From “Finding God in the Matrix”, an essay by Paul Fontana, in Taking the Red Pill: Science Philosophy and Religion in the Matrix
The instant cult status of The Matrix, is, I believe, due to the subtext of exile, restoration and the fulfillment of eschatological hope, which in a roundabout way, speaks to its audience.
What is essential to realize about the concept of restoration is that the point is not to make things as they were, but to make them as they are meant to be. The hope of getting things back as they were is reactionary – like Jay Gatsby’s dream of reliving his past. The eschatological hope for restoration is for radical newness, a complete reversal of the evil present – this is the scenario that Isaiah and Revelation predict. Moreover, this is the hope of the exiles.
This applies to the Matrix because its target audience, the 18-35-year-old moviegoing middle class are the members of Generation Exile. The idea that there is another way that things can be resonates well with us…We have tried dyeing our hair, piercing our bodies and moving to California, but nothing seems to endure. We long for something meaningful, whole and new…….”
