The Matrix: Why Trinity Kissing Neo Brings Him Back To Life
The Matrix cements Neo's fate as the prophesied Chosen One when a kiss from Trinity revives him following his premature death inside the reality simulation. The Matrix was a revolutionary film when it debuted in 1999, fusing mind-blowing special effects and the sort of complicated science fiction story that had largely fallen out of favor in Hollywood by that era. The Wachowskis redefined the look and tone of blockbusters in one fell swoop and made Keanu Reeves an A-list action movie star with his turn as Neo.
Near the end of The Matrix, Neo finds himself on the run from Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) after rescuing Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) from the Agent's custody. After a lengthy chase, Neo is ambushed by Smith and shot repeatedly at close range, before slumming dead against a wall. Back in the real world as Sentinel robots threaten to tear their ship apart, Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) whispers to the deceased Neo that he can't be dead because the Oracle predicted she would fall in love with The One, and she had clearly fallen in love with Neo. After Trinity kisses him, Neo reawakens in the Matrix with new powers and after easily defeating Smith, returns in time to help save the ship.
Earlier in the film, when Neo meets the Oracle, the wise old woman suggests to him that he's not The One because he's waiting for something, perhaps his "next life." Neo's miraculous death and rebirth in the film's climax not only confirms Trinity's prophecy, but it also confirms Neo was waiting to be reborn via Trinity's love. It's a surprisingly sweet, romantic message at the heart of a film famous for its darkness and violence.
The death and rebirth of the hero has also become a pretty common trope among big-budget action films, especially those angling to become franchises. It was a little less common when The Matrix pulled the same trick with Neo. Indeed, the franchise will likely revisit the trope in The Matrix 4, as returning characters Neo and Trinity seemingly met their end in 2003's The Matrix: Revolutions, the last film of the original trilogy.
It's unclear what the future holds for The Matrix franchise. A handful of stars from the original franchise will be back, including Reeves and Moss, so it stands to reason the connection between those characters will continue to be the emotional heart of these stories. Neo's time as The One truly began when a kiss from Trinity unlocked both of their destinies, but it seems the next outing will focus on the rise of a new hero.
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