Red pill or blue pill? This is the basis of everything The Matrix as a story is about: whether one is willing to wake up to the truth of one's own reality or remain a sleepwalking drone in the world. What makes this premise so interesting and engaging is that it is a very real philosophical choice we all must make in our own lives. Do we live in delusion or reality? Reality seems the obvious choice, but this path comes with many obstacles in the form of hard choices, difficult sacrifices and the need to become the truest version of ourselves so that those we love benefit from our ability to live in fullness.
That describes the journey of Neo and each character in the film. Neo goes from a scared coder working a corporate job to The One. He must sacrifice what he thinks he knows for a higher level of understanding, and even with this acceptance Neo doesn't instantly become The One. He must overcome many battles both in his external environment as well as internally. Even so, it is only with Trinity's love that Neo can become The One. The Wachowskis deepen this action-packed journey with characters that feel deeply for one another and believe in a better world so much that they are willing to give their lives for it.
On the other end we watch as Cypher, a crew member of Morpheus, gives in to the machines and betrays his crew all for the ability to live in ignorant bliss rather than have to continually deal with the pain of real life. He even tells the Agent to make sure he doesn't remember any of his betrayal which claims the lives of many of his friends. This storyline reveals how our choice to remain sedated effects not just our lives but the lives of all those who trust in us. In the end, it is sacrifice that causes the crew to defeat the Agents and begin to win the war against the machines. Each person in the crew makes sacrifices for the greater good to be done, and though many lives are lost there is hope for humanity to be set free once more.
