Summary

A fan of The Matrix reflects on the franchise's plot, technology, and energy efficiency, expressing both nostalgia and newfound skepticism about the logic behind the machines' use of humans for energy.

Abstract

The author is a self-proclaimed hardcore fan of The Matrix, having watched the original film multiple times. With the release of the reboot, "The Matrix Resurrections," the author revisits the original movie and notices aspects that raise questions about its scientific plausibility. The author points out that the laws of thermodynamics do not support the efficiency of using humans as an energy source, considering the energy required to sustain them versus the energy they produce. The author also questions why the machines haven't considered other energy sources such as geothermal, chemical, or nuclear energy, or even harvesting lightning. Additionally, the author muses on the potential of AI, which has advanced significantly since the first film's release, and wonders why the machines in the franchise haven't explored extraterrestrial energy sources given their apparent disinterest in Earth's environment. Despite these questions, the author acknowledges the difficulty of following a successful first movie and looks forward to the advancements in computer graphics and the portrayal of AI in the reboot.

Opinions

The use of humans as an energy source in The Matrix is questioned for its efficiency and practicality, considering alternative sources like animals or even lightning.
The author suggests that the machines should have considered more energy-efficient methods, such as geothermal or nuclear energy, especially since they are not constrained by human-centric problems like cancer.
The author is impressed with the computer graphics of the original Matrix film but expects advancements in the reboot, given the progress in CG technology over the past two decades.
The author reflects on the evolution of AI since the first film and expects the reboot to present a world that reflects the current understanding of AI's potential.
The author questions the machines' fixation on Earth, suggesting they could have accessed unlimited energy by harnessing solar power outside Earth's atmosphere, such as on Mars or the Moon.
Despite these questions, the author is willing to overlook scientific inaccuracies for the sake of enjoying the movie's creativity and storytelling.

Are You A Fan of The Matrix?

I do not want to be misunderstood, this is not a post from a reviewer, rather a hardcore fan. I must have watched The Matrix (released in 1999) at least a dozen times. I have booked to watch the reboot (The Matrix Resurrections) this weekend in an IMAX screen, and the ticket costs almost as much as a kidney (Nordics aren’t cheap)! Like any proper fan, I re-watched the first installment earlier this week to prepare for the weekend watch.

Something hit me then, the original (The Matrix) is an old movie. Time (from technology perspective) moved much faster in the 21st century. There are few things that I notice now that I missed (or did not think about) earlier. It is not the kind of ‘goofs’ section in IMDB, but rather fundamental questions on the why ‘The Matrix’ is the way it is.

Here’s my list — this is based on my opinions, not thoroughly researched scientific facts!

Humans as Energy Supply : The laws of Thermodynamics doesn’t support this. Humans need X amount of energy to live, and only a part of that energy is going to be released into the Grid back as heat/electric energy (probably 0.25X may be?).

Someone or something was smart enough to grow humanity into a energy plant, and keep the human minds in a reality that is controlled. They (or It) must be smart enough to realize that the laws of physics would say this is not very energy efficient conversion process.

Are humans the most efficient animals— what about Elephants or Cows or Dogs? It is easier to control those animals, even humans managed to do it!

The worst case scenario is that they use humans like how animals are used today, and keep doing this for fun though it is not a very energy efficient process.

Thunder/Lightning: I see thunders and lightning all the time whenever they show the real world. Isn’t that an excellent source of energy? If they were smart enough to pull it off with humans, surely must be easy enough to harvest Lightning/Thunder.

Other Energy Sources: Zion is apparently close to the core of the Earth where it is still warm. Why not just drill into it for Geo-Thermal energy? Or what about Chemical Energy, or Nuclear? The impact on humans is irrelevant, so the machines can do whatever the hell they want without worrying about Cancer, or human centric problems.

Computer Graphics: I give it to them on this one, let’s see what they cook up 22 years later. When I saw it for the first time, I was mind blown! The 2nd and 3rd part were a bit underwhelming but I must imagine it is hard to follow a super successful first movie. Hopefully the advancement made in CG shows up in the movie.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Maturity: At the time of the first movie, AI was still more a concept than a reality. In today’s world AI rules pretty much everything. I hope the latest version acknowledges it and truly presents a world that is an extrapolation of today’s understanding of the AI’s (scary) potential!

Why On Earth, Still?: I watched ‘Mars’ on NatGeo, it is a documentary that was an extrapolation out of SpaceX’s version of colonizing Mars. It does make me wonder, if energy is all the machines wanted, they could literally get infinite amounts of it if they just skipped Earth’s atmosphere. They could go to Mars or the Moon, they don’t need oxygen or organic food — just insane amounts of energy/electricity.

Or they could create a orbital system and stay in space forever. Who the hell needs Earth in that state.

Conclusion: The ‘Fan’ in me accepts that the plot is much more interesting the way it is, and hopefully the makers simply focus on how to say the chosen story well rather than the distractions. But I must admit, I have new questions that I didn’t have before.

Is this a sign of maturity that I can still enjoy the movie knowing it could have been done a dozen other ways?

Anyway, Happy watching, I recommend you watch it for the creativity rather than the scientific accuracy and logic! I’m going to try to!

Yours Sincerely,

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