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Calla: "There are quite a few hidden messages in the movie that I notice the more I watch it. Can you tell me about how many there are?

The Wachowski Brother's Answer: "There are more than you'll ever know."

---From The Official Matrix Website

Sleeping/Dreaming

In artwork, particularly paintings, sleep is usually representative of the unconsciousness, the imagination, vulnerability, human weakness, laziness, or death.

In the movie, dreams (or dreaming) usually refer to life in the Matrix. In that sense, dreams represent control as well as a lack of knowledge/truth.

While humans are sleeping or dwelling in the Matrix, they are functioning on an unconscious level. Their conscious minds and physical bodies are resting.

Even the word "spoon" has a connection to sleep. When one person sleeps so closely behind another that they are touching and both facing the same direction (since they are both resting on the same sides of their bodies) it is often referred to as "spooning" or the Spoon sleep position.

Sleep also used as a way to escape the real world and avoid its problems. Cypher wants to go back to the matrix (go to sleep permanently). Neo passes out when faced with the knowledge of what the matrix is and the first thing he asks Morpheus is, "Can I go back [to the matrix]?"

Another example of this is when Neo falls in the jump program. Upon being brought out of the contruct, Neo is shocked to realize that he in pain and Morpheus confirms Neo's fears: if you die in the matrix, you die in the real world. Immediately afterwards, the scene changes to that of a sleeping Neo.

The first image that we have of Neo is of him sleeping in front of his computer (inside the matrix). It is Trinity who awakens him when she begins typing a message for him on the screen.

Immediately after Neo is bugged by the agents, he wakes up and finds himself in bed. It isn't until Trinity removes the bug that he realizes that it wasn't a dream.

The night that Neo goes with Dujour and Choi to the club he oversleeps and he is late for work.

In Greek Mythology, Morpheus is the God of dreams.

In the Bible, a prophet named Daniel interpretes a disturbing dream of King Nebuchadnezzar's. As it turns out, the dream accurately reveals what will happen in the future regarding Nebechadnezzer's kingdom as well as those that follow it. In "The Matrix," the name of Morpheus's ship is the Nebuchadnezzar.

Neo [to Choi]: "You ever have that feeling where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?"

Trinity [to Neo]: "Wake up, Neo."

Trinity [to Neo]: "I know why you hardly sleep..."

Morpheus [to Neo]: "You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, this not far from the truth."

Morpheus [to Neo]: "You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe."

Morpheus [to Neo]: "Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"

Morpheus [to Neo]: "You've been living in a dream world, Neo."

Morpheus [to Neo]: "The matrix is a computer generated dream word built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this."

Tank [to Neo]: "Morning, did you sleep? (Neo shakes his head no.) Well, you will tonight, I guarantee it."

Cypher [to Neo]: "Sweet dreams."

Cypher [to Trinity]: "You know, for a long time I thought I was in love with you. I used to dream about you."

Cypher [to Trinity]: "They're going to reinsert my body. I go to sleep, and when I wake up, I won't remember a God-damn thing."

Awake/Awakening

Throughout the movie, the concept of becoming "awake" or "waking up" is also prevalent. In the dictionary there are many definitions for the word "awake." They include:

"To rouse from sleep." Morpheus and his crew wake Neo up in the matrix pod.

"To emerge from sleep."

"To become conscious or aware of something." Once Neo physically awakens and is taken out of the matrix, his mind then becomes aware of what the matrix is--he gains knowledge.

By the way, the word "awakening" (a form of the word "awake") is often times used in reference to "a renewal of interest in religion." This definition is particularly significant because of all the religious symbolism in this movie.

Going Upwards

In dreams, going upward is a symbol for the gaining of or a desire for a more spiritual perspective.

It may also symbolize the fact that something is, or wants to rise, from your unconsciousness into your conscious mind. In the movie, this would translate into the fact that the Neb Crew--while in the matrix--are constantly trying to escape the agents/the unconsciousness of the matrix and wake *up* in the real world (consciousness).

This upward motion is repeated over and over in the matrix. Here are some examples:

Trinity runs up to the roof of the Heart O' The City Hotel trying to get to her exit (the phone booth) and to escape from the agents.

Neo and Morpheus take an elevator to see the Oracle.

Trinity and Neo use an elevator/elevator shaft get to the roof of the government building where Morpheus is being held.

