Critical Analysis of The Matrix - Desklib
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Running Head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF “THE MATRIX”
Critical analysis of “The Matrix.”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:
Critical analysis of “The Matrix.”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF “THE MATRIX”1
Introduction
The Matrix released in the year 1999 and was an instant hit in the movie theatre. Soon, it
became a cultural phenomenon directed by Wachowski siblings. Later the film has been known
to redefine the paradigm of sci-fi in the Hollywood industry. The Matrix, in its plot, and
involvement of the latest science and computer advancements transcended the milestone cinemas
which preceded the Wachowski creation, namely, Metropolis (1927), 2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968), Star Wars (1977), and finally Blade Runner (1982).
Discussion
The critics perceived the heavy influence of Lewis Carroll, William Gibson, Grant
Morrison, as well as Philip Dick since the undercurrents of the Bible, Greek mythology, various
philosophical texts along with Eastern religion was clearly evident in the film. However, it
seemed that the directors were aiming at something deeper than the sheer brilliance of the VR
along with that of action sequences that went on to define the style of cinematography in its own;
in order to imbue meaning deeper than the humdrum of the sci-fi, Keanu Reeves, who played the
role of Neo in the movie, was made to read Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard even
before he could read the script of the movie. However, the effects of such readings or the
portrayal of the society in which the protagonist belonged to followed by the seed of doubt
regarding the nature of reality around him are hardly original (Ndalianis).
“Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were
unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difference between the dream
world and the real world? (M. Boje)”
Introduction
The Matrix released in the year 1999 and was an instant hit in the movie theatre. Soon, it
became a cultural phenomenon directed by Wachowski siblings. Later the film has been known
to redefine the paradigm of sci-fi in the Hollywood industry. The Matrix, in its plot, and
involvement of the latest science and computer advancements transcended the milestone cinemas
which preceded the Wachowski creation, namely, Metropolis (1927), 2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968), Star Wars (1977), and finally Blade Runner (1982).
Discussion
The critics perceived the heavy influence of Lewis Carroll, William Gibson, Grant
Morrison, as well as Philip Dick since the undercurrents of the Bible, Greek mythology, various
philosophical texts along with Eastern religion was clearly evident in the film. However, it
seemed that the directors were aiming at something deeper than the sheer brilliance of the VR
along with that of action sequences that went on to define the style of cinematography in its own;
in order to imbue meaning deeper than the humdrum of the sci-fi, Keanu Reeves, who played the
role of Neo in the movie, was made to read Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard even
before he could read the script of the movie. However, the effects of such readings or the
portrayal of the society in which the protagonist belonged to followed by the seed of doubt
regarding the nature of reality around him are hardly original (Ndalianis).
“Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were
unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difference between the dream
world and the real world? (M. Boje)”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF “THE MATRIX”2
It is important to mention here that the movie “The Matrix” transgresses the most
important thresholds that are defined as the most basic spectacle movie in the manner of genres
such as biotechnology, cybernetics, virtual consumption, as well as the ecological apocalypse.
The society that has been shown in the movie, to which the protagonist belonged to before the
knowledge of the reality as a farce dawned upon him has highly dictated y genetic engineering
where the human beings are known to create their own evolutionary successors in the attempt of
consumption. The various corporations are simultaneously competing to establish their patents
on plants, animals, and human genomes. With every such development, there is a storyline
accompanying it as well as an ideology. The goal of this developing ideology is to rationalize the
production, distribution, as well as the consumption of such stories. Such storyline is a huge part
of the spectacle that includes the media industry, utopian dreamland in Disney theme parks, Las
Vegas Casinos that are heavily instrumental in masking the fragmentation of the society along
with the condition of production for human beings with the help of self-portraits of powers.
Kristeva also argues that every text consists of an intertextual “trajectory” which is both
“historical” as well as “social coordinates”. The enormously carnivalesque theatrical staging of
the resort casinos in Las Vegas and the construction of the world portrayed in The Matrix is no
different.
According to the opinion of Slavoj Zizek, the best audience of the film was an idiot who
was in his late 20ies. The reason he prefers to have such a naïve audience is clear in the next few
paragraphs in the essay “The Matrix, or, the Two Sides of Perversion, by Slavoj Zizek”. He
states that the naïve immersion of the audience was much preferred to that of the pseudo-
sophisticated intellectuals reading that has been clearly shown in the movie (Žižek). For Zizek,
the plot of the movie repeats on what Plato had mentioned in The Republic. The story was that of
It is important to mention here that the movie “The Matrix” transgresses the most
important thresholds that are defined as the most basic spectacle movie in the manner of genres
such as biotechnology, cybernetics, virtual consumption, as well as the ecological apocalypse.
The society that has been shown in the movie, to which the protagonist belonged to before the
knowledge of the reality as a farce dawned upon him has highly dictated y genetic engineering
where the human beings are known to create their own evolutionary successors in the attempt of
consumption. The various corporations are simultaneously competing to establish their patents
on plants, animals, and human genomes. With every such development, there is a storyline
accompanying it as well as an ideology. The goal of this developing ideology is to rationalize the
production, distribution, as well as the consumption of such stories. Such storyline is a huge part
of the spectacle that includes the media industry, utopian dreamland in Disney theme parks, Las
Vegas Casinos that are heavily instrumental in masking the fragmentation of the society along
with the condition of production for human beings with the help of self-portraits of powers.
Kristeva also argues that every text consists of an intertextual “trajectory” which is both
“historical” as well as “social coordinates”. The enormously carnivalesque theatrical staging of
the resort casinos in Las Vegas and the construction of the world portrayed in The Matrix is no
different.
According to the opinion of Slavoj Zizek, the best audience of the film was an idiot who
was in his late 20ies. The reason he prefers to have such a naïve audience is clear in the next few
paragraphs in the essay “The Matrix, or, the Two Sides of Perversion, by Slavoj Zizek”. He
states that the naïve immersion of the audience was much preferred to that of the pseudo-
sophisticated intellectuals reading that has been clearly shown in the movie (Žižek). For Zizek,
the plot of the movie repeats on what Plato had mentioned in The Republic. The story was that of
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