THE MATRIX
What is considered to be a great movie? I think all movies are, in there
own way, great. Practically all movies are created y following certain elements.
These basic elements are as follows: story, writing, drama, acting, sound,
editing, movement, and cinematography. For the most part, all these elements go
hand in hand, almost every movie, usually, has a certain balance between the
elements. Different movies may focus on different elements in which make that
particular movie more appealing than others.
The Matrix is one of my
favorite movies and I would like to evaluate its elements and style in relation
to its subject matter. I give credit to the creators and directors of movies
because I know that what they do isn’t easy.
Like all movies, its script is
done over and over again. The Matrix wasn’t brought out in theatres until 1999,
but yet one of the first screenplays was written in1996 and later revised in
1997.
The story is told from a few different points of view because the
story and the plot seem to go hand in hand, as the plot changes, so does the
narration, but doesn’t seem to have any specific narration from any one person.
The story is first seen from the point of view of Thomas “Neo” Anderson (Keanu
Reeves). Then as the movie progresses, we see a small twist when two of the
character roles are reversed. Then near the end of the movie, we see another
small twist when the same two characters switch roles once again. This role
switch that I’m referring to will be explained in more detail a little later.
The first character that we are introduced to is Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss)
who is watching a man, Neo, from inside the matrix, hoping that he will be the
One. Trinity’s reason for watching him isn’t clear until we realize that it was
prophesized that she would fall in love with the One.
From here, we run into
three men who are sentient programs whose job is to track down and eliminate
anyone who infiltrates the matrix system that isn’t allowed
. These men are Agent
Brown (Paul Goddard), Agent Jones (Robert Taylor), and Agent Smith (Hugo
Weaving).
Then we meet Neo, a computer software writer and part-time hacker
who discovers that his entire life has been nothing more than a virtual dream.
This virtual dream was created by a race of artificial intelligent computers in
the distant future. While in the midst of a reality check, Neo is awakened from
his dream by a resistance movement in the real world lead by Morpheus (Laurence
Fishburne) in a hope to free humanity from lives of computerized brainwashing.
The resistance group resides in the “real world” deep near the center of the
earth, where it is still warm. A small part of that group live on a hovercraft
called the “Nebuchadnezzar.”
The “real world” is portrayed as a computer
simulation created by artificial intelligent machines that enslaved the human
race after we scorched the sky in hopes of cutting the machines off of the solar
power they needed to survive. Morpheus explains,
“The machines discovered a
new form of fusion. All they needed was a small electrical charge to initiate
the reaction. The human body generates more bioelectricity than a 120-volt
battery and over 25,000 B.T.U.’s of body heat.” i
The other crewmembers of
the Nebuchadnezzar are Tank (Marcus Chong), Dozer (Ray Anthony Parker), Mouse
(Matt Doran), Switch (Belinda McClory), Apoc (Julian 'Sonny' Arahanga), and
Cypher (Joe Pantoliano). They are all working with Morpheus and Trinity to help
save Neo because they believe he is the One. The One is the person believed to
be the savior of the human race and can also have control over the matrix and
change it to how he/she sees fit.
Tank and Dozer are brothers that were born
free outside of the matrix and work as technicians on their ship. Mouse, Switch,
and Apoc are just three other members of the crew. Mouse created an imaginary
figure of a woman in a red dress within their training program, which they use
to train without having to go into the matrix. The figure of the woman in the
red dress, who turns into an agent in a simulation, was used to show that agents
could become anyone who is still part of the matrix.
Cypher is the only one
that doesn’t agree with what they are trying to do and attempts to bargain with
the agent’s to try to get himself reinserted into the matrix. In the process of
doing so, he attempts to sabotage their efforts of convincing Neo that he is the
One.
Neo is essentially searching for Morpheus because he believes that
Morpheus will be able to answer the question that is driving Neo through his
life “what is the matrix?” But what Neo doesn’t realize is that their roles are
reversed and that Morpheus has been looking for him his whole life. A hidden
story behind Morpheus’ search is that he’s been searching forever and that he
has freed others thinking they were the One. This aspect can show the
relationship between Morpheus and Neo isn’t what you expected it to be in the
beginning. You think that Morpheus is the leader and that Neo is just another
person that will be woken up from the dream world, but then it is clearly shown
that Neo will become the real leader and that Morpheus is just another
crewmember trying to find Neo.