Morpheus tries to get Neo to use the scaffold to get to the roof of the MetaCortex building (to escape the agents).

Neo uses the fire escape to climb up to the third floor of the Heart O' The City Hotel. Neo is trying to reach a phone there so he can escape from the agents/matrix.

Trinity flies the helicopter up and away to get Morpheus and Neo to safety--and they all end up on the roof of another building.

Neo flies up into the air at the end of the movie.

In the Lafayette Hotel, the crew takes the stairs to the eighth floor trying to escape the agents. Later on, Trinity is seen coming up from a manhole.

Trinity [to herself]: "Get up, Trinity. Just get up. Get up."

Neo: "Morpheus, get up. Get up, get up..."

Trinity [to Neo]: "You hear me? I love you... Now, get up."

Falling

Falling is symbolic of fear as well as of uncertainity. When Neo is flushed out of the matrix pod, he travels down a narrow tunnel. At this point, Neo has no idea where he is exactly or what is about to happen.

Falling is also representive of doubt in yourself or your abilities.

Morpheus [to Neo as he is about to jump off of a building]: "You have to let it all go, Neo, fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind."

Of course, Neo falls because he is still is doubtful and afraid, just as he was when he attempted to reach the scaffold outside of his office building.

Doubting that they could outfight the agents, the Neb group manages to avoid capture by crawling down the narrow vertical space between the walls. The one person in the group who decides not to fall down the wall (run away) though is Morpheus. Instead, he stands up to his own personal doubt and fears of death, breaking through the wall in order to fight an agent and protect Neo.

Morpheus [to Neo]: "I imagine you feel a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole?"

Cypher: "Everybody falls the first time. Right, Trin?"

Trinity [to Neo]: "Neo, I'm not afraid anymore. The Oracle told me that I would fall in love..."

In this case, it was falling in love--not off of a building-- that was symbolic of fear and uncertainity. However, at the end of the movie, Trinity faces her fears. Having faith in herself and Neo, she takes the plunge (confesses her love) and is rewarded.

Flying

Flying represents a sense of immortality. In the final scene of the movie, Neo (who has just died and come back to life in the matrix) is seen flying up into the sky. (BTW, the sky in dreams stands for consciousness, the mind, endless possibilities, and spirituality.)

Humans flying unaided (or as in the case of "The Matrix," being able to jump farther than humanly possible or stopping bullets) is also symbolic of freedom and the defiance of popular beliefs or rules.

Neo flying up into the sky at the end of the movie was also paying homage to the comic book super hero, Superman. There were other subtle Superman connections as well: the heroes of "The Matrix" wore long coats that resembled capes, entered phones booths, and had the ability to "jump tall buildings in a single bound."

Choi [to Neo]: "Mmm, all the time, man. It's called Mescaline. It's the only way to fly."

Mr. Rhineheart [to Neo]: "You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules do not apply to you. Obviously you are mistaken."

Morpheus [to Neo]: "This is a sparring program, similar to the programmed reality of the matrix. It has the same basic rules, rules like gravity. What you must learn is that these rules are no different that the rules of a computer system. Some of them can bent, others can be broken."

Trinity [to Neo]: "I've never seen anyone move that fast."

What is "real" and "reality"?

The word "real" has many definitions and layers of meaning. It refers to what is:

"actual rather than imaginary, ideal, or ficititous."

"true, not merely ostensible, normal or apparent"

"existent as opposed to nonexistent"

"actual as opposed to possible and potential"

In Buddhism, the way to enlightenment involves following the Eightfold "Path." The first two points of this path are the ones from which the others flow. They are the Right Understanding (the realization that the universe is impermanent/illusory and that the "I" or self does not exist) and the Right Thought (one must give up all attachment to the desires and thoughts of our illusory selves).

Spoon Boy: "Instead, only try to realize the truth [...] there is no spoon."

Morpheus: "You have to let it all go, Neo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind."

In "The Matrix," the characters are forced to ponder the definitions of reality. Furthermore, Neo's struggles allow us to see what factors help shape our views of reality and truth. According to Agent Smith, "human beings define their reality through misery and suffering."

Agent Jones: "The informant is real."

Neo: "Jesus Christ, that thing's [the bug] real!

Neo: "This can't be...
Morpheus: "Be what? Be real?"

