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TRUTH IS AS SUBJECTIVE AS REALITY:: A MOVIE REVIEW ON THE MATRIX
sight. It’s a technique which seems great to start off with, but quickly becomes boring because it’s done numerous times over and over again. In addition to that, let me say that I've seen dozens of these exercises in violence, which recycle the same tired ideas: Bad guys fire thousands of rounds, but are unable to hit the good guy. Then it's down to the final showdown between good and evil--a martial arts battle in which the good guy gets pounded until he's almost dead, before he finds the inner will to fight back. It’s far from original, but I guess I’d have to give the Wachowski brothers credit for those action sequences. After all, though I’ve been there and seen that, it’s rarely done that well.
Another downside to The Matrix is the romance between Neo and Trinity. Talk about inappropriate. Though it was called for in the storyline – a prophecy of the Oracle – it simply seemed to have been thrown in at the last minute. But in a movie where everything stands for something, who knows? Maybe Trinity and Neo treated the government building lobby shootout as grounds for flirting. Still, I can’t help but ask: Don’t platonic relationships work anymore in movies these days?
The interesting play of colors is also extremely eye-catching. It was virtually impossible not to notice the dominant blue and green tints throughout the movie, the two colors used to distinguish the Matrix simulation world from ‘reality’, the Nebuchadnezzar and the pods. The Nebuchadnezzar and the pods had the cooler, bluer, more normal, less sickly look. Personally, though I find the color comforting, in some ways, especially with added tints of gray, I have also always associated blue hues with machines – unfeeling, hollow, dank and empty. The coolness of blue played well with the idea that the future in the film is cold, where the sun is blotted out and there is no real warmth. Though it made the ‘reality’ feel a little like home, it also prevents an entire feeling of comfort. Rather, it adds atmosphere to some of the movie’s spookiest moments. The green hues, on the other hand, perfectly complemented the spookiness of the Matrix, the virtual reality created by the computers. The sickly green tints worked well with the idea that the Matrix is a decadent, decaying world where one would feel that something is wrong. Playing up the colors blue and green to just the right amount, the film’s atmosphere was caught perfectly, where the dank interiors radiate as much warmth as the vast computer-generated scenes do a deceptive coolness. The green tints specially provided an incredibly eerie, gothic feel to the Matrix. The old, run down mansion where Neo is taken to meet Morpheus spelled out the word gothic. From the unlit staircase to the black and white checkerboard pattern of the floor to the tinted green walls of the mansion, to the dilapidated room and its baroque furnishings, to the pounding rain outside and the rumbling thunder, the very essence of gothicism was perfectly captured. It was a mixture of dankness, insanity, great art direction and awesome cinematography. I remember, however, one instance in the movie where for once, colors used gave off a comfortable feel to the set. The gold, warm colors were used only once in the movie – in Neo’s bunk, before he went tumbling down the rabbit hole. Despite the shadows that played around the room, the golden color gave off a slightly safe feeling upon it being home. I guess it was just right that it should be slightly warm. After all, as harsh as that bunk is, it is the only home Neo has got.
True to the movie’s gothic-industrial pop culture, black leather dominated the wardrobe of the main characters. Black isn’t an easy “color” to carry and to work with, but with the characters in The Matrix oozing with coolness, it sure was worn well. Most commendable was super buff Trinity who belonged in everything she wore. Trinity appeared both strong and sexy in everything she wore, from the tight black tops, to the to the leather pants and the sleek boots.
The display of tattoos with weird insignias, body piercing, silver jewelry, black clothing and Rob Zombie’s Dragula playing in the background perfectly defined the gothic-industrial pop culture of the movie. I’d have to give the soundtrack more credit, though with regards to ensuring the pop culture of the film. Instrumentals with awesome baselines combined with eerie keyboard arrangements that employed techno rhythm produced music with a neo-classical quality completed the film’s atmosphere. The remix of Ministry’s Bad Blood during Neo and Morpheus’ virtual kung-fu training worked perfectly for an oriental martial arts scene which in truth takes place inside a virtual pagoda. Rob D’s Clubbed to Death (Kurayamino Mix), my favorite music track in the soundtrack of The Matrix heightens the mysterious and anxiety level of the atmosphere in the computer program used by Morpheus to brief Neo on the Agents inside the Matrix. True to its gothic-industrial nature, it sounds like a cross between the classical music of Bach and the techno-industrial sound of Prodigy. Some digital hard core musical tracks used in the film include Lunatic Clam’s Leave You Far Behind, Meat Beat Manifesto’s Prime Audio Soup, the Propelerheads’ Spybreak! and Rage Against the Machine’s Wake Up, all of which meshed well with the futuristic setting of the movie, which I’d have to say, was a result of excellent baselines.
One of the reasons why I devour sci-fi action flicks is because you never know what to expect. As budgets increase and technology advanced in movie making, filmmakers of the mentioned genre endlessly try their best to outdo each other by coming up with fresh story lines that work well with the epoch.
