The Matrix Movie Analysis

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dystopia is defined as the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Dystopian societies feature different kinds of repressive social control methods and various forms of active and passive intimidation. Works about dystopian societies often explore the concept of humans neglecting technology and humans individually and collectively trying to manage or not being able to properly manage with technology that has progressed far more rapidly than anything else. One story that clearly demonstrates this theme of a dystopian society is "Harrison Bergeron", and a form of media that can be compared with it is, the 2005 film V for Vendetta. Both

The Matrix is a film about the enslavement of humankind by artificial intelligence, sentient beings, with mechanical bodies, created by people to service humanity, and the discovery of a person, Neo, that possesses abilities that can defeat the Artificial Intelligence and manumit humanity. The majority of human beings have their consciousness/minds trapped within the Matrix, a computer simulated world in which their minds are born, live in, and die, while their bodies are connected to it via cerebral connection but, remain in a dormant slumber and are never used. While they are connected to the matrix, their bioelectricity is harvested, powering the artificial intelligence. Neo, with the help of Morpheus (the leader in the resistance

Millions of people flock to the movie theater year after year on a quest to be entertained. Even a mediocre movie has the ability to take the audience to another place, escaping the realities of their own life, if only for a mere two hours. Some movies are simply pure entertainment. And then, there are those movies that provoke conversation long after the film has been viewed. Dystopian themes are not new, and have historically provided a template to gage the course of human existence. The Matrix portrays a society where humans exist without freedom. The film is not only entertaining, but also thought provoking. It paints a world with two different dimensions, one with the mind numbing

Different societies have risen and fallen in the continual search for the “perfect” society. The definition of this utopia is in constant flux due to changing times and cultural values. Many works of literature have been written describing a utopian society and the steps needed to achieve it. However, there are those with a more cynical or more realistic view of society that comment on current and future trends. These individuals look at the problems in society and show how to solve them with the use of control and power. Such a society is considered undesirable and has become known as dystopian society.

The Matrix, released in 1999, is a science fiction action film that depicts a dystopian future. In this reality, what is perceived by humans is only a computer simulated reality called ‘The Matrix’ which was created in order to sustain human delusion while their bodies were used as an energy source by machines. The main character, computer hacker Neo (played by Keanu Reeves, respectively) is drawn into rebellion against the machines once he is united with those that have been freed from the false reality. The characters, suffering from the reality of a broken illusion, make specific choices and decisions which can be explained or validated by sociological perspectives discussed by Berger. First off, ‘The Matrix’ can be defined as a social institution with the ability to give those that live within the false reality a fulfilled existence and exert social control over it’s residing victims. Second, the betrayal of Cypher touches upon the concept of sociological knowledge; specifically, the reference group ideology. Lastly, Neo’s previous feelings of unease and change of character after he joins Morpheus’ rebellion shows the importance a reference group can have on the overall personality and ideology of a person. Therefore, the Sociological Perspective understands the personalities, actions, and story of the movie ‘The Matrix’ in a variety of ways.

Over time, there has been a countless amount of philosophers that have questioned what sort of world we live in. Human nature is a very intricate species, and we assume many aspects of the world we live in. Not only are there set societal norms and practices, but most believe that we live in an independent world, uncontrolled by any outside people or things. The great Plato first challenged this idea with The Allegory of the Cave, suggesting that we are all prisoners in a cave, with the outside world mostly unbeknownst to us. His ideas have been replicated in other works, such as the novel The True Life by Alain Badiou, as well as the 1999 movie The Matrix.

The Matrix is a modern work based on Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” Neo and the prisoner play parallel roles in their journey for freedom, and ultimately truth. In their journey, both have common themes of being suspicious of one’s senses and the agony of knowledge. On the other hand, the two have different obstacles: the prisoner must go against his own beliefs, while Neo is against both his own mind and an outside force. In essence, despite the difference of characters, both the movie and the text strive to help people see beyond the physical world and find truth through reason. I do think The Matrix succeeded in bringing Plato’s metaphor into the modern era.

Utopia/dystopia is a multifaceted subject and it can be perceived in various ways by different authors. The dichotomy between a utopian and dystopian society consists of elements that can be attributed primarily to the actions of man and the government’s control over its populace. The Wachowski brothers have successfully captured this contrast in their 1999 allegorical film “The Matrix” through notions of alienation, fate vs free will, and humans vs machines and they have been comprehensively explored through various cinematic techniques. These themes are the characteristics of a dystopian society and a consequence of modernity.

