Science Fiction and Matrix Revolutions - Movie Review Example

Genre Analysis: Science Fiction with reference to Matrix Revolutions Science fiction is a popular genre in literature and film which is characterized by its setting in a world which has fantasy elements in it, usually involving some kind of imaginary science or technology. Often there are clearly defined good and bad characters, involved in some kind of struggle, and there may be aliens, modified humans, spaceships and other planets, and futuristic settings. The imaginary worlds created in science fiction films can take the form of a utopia or dystopia, highlighting specific elements in human society as the characters play out imaginary scenarios to see where they might lead. This ability to mirror everyday society in a completely different, imaginary world makes science fiction a genre which can handle some quite deep and serious themes, without descending into controversy because of reference to real world people and problems. Some of the classics of science fiction have successfully dealt with difficult issues like social class conflict, for example Metropolis,1 and racism, for example Planet of the Apes2 which depicts a world in which chimpanzees and gorillas are more powerful than human beings. The film The Matrix Revolutions3 is a good example of the genre, following in a long tradition and adding new digital twists which reflect computer technologies of the early twenty first century. Telotte notes that “the digital image generation made possible by the film industry’s wedding of the computer with traditional cinematography promises, on one level, to render all film potentially as science fiction or fantasy.”4 The Matrix Revolutions makes use of technologies that are associated with science fiction genre in this wider sense and it also deals with traditional science fiction themes in the narrower sense of its subject matter. The setting for all three films in the Matrix-related trilogy is a futuristic world in which people plug themselves into computers for fun. In The Matrix Revolutions the opening sequence shows streams of lurid green symbols, numbers and letters flowing at speed from top to bottom of the screen against a dark background.The green symbols turn into buildings on a view of a city, which is a nice way of linking the symbols with the world of human beings. This image and colour scheme sets up the eerie communication between human and computers and emphasizes how mysterious the digital world is. In contrast to the speeding text, the first shots of human beings are static – two still figures lying comatose on trolleys and being attended by carers, who cannot bring them back to life. Familiar actors from the two previous films in the series make it clear that this film will follow in the same manner, but with the added twist that Neo, the hero, is trapped within the Matrix and needs to be rescued. This sets up the motivation for the film’s plot, and brings the heroes into contact with the villains. At first the scenery is fairly realistic, with the usual dark leather clothing, sunglasses and stark machine-filled rooms, but when the camera finally reaches Neo, the setting shifts to a strangely empty underground train station. The lighting is either dark and threatening, as in the tunnels and stairways, or cold fluorescent light, as in the station area. This place, and the Asian people in it, reveal themselves as mere computer programs and this creates one of the great tensions of the film. The audience is never sure what is “real” and what is “virtual reality.” This uncertainty causes the viewer to question his or her own perceptions, and the images on the screen, to examine what constitutes “reality.” Neo inhabits both worlds, and the main message of the film is that he sacrifices himself in a noble struggle to save the humans from the machines. This messianic role against the horror of evil machines is one of the clichés of the science fiction genre. Some critics applauded the first two films in the series because of their imaginative treatment of moral and philosophical dilemmas but became critical of The Matrix Revolutions because it pushed the heroism of Neo into extreme levels: “The idea, for example, implied in the third film, that Neo is literally divine and can change the world outside the matrix is simply insulting.”5 It is possible to read the film as a religious figure, in which the innocent character Neo acts as saviour. His name means “new” which suggests that he is bringing something different to the situation. The film actually works better as a traditional “Frankenstein” story, in which the humans realize, somewhat too late, that they have created a monster through their scientific experiments and then have to find ways of stopping its harmful effects. Although the exact interpretation of the symbolic elements may be debatable, it is quite clear that parallels with other stories and myths are liberally presented by the directors for audiences to enjoy. References to classical Greek and Roman myths are plentiful, including the character of the Oracle, which recalls Ancient Greek history and the legendary temple at Delphi where people came to consult the Oracle for information about their future. Her way of speaking is mysterious, and add layers of meaning to the story, suggesting that there is some overarching “fate” or “destiny” which governs the film’s story. In general the names of characters and places have other significance. “The Merovingian” refers to an early European dynasty in what is now France, and the station where Neo wakes up and meets the programs is called “Mobil Ave” – the word “Mobil” being a play on the word “limbo” which in Greek mythology is the no-man’s-land between life and death. Morpheus, Persephone and Niobe are also classical names with connections to the after-world. In a different set of allusions, Judaeo-Christian terminology is used, as for example in the names Seraph, meaning and angel, and the ship “Logos” meaning the word, and also in Christian religion, the word made flesh, i.e. Jesus Christ. The name of the city which the humans inhabit is “Zion” which clearly places the action in a religious context. Because all of these references are jumbled together, no single allegorical line is detectable, except perhaps a message that all human cultures are threatened by the power of machines working for shadowy figures in the background. The motif of the evil machine is central to the plot, and just as the machine displays superhuman powers to obtain supremacy, so the human characters also display extraordinary abilities when they are inside the matrix. The can, for example, leap across great distances, walk on ceilings and walls, and throw people around, presumably because the normal laws of gravity and space do not apply in the half real, half virtual world of the matrix. This allows the cinematography to depart from conventional perspectives from each side during gun battles, turning instead to impressive room shots where characters appear to walk round all four sides of the frame. The effect is like a kaleidoscope, and the human brain finds it difficult to process this kind of action, because we are so accustomed to seeing actors in upright positions. In this way the camera work emphasizes the alien and disorienting physical location of the matrix and shows in style what the story is telling us in content. Much of the action in The Matrix Revolutions is modelled on the action film, with chases, ambushes and shoot-outs. Another typical feature of the genre is the presence of strong female characters who participate in the action as pilots, killers and heroines on the same level as the men. The character of Trinity, played by Carrie Anne Moss, plays this role, as does Niobe, played by Jada Pinkett-Smith. In some science fiction films technology is glorified, and futuristic worlds appear shiny and smooth, with everything working towards the benefit of mankind. This is certainly not the case in The Matrix Revolutions where most of the action takes place in dirty tunnels, or under streaming rain in the dark. Killing is brutal and mechanical, using primitive automatic guns, or in some cases exoskeletons of metal. The film shows monsters which look like giant animals, but in fact consist of machine parts, snaking out to grab people, or swooping down out of the sky. If anything, the film blurs the distinction between sentient and non-sentient beings, since the Sentinel machines behave like watchmen, and a blinded Neo uses non-physical senses to fight back against them. Through a spare and bleak mise en scène, with few props and jarring metallic rock music, the directors show a world where technology has gone wrong. The humans in the town are dressed in leather, and they appear primitive in the way they fight aided by a superhuman sacrifice in the form of Neo. There is a lot of allegory, but this is because the film is the last one in a series of three, and it is summing up all the meanings of the whole series. As in most science fiction films, the human race survives, and the audience leaves the auditorium relieved and fascinated by the special effects and cult-like presentation of another world. Works Cited / Bibliography Faller, Stephen. Beyond The Matrix: Revolutions and Revelations. St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press, 2004. Lang, Fritz (dir.). Metropolis. Starring Alfred Abel and Brigitte Helm. UFA, 1927. Film. Sanders, Steven M. The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2008. Schaffner, Franklin J. (dir.) Planet of the Apes. Starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell. 20th Century Fox, 1968. Film. Telotte, J. P. The Science Fiction Film. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Wachowski, A. and Wachowski, L. (dirs.) The Matrix Revolutions. Starring Keanu Reaves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Jada Pinkett Smith. Warner Brothers, 2003. Film. Read More