The Matrix: A Christian Film

I have seen a few action movies of the '80s and '90s, but The Matrix is probably one of my favorites. The choreographed action is entirely iconic, the high concept was unlike anything western audiences have ever seen. It was not perfect (the romance between Trinity and Neo was very poorly done and mostly came out of nowhere). Nevertheless, it is a remarkably well-made and well-thought-out movie all around. However, one thing that makes The Matrix stand out to me personally is how it very closely imitates the Christian worldview.

The core basis of The Matrix is derived from Plato's Cave, where a group of people who grew up in the cave know nothing except of the shadows that are cast onto a lit wall in the cave. All they know is of these shadows, and they interpret the world entirely based on these shadows. Only a philosopher who is able to make his way out of the cave and see the wider world as it is can see things as they are. The world of The Matrix is much like this. In the movie, all of humanity is trapped by The Machines in The Matrix, a false reality designed to keep them subservient. All anyone knows is what this false world has presented them. However, the truth is that humanity is in a battle for its very freedom, and only those who have escaped the clutches of The Matrix can see, let alone participate, in this battle.

This premise is very similar to humanity's position on Earth. The vast majority of us live our own small lives, concerned with things ranging from our next meal to whether Sue likes us, from the lineup of the next Superbowl to whether Russia will give up the war anytime soon. However, as the book of Job describes in its first two chapters, there is much, much more going on. There is a cosmic war that has been raging since shortly after the creation of the universe. This is a war of devils against the Creator Himself, and humanity is unknowingly trapped between the factions. Satan has taken humanity hostage using their own sin nature and rules the world, with God fighting to take it back. Very few can see this, but a few enlightened humans, starting with the prophets of old and moving on to those they told, have seen glimpses of it. God and Satan are at war for the hearts of Man, and we do not see it.

The styles of the two wars are also similar. In both the Matrix as well as real life, there are groups of individuals who have allied themselves with Zion/God and cause trouble for the standing regime. In both the movie and real life, the Enemy's tactics are the same. They do not necessarily go out in person to crush the deviants, at least not at first. They instead pit the rest of humanity against them. They employ false ideologies to suppress the spread of the truth, forcing many to outright reject the truth when they hear it. They pit governments and the police against those who act. Only for the most extreme threats, like Job or Trinity, are demons and Agents deployed.

The other side's tactics are also similar. In Plato's cave, the philosopher who sees the outside world is said to have a duty to return to the cave in order to enlighten the rest still trapped by the deceptive shadows. Humans freed from the Matrix also do this. They will intentionally plug themselves back into the Matrix, supported by the operator in the real world, to destabilize the Machines' grip on humanity. Christians are also called to do this. Armed with the Holy Spirit and backed by the Church community, we are to go out into the world, a world ruled by Satan, to bring more people to the truth, swelling their ranks as they rob Satan of his deluded human servants. We fight for a day when we can return to Zion or Heaven permanently and enjoy our freedom and God's presence. However, in the meantime, we have a mission to rescue the rest of humanity.

The movie also went as far as imitating specific plot points from The Bible. Thomas "Neo" Anderson is very much imitative of Christ. Both came into this world, strengthened themselves before taking on their mission against The Enemy. They both gained a following that put their hopes into these messianic figures. However, some became disillusioned. Judas of Iscariot and Cypher both ended up rejecting the greater vision and betrayed their hope in favor of earthly goods: Judas sold out Jesus in exchange for thirty silver pieces, and Cypher asked to be returned to the Matrix (with some perks) and have his memories erased in return for providing the access codes to the Nebuchadnezzar. Cypher in particular became disillusioned with how the fight against the machines was being carried out, and wanted to instead live in peace, declaring "ignorance is bliss." This mirrors theories that Judas Iscariot may have betrayed Jesus over Jesus's refusal to go against Rome in favor of addressing the far more serious (if less well understood) threat of sin. Jesus himself did prophesy in his parable of the seeds that there were those who would fall away in times of persecution. Nevertheless, neither the traitors nor the Enemy could overcome the messiah. Both Neo and Jesus were outright executed, the former by the Agents, and the latter by the people he was there to save. However, neither execution worked. Both were claimed by death, but both overcame death and broke the power of the enemy.

Now, of course, The Matrix does not perfectly capture Christianity. It almost completely ignores humanity's culpability in this situation, the nature of the sacrifice God and Jesus made, or the manner in which people are actually freed. This is an action movie, and it is poorly equipped to explore the Gospel itself. It cannot explore how Jesus's death was significant in his purchase of humanity and not just his power over even death and the Enemy. It does not have time to fully address and explore how humans themselves empower their oppressment. The movie is also entirely unsuited for exploring the dichotomy of two masters that we as a race are torn between, choosing instead to pit a powerful ruler in the face of a vague freedom. Nevertheless, the movie does an excellent job of capturing the general situation Christians are in as they relate to a world they are working contrary to. As a moviegoer who eagerly seeks out truth in the media, this is one movie that continues to excite me.