Drama builds between Neo and Trinity as he
becomes more confident in his belief that he is the One. The Oracle who tells
Neo later that he is not the One destroys this but eventually learns that the
Oracle told him exactly what he needed to hear. This is what convinces Neo that
he really is the One and the drama between Trinity and himself is reestablished.
During a training sequence, after Neo has learned Kung fu, there is some
drama with Morpheus as he tries to lead Neo through his newly discovered life.
In this scene, Neo is proving to Morpheus that he can fight using Kung fu. The
point of the training is to teach Neo that, if he is the One, he can learn to
move faster than any one else in every way. At the end of the sequence, Neo
essentially proves to Morpheus, not that he is the One, that he is faster then
him.
One of the largest instances of drama that occurs is when Cypher
betrays the crew by turning them over to the sentient agents without there
knowledge. There is build up to this throughout the movie though. Cypher becomes
increasingly more negative towards the rest of the crew from the point where
they bring Neo into the real world, if not from the beginning of the movie. One
example in particular is when Cypher and Neo have a brief conversation about why
Neo is there, in the real world. This is where Neo really finally figures out
that he is there to save the world. The whole aspect of Cypher betraying the
crew is more of a subtle aspect, since you don’t see very many example of his
attitude until he actually acts on it.
The two brothers, Tank and Dozer add
some drama to the crew when they are introduced for the first time and by
explaining that they were born free outside the matrix system, in the real world
and are fighting for the resistance.
Another major dramatic influence on the
story involves Cypher when he kills off Dozer, Switch, and Apoc, who are plugged
into the matrix through their own hacking system on the ship. This creates a lot
of tension for the rest of the crew. It almost gives them the feeling that all
is lost until Tank is able to gain control of the ship back.
Movement is
portrayed almost in co-existence with the reality of the matrix and the real
world. One example of this is during the training exercise where Morpheus tries
to teach Neo that he has to “let it all go” by jumping between two skyscrapers.
When Neo and Trinity are going to save Morpheus from the government building and
the fight scene in the lobby where Neo is walking across walls, this shows his
abilities, which he is not otherwise able to do when he was hooked to the
matrix. Also during this scene, slow motion was used to portray the growing
abilities of Neo and how those abilities far exceed those still linked to the
matrix. All the fighting scenes involving martial arts is a great example of
movement because they portray the choreography and training that the
actors/actresses had to endure in preparation for the making of the film. A lot
of other examples of movement that were seen in the film could also be linked
with the special effects aspect because the majority of the special effect of
the film included movement. An example of this would be with the bullet-time
effects used in many parts of the film. All the shots involving the slow
motion/circular rotation of the camera around objects, mostly used with the
actor’s/actresses themselves. The directors of the film created this effect
specifically for use in the film. Many films following the Matrix have used this
technique such as Swordfish, starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry,
and Don Cheadle. This effect became so popular so quickly that it even appeared
in video games like Max Payne, the effect was more related to slow motion than a
round about of film shots.
“Bullet Time is that funky effect in movies like
The Matrix when action stops and the camera does a quick arc around the subject,
giving you a cool 3D effect. Max Payne does have this when you do a particularly
cool kill but it takes it one step further.” ii
This effect is related
to cinematography for the fact that it involves moving cameras.
Sound
effects are a key part of every movie, whether the dead silence of space in
2001: A space Odyssey, or the sounds of the guns in the gunfight scene of the
Matrix. Some specific sound effects that I picked up on that were not to
noticeable were: sounds made by the Nebuchadnezzar when traveling through the
old sewer systems, the sounds made by the sentient “sentinels” searching for the
ship, the sound of the chopper blades/mini-gun fire when Neo and Trinity are
saving Morpheus, and the sound of the bullets slowed down by Neo at the end of
the movie.
Sound effects, special effects, and all other aspect of the film
go hand and hand when it comes down to editing a movie. Everything is looked
over many times and is brought together into the final product. Many times,
there are many scenes that don’t make it into the movie because they are either
irrelevant or they just don’t have room for them. Editing also involves piecing
the movie together since all movies are never shot all in the correct order.
Each shot is taken and place in the intended order.
“Mainstream narratives
follow a certain 1-2-3-4 trend to make them straightforward and east to follow.
This does not have to be the case. Other orders can induce jump cuts, feelings
of mystery (where the viewer has to ‘work’ to achieve comprehension),
alienation, and so on. Consider the following four shots: