The Wachowskis changed the film industry forever. Following The Matrix, you might have noticed an explosion of action movies where heroes clad in leather jackets and shades somersault their way through mobs of enemies in slow motion, but the film’s impact goes much deeper.
The Wachowskis used their breakout hit as an anti-capitalist commentary exposing the corruption of modern corporations and cinema’s role in that system. This theme persists throughout the entire filmography. While the Wachowskis struggled to make another hit after The Matrix, even their biggest blunders have continued to refine and evolve their thesis statement from 2000. It’s one thing to bite that hand that feeds you, but it takes serious courage to go back and ask for more.
‘The Matrix’ Was Just the Beginning
The Matrix explored how corporations distract the masses through products and entertainment. The Wachowskis criticize the very format they’re using to relay their message, adding a meta-narrative and profound irony to the story. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) even spells out their message to the audience. “The Matrix is a computer-generated dream world, built to keep us under control.” The Wachoswkis are screaming at us, illustrating how their ground-breaking CGI world is still distracting from the critical issues and how we, the audience, are part of that system.
“Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we’re trying to save… These people are still a part of that system.” Morpheus isn’t just talking to Neo; he’s opening our eyes to the film’s deeper message. The Wachowskis pose themselves as fellow victims. Just as machines use human energy as a resource, studios depend on filmmakers’ creativity to generate a profit and sustain themselves.
The Matrix is more than a movie; it’s a warning. Cypher’s (Joe Pantoliano) conflict was prophetic, capturing the current concerns around AI content in films. “I know this steak doesn’t exist… the Matrix tells my brain that it’s juicy and delicious.” AI currently threatens to deprive cinema of human-crafted stories; it’s becoming indistinguishable from human talent. But if the audience can’t tell the difference, it threatens to destroy the medium as a whole. As Cypher warns, “Ignorance is bliss,” It’s easier to fall in line and enjoy whatever studios put in front of us, and that’s a dangerous prospect for the future of filmmaking.
‘Speed Racer’ & ‘Cloud Atlas’ Took Things to a New Level
After The Matrix trilogy, the Wachowskis refined their messaging in Speed Racer, though no one paid attention. Today, many consider Speed Racer ahead of its time. The film boldly embraced vibrant colors, flamboyant characters, and a hyper-stylized aesthetic during an era dominated by gritty, grounded reboots like The Dark Knight. Nevertheless, the Wachowskis used Speed Racer‘s dazzling spectacle to advocate the underlying message. Over-the-top races and stunning visuals distract the masses from the systemic corruption of the racing system. Races are rigged, success is paid for, and, as Royalton (Roger Allam) says, “It’s not about racing. It’s about power, influence, and money.” Swap out the word ‘race’ with ‘movie,’ and you’ve got a scathing criticism of the entertainment industry.
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The film spawned a franchise and became a pop culture touchstone.
Speed Racer embodies the exact kind of distraction the Wachowskis warn us about. Spectacle and competition mask the inherently greedy elite, who capitalize on the audience’s need for excitement and use it as a front for their ill-gotten gains. Speed Racer was a Trojan Horse, using Warner Bros. to create a classic Hollywood story that broadcasts a thinly veiled takedown of the studio system. While The Matrix seems more grounded in our own reality on a surface level, a simulation devised by killer machines isn’t as pressing an issue as Speed Racer‘s allegory of corporations corrupting artistic integrity.
Once again, the Wachowskis built on this theme in Cloud Atlas, though it was another flop. In Neo Seoul, fabricants are programmed to work mindless jobs for global corporations and fast-food chains. The Wachowskis expose how the film industry forces creatives to focus on soulless IP and franchises devoid of artistic integrity. Unanimity urges fabricants to consume content in an attempt to pacify them mindlessly.
The Wachowskis Realized They Had Become Part of the Problem
The Wachowskis haven’t had a smooth career. Many argue that they were a one-hit wonder, and almost every film after the first Matrix failed to deliver. However, by taking a closer look at the stories, we can see how they have consistently refined their anti-capitalism message and found new ways to champion individual creative integrity. Jupiter Ascending may be one of the Wachowskis’ worst films, but we have to give them credit where it’s due. The story continues to develop their relentless commentary on how film studios have rigged the system to harvest filmmakers’ creativity for their own gains.
Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) rules an empire devoted to breeding humans to create a youth serum. But Jupiter Ascending also indicates a turning point for the Wachowskis, where they acknowledge how their previous successes have contributed to the system. Neo (Keanu Reeves) was the benchmark for ‘chosen one’ protagonists. He’s constantly compared to Christ, and his name is an anagram of ‘one’ for those who missed the metaphor. However, Jupiter Ascending blatantly mocks the triviality of the ‘chosen one’ narrative.
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is the reincarnation of a space queen, and she might as well have ‘chosen one’ stamped on her forehead. However, Jupiter doesn’t suddenly transform into a capable, effective force of nature. She’s dragged along the film by others, constantly overwhelmed and underprepared for every scenario. Jupiter is a pawn of the elite, and various villains try to exploit or kill her for their own gains. Her genetics make her important, not her character. Audiences and critics praised Dune for its deconstruction of the ‘chosen one’ archetype, but Jupiter Ascending did it first. Idealizing a singular hero is an effective way to diminish the value of communal strength within a community. If the mass populace is too focused on becoming the main character of their own story, it distracts from their true power – the ability to unify under one cause and overwhelm the corrupt institutions that control them.
Nevertheless, Jupiter’s character arc succeeds where even Neo or Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) fails. After inheriting a galactic empire, she returns to her life as a toilet cleaner. While this seems ridiculous at first, it marks the first time Jupiter has made a decision for herself, taking control of her life instead of constantly pandering to the demands of others. Jupiter Ascending highlights the value of being a functioning part of everyday society and deglamorizes the prospect of becoming a greedy, disingenuous aristocrat.
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Brings Things Full Circle
The Matrix Resurrections is another film that showcases the Wachowskis adapting their message over time. Lana Wachowski tried to emulate a similar commentary in Resurrections. “Our beloved parent company, Warner Bros., has decided they’re going to make a sequel trilogy… with or without us.” The story spells it out plainly and admittedly lacks subtlety, but the message is undeniable. The story explores corporations’ preference to exploit nostalgia instead of developing new original ideas.
Resurrections‘ story literally centers around how The Matrix became another tool for studios to profit from. The social commentary is almost too on the nose, and the film has its fair share of problems. But Warner Bros. presented Lana Wachowski with an impossible choice, and she found the perfect solution. Though reluctant to revive the franchise, she knew surrendering the film to a pawn hand-picked by the studio would result in the exact film she’d set out to undermine. She stuck to her principles and adjusted the film’s anti-studio sentiment to acknowledge her impact on the issues she condemned in the original movies.
In a sense, seeing the Wachoswkis’ films fail to turn a profit is actually more satisfying. For the past twenty years, they’ve been using film studios to fund scathing indictments of their functionality. If these movies make a profit, then the studio at least gets something out of it, but the Wachowskis have never failed to convince Warner Bros. that their next project will be a hit, and their subsequent failure to turn a profit hilariously adds insult to injury. It might sound mad, but the Wachowskis planned this all along!
The Matrix is available to watch on HBO Max in the U.S.