Film Analysis of “the Matrix”
Since the invention of film, many movies have earned their place as benchmarks in cinema history, such as Casablanca, citizen kane, and The Wizard of Oz. All of these have been (and still are) looked upon as iconic examples of creative and intuitive filmmaking. In today’s society, films are chock full of special effects, whether its gunshots, explosions, or aliens; some films nowadays can even make money without a good plot, peppering the viewer with nonstop action sequences with no thought for story or character development (Avatar, Transformers, etc.) There are millions of people that go to see movies like this every year and are entertained, but experienced moviegoers are not so enthralled by this action marinated idiocy. Good action movies are written and directed by people that care equally about visuals and characters, and not just spewing special effects at the observer and hoping the flood of mindless paraphernalia will provide them with money to create a string of equally bad sequels and knockoffs. The Matrix, (written and directed by the wachowski Brothers) is one such movie. It perfectly melds together underlying symbolism, special effects, and Visual style to create one of the greatest science fiction films of all time.
The Matrix contains many instances of symbolism that range from religious to philosophical. Gnosticism is the main religious influence in the matrix; (Gnosticism as an "offshoot" of Christianity, in which knowledge instead of faith is what its followers strive for). In The matrix, the main group of characters has "broken free" from the illusion of the matrix. In essence, "knowledge" is what frees them, (only people that have become partially aware that the matrix is an illusion are chosen to be rescued from it). The Gnostic version of God created the world, but is also responsible for all of the suffering that occurs in it. But the chosen "Gnostics" ascend above the suffering with their newfound pursuit of knowledge. The matrix
The Matrix contains many instances of symbolism that range from religious to philosophical. Gnosticism is the main religious influence in the matrix; (Gnosticism as an "offshoot" of Christianity, in which knowledge instead of faith is what its followers strive for). In The matrix, the main group of characters has "broken free" from the illusion of the matrix. In essence, "knowledge" is what frees them, (only people that have become partially aware that the matrix is an illusion are chosen to be rescued from it). The Gnostic version of God created the world, but is also responsible for all of the suffering that occurs in it. But the chosen "Gnostics" ascend above the suffering with their newfound pursuit of knowledge. The matrix
Cited: Glyph, Jacob. "The Matrix: Meaning & Interpretations." The Matrix 101. Ed. Allen Virolent. The Matrix 101, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. . Rowley, Stephen. "What Was the Matrix?" Sterow: Film, Urban Planning, Etc. Ed. Stephen Rowley. Stephen Rowley, 8 June 2003. Web. 6 Feb. 2013. . Thill, Scott. "March 31, 1999: The Matrix Hooks Us." Wired. Ed. Mark McClusky. Condé Nast, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. . SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Matrix Trilogy.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2004. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.