The Matrix Review

The Wachowski Brothers' film The Matrix (1999), follows the story of Thomas Anderson (Keannu Reeves), a computer programmer who learns that the world he lives in isn't as it appears. After being contacted by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) Anderson learns that his reality is simply a computer program, called the Matrix, designed by machines to keep humans dormant while they harvest energy from the bodies. Anderson (or Neo as he is called in the real world) is then set loose from the Matrix and leads a rebellion to free the human race and expose them to the truth.     

This analysis will cover some of the cinematic techniques used in the “Follow the White Rabbit” scene of the film, which can be viewed above.

The transition used to enter this scene subconsciously tells the audience that this is a completely different setting than the pervious one. We begin by seeing a computer search and Anderson asleep in front of the desktop. The shot dollies in on our protagonist’s head to give us a closer image of his face. During this, the song “Dissolved Girl” by Massive Attack is playing; perhaps an illusion to the previous scene where Trinity vanishes just before getting hit by the bus. Then, there is an overhead shot looking downwards. This serves several purposes. First, it gives the audience some special awareness of the area. The desk is cluttered and messy, suggesting that he does not care to clean and likely lives alone. This shot also shows how somber the room is; as the only light source is from the monitor.

Next is a shot of the computer screen with Anderson’s sleeping body in front of it.  The square monitor is perfectly centered in the shot, bringing the audiences’ attention to what is being displayed. As Anderson sits up, he takes off his headphones and the song fades away, quickly being replaced by a long high-pitched note. This seems to tell us that there has been a shift in the characters emotions, which is confirmed by the confused look on Anderson’s face.

We then jump forward to Anderson’s interaction with Troy and his friends. This conversation is full of hints about what is to come in the rest of the film (see section below for a breakdown of the conversation).  At first, the door is only slightly opened and we see Troy from Anderson’s point of view. This may have been done to give the viewers a sense that the group on the other side of the door are not trustworthy. After the short conversation, Anderson notices the tattoo on the shoulder of the woman. Here several cinematic techniques are used. The first is an unnatural sound that plays right when Neo sees the rabbit. To me this was used to signify importance and a shift in the character’s train of thought, similar to the way it was used when the first message appeared on the computer. Another technique that was used is a close-up shot. This draws the audience’s eye to the tattoo, and without any further explanations, we understand Anderson’s change of opinion for going out with the gang.

Foreshadowing in the conversation:

-Troy call him his "savior", there are many illusions to Neo being "the one" that will save the human race.

-"I get caught with this... you don't exist", the reality they are currently live in does not exist.
-"You ever have that dream where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming", the Matrix is like a dream state.

-"It's the only way to fly", at the end of the film Neo flies away from the phone booth.

-"Sounds to me like you might need to unplug", later in the film Neo is literally unplugged from the Matrix.

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CITATIONS:

The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keannu Reaves. Fox Studios,   1999. DVD.

Barsam, Richard Meran., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2013. Print.

TheMatrixFan314. "The Matrix White Rabbit Scene HD." YouTube. YouTube, 05 May 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.