The movie The Matrix showcases a film set in dark greenish tones that represent the matrix, a computer generated world connected to a global network run by a giant AI technology that is oppressing the human race in a cyberpunk reality (1). The “normal world” or the place outside of the matrix in this movie is represented as a high contrast place with red, black and blue tones, that can be seen in scenes in which the characters are interacting with the ones that are inside the matrix, the greener area.
The whole mise en scene can be perceived in this image through the dramatic pose of Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and the high contrast between the black color that sharply defines the stylized silhouettes of the characters and the light greenish background, along with the cyberpunk techno fashion and setting that encapsulate the movie series. In this scene in particular, Trinity comes to save Neo (Keanu Reeves) by performing a headshot on one of the enemy agents; she is previously shown through an ultrawide angle lens in a first person’s POV angle, using an exaggerated perspective to depict how the agent is seeing Trinity the second she aims at his head, in a really quick sequence just before the agent himself was about to kill Neo from an upper view shot. The characters in the scene were all fighting each other using different types of fireguns; solving conflicts through violence, the whole situation occurs in a fast pace while they dodge and shot bullets in the flat roof of a building before escaping to go save Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who was kidnapped by the other agents. There are no really explicit images of blood or gore in this scene, but it still represents an obvious depiction of violence since they are directly shooting and kicking each other, being the heroes in a survival situation against their destiny, as a way of resistance from the traumatizing environment in which they are living (2) as typical action movie heroes. Despite this, the intention of the scenes is not to expose unnecessary bloody content but more like the intensity of the choreography-like fight scene with the special effects and 360° camera movements that try to immerse the viewer in the situation. Within the fast-paced fight situations, around 30 edits per minute can be seen in the action scenes, being this number a constant during the rest of the movie. These quick cuts produce the effect of things happening so fast that the public gets lost in the fast situations that keep the viewers’ attention intact as any lost second can make the spectator lose some important information.
It is not hard to tell that many editions have been made, since no real situation happens in such a quick way and the hyper quick movement is just an effect to recreate the sensation of being under a stressful situation. All these focuses make us aware that the camera is meant to be another key component of the movie and its pace, not trying to show the situations as a first person POV.
Also, it is important to mention that in this movie, Trinity is one of the protagonist characters, being the only important female role which is represented as an intelligent, skilled martial artist who many times has to save Neo from dangerous situations.
According to the Box Office Mojo website, the total worldwide revenue of this movie was of $467,623,299, being the domestic a 36.8% of $172,076,928 and the international a 63.1% of $295,145,800. Many releases were launched in different countries and years, being the original release on March 31st, 1999.
Movies like these had a great influence on the young people of the 2000s, being one of the most iconic sci-fi movies of that time, creating such a big impact that many subcultures developed after this movie debuted. The fashion style of this movie especially influenced the gothic, dark, cyberpunk and alternative subcultures of the 1990s and 2000s, also known as “urban tribes”. In my own country, Chile, groups of young people gathered in night clubs rejecting the adulthood duties and the system, and created spaces for the socially outcast people, dressed in Matrix style clothing, pretending to live in a space for the weird just like in this kind of movies. This type of culture quickly developed as more and more people felt foreign to their own context, especially living in a depressed country transitioning from a dictatorship to a fake democracy, as Chile only adopted a lifestyle of another American-influenced culture. (3) People adapted the aesthetics of this kind of movie as they felt outsiders of their own culture, just like Neo living in the matrix before realizing his life was not the real one.
Bibliography
1. YILMAZ, Kader. “Born to be on-line: cyberpunk, cyborgs and the matrix trilogy.” Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 23, no. 1 (2006).
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/607096
2. O’Brien, Harvey. Action movies: The cinema of striking back. Columbia University Press, 2012. pp -15
https://books.google.ca/books?id=b6OeW-PHMTQC&lpg=PP3&ots=SSoHOXPahH&dq=action%20movies%20shots&lr&pg=PP3#v=onepage&q&f=false
3. Reyes Navarro, Javiera Natalia. “Creating Chilean Identities to the Rhythm of Japanese Rock: A Study of Santiago de Chile’s Visual Kei Fandom as Subculture.” (2021). pp 19-20.
https://ddd.uab.cat/record/244286
Michie Natalie, Fashion Magazine, 2021. https://fashionmagazine.com/style/the-matrix-resurrections-fashion/
IMDbPro, MojoOfficeBox, 2024. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0133093/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
Krupa gadhwana
Through a careful examination of multiple aspects of the movie, the student’s analysis of “The Matrix” reveals a sharp eye for detail. It’s especially enlightening to examine the visual aspects of the film, such the color scheme and photography. The study skillfully displays the film’s visual narrative strategies by emphasizing how the green tones symbolize the artificial world of the Matrix and contrasting them with the high contrast colors of the actual world. Additionally, the student skillfully analyzes the film’s thematic components, such as identity and resistance, giving viewers a strong basis for understanding the underlying meaning of the picture. The issue of gender representation in movies gains complexity when Trinity, a strong and clever female character, is brought up.
Recognizing “The Matrix’s” influence on fashion and subcultures, the analysis also acknowledges the film’s cultural significance. An engaging element to the conversation is the student’s own analysis of how the movie spoke to people in their own nation of Chile. This emphasizes how the themes of revolt and self-discovery in the film are appealing to audiences everywhere. Moreover, Student has covered all the topic of Assignment like including scholarly source, Own experience, gender representation, word limit and Citation. I don’t think there is anything the student had missed, a well-done job.