luka

Well-known member
Watched the Matrix the other day. It's a top film. Although some of it has aged horribly - the super slow mo machine gunning cops sequence feels like such an outmoded idea of cool. (I am willing to bet that this was my favourite scene as a yoot.)

It draws very heavily from Neuromancer and Neuromancer has the same very uncool notion of the cool. "righteous dub mon"
 

luka

Well-known member
It was embarrassing at the time. It only ever appealed to school shooters on an aesthetic level. The leather trench coats and the wrap around shades. Cyber-Crusties. Now it's more endearing than cringe though. There's enough distance. Nerds creating nerd hacker boyfriends (Neo/Case) who somehow manage to pull sexy ninja assassin ladies. (Molly/Trinity)
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
It draws very heavily from Neuromancer and Neuromancer has the same very uncool notion of the cool. "righteous dub mon"

Ha, yeah - I mean I enjoyed the book but the space-rastas, in particular, are well cringe.

I'm not sure you can judge the book's shades/trench-coats/latex aesthetic too harshly, though, purely on the basis that it was largely the origin of all that stuff. Interesting to compare it to Blade Runner, the other main point of origin for all things cyberpunk, which IMO has aged pretty well. Perhaps that's because the film's aesthetic was already partly retro as well as futuristic.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
It was embarrassing at the time. It only ever appealed to school shooters on an aesthetic level. The leather trench coats and the wrap around shades. Cyber-Crusties. Now it's more endearing than cringe though. There's enough distance. Nerds creating nerd hacker boyfriends (Neo/Case) who somehow manage to pull sexy ninja assassin ladies. (Molly/Trinity)

The "acceptable" way to read that scene is it's doing a video game (like the Kung Fu fighting - with that silly but endearing bit where Keanu mugs Bruce Lee)

But there's also the problem that the cops they're massacring (I think I'm right in saying) aren't bots like the agents. They're real people in a VR world. So it isn't actually all that cool massacring them.

It's a bit like that scene in the police station in terminator except the murderous cyborg is the HERO.
 

version

Well-known member
They're often killing people when they manage to kill or stop an agent too as the agents seem to morph into passersby then morph back out when they die, like that one Trinity shoots in the head after Neo does his limbo thing.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Something about super-slo mo action and nerds

A specific type of nerd

The sort of nerd who jizzes over 300.

Adolescent PHWOARRR shots
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
It made sense to use it in the Matrix esp because slowmotion cameras are a way of us seeing reality more intensely, decoding it almost

 

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
I can recommend his shop in Mayfair for those who like the aesthetic - it's an experience. Staff are very friendly too.

Obv most of the RO stuff I have is from TKMaxx or eBay cos it's incredibly dear new.
 
What do you like about the aesthetic? And goth and metal looks in general? What’s it about? What types of people get into it?
 
My mate had me in tears talking about how the big clunky platform boots were the coolest things to wear to secondary school in Derry around 2002. Some of the hardest men got a pair and things trickle down from there. After a while the rust would set in and they’d squeak with every step.
 

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
I would say I dress in that aesthetic roughly once a month but his clothes are cut beautifully, drape very nicely, are made from top quality materials and look different without looking vulgar. If the silhouette is good, black will bring that out while foregrounding the face.

I don't wear any metallic paraphernalia/jewellery or consider myself a goth or anything. If I go to a metal bar, I won't dress in that style for the occasion; to my mind wearing Ralph Lauren and chinos in that context is more metal than not.
 
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