What will they do once the Machines are defeated?

[Tabitha]

It just occurred to me that there is likely to be a relatively happy ending to the Matrix trilogy - these kind of movies generally end with the good guys winning, but what on earth will they do once they win?

The Earth is a barren wasteland, irradiated and blocked from the sun.
There is likely to be even more destruction by the time the machines are defeated, so what do you think the human survivors will do?

Plug themselves into the Matrix, and live happy and idyllic lives, safe in the knowledge that THEY are controlling the Matrix, not the machines?

Build a great honking big spaceship and rush off to find a more hospitable planet?

Or maybe the easy way out will be taken, and some miraculous regenerative process will have been discovered by the Machines, enabling the victorious humans to return the earth to it's former machine-free state.

 

[Dave]

The free humans do have some kind of undersea city and civilisation -- powered by geothermal energy I would hazard a guess -- we are to discover much more about this in the sequels, so I expect they will continue living there.

EDIT: This thread was begun before anyone had seen Reloaded. Continues now after Animatrix animations and scenes of Zion shown in Relaoded.

 

[timdgreat]

well i would think they might try to move out from inside the earth, considering the geotheremal power cant last forever, mabye they will find a way to reguvinate the Earth, and clear the sky, i wonder though how they will live with after the machines are gone, like will they ever trust machines again at all?:rolly2:

 

[cersei]

Defeat the Machines???

hehe who says the Humans will defeat the Machines? a nice happy hollywood ending is by far from assured...how do they break out of a Matrix that even when they thought they have ie Zion it all turns out to be just another layer of the Matrix?

The solution may lie is cooperation between man and machines as suggested by Counciller Harn and also The Oracle as well...If you watch the Animatrix the machines are not inherently evil and in fact tried to make peace with Humans but were rejected instead..

Maybe the Matrix is just them trying to save us from ourselves? maybe possiblities indeed

but "defeat of machines" is not guranteed by far...

 

[stripes]

Interesting question, the reaction would be worth seeing

Even if the humans triumph over the machines(well as was mentioned, we may get a totally different ending as opposed to "the human victory over machine" ), but, if indeed such a ending happened, it will be difficult to call it a"happy" ending. Neo was shocked after he realized what the "real world" was.

Just fathom what the rest of humanity would think, it would be unbelievable, unimaginable for them to accept the 'real world'. Interesting if this doesn't turn out as your usual, typical hollywood ending.

It would set a precedent no doubt.

I actually hope the ending will be a dark one.

 

[Tabitha]

Since watching Reloaded I am almost expecting a "Nothing is what it seems" resolution. Has anyone seen eXistenZ?



I am still under the impression that even if the real world is indeed real, then Zion isn't exactly an ideal place to live - it is a huge and well-maintained hide-out. Surely the plan wouldn't be to defeat the machines for once and for all, and then just move back down to Zion?

[Stripes: Just fathom what the rest of humanity would think, it would be unbelievable, unimaginable for them to accept the 'real world'. Interesting if this doesn't turn out as your usual, typical hollywood ending.]

When Morpheus says in the first film that the other inhabitants of the Matrix aren't ready to be unplugged, I think this has a huge relevance to the idea of 4 billion humans waking up and finding Earth to be a charred wasteland. I doubt Zion could hold all those people anyway, so it would be a humanitarian catastrophe.

Unless this is all the product of some kid's fevered imagination (It were all a dream, ma ) there CANNOT be an altogether happy hollywood ending to this story. In fact, I think we can compare it to Lord of the Rings from the perspective that, although the Big Bad might have been stopped, the repercussions and aftermath are pretty horrible. Was the effort worth it?

[cersei: Maybe the Matrix is just them trying to save us from ourselves? maybe possiblities indeed ]
Oooh I like this idea!
I am also inclined to think that the final outcome will indeed have an aspect of symbiosis that is palatable to both Machine and Man.
After watching the Second Renaissance Pts 1 & 2, I actually feel sorry for the Machines. They are a lot more sympathetic in my eyes now, and I wouldn't be happy with an ending that shows humanity in complete triumph over the machines - they are just trying to survive, same as the humans are.

Apart from anything else, I can't imagine how a small group of rebels could succeed where the combined might of humanity failed in the war with the machines way back when.

 

[pkgrl]

I like the direction this discussion has taken.

Maybe the Matrix is just them trying to save us from ourselves?

Now that would be a neat twist.

I actually don't think that humans will defeat "the machines" either. I think what needs to happen is for the Matrix itself to end. I don't think humans are capable anymore of surviving without the machines. Neo said it himself, "We need machines and machines need us." I don't think that will change even when... whatever needs to happen happens.

 

[cersei]

W Brothers won't let us down...

After what is one of the most powerful ending ever (especially in an "action" film) in a movie, I doubt Matrix Revolutions will be any less

Damn 6 bloody months....

 

[skyron]

Hey, the big question is, what happens to all the millions of "pod people" in the battery farms? if the humans win the infrastructure that keeps the vast majority of humanity alive will, presumably, break down. can the Zionotes free all those people before they die and rot? Ewwwww.