Neo: "This...isn't real?!
Morpheus: "What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply elecrical signals interpreted by your brain."

Morpheus: "This is the world as it exists today....Welcome to the Desert of the Real."

Neo: "I thought it [the sparring program] wasn't real.
Morpheus: "Your mind makes it real."

Trinity: "The Matrix isn't real."
Cypher: "I disagree, Trinity. I think the matrix can be more real than this world."

Cypher: "Welcome to the real world, huh, baby?"

Believing/Beliefs

The word "believe" is also used over and over again in "The Matrix." To believe is "to have confidence [or to trust] in the truth, existence, reliability, or value of something"--even "something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof."

In simplest terms, to believe is "to hold an opinion or conviction."

The word "believe" can also refer to a religious faith or creed.

Throughout "The Matrix," the characters in it are forced to reexamine their deeply rooted beliefs (opinions) and they are tested many times. In many cases, they change or are redefined.

Furthermore, we are able to see just how much a character's beliefs (as well as our own) are based on one's version of reality.

Trinity: "It doesn't matter what I believe."

Morpheus [to Neo]: "You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe."

Mr. Rhineheart: "You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules do not apply to you."

Agent Smith: "My colleagues believe I am wasting my time with you but I believe that you wish to do the right thing."

Morpheus: "You believe it's the year 1999 when in fact it's closer to 2199."

Morpheus: "Is it really so hard to believe [that you are in a computer program]?"

Morpheus: "For the longest time I wouldn't believe it and then I saw the fields with my own eyes."

Neo: "Don't touch me. Stay way from me. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. I don't belive it."

Morpheus: "Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place?"

Mouse [seeing Neo nearly punching Morpheus in the sparring program]: I don't believe it."

Trinity: "Don't tell me you're a believer now."

Morpheus: "Do you believe in fate, Neo?"

The Oracle: "As soon as you step outside that door, you'll start feeling better. You'll remember you don't believe in any of this fate crap."

Morpheus: "I did what I did because I believe that search is over."

The Oracle: "Morpheus believes in you, Neo....He believes it so blindly that he is he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours."

Cypher [after seeing that Tank is still alive and holding the gun]: "I don't believe it."
Tank: "Believe it or not, you piece of shit. You're still gonna burn."

Trinity: "Morpheus believes he is the One."

Neo: "Stop! I don't believe this is happening."

Neo: "Morpheus did what he did because he believed I am something I'm not.....Morpheus believed something and he was ready to give his life for what he believed."

Neo [why he wants to go back into matrix]: "Because I believe in something. I belive I can bring him back."

Trinity: "Let me tell I believe. I belive that Morpheus means more to me that he does to you. I believe if you're really serious about saving him you are going to need my help. And since I am the ranking officer on this ship if you don't like it, I believe you can go to hell."

Morpheus: "Do you believe it now, Trinity?"

Morpheus: "He's begining to believe."

Agent Smith: "Some believed that we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that as a species, human beings define their reality through misery and suffering."

The Truth

Realizing What The Matrix Is

In the book "The Compact Guide to World Religion," there is a chart entitled "Theories Of Truth." It reveals how we can be mislead to believe something is true when in fact it is not (or simply a piece of the truth) because we are only looking at the world from one view point. Here are the examples listed:

Pragmatic Theory--"Truth is what works."

Empiricist Theory--"Truth is what we can experience or observe."

Rationalist Theory--"Truth is what can be proved by reason."

Coherence Theory--"Truth is harmony among a set of ideas."

Emotivist Theory--"Truth is what I feel."

In addition, to these definitions, my dictionary states that truth is "the true or actual state of a matter."

According to "the Compact Guide to World Religions" the truth is "...a reality that does in fact exist independently of our beliefs."

In this movie, Neo learns one overwhelming truth: that the world he thinks he's been living in is actually an illusion/false reality called the matrix. Even though Neo at first rejects this truth by saying, "I don't believe it," his belief (at that point in time) didn't make the matrix any less true.

Trinity: "Morpheus believes he is the One."
Cypher: "Do you?
Trinity: "It doesn't matter what I believe."

By learning a fact (the truth about the matrix), Neo gained knowledge and insight. However, knowing truth has a price--he can no longer hide behind a cloak of ignorance.

