Comprehending West’s Cooperation

Well, I know that I’m a little behind on this, but I just saw The Matrix Reloaded this past weekend (yes, Kristina’s out of town). I found the special effects and action to be pretty fun, but other than that it was tiresome and unnecessary. In an otherwise predictable (or at least unsurprising) movie, my biggest shock came when I saw Cornel West (yes, this Cornel West) join the throng of inarticulate pontificating characters. Even without his signature glasses, it was quite obviously him. I needn’t have bothered searching the credits for his name, though, because his appearances in the DVD’s bonus features pretty much would have confirmed my hunch anyway. He likes to think of the Matrix films as the perfect synthesis of high and low culture. Good grief.

For anyone who happened to miss it, here’s Councillor West’s (that’s the name of West’s character) only line: “Comprehension is not requisite for cooperation.” As for me, I don’t quite comprehend why Professor West chose to cooperate with this enterprise. Perhaps his line is intended to be read as an endorsement of The Matrix Revolutions.

Oh yeah, guess what else? Evidently, West also gives his voice to the video game, Enter the Matrix. I guess Race Matters, but credibility and violent shoot-em-ups don’t.

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