Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2003, Page 75
where the ship's operator Link appears fearful of what is to come. The situation seems to
be such that Morpheus's actions imperil the rebel group and all of awakened humanity.
Instead of justifying his position by logical reasoning, Morpheus simply tells Link: "Trust
me." In other words, Morpheus's authority is inspired/divine rather than human and open
to questioning. To follow Morpheus is to believe in him. In fact reliance on belief, rather
than logic, is what characterizes Morpheus and his relationship with the other rebels.
Morpheus repeatedly talks not about what he knows or has experienced, but what he
believes to be true. And the suspension of critical thinking is a sine qua non in the
relationship between a modern cult's membership and its leader.
Morpheus's special status is illustrated by the lobby shooting spree and the rooftop rescue in
The Matrix. How does Neo justify the murder of many innocent people in the office tower
during his attempt to save Morpheus? Morpheus knows the codes for accessing Zion, and,
as Tank tells Neo, in the interests of awakened humanity, Morpheus's body should be
disconnected and therefore killed before the agents pry the information out of his residual
image. Therefore, the willingness to use "guns, lots of guns" against the security men
cannot be justified even in terms of the rebel's practical goals. The justification for the
ruthless rescue rests on Morpheus's special, semi-divine nature so typical of modern and
medieval cult leaders. The welfare of the divine individual is by definition greater than that
of ordinary humans (awakened or not). After all, the policemen killed by Neo and Trinity
are just a bunch of coppertops whose value pales in comparison to that of a prophet.
None of this is to suggest that the cultic model appears as an intentional semiotic structure
of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. Many critics have pointed out that the Wachowski
brothers were very deliberate in imbuing the film with Buddhist and other traditionally
positive religious overtones. For example, this is how the directors sum up the film's
implications in an interview:
We‘re interested in mythology, theology and, to a certain extent, higher-level mathematics.
All are ways human beings try to answer bigger questions, as well as The Big Question. If
you‘re going to do epic stories, you should concern yourself with those issues. People might
not understand all the allusions in the movie, but they understand the important ideas. We
wanted to make people think, engage their minds a bit (Quoted in James L. Ford, 22).
And indeed, it would be absolutely wrong to suggest that the Wachowskis fail in their
attempt to convey such philosophic ideas. The obvious presence of the intended message
explains the interest that this "action" film has aroused in the academic and philosophic
community. The problem appears to be that the unintended cultic subtext is there at the
same time as the intended subtext. And the result is a mix of discourses which amounts to
a cacophony of values. Jim Jones, Bruce Lee and Buddha appear together on the same
stage and inevitably sing out of tune. There is no denying that the bad guys are
absolutely bad in The Matrix and in The Matrix Reloaded. The problem is that that the good
guys are not good enough.
Works Cited
Bromley, David G. and Edward D. Silver. "The Davidian Tradition: From Paternal Clan to
Prophetic Movement." In Stuart A. Wright Ed. Critical Perspectives on the Branch
Davidian Conflict. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1995, 43-
72.
Centner, Christopher M. "Cults and Terrorism: Similarities and Differences." Cultic Studies
Review 2.2 (2003): http://www.cultsandsociety.com/csr_issues/csr_toc2003.2.htm
(no paragraph numeration).
Cohn, Norman. The Pursuit of the Millennium. New York: Harper and Row, 1961.
Collins, Adela Yarbro. Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse. Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press, 1984.
where the ship's operator Link appears fearful of what is to come. The situation seems to
be such that Morpheus's actions imperil the rebel group and all of awakened humanity.
Instead of justifying his position by logical reasoning, Morpheus simply tells Link: "Trust
me." In other words, Morpheus's authority is inspired/divine rather than human and open
to questioning. To follow Morpheus is to believe in him. In fact reliance on belief, rather
than logic, is what characterizes Morpheus and his relationship with the other rebels.
Morpheus repeatedly talks not about what he knows or has experienced, but what he
believes to be true. And the suspension of critical thinking is a sine qua non in the
relationship between a modern cult's membership and its leader.
Morpheus's special status is illustrated by the lobby shooting spree and the rooftop rescue in
The Matrix. How does Neo justify the murder of many innocent people in the office tower
during his attempt to save Morpheus? Morpheus knows the codes for accessing Zion, and,
as Tank tells Neo, in the interests of awakened humanity, Morpheus's body should be
disconnected and therefore killed before the agents pry the information out of his residual
image. Therefore, the willingness to use "guns, lots of guns" against the security men
cannot be justified even in terms of the rebel's practical goals. The justification for the
ruthless rescue rests on Morpheus's special, semi-divine nature so typical of modern and
medieval cult leaders. The welfare of the divine individual is by definition greater than that
of ordinary humans (awakened or not). After all, the policemen killed by Neo and Trinity
are just a bunch of coppertops whose value pales in comparison to that of a prophet.
None of this is to suggest that the cultic model appears as an intentional semiotic structure
of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. Many critics have pointed out that the Wachowski
brothers were very deliberate in imbuing the film with Buddhist and other traditionally
positive religious overtones. For example, this is how the directors sum up the film's
implications in an interview:
We‘re interested in mythology, theology and, to a certain extent, higher-level mathematics.
All are ways human beings try to answer bigger questions, as well as The Big Question. If
you‘re going to do epic stories, you should concern yourself with those issues. People might
not understand all the allusions in the movie, but they understand the important ideas. We
wanted to make people think, engage their minds a bit (Quoted in James L. Ford, 22).
And indeed, it would be absolutely wrong to suggest that the Wachowskis fail in their
attempt to convey such philosophic ideas. The obvious presence of the intended message
explains the interest that this "action" film has aroused in the academic and philosophic
community. The problem appears to be that the unintended cultic subtext is there at the
same time as the intended subtext. And the result is a mix of discourses which amounts to
a cacophony of values. Jim Jones, Bruce Lee and Buddha appear together on the same
stage and inevitably sing out of tune. There is no denying that the bad guys are
absolutely bad in The Matrix and in The Matrix Reloaded. The problem is that that the good
guys are not good enough.
Works Cited
Bromley, David G. and Edward D. Silver. "The Davidian Tradition: From Paternal Clan to
Prophetic Movement." In Stuart A. Wright Ed. Critical Perspectives on the Branch
Davidian Conflict. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1995, 43-
72.
Centner, Christopher M. "Cults and Terrorism: Similarities and Differences." Cultic Studies
Review 2.2 (2003): http://www.cultsandsociety.com/csr_issues/csr_toc2003.2.htm
(no paragraph numeration).
Cohn, Norman. The Pursuit of the Millennium. New York: Harper and Row, 1961.
Collins, Adela Yarbro. Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse. Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press, 1984.
