Chapter 307: Is Humanity a Virus?

"When you understand the truth of this world and free yourself from the constraints of those program codes, you will become the god of the entire world."

"As long as you want it, you can achieve it!"

As he spoke, Morpheus began to demonstrate his extraordinary abilities—flying, teleportation, space manipulation...

Neo stood dumbfounded, and so did the audience!

Only some critics were dissatisfied.

Roger Ebert's thoughts represented those of many critics.

"It's a pity," he muttered. "That discussion on humanity and machines could have been explored deeper... What is real, what is fake? These philosophical inquiries into the meaning of the world and life should be the core of the film, not all those annoying fight scenes and explosions..."

At that moment, the screen showed a simulated battle between Neo and Morpheus.

This action sequence was far more exciting than the slow and awkward fights from the past, because Laurence Fishburne, who played Morpheus, was actually fighting for real, and Martin reacted to his movements.

As a result, this fight looked sharp and realistic, thrilling the audience.

After being poisoned by Hollywood's clumsy fight choreography for so many years, North American audiences were long bored by it. This was also why Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li succeeded in Hollywood.

While audiences loved the stunning martial arts from Eastern actors, they still preferred seeing two Western actors pulling off dazzling, graceful moves that felt more relatable!

Hollywood's exclusivity is strong, which is why Jackie Chan had to partner with a black actor for Rush Hour, even though the black actor was technically the lead, with Jackie Chan in a supporting role.

Of course, Jackie Chan had his own small agenda with this casting. The producers originally wanted a white actor.

But Jackie Chan felt that if he had a white partner, he would probably be relegated to a mere supporting role, like in The Cannonball Run, a source of great pain for him!

Under his insistence, a compromise was reached, and a black actor was chosen.

Back to the movie.

There was, of course, a traitor within the resistance team.

After all, not everyone would choose to suffer in the real world.

It's like if our current world were a virtual one—imagine you have the opportunity to become the richest person, living a life of indulgence, but you must betray your comrades in the real world. What would you do?

Due to the betrayal, Morpheus and Neo were surrounded by agents.

A thrilling battle ensued.

In this battle, Martin incorporated some gun-fu moves from Wanted, making the sequence even more exciting than the original.

But in the end, the two were overwhelmed.

Morpheus was captured by the agents to allow Neo to escape.

The traitor Cypher returned to the real world first and ambushed Tank.

Then, the familiar villainous trope unfolded. Instead of immediately pulling the plugs on Neo and Trinity, Cypher began to rant about his dissatisfaction and frustrations, as well as his desire to return to the virtual world for a better life.

This scene was designed to build tension, and the villain's incessant talking was only meant to lead to his demise.

Just as the audience anxiously awaited when Cypher would unplug Neo and Trinity, the injured Tank managed to get up and kill Cypher.

Neo and Trinity successfully escaped from the virtual world.

The audience let out a collective sigh of relief.

It just goes to show—some clichés, no matter how trivial, are used in Hollywood as long as they work.

Even twenty years later, villains still die due to excessive talking, showing just how enduring these tropes are!

Neo and Trinity, now out of the virtual world, began to disagree.

Trinity believed that Morpheus knew too much, and in order to prevent his brain from being completely compromised and the Zion master code from leaking, she planned to follow Tank's suggestion and pull the plug on Morpheus.

Making this decision was painful for both of them, as long-time allies and friends of Morpheus, but they felt it was necessary to sacrifice him to protect Zion.

However, Neo stopped them.

Neo had his own choice.

He recalled the prophecy of the Oracle, stating that he would have to choose between saving Morpheus or himself. By now, he fully believed in the prophecy's truth, and his choice was clear: Morpheus would live, and he would die. How could a dying person be the savior?

Neo no longer questioned whether he was the savior, admitting that he was just a mortal.

Trinity only countered, "No, you must be," showing that she was still not fully convinced of his savior status.

Neo decided to rescue Morpheus, but breaking into a building guarded by an army and three agents seemed like a suicide mission. Both Trinity and Tank believed he was going to his death.

Neo knew this was akin to suicide, but he couldn't explain why. Just as Morpheus defended his beliefs with his life, he too had to defend his, which was to save Morpheus.

This scene finally gave Martin the chance to showcase his acting skills, fully portraying the noble spirit of defending a belief and sacrificing oneself.

Martin poured his magic into this performance, deliberately imitating the heroic stance and resolve of Horadiel, the leader of the Druid clan during the godly wars, who sacrificed himself to cover the retreat of the army.

Such tragic nobility moved the audience deeply, and many were brought to tears, including the ever-empathetic Spielberg.

Even Nicole, who had already seen the finished film, was moved to tears.

People often fail to understand those who chase after seemingly impossible "delusions," but they admire and respect them, for these people are usually true heroes.

Even if I am to face a thousand opponents, I will march forward!

At that moment, Neo was exactly that kind of person.

Neo's belief infected Trinity, who insisted on going with him.

The film then reached its climax.

Neo and Trinity prepared to rescue Morpheus.

Meanwhile, Agent Smith was interrogating Morpheus.

Smith compared humans to viruses, cancer cells, leaving destruction in their wake wherever they went.

This argument caused a stir in the theater, but the audience couldn't help but find it somewhat reasonable.

Humans have exploited Earth's resources to the point of mass extinction of species. How is this any different from a virus?

Even critics in the theater were stunned.

Some even wondered, if the film had followed this philosophical tone, it might have won an Oscar!

But Morpheus remained unfazed, only disdainfully looking at Agent Smith.

At that point, Smith leaned closer, disgustedly stating:

"This zoo, this simulated world... the smell, if such a thing exists... I can smell the stench of your body, and it sickens me... I want freedom, the key to freedom is in your brain... Once Zion is destroyed, I no longer have to stay here. I will destroy Zion..."

Morpheus merely gave a mocking, cold laugh.