The film The Matrix was released in 1999 and the directors were Wachowski brothers. It was a huge success at the box office. The movie gathered a huge following, which in turn started cults. People became obsessed with it and believed they were living in a computer program because the real world is too terrifying.

I think this film would appeal to people from about 15 upwards (this is the age certificate). It would definitely appeal to people who like action films or sci-fi films. I believe these people were the first people to see the film and spread the word and that’s when the film started to make its money. The word innovative means the introduction of new ideas in this case the story line innovative as it has never been done before.

The basic plot of the film is that humans created Artificial Intelligence, which in turn used the humans for a power source because the humans blocked their other power supply. They used a computer programme called the Matrix to control the human race. Thomas Anderson (Neo) wants to find out what the Matrix is. A woman called Trinity takes him to join a group of rebels who have escaped from the Matrix. Neo finds out that he is living in a virtual world; it is in fact where we all live. The real world is a wasteland where artificial intelligence (A.I.) has taken over and few humans exist. Morpheus (the rebel leader) believes Neo to be “The One” that will free the human race from the Matrix. However, there are cyborgs “Agents” who have superpowers and who’s sole purpose is to stop the rebels. Eventually, Neo begins to believe that he really is The One and he fights the agents, finally defeating their leader, Agent Smith.

At certain points, the film uses plot devices to move the story on or to provide information. For example, when Morpheus and Neo visit the Oracle and when Trinity wakes Neo with a kiss. These are not very original, and have been used in previous films. Trinity’s resurrecting kiss was famously used in Sleeping Beauty, for example. However, I think that all films use similar ideas to move between scenes, so in that sense, not many films use original plot devices.

Neo, Morpheus, Trinity and Agent Smith are the 4 main characters. The basic character type is superheroes and villains. Neo’s character is played by Keanu Reeves. This character has two names, Thomas Anderson and Neo. Thomas Anderson is his “Matrix name” and Neo is his “Real World” name. Neo is an anagram of “One”, and he is believed to be the One or Messiah sent to save the human race. Neo is the superhero and the main good guy in the film.

Laurence Fishburne plays Morpheus’ character. His name could represent two things, to change (Morph) and Orpheus, who in Greek mythology was sent to the underworld. In this case, the underworld could mean the real world. Morpheus is the leader of the rebel humans. He is a strong and mindful person.

Carrie-Ann Moss plays Trinity. She is the main female character in the film. The name Trinity is probably meant to represent the Holy Trinity in the Bible (The Father, Son and Holy Ghost). It is a spiritual name. In the film she falls in love with Neo, the Oracle predicted this.

Hugo Weaving plays Agent Smith. His name is extremely common and normal, so it represents the way he merges in with the humans. He has amazing superpowers and plots to destroy all humans. He is definitely the main bad guy!

The film refers to a number of other stories like, Alice In Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and the Bible. There are references to Alice In Wonderland nearly all the way through the film. When Neo is told to follow a tattoo of a white rabbit to Trinity, this is like when Alice followed the rabbit into Wonderland. Also, when Morpheus is explaining the Matrix he says to Neo, “I bet you feel like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole.” There is also a reference to the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy is taken from Kansas to Oz in a twister. This is shown when Neo leaves the Matrix, Cypher says, “Hold on, ’cause Kansas is goin’ bye-bye.” The reference to the Bible is the fact that Neo has come to guide the human race, just like Jesus. The other reference to the Bible is the name Trinity.

There are two settings in the film, The Matrix, and inside the futuristic yet industrial looking rebel ship, “The Nebuchadnezzer”. All the way through the film, there is a very slight green tint to the picture, which goes back to the green numbers on the screen at the very beginning. The whole film is very industrial and metallic looking. Inside the ship, it is a tangled mass of wires and cables. It looks dirty yet modern and safe. The Matrix looks just like any normal American city. I think the contrast between the settings of the Matrix and the real world is very effective. It is a very drastic contrast and clearly shows the differences between the two worlds.

I think the film’s style is slightly “heavy metal”. When the characters are in the Matrix they wear dark shades and long leather coats, all of their clothes are black and everything seems bigger. I think that this is quite heavy metal. However, when they are on the space craft everyone wears ripped, dirty flannel shirts and their faces look grimy and unwashed. It all appears cramped. I think this is in a punk or grunge style. It is also a very dark film, which seems to add a sense of doom and seriousness of the plot.

In the Matrix some revolutionary camera effects were used. One of these techniques is “Bullet-Time”. It is when there are many cameras that pictures at certain intervals and in different positions around the actors. The film is the put together and slowed down. This effect is used mainly used in the fight scenes and it shows when bullets are being dodged. This has a very strong effect on the audience. It gives a completely different feel to the fight scenes. It gives the audience time to take in what is happening in one moment in time, whereas a fight filmed in the standard way would just past the audience.

The soundtrack suits the film very well. It is a heavy, industrial, metal soundtrack, which matches the film. Some of the songs titles relate to the characters. For example, “Mindfields” by The Prodigy could represent Morpheus because of the way he is always thinking and saying intellectual things. Also, “Wake Up” by Rage Against The Machine, represents the way Neo “wakes up” as a new person and realises who he really is.

I think this film fits into its own special genre: – Mind bending, action, sci-fi, and thriller! It could also be a Kung Fu film because martial arts are used in many of the fight scenes. I don’t really think the film as a whole fits into a single genre but it can be split into parts that have their own genre. I think it is the fact that the subject of the film is looked at in original perspective is what makes it so different. Many films have the idea of being trapped in a fantasy world and wanting to escape so the character can go home. The Matrix has this, but the fantasy world is what we would consider to be normal and home. The film has reversed an original idea that makes it intriguing to watch.