I find most of the wierd moments in The Matrix can be explained by one simple idea: Neo is kinda dumb. Seriously. He just ain't too swift. He's the One, and he's got the knack for hacking the code of the matrix itself, but when it comes right down to it, he's sorta slow. He has to have things eplained to him a couple of times. He doesn't tend to act all on his own; he needs someone to direct him. I realise this is probably a result of Keanu's lack of acting ability, more than anything else, but it fits the movies, for me.
Neo represents a certain kind of person, a passive person who doesn't think for himself unless absolutely necessary. He's a decent enough guy, and his brain functions just as well as anyone else's, but because of a lifetime of living in a world where all his decisions are effectively made for him (once again, the matrix stands in for American society as we know it) have made him prone to gormlessly ignoring the world around him. He doesn't expend energy on thinking things through or analysing his surroundings. He just does what he's told.
That's why the ideological climax of the movie is Smith asking him "Why? Why!? Why do you persist?!?!" and Neo responding "Because I choose to." It's a banal answer. It means nothing, but it signifies Neo fully realising that he can make choices, he can choose to fight or not to fight, to take the red pill or the blue pill, to save Morpheus or save himself, to rescue Trinity or accept the domination of the machines, etc, etc. Those movies are all about choice, not just the existence of free will, but the actual excercising of that freedom and that will.
Posted by orion at April 19, 2005 9:57 PM