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THE MATRIX
Producer: Joel Silver & Barrie M. Osborne
Music: Don Davis
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:
Person A opens front door of house
Walks inside
Walks through corridor into kitchen
Switches kettle one.
If shot 4 is first, followed by shot 1, you may think that someone is already
inside the house, switching on the kettle. Thus, the order should be kept as
structurally defined as possible – one shot out of place can bring down the
entire piece.” iii
In conclusion, a film wouldn’t be a film if all these elements were not put
together properly. Films today are becoming more and more elaborate thanks to
the increasing field of computer technology and technology itself.
Bibliography
1. http://www.movie-page.com/movie_scripts.htm
2. http://www.gamerspusle.com/reviews_2001/PC/max_payne/maspayne.shtml
3. http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/cmp/sfx-bullet_text.html
4. http://www.imperica.com/sofia//editing/relation.html