Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers
Released Date: March 31, 1999 (United States)
Running Time: 136 Minutes
The matrix is a Fantasy/ Science Fiction film directed by Wachowski brothers, made a record of 463.5 Million US dollar in 1999, again gave me a strong impression even though I have watched the film years ago. Inviting me to the new world “matrix” made me to feel as if I also might have an ability like Neo.
Keanu Reeves who starred as Neo is the one who took biggest benefits by this film since this film became one of his remarkable filmography where people started to recognize him as an action movie star.
Thomas A. Anderson , who is living a double life as an ordinary computer programmer at day time and a hacker name as “Neo” at night time always had a question about reality. A man named Morpheus approaches him and leads him to the new world “The Matrix”. When Morpheus gave him a choice to choose either blue pill and the red pill, Anderson had a choice not to enter the world and live as an ordinary computer programmer but Anderson chose the red pill and began his journey inside the real world, starting a new life with his new name “Neo.”
After accepting the red pill, Neo was born again as hairless, naked and weak human being and Morpheus explains robots made a war against their creator, human beings and now the world is controlled by them. There he now lives and work with his love Tritiny who first approached him when he was working as a computer programmer in the previous world.
“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”
This film, “The Matrix” where it applied aspect of Semiotic code. Actually even though with no intention of putting semiotic elements in the film, I believe that the film eventually has an existence of it.
The matrix is more sided on connotative aspect rather than denotative, where it is more related to cinematographic elements, creating the moods, motives and other meanings by the visual and auditory elements. Connotative meaning extends over the denotative meaning. Like for example, With the scene of Morpheus offering two different pills, by just simply looking at the pills in denotative meaning, it is a medicine. However, seeing it by connotative perspective, it is the main linkage to the world “matrix” (pills containing other meanings in the film).
The world matrix now in 2019 may be understood easily and it is true that the atmosphere of the film is now getting closer to the reality of this world. However, considering that this film was made in year 1999, the visual elements and the concept idea itself of the film is just amazing. It is like putting an imagination with in the screen but that imagination couldn’t be performed considering the year 1990’s. Not the story nor the action was boring. While watching this film, I couldn’t feel any awkwardness in terms of editing skill, actions and the cinematography itself. Especially the bullet dodging scene, is still remembered by millions of people as the most tremendous and memorable scene until now. The harmony between skills of camera angle, performance and the editing skills made this movie as Blockbuster.
With fulfilling the aspects of action film, “The Matrix” somehow showed the negative side of rapid human development during the late 1990’s where The Wachowski Brothers made the worries become true in the film with perfect combination of story and cinematography. It is also true that it made millions of people enjoy and made them enter the new world: The Matrix. I personally liked the film where I imagined myself dodging a bullet like Neo, loved the film with full of action scenes.
Written by
“Baek, Jin Wook”
collision of ideas 