In the documentary Return to Source: Philosophy & 'The Matrix' by Josh Oreck the director analyzes The Matrix and points out the philosophical and religious concepts that are presented in The Matrix. The film informs the audience about philosophical assumptions that human beings use to question life. The film compares The Matrix to a large thought experiment where many philosophical assumptions are all combined into an experiment. The main philosophers that the film analyzes are Emmanuel Kant, Jean Baudrillard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Renes Descartes. Moreover, the films points out majority of Baudrillard’s philosophical findings on simulation and that there is no such thing as reality. Furthermore, the films explains that people that are

All throughout history, those in power, may it be the government or the CEO of a corporation, have strived to maintain power. This common motive is brilliantly demonstrated in the movie, The Matrix. Within this movie, power is maintained by artificial intelligence and agents controlled by artificial intelligence through maintaining the status quo, masking reality with false ideologies, and oppressing humans. In order to prevent all humans from attaining power and freedom by realizing that they are in a simulated reality, the matrix, the status quo must be maintained and in favour for humans. As this is the case, both the artificial intelligence and agents work together to keep this simulated world suitable for humans, which exists solely

The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by Lily and Lana Wachowski. The film describes a future in which reality perceived by humans is actually the Matrix , a simulated reality created by sentient machines in order to pacify and subdue the human population while their bodies heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source . In the essay I will be analyzing the mise-en-scene and Cinematography, I will link it to the film and show its significance in the film. Morpheus(Lawrence Fishburne) awakens Neo(Keann Reeves) to the real world, a ravaged wasteland where most of the human race has been captured by a race

‘The Matrix’ directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski is a film set in the future where all of the human race have been captured by machines and the humans are now living in a virtual reality (known as ‘The Matrix’) as a source of energy for the machines. A small number of humans have escaped the matrix, thanks to a man called Morpheus, and now live in the real world. Neo is one of these people who escape the matrix. Neo must face the enemies to overcome the matrix and set humanity free.I have explored the theme freedom throughout this film.

The combination of a sci-fi film and a dystopian is common in the film industry. The Matrix (1999), quite possible the most successful and popular mix of both these genres in todays' industry, which was also rated the 4th highest sci-fi movie holds common traits with the plot of ASYLUM, demonstrating the success of ASYLUM in targeting common and effective sci-fi trait in film. ASYLUM's portrayal of an overly technologically advanced setting mirrors not only the basic principle of The Matrix, but the philosophical background that has the viewer questioning what is right and wrong similar to The Matrix's “cinematic fusion of philosophical, literary, and spiritual allusiveness” (Greydanus

In the “The Allegory of the Cave,” Plato, the author of this story, tries to say that humans, not physically but mentally. The humans tend to ignore reality, when is is right near us. In the story, Plato refers to the other people in the cave as the puppet-handlers since they are the ones holding the prisoners in the cave captive. As they control what the prisoners are watching and believing. They control what the prisoners see. This idea is similar to the Matrix because they can only see what the programmers choose to show them (The puppet- handlers). This can perhaps mean that our reality is limited as people also control what we see. “The Allegory of the Cave” and “The Matrix,” does not sense what the true world is. In the story, the only true understanding and explanation of the real world is what they see in the shadows and in the movie, this is brought to them by the machines. In the Matrix, Neo is finally confronted with the surrounding of the real world as he becomes so overwhelmed that he passes out. Just like when the prisoner is released, and the prisoner was only exposed to the shadows in the cave, made by the local people. In the movie Neo acts like the prisoner, who has been released from the

Utopia is an idealized society where everything is perfect in terms of politics, laws, customs and conditions everything is going smoothly but Dystopia is a complete and exact opposite of it. Dystopia is an exaggerated worst case scenario of it; a futuristic, imagined universe which provides an illusion of perfect idealized society in which this illusion is maintained through bureaucratic, corporate, technological and totalitarian control. The main agenda of dystopia is to make a criticism of political system, societal norms and current trends. Dystopia is a society which is as dehumanizing and as obnoxious as possible.