> > Also, apparently the Real World is also The Matrix? Is that what the ending is about? That's kind of lame, but we'll get to see how it pans out in the next movie.
>
> I'm interested in this too. How could it be, exactly, that Neo has anything like the control he shows over the sentinels?

Either the real world is another simulation, or Neo has some kind of link to the machines -- maybe there exists some big sort of wireless network he can tap into? I think that's probably reaching.

> I agree about the bad philosophy, and I really think that the Architect scene fails because of the yammering and explanation. It seemed as though I were reading a book, and rather than let me figure things out on my own, the author-as-narrator jumps in to try to explain things without actually doing so.

YES! That completely nails my feelings about the scene.

> I thought the whole explanation was a little far-fetched, too. The One is intentionally programmed in so that he can choose individuals to rebuild Zion, while the A.I. 'restarts' the Matrix as version such and such? Why not just kill the Zionites* over and over and over again, as they escape the Matrix due to the flaws in the program?

I'm not sure. Perhaps the Architect is lying? If it turns out that the "real world" is a simulation, he may be lying about some of that stuff. It does, however, fit in with what Morpheus says about Neo's predecessor in the first movie (who was "the first" to wake up).

I don't get exactly what the function of the One is, though, and what "code" from him they use to restart the Matrix. Why is the Matrix going to crash if it's not restarted? Is the One a buffer overflow? Don't they have bounds checking in the future?

> That whole bit about juxtaposing choice and fate was just a big mess.

Yes. Let's hope they don't mention it again.

> I liked the Twins, but as a friend of mine said, "I had the same disappointment with them that I did with Darth Maul and Lady Death Strike: all action and nothing else".

That's sort of the problem with having all your villains be computer programs: no real personality. I liked how Smith got a personality this time around. The Merovingian was cool because he seemed genuinely vicious -- I hope they have him more and explain his backstory in the third movie.

> The clothes are funny, too. Everyone in Zion manages to wear slinky, sexy clothing that reveals more than it hides, and despite everyone's obvious ability to choose their clothing, soldiers on ships wear the rattiest, drabbest, threadbare clothing they can find. Like my friend Kevin said, "You only get one shirt, soldier; don't lose it".

LOL!! YES! I wondered about the clothes, too.

> I can't wait to see what will come of the Agent Smith story bit. It is a little confusing at this point (i.e., how is THAT possible?) but it could be played out well.

I think Smith has become a virus of some sort, able to replicate itself by taking over the minds (both real and artificial) of other "users" of the Matrix. I'm just not sure what Smith's ultimate purpose is. That plotline is my favorite, and I can't wait to see its conclusion.

Stephen