Chapter 305: What Is Real? What Is Illusion?

"A stylish combat style? This must be the kind of choreography often seen in Eastern action films, right?"

Steven Spielberg, well-versed in global cinema, immediately pinpointed the inspiration.

Beside him, George Lucas couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Suddenly, a thought struck him:

"Could this be something to incorporate into my next Star Wars? The combat style for the Skywalker saga shouldn't remain so rudimentary!"

He glanced at Martin, seated not too far away, pondering whether to approach him after the premiere for the contact details of the Matrix stunt team.

While these renowned directors were impressed, many film critics in attendance frowned.

To them, this segment seemed like a deliberate display of technical prowess.

Moreover, such fight scenes hardly showcased any acting skills.

The story progressed.

Agent Smith, with his signature cold demeanor, led a group of officers in pursuit.

Equally stoic, Trinity reached a rooftop.

Under the cover of night, a colossal moon hung in the sky.

The camera switched to a wide shot, revealing Trinity sprinting and leaping across rooftops against a gloomy nocturnal backdrop. Her movements were as light as if gravity had no hold on her. The vast gaps between buildings posed no obstacle.

After vaulting over four or five buildings, she faced a towering skyscraper ahead.

The perspective zoomed in, capturing Trinity's elongated legs as she propelled herself with explosive power. Her lithe figure shot upward, her body taut like a drawn bow. The tension in her leather outfit accentuated her tall, sensual silhouette—though nothing explicit was shown, the imagery ignited imaginations.

Even more astonishingly, the agents chasing Trinity weren't ordinary foes. They too sprinted and leaped across rooftops, relentlessly closing in.

Clearly, these agents weren't "mere humans."

The audience's curiosity deepened.

How did these people possess such extraordinary abilities? Were they mutants? Cyborgs? Aliens?

Before the agents could catch up, Trinity leaped off the skyscraper, descending to the ground in the visually stunning moment featured in the trailer.

After momentarily evading the agents' pursuit, Trinity dashed toward a phone booth across a broad avenue.

The audience was puzzled.

Why would she head for a phone booth in such a tense situation?

Could it be that the call was so important that she disregarded her own safety?

Just then, the phone in the booth began to ring shrilly.

Without hesitation, Trinity sprinted into the booth, her long legs carrying her with urgency, and grabbed the receiver.

At that moment, a black sedan sped toward the booth and crashed into it without stopping.

The audience gasped.

Was the heroine dead?

No!

As the camera zoomed in, viewers were stunned to find no trace of Trinity's body amidst the wreckage.

"Where did she go?"

The audience's curiosity was now fully piqued.

"She escaped."

An agent stepping out of the car, its front now crumpled, offered an explanation. However, this only added to the intrigue rather than resolving it.

Escaped? Where? Down a sewer?

That seemed the only plausible answer.

The next line from another agent heightened the tension: "Our informant's intel is highly accurate."

A third agent added, "We must locate him immediately!"

The three agents stood coolly in a line, their stiff movements exuding an uncanny aura—

To the audience, their behavior seemed mechanical, as if they were... robots.

Right from the start, the film gripped the audience's attention.

Finally, the protagonist Neo made his appearance.

The camera panned out from a close-up of a telephone receiver to reveal Martin's strikingly handsome face.

The following scenes focused on dialogue, which Martin had streamlined during scripting. Some of the cryptic exchanges were removed to make the film's pacing tighter.

One reason the latter installments of The Matrix trilogy saw diminishing box office returns was the overabundance of obscure dialogue and philosophical themes.

Martin trimmed these down and added more action sequences, ensuring a balance of runtime while heightening the excitement.

He was confident that these changes would surpass the original film's box office performance.

Moreover, as usual, he discreetly employed some subtle magical allure in the performances and soundtrack...

Sure enough, the moment Neo appeared on screen, he captured everyone's attention.

The film clearly established Neo's identity as a high school hacker, along with hints about the Matrix and Morpheus searching for him.

Following Neo's first meeting with the female lead, the tension escalated as the Matrix agents hunted him.

The agents' use of silver Motorola RAZR flip phones sparked amazement among viewers.

This futuristic phone, soon to hit the market, had partnered with Martin as a spokesperson and sponsored The Matrix. The device prominently featured throughout the movie.

For this, Motorola contributed $3 million to the production budget.

In fact, many items in the film were provided by sponsors—

Apple computers, Apple MP3 players, Armani suits, Mercedes-Benz cars...

Altogether, sponsorships amounted to over $20 million.

With a total trilogy budget of $90 million, nearly a quarter was recouped even before the films hit theaters.

Fifteen minutes into the movie, the overall impression was one of mystery and coolness.

The audience was thoroughly entertained, but critics were less satisfied.

To them, the film lacked real acting depth. All the characters did was pose and look cool!

Roger Ebert shook his head, jotting down in his notebook: Another shallow role. Has Martin fully sold out to commercialism?

But the audience didn't care.

Their minds were buzzing with questions—

How did Trinity escape?

What's with the phone booth?

What exactly is the Matrix?

Who was that enigmatic black man?

Why is Neo, a hacker, considered the savior? And does this seemingly peaceful world even need saving?

Bang!

The agents burst into Neo's apartment, apprehending him and dragging him into an interrogation room.

"You have no right to arrest me! I didn't do anything! I want my lawyer!"

Struggling and shouting, Neo confronted the agents.

Then came another astonishing moment.

One of the agents, in his usual cold tone, said, "If you can't even open your mouth, how do you plan to call a lawyer?"

As he spoke, the camera zoomed in on Neo, whose mouth began to vanish—bit by bit, until it disappeared entirely from his face.

"Oh!"

A wave of gasps echoed through the theater.

What is real? What is illusion?

Many viewers recalled Morpheus' cryptic words to Neo.