The Matrix: Movie Review

The Matrix is a Hollywood film released in 1999 and distributed by Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Entertainment. Directed and written by The Wachowskis, the movie is arguably the best sci-fi action movie of the 90s, becoming best known for its use of revolutionary special effects such as airborne Kung Fu and bullet dodging. The plot of the film follows Neo, or Mr Anderson, as he discovers that he has been living his entire life in an elaborate virtual reality projection created by artificial intelligence to keep humans subdued while their body heat and life essence is used as energy by machines in the ‘real’ world.

Films often reflect the social and cultural concerns of the era in which they are made, with one such film being The Matrix. The Matrix played with social technophobia and the fears of people at the time surrounding the technical advancements of the 80s and 90s. One example of such fears was the then-upcoming year 2000 and the ‘Y2K bug’— A computer flaw surrounding the year 2000 that lead to irrational concerns that it would result in worldwide issues. The Matrix, along with other films such as Terminator all dealt with fears of what would happen when technology runs rampant. When The Matrix was released, it represented the social anxiety at the time that machines could possibly affect the world in drastic ways. This was enhanced by taglines on the advertisement posters such as “The Fight For the Future Begins” and “Be Afraid of the Future” which further played to those social fears. Around this time, many people were wondering about the extent of technology, alternate realities and the prospect of artificial intelligence. As The Matrix reflected the worries of the time, people were affected dramatically after its release, with people shooting their parents and friends because they thought that they were living inside the Matrix. As well as this, the film uses symbolism such as Neo being a religious, Jesus-like figure. Neo is described throughout the film as being “The One” that can bring change to the world and the saviour of the human race. Released Easter week, The Matrix demonstrates the story of Jesus, with the Neo’s death and resurrection showing clear parallels. Furthermore, his death is the tipping point, with Neo returning to the Matrix with greater power and control.

As well as social and cultural aspects and effects of the movie, The Matrix demonstrates many film techniques. Some visual effects from the film included bullet dodging, wall scaling and the use of virtual backgrounds. However, the film’s most important contribution to cinema was the innovative use of the ‘Bullet Time’ effect— also called flow motion. The effect allows the audiences point of view to move around the scene at a normal pace while the events are shown in slow motion. This was revolutionary for the time as it involved a complex rig with dozens of cameras surrounding the actor as well as hiding the cameras behind greenscreen. The film used the ‘Bullet Time’ effect to emphasise Neo’s ‘God-like’ abilities such as bullet dodging and airborne Kung Fu. The use of ‘Bullet Time’ had an effect on Hollywood, with films like Deadpool and X-men, as well as animations such as Shrek and Kung Fu Panda replicating the iconic Matrix effect as a new technique of film. These visual effects, combined with the elaborate fight and stunt scenes, the philosophy and martial arts contributed to the film grossing $460 million worldwide.

Winning all four Oscar nominations; Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Editing, The Matrix affected both the Hollywood industry and the hearts of the people who viewed it. Its use of film techniques and the reflection of the era it was made helped changed the way films are made today.