Sci-Fi Genre post

THE MATRIX

The narrative given to us in the opening scene of the matrix is a chase scene, between some police officers, some businessmen, and a woman named trinity. Trinity manages to escape the police who first surround her, and is then consequently chased by more police officers and a man in a suit and glasses, who looks like a businessman. Trinity manages to outrun them and jumps through a window. Therefore, I believe the rest of the movie will be about Trinity and why she was running from the police and the man in the suit. 

I believe the target audience is for older people because of the violence shown in the fist couple minutes implies that it is going to be violent throughout the movie which would be unsettling for younger viewers. 

Therefore because of the violence, I would assume this film is an action film. However there are many moments heavily implying that this film is actually a Sci-fi. For example, the opening shot is of green coding, followed by binary coding. Then there is a slick transition in which the coding expands, furthering the idea of this film being to do with science and technology. Sci-fi films often contain lots of action/ fight scenes in it, which once again supports the idea of a sci-fi film. 

Like mentioned before, we are introduced to multiple characters in this opening clip, however I would say only three are really important. One is Trinity. We gather from her character that she fearless and independent. This is because, she can easily take down multiple police officers, who are skilled specialists in dealing with crime and she does this by herself. It is unclear whether Trinity is a good character or an evil character from this opening scene, as it can be inferred through the use of costume, that her character is evil. This is because she is wearing all black latex and black is usually associated with the unknown/ danger. Also, in this scene, she is fighting and running away from the law. The law is used to control people who have gone against it. This further raises our suspicions. 

Also, during the opening scene, she is on the phone to another man, who says ‘we are going to kill him.’ Usually 'good' people don’t kill other people. Which leads me onto my next point. Another character that we are introduced to, though we never see, is the man that Trinity is talking to on the phone during the opening scene. This man is different from the first because his tone of voice and the way he speaks is different. He seems to be a dangerous man, as Trinity seems very dangerous, and yet she is taking orders from him. He also seems intelligent, as he plans an escape route for her. 

Finally, we are introduced to the strange businessmen. It is apparent that they could be more than how they dress however, because, whilst she is on the phone to the man, she calls them ‘agents,’ and these men also outran all the policemen by a long shot, and can also jump ridiculously far. This implies that they could have supernatural powers, which once again supports the idea of sci-fi being the genre of this film.

It is also unclear as to which side these businessmen are on in the opening scene because they take the side of the policemen, however they seem quite mysterious.

One key scene in this clip is when the audience is first introduced to Trinity.  In the first shot the police discover the apartment in and burst through the door. The use of a close up of the door being knocked down followed by a long shot of trinity positioned in the middle of the frame, makes the knocking down of the door more emphasised, and more sudden. The quick shot duration followed by a longer one of the room, makes the anticipation rebuild, as the policemen are unsure of what is going to happen. 

The eye line match also makes a contrast between how each group is feeling. When the shot is on the police, it is close up to them and shaky, to show their fear of the unknown. However, when the shot is on Trinity, it is still and far away. She is also staying still. This mirrors the fact that she does not feel afraid, and that the long shot makes everything feel less claustrophobic. You can also tell that she has the power in this moment as the camera stays on her long through the eye line match, and is a lot slower with the movements e.g panning shot. 

Diegetic monologue of the policeman contrasts greatly with the silence of Trinity, and how she does not put up any kind of fight. However, the soundtrack starts to play when there is the close up panning shot of her face, and it climaxes but quickly cuts off before we can see anything. This crescendo of soundtrack, makes the audience believe that something is going to happen. But the editing cuts the clip short and the next scene starts. However, this makes the anticipation of the audience grow, because while we are watching the next scene take place, we can’t help but think about what is happening in the room that was in the previous scene. 

Another key moment was the next scene where there is diegetic dialogue between the policeman and the agent and the policeman said, ‘I think we can handle one little girl.’ Following this he said how he sent two units. 

However, the agent replies that they are ‘already dead.’ This almost acts as a sound bridge into the next click as the soundtrack crescendos again which raises tension. It also lets us know more about Trinity's character.

Throughout this shot reverse shot the agents and policeman have an equal amount of screen time. However, there is a low angle shot on the agents throughout, implying that they are intimidating.

Other key moments consist of the slow motion jump that Trinity does in the fight scene. This effect of slowing down the film creates a really powerful image and emphasises how skilled Trinity is. It also supports the theme of sci-fi again, as she jumps really high in the air, and her kick sends the police officer flying into one of the walls, which cannot be achieved by a normal human.

In conclusion, I think this opening sequence was highly successful, as it introduces us clearly to the genre and tone of the film, and gives us a hint of the narrative; with Trinity being a key part of this. It also makes the audience curious to watch on, to find out if she escapes, and who the man in the business suit is.