At long last, after combining this interview with this review, I've realized what it would take to enjoy the Matrix trilogy: You have to be Catholic.

(The one true interpretation is of course the Marxist one. In fact, the blissful ending resembles nothing so much as the obligatory socialist utopia at the end of a sixties Chinese film.)

God, devil, what's the difference

A common feature of faith is that it tends to be held for keeps; once internalized, leaving it tends to necessitate a 'crisis of faith' or something and long strenuous deprogramming, I mean soul-searching.

It's a bit like something you put on and then can't take off again, isn't it. In this respect, it's like those items in RPG's that become impossible to remove once you've equipped them. They're of course commonly called... cursed items.

Cursed meme, anyone?