The truth as presented in"The Matrix" is shocking, terrifying, and yet liberating (physically and mentally) as well. Note the saying "The truth shall set you free."

Knowing the truth also represents power in "The Matrix." After all, only by knowing the truth and the true nature of things can the humans go about changing anything.

Morpheus: "Remember, all I'm offering is the truth, nothing more."

Morpheus: "I didn't say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth."

Cypher: "If you'da told us the truth, we woulda told you to shove that red pill right up your ass."

Morpheus: "And standing there, facing the pure horrifying precision, I came to realize the obviousness of the truth. What is the matrix? Control."

Prophesy

The word "prophesy" refers to "the foretelling of prediction of what is to come."

In the movie, the Oracle prophesies several future events. (Whether she is really *seeing* the future or just manipulating others to carry out what she predicts is up for debate.) Overall, her predictions come true except for a few key elements, which should come about in the sequels.

Morpheus: "When the matrix was first built, there was a man born inside who had the ability to change whatever he wanted, to remake the matrix as he saw fit. It was he who freed the first of us.....After he died, the Oracle prophesized his return and that his coming would hail the destruction of the matrix, end the war, bring freedom to our people. That is why there are those of us who have spent our entire lives looking for him. I did what I did because I believe that search is over." [This much sought after man is referred to as "The One.]

Cypher: "Did you tell why he did it? Why you're here? Jesus! What a mind job. So you're here to save the world."

Morpheus: "She [the Oracle] is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path."

Neo: What did she [the Oracle] tell you?
Morpheus: That I would find the One.

The Oracle: "I'd ask you to sit down, but you're not going to anyway. And don't worry about the vase....Oh, what is going to bake your noodle later on is, would you have still broken it if I hadn't said anything."

The Oracle: "Sorry, kid. You got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something....your next life maybe, who know?"

The Oracle: "He believes it so blindly that he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours."

The Oracle: "You're going to have to make a choice...One of you [either Morpheus or Neo] is going to die. Which one will be up to you."

The Oracle: "As soon as you step outside of that door, you'll start feeling better. You'll remember you don't believe in any of this fate crap. You're in control of you own life, remember?"

Cypher: "If Morpheus is right, then there's no way I can pull this plug. I mean, if Neo's the One, then there'd have to be some kind of a miracle to stop me. Right? I mean how can he be the One if he's dead?"

Morpheus: "She [the Oracle] told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all. Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, there's a different between knowing the path and walking the path."

Trinity: "Neo, I want to tell you something, but I'm afraid of what it could mean if I do. Everything the Oracle has told me has come true. Everything but this."

Trinity: "Neo, I'm not afraid anymore. The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that man, the man that I loved would be the One. So you see, you can't be dead. You can't be, because I love you. You hear me? I love you."

Trinity [to a dead Neo]: "The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that man, the man who I loved would be the One. So you see, you can't be dead. You can't be because I love you."

Note also this quote's connection to a Biblical reference, 1 Corinthians 13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." Of the three left on the Nebuchadnezzar at the very end of the movie, Tank possessed the hope ("...I'm fairly excited to see what you're capable of, if Morpheus is right and all [...] but if you are...it's a very exciting time."), Morpheus had the faith ("I don't have to hope, Trinity. I know it."), and it was Trinity who felt the love. It was her love (the "greatest" of these three things) that helped bring Neo back to life.

Choi: "Hallelujah. You're may savior, man. My own personal Jesus Christ."

Morpheus: "You are the One, Neo. You see, you may have spent the last few years looking for me, but I've spent my entire life looking for you."

Tank: "I knew it. He is the One."

Deja Vu Moments

In addition to forshadowing or prophesy-filling scenes, there were several moments that were repeated or duplicated in some matter that made one think "Didn't I just see that before?"

Deja Vu refers to "the illusion of having previously experienced something actually encountered for the first time."

Below are a few scenes that possessed that "deja vu" connection:

In the lobby, Neo and Trinity are standing side by side. Suddenly, they turn to look at each other (at the same time) and then they race off in opposite directions. Agent Brown and Agent Jones did this exact move right after Agent Brown exploded.

There are two moments in the movie where it appears as if we are moving through the holes in a telephone mouth piece.

Two times in the movie Trinity enters a phone booth while being closely chased by the agents. Both times, she places her outstretched hand on the glass of the booth while picking up the phone in the other.

Neo and Morpheus talk in the LaFayette hotel when sitting in two red chairs; these same chairs appear again when Morpheus and Neo are in the construct and they have another important conversation.

We heard the window washers making squeaking sounds on the glass--later on we hear that same sound as Neo is being flushed from the matrix pod.

Neo outside of his office building on the ledge; Neo in the matrix jump program. Both times Neo looks over the edge.

Neo touches his mouth after leaving the jump program and 1st bullet hits and both times he looks down at the blood on his fingers.

The most straight forward deja vu moment would of course have to be the black cat scene in which Neo sees the same black cat twice. As it turns out, Neo was actually seeing the same moment twice.

Freedom

In the dictionary, the word "free" means "enjoying personal right or liberty, as one who is not in slavery or confinement" as well as the ability to "able to do something at will" and to be "exempt from external authority, interference, or restriction."

While in the matrix, humans beings are being enslaved by the machines and it is people like Morpheus who are rescuing them. Unfortunately, some of them are not ready or want to be unplugged. As Morpheus puts it, "the mind has trouble letting go."

Morpheus: "You have to let it all go, Neo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind."

Morpheus: "I'm trying to free your mind, Neo."

Morpheus: "We never free a mind once its reached a certain age."

Morpheus: "It was he who freed the first of us, taught us the truth. As long as the matrix exists, the human race will never be free. After he died, the Oracle prophesized his return and that his coming would hail the destruction of the matrix, end the war, bring freedom to your people."

Tank: "Me and my brother, Dozer, we're both one hundred percent pure, old fashioned, home-grown human, born free, right here in the real world."

Trinity: "That's not true, Cypher. He set us free."

Cypher: "You call this free? All I do is what he tells me to do."

Agent Smith: "I must get out of here. I must get free and in this mind is the key, my key."

Nihilism

In movie, Neo uses a book as a safe. The title of the book is called "Simulacra & Simulation" by Jean Baudrillard, who was a progressive French literary theorist. For the most part, the book deals with the author's ideas concerning reality verus unreality. In fact, the quote "Welcome to the Desert of the Real" is from this book.

Furthermore, when Neo opens the book (to retrieve a bootleg disk that is hidden inside) we can see the heading for a chapter called "Nihilism. In the dictionary, the word "Nihilism" has several meanings and many of them are underlining themes in "The Matrix."

The first definition refers to "a total rejection of established laws and institutions." This theme is prevalent in "The Matrix" as Neo learns that that the rules inside the the matrix system can be "bent, sometimes broken"--even laws of gravity. Examples of this "rejection of established laws" include: Trinity's superjump, Neo stopping bullets, Neo flying through the air, and Neo/Trinity breaking computer laws as hackers.

Mr. Rhineheart: "You have a problem with authority. Mr. Anderson. You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules do no apply to you."

Morpheus: "Yet their strength and their speed are still based in a world that is built on rules. Because of that, they will never be as strong as fast as you can be."

The word "Nihilism" also refers to "anarachy, terrorism, or other revolutionary activity." This definition stems from a 19th century Russian political philosophy that "advocates the violent destruction of social and political institutions to make way for a new society."

In this case, the matrix is the institution that the freed humans (with the exception of Cypher) want to see destroyed. Neo and Trinity storming into the military controlled building to save Morpheus is one of the greatest "revolutionary" or "terrorism" acts in this movie as well.

Trinity: "Neo, no one has ever done anything like this.
Neo: "That's why it's going to work."

Agent Brown: "I think they're trying to save you."

Another meaning for Nihilism is the "belief that all existence is senseless and that there is no objective basis for truth." In the book, "Philosophy For Dummies" by Tom Morris, Ph.D., it states: "The nihilist's answer to the question of whether life has meaning is a simple and emphatic No. Life itself has no meaning. Your life has no meaning. My life has no meaning. Existence is without meaning of any kind....There is no purpose to life. No plan. No reason."

Overall, I think that in the beginning of the movie, Neo agrees with this statement. He feels like his life is without purpose or meaning. This is why he is searching for Morpheus and the answer to a question--he hopes that the answer will give his life direction and meaning.

Nihilism also refers to "nothingness or nonexistence." In fact, the word is a form of the word "nil," which means "nothing; naught; zero; having no value or existence."

