"Your mind makes it real" - Morpheus
The Wachowski Brothers' 1999 film, The Matrix, brings up important topics from that time. In 1999 people were unfamiliar and scared of technology and worried about Y2K, the complete takeover of machines over humanity. At the time, most people hardly had a grasp on sending e-mails. The thought of more advanced technology taking over their lives must have been frightening thus creating more concern over Y2K. One scene in the film that represented the fear of electronics was the one in which Neo is “bugged.” Due to the novelty of this technology, people probably pictured viruses as bugs since they were unfamiliar with the lingo. This cultural invisibility makes the scene even more horrifying. Neo's bug has several legs like a creepy crawler that you would find in your bathtub. And to make it worse, the mechanism used to remove his bug is like a t-shirt gun reversed to act like a vacuum. Not to mention, the CGI must have been mind blowing for the time. Even in the year 2014, I was put on edge by this scene. This scene further perpetuates the debate between real and fiction.
The Matrix is constantly bringing up the question: what is reality? The Wachowski Brothers use form throughout the film in a variety of ways to intrigue the viewer subconsciously. For instance, when Neo sells tapes to the “white rabbit.” He goes back into his apartment and pulls out a book which is the hiding place for these tapes. While the cover of the book is only shown for a mere second, it is necessary. This book is Simulacra and Simulation by the French author Jean Baudrillar. Baudrillar discusses how our reality has been replaced by human symbols which makes reality as we know it, a human simulation. There is no doubt that this book is an inspiration for the Matrix but we see a more noticeable form in the classic “red pill or blue pill” scene. Morpheus proclaims “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.” At this point, Neo has two paths to take. In order to convey this idea to the audience, there is a close-up view of Morpheus wearing his sunglasses. In both lenses we see Neo. In the right lens, Morpheus is holding a blue pill and in the other Morpheus is holding a red pill. Also, the red pill is on the left which means we see it first. Bringing psychology into the study, we are more likely to choose the option that is presented to us first. We see the red pill first, therefore the audience wants Neo to pick the red pill. Not to mention that the movie would have no plot if he did not take the red one.
The motif of reflection continues throughout the movie. Every time a reflection is shown Neo is in that reflection. For example, in one scene Neo is riding in a car staring out of the window at people walking down the street. The viewer can see the people and Neo. This segment represents Neo's separation from the rest of the Matrix. Everyone outside on the streets thinks that they are alive and living an “average” life. Neo, on the other hand, knows the truth and realizes he will never be able to live an “average” life again. Just as the Matrix is electronically constructed, a viewer may look upon this segment and question what is socially constructed in their own lives. The segment inspired me to look upon my life this way. It made me realize how seemingly minute details can completely change the emotion evoked by a scene.
Works Cited
Looking at Movies by: Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan; Norton Text, 4th Edition;
The Matrix. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishbourne. 1999. DVD.
Quotes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu;
Dodging pic: http://theathleticnerd.com/movies/all-time-best-top-10-matrix-moments;
Pill pic: http://agilitrix.com/2011/03/red-pill-blue-pill/;
Looking at Movies by: Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan; Norton Text, 4th Edition;
The Matrix. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishbourne. 1999. DVD.
Quotes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu;
Dodging pic: http://theathleticnerd.com/movies/all-time-best-top-10-matrix-moments;
Pill pic: http://agilitrix.com/2011/03/red-pill-blue-pill/;