first time playing a tough female character in a movie. What made you decide to take on this role?"

"Hehe, when I first saw the script, I was hesitating too, but Martin told me, 'Nicole, you've already won an Oscar. Isn't it time to take on some roles that don't require much acting?'"

"I asked him, 'If this role doesn't require acting, what else is there?'"

"He said, 'COOL!'"

"That's why I took it on. I wanted to look cooler."

Another reporter brought up Nicole's marriage: "Nicole, your marriage to Tom Cruise has come to an end, but we haven't seen any sadness from you. Does that mean you welcome the divorce?"

Nicole Kidman appeared in a great mood, not at all irritated by the question. Instead, she laughed and said, "Hey, I'm a cool girl now. How could I be sad over something as trivial as a divorce?"

The next question was for Martin.

"Martin, why did you create such a unique world? Where did your inspiration come from?"

Martin smiled and said, "My inspiration came from H.P. Lovecraft's novels and the 'brain in a vat' theory. The film's style is a fusion of the old world and the future. The core of the film also borrows from Lovecraftian horror—the unknown."

"In Lovecraft's stories, there are often the words 'unspeakable,' used to describe monsters whose terror goes beyond comprehension, and events so bizarre and strange that they defy understanding. This is the kind of feeling we wanted to convey in The Matrix."

"In The Matrix, the tragic aspect of humanity is that the unknown often comes from the tip of the iceberg of the real world, and your daily life is nothing but a laughable, gentle illusion."

"This idea, combined with the philosophy of 'brain in a vat,' makes the audience inevitably wonder—'Is our world really real?'"

Another reporter asked, "Martin, how do you define The Matrix? Is it a commercial film or an art film?"

Martin laughed and said, "Do we really need to separate commercial and art films so strictly? Okay, this film is definitely an anti-Hollywood cliché movie, but you could say it's an outlier in Hollywood sci-fi films."

"The convention in Hollywood is that commercial films should be tacky, relying on special effects to captivate and drama to grab attention, aiming to conquer the masses and make profits. Art films are supposed to be unconventional, either fresh or obscure, catering to a niche audience seeking aesthetic escape, aiming for awards."

"But I think this tradition needs to change. Who says commercial sci-fi films can't contain philosophy? George Lucas?"

At this point, Martin winked at George Lucas in the audience, obviously joking.

It had the desired effect, causing laughter from the crowd.

Martin continued, "The core of The Matrix is a commercial blockbuster, after all, I still want to make some more money and move up the rich list."

More laughter followed.

"In The Matrix, we combined handsome actors, explosions, gunfights, and the human battle against alien civilizations—classic commercial elements—with a bit of idealist skepticism. That is, humans can't confirm whether they exist in the real world, and the terrifying, curious idea of humans being fed and nurtured by machines. And the Savior's death and resurrection plot borrowed from religious ideas—such as Jesus' resurrection on the third day, and the Buddhist concept of Nirvana and rebirth."

"In fact, when I started writing this script, I didn't think I was creating a traditional sci-fi work. It has many trendy sci-fi elements, but those elements aren't central. What makes it unique is how it begins with the human-machine relationship, discussing a new form of society and using that to reflect on human nature."

"In other words, this is a dystopian soft science fiction work focused on human nature."

Martin's explanation was mostly just to appease the critics.

Of course, his real target wasn't the audience, but those film critics.

He needed to give them something to write about, or who knew what tomorrow's reviews would look like?

Martin was self-aware enough to know that this film didn't have much in terms of acting showcase.

So, he had to give the critics something to work with through all this intellectualizing!

Sure enough, after hearing Martin's explanation, many critics' eyes lit up.