The Matrix is filled with dynamics from beginning to end. This is what helps create the mystery and raise the question, “is their some thing more?” The whole film is centered around the theme; which also happens to be the first step in the analysis of the film. The theme in the Matrix if based upon a central idea; the idea that there is another realm to our world and that we are a mere piece of the game in the scheme of it all.

As we begin the objective evaluation of the film we must take into consideration the theme and level of ambition. Clearly the level of ambition for the Matrix was quite high and it appears that in this film the director did indeed succeed at what it was designed to do. Although I personally love this movie, I need to remember to keep a neutral outlook when analyzing this movie. It is important to ask what are the strengths and weaknesses of the film, why are they there, and what caused them to be there? No matter how good a movie is, it is bound to have strengths and weaknesses; it is almost as though we must conduct an internal factor evaluation on the movie, just as we would do when analyzing a business. When evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the film we must be cautious and weigh each strength and weakness in terms of its overall effect on the film, avoiding petty nitpicking on slight flaws. One clear strength for the Matrix is, that prior to this film, there really wasn’t another hit movie that closely resembled its exact theme or at least the way the theme was presented. I am aware of other films such as the Wizard of Oz, which are similar in thought, but not presented in a similar way.A weakness, although subjective, is having Keanu Reeves star in the leading role. He is not the strongest actor in the industry and it makes me wonder why he was selected for this role; was it simply because of his good looks? Along with the objective evaluation, there is also subjective evaluation that needs to take place too. Because of our inherent human characteristics, it is impossible to be completely objective when analyzing a film. The subjective analysis is based off of our intuition, emotion, and personal biases. Our interpretation of film is flavored by our personal life experiences.

Although objective and subjective analysis are the most common forms of film analysis, there are several other approaches: film as a technical achievement, film as a showcase or the actor, film as product of a single creative mind, film as moral/philosophical/or social statement, film as emotional or sensual experience, film as repeated form, film as a political statement, film as a gender statement, film as insight to the mid, and the eclectic approach. Personally, I feel that I follow the eclectic approach by drawing pieces from the above mentioned approaches and combining them into my final analysis.

Toward the end of the chapter the topic of movie reviews is addressed. An important point that is brought out is that when reading a review, you and the review writer could use the same approach to analyzing the film and come up with completely different opinions on areas. It is all based off of your personal views and past experiences.

In the article posted for this movie, the topics of Buddhism and Christianity in the Matrix are addressed. I believe that the parallels between the Matrix and Christianity are pretty evident. The well-known tale of Jesus’ second coming to save the world from destruction the Apocalypse is clearly depicted in this film. Neo (“the One”) is the Christ-like figure in the film. Another close relation to Christianity is the fact that Trinity is the name of key character in the movie – obviously signifying the Holy Trinity of God, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Buddhist traits of the movie are more commonly over looked, but once focusing, they become clear. According to Buddhism as well as the character Morpheous in the movie, the most significant problem according to Buddhism is our ignorance of existential reality. In the article it states, “If we could perceive the true nature of reality and the path to enlightenment, condensed in Sakyamuni teaching of the three marks of existence and the Four Noble Truths, then we could overcome our ignorant state and achieve the insight of a Buddha.” This theme is evident throughout the film, but is most clearly depicted in the scene where Morpheous is teaching Neo how to fight and telling him he is only bound in his abilities by his mind.

The Matrix has been a long time favorite of mine, but after reading the article for this film, I have taken a new insight into the background data that went into creating this film. The religious parallels, outside of Christianity, are extremely interesting and clear to see once the point is brought to the front of your mind.