 

[pkgrl]

Rot? EWWWWWW!

Actually, I was thinking about this even more and I think that what will happen is that control of the Matrix will change hands first. (Or should.) I think that's what Smith and Neo are ultimately battling for: control of the Matrix (and everything else).

Right now, humans are slaves and the Zionites want to free them. I don't know if actual physical freedom is possible... not for a while... but if humans control the Matrix, they can begin to change things, educate people, free them a few at a time... something!

But I don't think destroying the machines or even the Matrix is a viable option immediately. Too many people would die... and rot? :disturbed

 

[Tabitha]

After another watching of the sequel I would agree that control is a big factor. The function of the Oracle is a control, allowing Zion to exist at all is a control, etc etc.

And yep, I think you are right - 'ownership' of the Matrix changing hands is a likely avenue. Think of all the fun you could have in that world if you weren't fighting against something? And as I said above, the sheer logistics of all those people being unplugged are untenable.

However, I wonder if the humans would be able to control the Matrix? Perhaps we would need an AI in order to actually run it?

 

[Dave]

Originally posted by Tabitha
However, I wonder if the humans would be able to control the Matrix? Perhaps we would need an AI in order to actually run it?

Which is probably the reason for that little speech from Councillor Hamann to Neo when they walked down to the lower level of Zion.

 

[timdgreat]

Another question, if the theory that the real world is another part of the matrix then what do u think the real REAl world looks like? do u think that its totally decimated like the one we see?:rolly2:

 

[stripes]

I think it will resemble Zion on a global scale. Perhaps we will be able to see the scorched sky Morpheous shows us in the original?

I have a feeling the camera will fade out to the humans shagging it out, much like the dance off in Reloaded, except bigger. More raving, more shagadelic dancing, groovy hippie stuff.

It will be interesting if it was anyway.

 

[Dave]

Timdgreat has a point, if Zion is also a virtual reality, what IS the real world like. The surface may not be devastated at all, man may never have destroyed the sky, the machines could have lied and written a false history. The Second Renaissance could be a work of fiction!

It could be all green fields with sheep and bunny rabbits!

 

[skyron]

I really hope that the "real world" is not another level of the matrix. It would be so unsatisfying and hacknied. Remember that old doctor show "St. Elsewhere"? It was on for like 5 years and in the last episode we find out that the entire series was just the daydreamings of an autistic boy who spend his waking hours starring into a snow globe. Or that prime time soap (was it "Dallas"?) were one whole season was just a dream of one of the characters.

then agian, that perticular thing Neo does at the end of "Reloaded" makes me wonder....

 

[pkgrl]

Don't worry, guys. If the "real" world is another level of the Matrix, I doubt that we'll find out right at the end. The brothers have planned this out in every detail, and they're smart. If there is a reveal of this other level of the Matrix, they'll probably let us in on it when Neo figures it out (maybe before) and Neo will have to resolve stuff after that. They'll let us see that. They have to and they know it.

I can't wait to see how this will all play out!

 

[skyron]

Yes. I agree. It looks like Neo will wake up and say "woha!", and the beans will be spilled in the first act. I was entertaining the notion that perhaps Neo has learned to control the implants in his head... that he found he could use them like a wireless modem to jam up the squddies signal, on their own carrier wave, but I guess it makes more sence in the context of a matix in a matrix thing. I wonder how the other Zionites will take such a revelation. It won't be good for moral...

Have faith in the Watchout-ski bros, eh? well they havn't let me down yet (Tho "Bound" could have used a bit more skin) :naughty:

 

[cersei]

Animatrix as a clue....

well, in situations like this, its one thing to have Zion as MIM but another altogether to have it all mean nothing ie nothing really happened that way (Humans losing to Machines, Destroying the Sky etc). This would make it all pointless and I doubt the W Brothers will do that

One big clue for me that things are indeed as Morpheus explained (except for timeline since he is understandably duped if MIM is accurate) is The Second Renaissance on Animatrix. These were written by the themselves and are meant to show how this currrent situation came about....and it would all be pointless if the World as we know it is completely fake unless it is accordingly explained properly.

I used to consider that perhaps the humans as battery idea was only what Morpheus thought and not actually the case but after listening carefully to narration of that Animatrix episode, they do state the "battery" concept..

Of course then all that is in Zion Archives which brings us back to square one that is what anyone in Zion beleive to be true at all? hehe...damn back to 6 month wait ;P

 

[skyron]

are we the only people here or are you just following me around to pick a fight?

well I do see what you are saying and yes we pretty much have to go with what is apparent to the characters (untill November that is). But consider that if this is the 6th matrix and the 6th Zion, we could be talking 1000 years since the machines took over and dates and timelines, according the the archives, would be irrelivant.

It does seem rather pointless to argue the minutia of a story that will be revealed in 6 months but what the hell. it's fun. And frankly, this is the first movie that I have given any thought to in a philisophic sense since "Santa Claus vs. The Martians"