Existentialism In The Matrix Essay

In The Matrix directed by Lilly Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, existentialism and determinism are explored leading one to question what reality truly is through the use of various thematic techniques. Existentialists is the believe that an individual determines their own development through acts of free will whereas determinists believe that all events are determined by causes external to free will or fate. The main character Neo is presented with these conflicting beliefs when he becomes aware that what he believes is reality is merely an illusion, an alternate reality created by a computer program where laws of nature do not apply. As Neo becomes more aware of the glitches in The Matrix, Morpheus approaches Neo and presents him with a choice

The agents are all dressed in identical costumes, expensive suits with reflective sunglasses that block the agent’s eyes. This costume helps identify the agents as viruses which are all identical, unidentifiable, adaptive, and full of stealth. The agents are able to morph from other individuals and move in ways which defy natural laws of time and space showing that The Matrix is an illusion; a computer program in which natural laws do not apply. Although the agents are the viruses, the agents are programmed to view real humans as viruses because humans have free will which allows them to defy the laws of The Matrix. The humans in The Matrix are identified by their costumes which are unlike any other individual making them stand out as unique. Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity are all dressed in black costumes. The color black is closely associated with sneaky behavior and often identifies an individual as being one of the “bad guys”. Although from the audience’s perspective Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity as the “good guys”, to The Matrix and its agents, Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity are the ones defying the program and acting as viruses to

Buildings throughout the city in The Matrix are mirrored as well as the agents glasses. In one particular scene when Neo is on his way to see the Oracle, Neo sees a boy who is holding a spoon and it appears to bend without any physical force. The boy tells Neo not try to bend the spoon, because there is no spoon, but instead to realize the truth and see “that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only [himself].” The camera angle in this scene is focused on the spoon and the distorted view of Neo’s face in the reflection of the spoon. This adds to the idea that the spoon is not real, that it is only an illusion, and that in The Matrix anything is possible because natural laws do not apply. In addition to abstract camera angles and reflections and distortions throughout the film, suspenseful and quickened music helps to add intensity to fight scenes and turning points in the movie. Towards the end of the film, Neo is at a subway station about to be zapped out of The Matrix but a homeless man morphs into an agent who has set out to kill Neo. As Neo and the agent begin to fight, quickened music adds to the suspenseful effect making the audience become anxious to see how the fight will turn out. This music also adds mystery to various scenes which is at the very core of The