The Matrix
Written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, ‘The Matrix’ is a
science fiction film, which was released in the year 1999. It was the
first film to use the now famous camera technique of ‘bullet time’ and
also introduced wirework martial arts into conventional cinemas. Its
vision of the future is similar to other science fiction films such as
‘Men In Black’ with the agents always wearing sunglasses and the idea
of man vs. machineevil. In the opening sequence of the film, I am
going to analyse the effects of different camera shots, as well as
other factors, which engage the viewers’ interest.
The film appeals to its target audience by many different features.
For men there is an attractive female character, Trinity, a lot of
action packed gunfights, different gadgets and the police. For women
there is an attractive male character, Neo, a strong female lead,
Trinity, and a love interest between Neo and Trinity. There are quite
a few questions that remain unanswered in the opening sequence. These
make the viewer want to carry on watching the film to find the
answers. For example, whom are they going to kill and why are they
going to kill him? Tension is also created by not being able to see
Trinity’s face when she is talking on the phone.
The setting suggests the film is retro-futuristic. It is set in the
future but there are some elements from the present or past. One of
the first things that we see are normal police cars and police men
with radios and mobile phones. The opening sequence is in a derelict
hotel. It’s name, ‘Heart o’ the City’, suggests it has a central role
of what is about to happen. ...
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...unning are shown, creating suspense, as they seem equal
in strength.
When Trinity is on the stairs, she looks down and sees an agent. The
camera then moves to a low angle shot of the agent. This makes the
agent look powerful and important.
The scene ends with the camera at a high angle shot as the truck
crushes the phone box. This shows the audience the power of the truck
and the destruction that it caused.
‘The Matrix’ questions our idea of reality and gives the common
negative view of the future with technologies that we created being
out of our control. The opening scene
appeals to its target audience, by having a powerful female lead and
being packed with action, as well as successfully creating suspense
through use of different camera techniques, interesting connotations
and strong characters.