Customer Reviews

Journey to the Source: Decoding Matrix Trilogy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of all the Matrix-related books I've read (and I've read almost all of them!), "Journey to the Source" does the best job of interpreting "Reloaded" and especially "Revolutions" in a credible and thoughtful manner. Most other books, even those written after "Revolutions" came out, barely touch upon the 2 sequels and still tend to focus on the first installment. This book places the three movies in a unified and cogent perspective.

I was one of those people who loved the first "Matrix" movie and didn't like the next two installments as much. When I first saw "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" I left the theater thinking that I hadn't grasped what the directors were saying (or that they weren't trying to say much!). I thought that the 2 sequels didn't have enough development of the philosophical underpinnings from the first movie, and I was hoping that some of these newer books would clarify the meanings of the sequels.

Chhalliyil's book is the first one that fills this gap in the body of work and analysis on the Matrix trilogy. Having read it, I've realized that the Wachowskis had simply gone in a new direction from the first movie. I wasn't very familiar with the system of thought that Chhalliyil discusses, and now I want to see the 3 movies again with the perspective from this book.

"Journey" is very well organized. It covers the three installments in order and uses headings referring to selected scenes from the movies that illustrate the author's arguments. This makes the book fun and easy to follow. The author takes a lot of complicated philosophical ideas and makes them accessible to the novice, which is not an easy task. It's a very impressive achievement. I strongly recommend this book to all Matrix fans.

Don't get me wrong. This is a great piece of work and a lot of effort has been put into it. But there are some serious flaws in the points the author tries to very hard to make and the chronology of his examples in the film. For example, at one point he refers to Neo throwing up immediately after he is extracted from the power plant in the first Matrix (a specific action he uses to support his point) when really this was several scenes later, after he was revived, perhaps weeks after his initial rescue. So the point he makes about Neo "purging the illusory world of the Matrix" immediately after he is rescued, resolves as a bit of a stretch. The book is riddled with these types of errors, as well as several misquotes of the films' characters, which if they were quoted correctly would falsify the claims the author tries to make.

While it is easy to see how Vedic literature undoubtedly plays a significant role in the events of Revolutions, the author applies Hindu philosophy to every section of EACH of the three films, which after awhile gets very monotonous, and seems like an extended paper from a C+ philosophy student than a Doctor. The philosophy present throughout the Matrix Trilogy is clearly a mix of so many religious symbols and ideologies, it devalues them as a body of work to say that just one set religious ideals defined the entire philosophical undercurrent of the films, whether its Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Mysticism, etc.

However, while it is a predominantly narrow view of the religious influences of the Matrix Trilogy, it's an EXCELLENT introduction to Vedic Literature and The Upanishads, which I have delved into since, and find to be an INCREDIBLY interesting body of work. So I'd say that the book was worth reading for that introduction alone.

Overall, if you are interested in an analysis of the Matrix Trilogy from a strict perspective of Hinduism, look no further. If you are looking for a somewhat broader perspective, check out some of the other "Matrix and Philosophy" books that are avaiable. There are a TON.

Also, I have to say that this book could use a second edition after it fixes its plethora of spelling and grammar mistakes. They are hard to ignore.

I found the book interesting and insightful, as I had never learned much about the Upanishads or Indian mythos, upon which the book focuses primarily. My two problems with the book are (1) the author makes a lot of mistakes summarizing the plot points of the movies; and (2) the author attempts to explain the *entire* story, including all the characters and symbols, no matter what the religious or historical reference (e.g. "Trinity", "Morpheus", the "Merovingian"), with reference to the Upanishads, and many times such an analysis is akin to hammering a square peg through a round hole. The Matrix trilogy draws on a number of theories and influences and no one theory or influence, based on all the analyses I've read (yes, I'm a big fan too), explains the whole trilogy in a satisfactory fashion (at least in my opinion).

I think the book would have been better as a 15-20 page essay on the Upanishads and their applicability to the plotline of the Matrix movies, rather than trying to explain each scene of the Matrix movies through the lens of the Upanishads, which seems forced at times.

All in all, this book is a good read if you're a fan of the movies and the philosophical questions they raise. Kudos to the author for taking the time to write an interesting piece.

"What is the Matrix?" it was a question first posed in 1999 and it held movie-going nations at attention through two sequels over three years. Written and directed by the enigmatic Wachowski Brothers, the story follows the profound journey of Neo (Keanu Reeves). Neo is Thomas A. Anderson in the regular world; he believes he's just a hacker living in America in 1999 -- but he stumbles on to the dangerous reality that the world around him is a computer simulation called the Matrix. A freedom fighter named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) explains to him that the Matrix uses humans as fuel for his quest of total domination and that Anderson/Neo is the "chosen one", born to destroy the Matrix.

