The Matrix and Postmodernism

Hyper-Reality

The film describes a future in which reality perceived by humans is actually the Matrix: a
hyper reality created by sentient machines in order to pacify and subdue the human
population while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source.
Upon learning this, computer programmer Neo is drawn into a rebellion against the
machines.

In Postmodern thought, interpretations of The Matrix often reference Baudrillard’s

philosophy to demonstrate that the movie is an allegory for contemporary experience in
a heavily commercialized, media-driven society, especially of the developed countries.
This influence was brought to the public's attention through the writings of art historians
such as Griselda Pollock and film theorists such as Heinz-Peter Schwerfel.

Pastiche

The film contains many references to the cyberpunk and hacker subcultures;
philosophical and religious ideas; and homage to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,
Hong Kong action cinema and Spaghetti Westerns.

First note that the opening page of the chapter was displaced to the left side of the book
when it would normally be found on the right. Add to this the fact that "On Nihilism" is
the book's last chapter, not a middle chapter, and it appears that the directors have
deliberately placed this chapter in the shot to direct viewers to a specific referential point
for the film. Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation, in fact, is so intricately woven into
the narrative structure that the movie can be described as a conscious validation of
Baudrillard's theory.

Simulacra

The Wachowski Brothers were keen that all involved understood the thematic
background of the movie. For example, the book used to conceal disks early in the
movie, Simulacra and Simulation, a 1981 work by the French philosopher Jean
Baudrillard, was required reading for most of the principal cast and crew.
The Matrix Trilogy works specifically within the postmodern theory of Jean Baudrillard,
whose Simulacra and Simulation makes its appearance in The Matrix in the "Follow
Instructions" scene. Neo opens a copy of Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation to a
chapter entitled "On Nihilism." The hardcover book is hollow, serving as Neo's hiding
place for black market software. He opens the book at the halfway point; the opening
page of the final chapter, "On Nihilism," lies to the left while the right half is a hollowed
out storage area.