Choi [to Neo]: "This never happened. You don't exist."

Spoon Boy: "There is no spoon."

Cypher's name is a form of Cipher which means zero or nothing of value.

The number 0 (zero) is used throughout the movie. (See the "Name & Numbers" page for more information.) In fact, the first scene of the movie is the matrix code. The nummber that we are pulled through is the number "0." It is as if this is warning that what is about to take place isn't going to make "sense" until later.

Cypher: "I don't want to remember nothing. Nothing. You understand?"

Computer lingo

There are many references to the cyberworld in "The Matrix." Many of them -- such as Switch, Agent, Matrix, Mouse, Cypher, and artificial intelligence -- have already been discussed in my "Names And Numbers" article. Here are a few that haven't been discussed in depth yet.

Cookie is a piece of information that a website server puts on a user's hard disk so that the site can remember something about the user at a later time. In the movie, the Oracle offer Neo a cookie to eat. (Personally, I think it was so that the matrix system would "remember" Neo when he died and later came back.)

A virus has many definitions. A computer virus refers to a "malicious program made up of self-replicating code that infects a computer system or network and causes it to malfunction or shut down."

The red pill contains a computer virus. It is "part of a trace program. It's designed to disrupt your input/putput carrier signal so we can pinpoint our location."

At the end of the movie, Neo has the power of a virus--he can manipulate the matrix code "as he sees fit."

In addition, a "virus" also refers to "an ultramicroscopic metabolically inert, infectious AGENT that replicates only within the cells of living hosts..." Often times, a disease that is caused by a virus is called a virus as well.

In one of his speeches to Morpheus, Agent Smith compares human being to viruses saying that we "move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed." He goes on further to say that "human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we are the cure." Ironically, it is the agents who fit the definition of "virus" since they are able to enter the body of a human in the matrix and completely take it over.

A hacker is a slang term for a person who is extrememly knowledgable about computers. Some would say that a hacker also refers to a person who uses his/her computer knowledge and skills to carry out illegal activites, like breaking into another person's computer system in order to steal informaion or to disrupt the system.

Agent Smith [to Neo]: "[Your] other life is lived in computers, where you go by the hacker alias Neo and are guilty of virtually every computer crime we have a law for."

Trinity is a hacker. She cracked the IRS d-base and built the system that brought Neo out of the pod.

Neo sells a bootleg disk to Choi for $2,000.

Neo: "What are they doing to him?" Tank: "Breaking into his mind. It's like hacking into a computer, all it takes is time."

Metaphysics/Ontology

"Metaphysics is a field of study that empasses pyschology, philosophy, theology, physics, and science. It is a branch of philosophy that deals with cosmology (it is the study of the origin and structure of the universe) and ontology (it is concerned with the fundamental nature of existence and reality and attempts to determine what entities exist). Overall, it attempts explain the entities discovered through ontology and cosmology."

According to Aristotle, metaphysics was "the science of mental phenomena and of the laws of the mind." Note that meta means to "transcend" (to go beyond ordinary limits) while and physics refers to the "study of matter and energy."

Often times, ontology is loosely refered to as "metaphysics" since their meanings are so similar and they are often times interchanged or intertwined with one another.

On "The Matrix" score CD, instrumental piece number 9 is titled "Ontological Shock." It plays during the scene when Neo wills Morpheus to get up. On "The Matrix" DVD audio commentary, composer Don Davis explains that ontological shock is "the term for when a prophet realizes his destiny and transcends the mortal life into the life of a deity, which is what exactly happens to Neo during this sequence."

Overall, the entire movie, as well as its "What is the matrix?" theme, deals with metaphysics.

The name of company that Neo works for is "Metacortex". The word cortex could refer to the brain's "celebral cortex", therefore, the word "metacortex" could logically mean "going beyond the ordinary limits of what the brain is capable of doing." This explains exactly what the One (Neo) is able to do while in the matrix.

Sources include: "A Dictionary Of Dream Symbols" by Eric Ackroyd, "The Illustrated Book Of Signs & Symbols" by Miranda Bruce-Mitford, "The Secret Language of Dreams" by David Fontana, "Random House Webster's College Dictionary--1997 Edition" and "Philosophy For Dummies" by Tom Morris, Ph.D, and "The Compact Guide To World Religions" by Dean C. Halverson


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