Why Everyone Wears Sunglasses Inside The Matrix

Why Everyone Wears Sunglasses Inside The Matrix

Most of the characters who plug themselves into The Matrix wear sunglasses in the movie, but there’s more to this than just looking cool.

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Why Everyone Wears Sunglasses Inside The Matrix

What’s behind the popularity of sunglasses in The Matrix? The Matrix franchise left an enduring legacy on pop culture that remains relevant even in 2020. The concept of a simulated world, the leather coats, bullet time – the Wachowskis certainly have a lot to answer for, and their striking visual presentation of The Matrix’s two worlds is second-to-none. Differences in design and tone separate the real world of Zion from the digital Matrix, and one major element is the prevalence of sunglasses inside the simulated reality.

The vast majority of characters inside the Matrix, the ones who are aware of the world’s true existence, wear shades during their time there. This includes Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and their friends, as well as digital creations such as Agent Smith and The Twins. There are some exceptions – the likes of The Merovingian, The Oracle and The Architect, and there are moments when Neo might remove his sunglasses for a brief spell. The Matrix establishes that characters essentially generate their own digital image when entering the simulation, so are the shades just a trendy fashion choice, or is there something deeper going on?

There’s no confirmed, in-universe reason as to why the likes of Neo and Agent Smith usually wear sunglasses in the Matrix. A pair of Ray-Bans doesn’t make a difference in terms of manipulating or moving through The Matrix, nor do they help either side achieve the goals. But like mostly everything in The Matrix, the Wachowskis’ use of sunglasses does have several thematic functions.

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On a visual level, the sunglasses help to differentiate between those who are “awake” and those who are still part of the simulation. When Neo and Morpheus meet for the first time, the latter is wearing shades, but Keanu Reeves’ character is not. There’s an irony here, because while Neo’s eyes are exposed, he’s still very much blind to the truth, whereas Morpheus is obscuring his eyes, but sees through the deception. This metaphor is clearest when Morpheus offers Neo the red and blue pills, and the two choices are reflected in the lenses of his glasses. Laurence Fishburne’s character is covering his eyes, the “windows to the soul,” but his sunglasses reflect the real truth. This plays on the central theme of The Matrix – that reality may not be what it seems, and feeds into one of the film’s most important lines: Morpheus telling Neo that his eyes hurts because he “never used them before.” Furthermore, Neo loses his sunglasses during the “there is no spoon” scene when he learns to see more fully.

On another level, the human characters wearing sunglasses further separates the real and digital worlds of The Matrix. Inside the simulation, Neo, Trinity and Morpheus look cool in their shades and leather, and are armed to the teeth with guns, swords and motorbikes. Back in the real world, the people of Zion are far more humble – wearing simple clothes and largely unable to defend themselves. Fashionable eyewear is the least of their concerns. Sunglasses serve a different purpose for The Matrix’s villains, helping to dehumanize Hugo Weaving and his cohorts, and amplifying their machine-like mentality.

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The fact that figures such as The Architect and The Oracle doesn’t wear shades perhaps hints at a deeper level to the allegory. While Neo, Morpheus and Smith are all aware that the Matrix isn’t real, they don’t know the purpose and history behind it. This knowledge is reserved for The Architect, The Oracle, The Merovingian, etc., all of whom are glasses-free in The Matrix. For all the analysis and interpretation, however, there’s one thing almost everyone can agree on – The Matrix’s sunglasses do look damn cool.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/matrix-movies-neo-agent-smith-sunglasses-simulation-reason/

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