Techtite.com Editorial : My Two Bits, V2

Unless you live in a cave, you know about the latest 'Net controversy: Time magazine spilled the beans. With every Matrix fan anticipating Matrix Reloaded, they decide to make a cover story on the matter. They felt people wanted to know all they could about Matrix, so they told them all they could. Unfortunately, this included every possible plot surprise, and the ending. Time assumed science fiction fans like to know everything.

You can see where they were coming from. I mean, come on; anyone not living in a cave dwelling knows that Matrix Reloaded is not necessarily an ending to spoil, because it is an open ending. If you wish to call this a spoiler, please shut up, because it was revealed as far back as the very first drawing board for the film. This is the whole reason that the third film, Matrix Revolutions, is to be released as early as this holiday season, so as not to tick off fans who'd have to wait three years for a resolution (a la Star Wars). So, spin doctors over at Time magazine might claim that it is not entirely accurate to say Time spoiled the ending, because there wasn't really an ending to spoil. There isn't an actual ending, until Matrix Revolutions. See?

Sure, you can see how sci-fans would look at things differently. People often look at a movie, quite understandably, as what they see from the time the lights go off in the movie theater, to the time they go back on again. Such people call the last minutes the "ending" no matter how "open" it might be. You can see how such people would think that Time "spoiled the ending" in such an instance. I must admit my personal feelings here: they're right.

All that being said, however, it's hardly like Time "ruined" the film. In 1980, a little sequel called The Empire Strikes Back was released, which everyone wanted to know everything about, ASAP. A lucky-dog, friend-of-a-friend at my grade school at the time, was able to go to an advance screening of the film with his dad, and couldn't wait to tell everyone what he saw. Mind you, I need to tell you everything he told me about the film to make a point, though I don't think I need a "Spoiler Alert" here because, quite frankly, I think anybody who hasn't seen Empire Strikes Back is a total moron. So forgive me for telling you what everyone knows already, okay? To make a long story short he told me the whole nine yards: Luke loses his hand to Vader...Vader is Luke's father...Han is encased in a block of molten metal, yet still lives...the bad guys win...the whole deal. I guess the main reason this didn't spoil it for me is because, quite frankly, I thought he was nuts. Vader is Lukes DAD?!? Surely, he was joking....right?

My point is simple. Did this spoiler make me not want to see the film? Come on; of course not. In fact, I saw the film on opening day. If some half-wit Trekkie wants to tell me there's no such thing as Warp 10, well, tell that to a 12 year old who was just told his favorite character is now "hand solo" (a bad joke, I know; they didn't laugh at it then, either). It spoiled absolutely nothing.

Not that this is any surprise when discussing the best of the best of Star Wars. You go to such a film maybe 20 times! Surely, you're not going to whine about having the ending "spoiled" for you, when it hardly matters the next 19 times you saw the same ending, right? There are a whole slew of nuances to seeing Empire Strikes Back in a movie theater, that go above and beyond the ending. In fact, even if you read the whole screenplay prior to the film, it would not do the film justice. You have to see it --period-- again and again.

Okay, this is a bad example. Films like Empire are the exception to the rule. Remember how the film trailers for What Lies Beneath effectively ruined the whole movie, because it told you the whole plot twist? This was a spoiler indeed, because there was no reason to see the film otherwise. The whole point was the plot twist. Without it, the film isn't even worth a free movie coupon at your local grocery store.

What this all boils down to is, there are only two films out there: good films, and bad films. The good films are worth seeing even if you have every single plot thread and nuance told to you in advance; the bad films are just plain bad. You can see where I'm going with this: Which of these two films does Matrix Reloaded fall under? Say "bad film" and it doesn't really matter; say "good film" and...it still doesn't matter. So much for spoilers.

Of course, Matrix fans can call me on this. Send your letters and I'll be sure to read them. I can only speak for myself, though, that Time didn't spoil diddly-squat. Their article changes nothing. I'll still be there to see the film opening day. Won't you...? Come on.

Agree? Disagree?

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Is it EVER Time for (Matrix) Spoilers...?