Several books have been written on the phenomenon of the Matrix -- some on the cultural impact, some from entertainment aspect, and some on the philosophies -- but Journey To The Source: Decoding Matrix Trilogy is just a little different. The author poses and answers some very interesting questions, such as: Why does the Morpheus crew use a land line phone to get in and out of the Matrix, but use a cell phone inside the Matrix? Why did Persephone ask for a kiss, and how did Trinity's kiss bring Neo's life back? Why the Architect tell Neo that he is an anomaly of an unbalanced equation? Why does the Oracle bake cookies and offer candy to Neo? All of these things have deeper, hidden meanings and it's fascinating to find out what they are. However, this book is not for the casual reader -- I'll admit some of it was over my head.

Journey To The Source: Decoding Matrix Trilogy would have benefited from a good copy editor, but aside from that it's a nicely presented book and is fully illustrated with original drawings.

I just got the book a couple of weeks back and read it from cover to cover.I then watched the trilogy again and it became so much clearer and more enjoyable.
The author has done a good job of researching and providing explanations scene by scene. This way the reader can go to any scene and read the deeper philosophical meaning.
The illustrations also aid in understanding the .
This book is well worth the price. I highly recommend it.

This book has inspired me to watch the matrix movies over again and again. Reading the book I am astonished at the authors skill in cracking the codes of Matrix and getting to know the mind of the Watchowski's. Though the author has used Eastern philosophy, he has made it clear that all spiritual traditions converge to one point of understanding the "cosmic mystery". This gives an unified perspective of man's eternal quest irrespective of the reader's cultural background.



The author is a scientist and so it is enjoyable to read his deep understanding of cosmic mystery equally at the scientific and spiritual levels. He beautifully connects science and spirituality and hence I consider that this is the one of the best books in this aspect. Science and spiritualism has always been immiscible like oil and water but through decoding Matrix movies, the author has succeeded in helping the reader to understand and know God by rational thinking. For the first time I have understood "Consciousness" both at the spiritual and scientific level. Matrix movies has stirred serious discussion among movie goers and this book would be a handbook for matrix fans to decode not Matrix Philosophy and for general readers to unravel the mystery of human life and its purpose on Earth. A must read book.

I am an ardent fan and I keep reading many materials on Matrix movies. i found in amazon this book and I read it cover to cover without a page and after that i watched the movies innumerable times. this is a fabulous book giving all the different interpretations. I recommend this book for other matrix fans. it is a real gift.

I saw the first Matrix movie before I started my spiritual quest. I did not understand anything about the movie. Many friends tried explaining it to me but their explanations did not make any sense. A few years later when I was deep in my Spiritual study, I had an oppurtunity to watch the first Matrix movie again. At that time, I noticed that there is something extraordinary about this movie. After seeing the other two parts, my understanding was getting clearer and clearer but still I couldn't grasp everything from the Movie.

I searched the internet to look for any good interpretation of the Matrix trilogy. I found some and borrowed them from a local library. But the interpretation did not really satisfy me. They were very dry. Then suddenly this book appeared in my search and I was immediately attracted to it after seeing the cover page. I did not hesitate to buy this book.

I was really amazed by Dr Pradheep Challiyil's interpretation of the Matrix Trilogy using Hindu mythology. It made a lot of sense to me. It also confirmed my understanding of the trilogy. The author has done an excellent job in providing these details supplemented by his own knowledge in Spirituality. After reading this book, I saw the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions once again and they were no longer sci-fi movies with hi-fi graphic stunt for me :)

In a nutshell, this is the book I was waiting for.

Note: I'm eager to know what the Wachowski brothers have to talk about the mythology in the Matrix trilogy. But unfortunately, they have remained silent all these years. Not sure why.

Dr. Pradheep Chhalliyil's book, "Journey to the Source" is a triumph as a guidebook for deciphering the mysteries of the "Matrix" trilogy. Beyond that, it's also a wonderful navigational tool for our own personal quests to discover who and what we truly are. Reading this book helped me to see that what intrigued me about the "Matrix" movies are the same things that intrigue and mystify me about myself, and about us all as living beings. Chhalliyil takes that nugget and runs with it, by showing us the links between the Wachowski's film trilogy and the ancient texts of the Upanishads. By explaining both, the author has also managed to help us shine a light upon ourselves. This is the sort of book that makes viewing the movies again an even better experience after having read it, and I'm happy I did!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Interesting comparison between a modern movie and age-old scriptures. It helped futher substantiate the truths from the scriptures with it's simple, easy to understand explanations. It has beautiful quoutes from the scriptures and great masters that fit the chapters in the book. Definitely motivating and enlightening.