More than a novel, It's been on every scifi show. My favorite was Red Dwarf's version of the dream world that they wake up from, but then they realize they still dreaming and realy wake up. There are no new idea when it come to movies out of Hollywood, just better special affect and with luck, better cast and writers.
The Ending (SPOILER)
Please be warned this is a SEMI-SPOILER, I did not see the movie yet, but I came across this and well with the recent release of new trailers for the movie it all makes sense. Appearantly they have already had screenings of the movie in the UK.
The Special effects are great. The best parts are when Smith and Neo fight in the air and then crash to the ground causing major devestation in the city. The machine city and the squid factories looked great especially when the machines drag a blinded Neo through the city to plug him back into the matrix. The fight with Neo and the two ghosts on the train was really spectacular. The dialogue was pretty good and there were several nice lines like the part where Morpheus kills Bane and says "welcome to the real world" or when Smith is threatening Neo and Neo says "It ends tonight!" But all the talk with the homeless guy and the little girl on the train was to long and a little hard to follow. The plot twists are shocking. Like when the kid who saves zion becomes the new architect I flipped out. And when Trinity died flying the spaceship and the machines pull her body off of Neo's I was stunned it happened so fast. The sad part is the death of Neo and Trinity didn't really end the slavery of humankind. I guess that the people of zion that survived are free now but the new architect has to preserve the matrix to save the machines or the machines will wipe out zion. And poor Morpheus is still trying to free minds and save humanity. Based on this ending I expect more matrix movies in the future. And I will be happy to see what else they have up their sleeves.
I don't read spoilers, if you too much of a coward to say this is my thought, it's not worth it.
The matris is not original, but it is good. The idea of being slaves to a computer is not original, the idea of being connected to a giant matrix is not original, and stealing the plot from religion and mythology is not original. Even having a old black person be the wise one is not original.
What makes the matrix good is that it has great writeres and great cg. Sort of like Jurassic park. It was not original, but it was and still is good.(just the first one)
I think all he people of Zion are still in the matrix. Neo will free them, but will see that there are many more zions that need be free. I also think that he is a program. And that he can never be free. He will be copied and distributed to the other matrices
I know if i was running a power plant based on people or a computer system, I would have them devided in case a batch went bad.
i've writen a book and am in the process of getting published, it has the same premises as matrix, that AI becomes more powerful and the machines take over. But it is not nearly as mind boggling as matrix or others, but its got its own twists and i'm super excited that its getting published!! I'm sending the contract off tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes!