Games, Writing, and The Matrix

I write some more about The Matrix at the end of this entry. Consider this a spoiler warning.

On the other hand, you've probably noticed that I haven't been jumping out of my chair to go look at places. That's because I'm rather intimidated by (1) the thought that I might make some big error this time, as well, and (2) actually moving is going to be a big pain in the ass, of course. It's a rock-and-a-hard-place problem, and I hate these sort of things; especially when I can't just wait for a little while and see if things improve. I have to get out and do something. So, I am hoping that this weekend I can kick myself to call a few places and go see them, and drive around a little and spot some other places worth calling about.

Of course, another problem is that I lack self-control in acquiring new things-to-do. Today I broke down and bought Railroad Tycoon II, the sequel to the earlier computer game which I enjoyed quite a bit, despite its lousy Mac interface. This one looks better - naturally enough - and I look forward to playing it. Not that I expect to have time to do so until this weekend.

You see, my week is filling up pretty quickly. Last night I played Bridge, tomorrow night is gaming night, and Thursday may be more Bridge (unless I resist). Plus, I've decided to alternate weight training with aerobic workout this week, so yesterday I spent an hour at the gym on the weight machines, and today I spent about 45 minutes (including changing clothes, showering, etc.) doing aerobic work. That's a fair amount of time out of my day, six days a week. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to do both on the same day, but right now I lack the endurance. Or maybe I will now feel up to biking to work, and can substitute that for using the aerobic machines at the gym.

Anyway, getting to work at 10 am isn't exactly my ideal work habit, and that's with getting up half an hour earlier to go work out. But working out later in the day doesn't seem optimal, either. Sigh.

We also talked about movies and books. I recently finished John Varley's short story collection The Persistence of Vision, and I agree with CJ that the title story has a pretty lame ending (though otherwise it's quite interesting). The book on the whole is good, although I was not blown away. Varley does a good job of writing consistently about interesting ideas, and I can easily see why he was so highly-regarded in the 70s. I can't say that I think you must read this book, but you probably won't regret it if you do. My favorite story is "In the Hall of the Martian Kings". "The Phantom of Kansas" is also quite good, although the 'punchline' is a little obvious (and is basically the same punchline as "Retrograde Summer").

And, we talked about writing for a bit. CJ and David seemed a bit taken aback by my bringing the conversation back to writing several times in the evening. I told them (and was being truthful) that I basically hadn't had anyone to talk to about writing much before, and was curious to sound them out about it. CJ didn't seem entirely comfortable with it, though I suspect this is in part due to some of her own recent wrangles with her own writing. After CJ went to bed, David played 'writing psychiatrist' for me for a little while, which wasn't that comfortable for me, but is probably something good for me.

But, as always, it all comes back to this: I'm not a writer unless I write, and I've done precious little of that. I must make time to write, or I'll never get over any of my problems with writing.

Easy to say, hard to do. Especially when I sit down and write lengthy journal entries like this one, rather than working on fiction.

The Matrix is about a near-future world in which computers have conquered the world. Humanity managed to blot out the sun (i.e., source of most energy on the planet) before they lost the war, but the computers ended up enslaving humanity as a power source, keeping them in pods powering the world power grid. The humans are plugged into "the Matrix", a virtual reality representation of 1999 Earth, to keep them pacified and happy. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and his band of renegades are among the few free humans on Earth, and they believe that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is "the one" who will be able to master and eventually take control of the Matrix and the computer networks. The film is basically about Neo's education, growth, and trying to stay alive.

The film doesn't hold up quite so well in the light of day as it did late Saturday night after I saw it. It basically has three plot problems:

1. The biggie is a premise problem: It doesn't seem plausible that humans could be a potent energy source to power the global network. Humans are, it seems to me, more energy consumers than producers. Where do the computers find the energy to feed the humans to keep them alive? Why couldn't they use that energy directly? Why not use, say, cows or rabbits or something instead of humans?

   My cow-orker Tom points out that this flaw could have been solved if the computers were using humans for processing power, or something. Perhaps they tap into humans to make use of our non-binary minds.

2. Second, why do the computers need to plug the humans into the Matrix at all? Why educate them and risk rebellion? This doesn't seem like a big hole; perhaps without any stimuli the humans would simply wither away and die from lack of any life at all. The humans-as-processors plot fix would neatly solve this problem, as well.

3. Third, why do the computers have to use 'agents' - programs in human form - in the Matrix to find and fight Morpheus and company? This one - along with the slightly-fluid rules within the Matrix - didn't really bother me because I find virtual reality stories of pretty much every stripe I've ever encountered (including Gibson's Neuromancer and Stephenson's Snow Crash) to be basically unbelievable in one manner or another, so I guess I'm just willing to overlook these details unless I want to give up on the whole story from the beginning. I look at The Matrix and figure, "Well, that's just the way it works, for some reason", and as long as the inconsistencies aren't too egregious, who cares?

The film did have many good points, too.

First, The Matrix is to some degree a pastiche of several earlier SF films, but I think it's largely more successful than its predecessors. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a weak action film with a brief glimpse of a near future in which computers have conquered the world. The Matrix actually shows us this world in some depth, and really shows us mankind's last desperate fight for freedom.

Dark City was a science fiction film with a film noir feel to it, similar to Blade Runner in that regard, although with a more "out there" science fictional premise (I consider Blade Runner to basically be a stylishly filmed but straightforwardly written bounty hunter film). I think The Matrix tops both of them in style, integrating film noir (especially in the early scenes before Neo knows what the Matrix is) with a fascinating and exciting effects-driven style of filming. Indeed, the best thing about The Matrix is not the raw quality of the special effects, but the way they're used to the service of the story and the way the story is told. Few effects are gratuitous; you see them and think "wow" not because it's a cool effect, but because it's a cool use of the effect (a sharp contrast to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace).

The Matrix also bears some plotting resemblance to 12 Monkeys, in its dual-world environment, dark vision of the future, efforts to change that future, and the man-searching-for-his-place feel of the protagonist. I would say that 12 Monkeys is the better film, though, largely because it has a more gripping emotional subplot, and lacks the plotting flaws of The Matrix.

The Matrix is also admirable in that the plot doesn't take the easy way out. The villains generally behave intelligently, as do the heroes. Reasonably, Morpheus' group has some fairly sophisticated ways of dealing with the computers, which serve them well. When one of their group betrays them, things turn really bloody very quickly. There are a few scenes that will make you jump or cringe, but only one can be said to be gratuitously gross - the scene where the bug squirms into Neo's body. (Eeeeewww!) But basically the film handles its subject matter honestly and without trying to trick you.

And then there are the action scenes. Oh, boy, is there action. People say the lightsaber battles in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace were cool; they don't hold a candle to this stuff. Extremely well choreographed, a few surprises thrown in here and there, battles won through craftiness or lost due to a character's flaws. Even the gun battles are made exciting, carefully filmed rather than just showing a scene with dozens of extras getting mowed down in short order. Sure, you could argue that the film is a bit short on our heroes realizing that they are, in fact, killing real people, but then again, what sort of alternatives do they have? Their backs are to the wall for the whole film.

It really is a very cool film. It could have been a little better, but oh, well. I am a little dismayed that there is talk of a sequel (or two), since I think The Matrix basically says what it has to say about its subject matter. But for a film this good, I'd be willing to see a sequel just to see if the creators can do it again. They've earned the benefit of the doubt.

Michael Rawdon (Contact)