The Matrix takes the cake. It definitely takes the whole cake. And it made me wonder, that maybe these filmmakers have a few thoughts in their heads, and maybe, just maybe, those thoughts might make their way into films.
By paying just a little more attention to the religious and philosophical nuances sprinkled all over the film and depending on what perspective you wish to view it, The Matrix storyline could almost be just about anything.
For instance, the characters in The Matrix have names that take us into the quagmire of allegory. Names that symbolized and gave away what they are in the movie.
One of the first humans to be freed from the Matrix, Morpheus is the leader of the small band of rebels who work day in and day out to free humanity from the cyberdream of reality. Driven by a passion to find The One, he is strong and firm in his beliefs and is ready to risk his life for them. Interestingly, In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the name for the god of dreams. Aside from being the leader, in the movie, Morpheus is also a fatherly figure, showing the others the path they ought to take, yet giving them the luxury of free will to do so. Based on Christian religion, though, Morpheus acts somewhat as the John the Baptist of the Bible, a strong and courageous leader believed by others to lead the way, yet also a wise and humble man who knows and preaches to everyone that someone greater than him would come to save humanity.
Neo, the protagonist, initially went by the name Thomas Anderson. After he was freed from the Matrix – which I viewed as some sort of rebirth – he started living by the name Neo. In a world that merely turns out to be a computer construct, it seemed entirely appropriate that he goes by the same name of his computer handle. Interestingly enough, the word neo is an anagram for “new.” His character somewhat struggled with belief through almost the entire film. This brings to mind the disciple of Jesus who was nicknamed ‘Doubting Thomas,’ for he would not believe Jesus has risen from the dead until he sees it with his own eyes. The names Thomas and Neo contrast the old and new conditions. Thomas was the disbeliever, whereas Neo was the believer (though it took him some time to do so). After Neo is saved from the Matrix, Agent Smith parallels Satan’s conviction as he continues to call Neo "Mr. Anderson", to which Neo replies with conviction, "My name is Neo," signifying his understanding of his new self. Agent Smith’s suggestive intent of pulling Neo back in the Matrix also parallels Satan’s temptation for Jesus to give in to his human desires. In contrast, Morpheus and crew always call him "Neo", reinforcing the truth of who he is, and who he indeed becomes after salvation. With Agent Smith symbolizing Satan and Morpheus as the John the Baptist figure preaching the coming of Neo, it is pretty obvious that Neo represents Christ in The Matrix. One parallelism of Neo’s life to that of Christ’s is the resurrection. Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, and was able to bring forth salvation only after he dies for our sins. In the same way, Neo was shot to death only to come back to life again – this time as The One. The difference between Neo and Christ lies in the fact that that Christ knew who and what He is since the beginning. Neo, being the kind of man who accepts only what he sees took some time into realizing that Morpheus was telling him the truth. Also part of the reason why Neo didn’t bite into Morpheus’ you-are-The-One bit is because he doesn’t believe in fate on account of him not liking the thought of not being in control of his life. True enough, Neo only started knowing and believing what he is after he has been able to fight an agent in the Matrix. Worth noting is Neo’s apartment number: 101. It is a detail that provides hints on him being The One. Interestingly enough, the circular shape to the number zero “0” represents infinity. With 1’s and 0’s as the universal language code for computers, the arrangement of the two numbers give away Neo’s infinite rule over computers.
Trinity is not a new word or name, for that matter. In Christian theology, “Trinity” refers to the trifold personality of one Divine Being, the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the movie, there is Morpheus – “the father,” Neo – “the son,” and Trinity – “the Holy Spirit.” It’s easy to understand why Morpheus takes the role of the father, and Neo as the Son, but Trinity as the Holy Spirit? Christians have always regarded the Holy Spirit as a guide, as one who lights the way. In the Bible, after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, “the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove.” In the movie, it was Trinity who led Neo to Morpheus, who convinced him to stay in the car, who urged him to come back to life. The word trinity also stands for the number three. In philosophy, Pythagoras referred to three as the perfect number. In the beginning of the movie, Trinity is in a hotel room number 303. Notably, at the near end of the movie, Neo ends up in the same room as he tried to outrun the agents, which also represents the coming-full-circle thought of the movie. With zero as a depiction of infinity, allow me to interpret the interesting arrangement of the room number as this: infinite perfection would be attained. It’s a giveaway! No doubt about it, Neo would be able to free humanity from the machines and restore humans to their rightful place on the planet.
The Oracle provided a nice supernatural touch to the incredibly futuristic setting of the movie. From the beginning of time, oracles were believed to foretell the future and to guide one to the right path. In the movie, Morpheus takes Neo to see the Oracle. She would tell him if he indeed is The One. Parallel to Greek mythology, the Oracle at Delphi was always sought after to provide answers to questions that are way farfetched. I’d have to say that there was real wit in the presentation of the Zionist Oracle. In a movie overflowing with unbelievable technological advances, I never expected the Oracle to be a motherly, black cookie-baking lady living in a worn down apartment. True to her title, though, she was maddeningly enigmatic, just as Oracles always have been.
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copyright valerie v. mayuga 2005 |