NICS analysis of The Matrix

The Matrix
Narrative – follows something along the lines of Todorovs theory. It’s about an ordinary man finding out that he is “the one”, and is destined to save the human race from the robots. It’s an apocalyptical story, with lots of fight and chase scenes with A LOT of gunfire/explosions, making it very conventional in that way. Also a lot of escaping is needed, for example Neo escaping the Agents. Use of sfx to emphasise the action are also used, such as explosion, knife slashes, breaking down doors etc. It is also made to seem as if rebelling and crime is a good thing, in this case, as the humans need to fight back against the robots, which are in charge. Lots of destruction happens along the way, especially to cars, buildings and the urban environment around them, however there are also many casualties on the human side, which makes it seem as if they have little chance of success. Overall it has the very conventional good vs evil, good being the humans, and evil being the robots.
Iconography – clothing is very dark and mysterious, with everyone wearing a lot of black leather when they are in the matrix, and ripped, worn out clothes when they are out of the matrix, which shows a vast binary opposite. The Agents wear their recognisable suits and ear pieces and sunglasses (which never seem to be damaged no matter what they go through!!!), which makes them look like ordinary office workers. Overall the costumes look very cool (for those times), and I think they are used to create a split between the good and evil side. The main props are guns – they are everywhere. Other props include machinery, however there are not that many other props involved.
Lighting varies, often being natural outdoor but also being dark and gloomy. Overall there is a very grey tone to which makes it seem very sinister and serious, creating a tense mise-en-scene. This matches with the buildings and clothing, which are very grey and urbanised. Special effects are used a lot in the film, especially strings and green screen which are used to perform the many stunts and awesome fight scenes in the film.
Characters –
Hero – Neo – this breaks the conventions, as Neo is seen as an ordinary, rather shady character who does some illegal things (being one of the most notorious computer hackers in the world). However he also has is work life, which is very mundane, like many office workers. However he turns out to be destined to save the world, and it taken in by the humans who make him realise that the world is fake. He ends up saving everyone, however the villains (robots) are not destroyed, which isn’t that common in A-A films.
Princess – Trinity – she is a very powerful character, who is brave and outgoing, which breaks the stereotype of female characters always being the damsel in distress and utterly hopeless. She does some pretty awesome stunts, and often saves Neo, which turns the typical hero saving the princess relationship around, and creates a positive representation of women.
Villain – the main villain who are fought would be the Agents, however they work for the robots. They are superior and very hard to defeat, and are feared by everyone, even Neo, the chosen one. They are used to create a tense atmosphere, as the humans are never safe, as anyone can be an Agent.

Settings – the main setting is a large, urban city, however its whereabouts are left untold which creates the feeling of unease as we don’t know exactly what’s happening and where. This represents the world as we think it is, which is said to be created to store us. The binary opposite setting is the real world, which is dark, desolate by humans and filled with dangerous robots. This is used to create a tense atmosphere as we start to question what’s real and what isn’t. Overall the settings are exaggerated heavily to make the film seem more dramatic, and these new environments bring us into them.

Narrative and Character analysis on Wall E (awesome film!)

Genre:
The genre of Wall E is mainly animation, as it is animated. It comes from the renowned animators Disney and Pixar, which makes the genre even clearer. However it also fits into the comedy genre, as there are lots of funny scenes within the film, usually occurring because Wall E is very clumsy. For example the scene where his hand gets caught in EVE shows slap stick comedy. Sci-fi is also a genre for this film, as the majority of it is set in outer space. Some conventions of the sci-fi genre are made clear in the film, such as the bright lights, futuristic technology, and the different coloured lycra clothing.
Propp:
Wall E is no exception to Propps theory of key characters in films. The Hero is Wall E, who saves all the humans on the ship and brings them back to Earth. The Princess is EVE, who bonds with the hero, where a relationship is created between them. The Villain is not shown until quite far into the film, and is the machine Auto, that runs the ship. Other villains include the ships “police”, who are controlled by Auto. There are various helpers within the film, including the captain, various humans on the ship, and all of the malfunctioning robots that were captured by the ship’s “police”. The main donor would be EVE, as she gives the plant to Wall E, which is needed for the ship to return back to Earth. However, the Princess’ Father does not seem to show, as EVE is a machine. The closest person to the Princess’ Father would be the captain, as he is the one who tells EVE to find the plant, and moves the story forwards.
Wall E does not fit the typical conventions of a hero, as he is not very strong, wise or courageous. Yet he still manages to save everyone and plays the hero in the end. The main villain, Auto, is first seen as a helper, as he helps the captain control the ship. However the turn rogue and tries to take over, which makes him the villain in the end. EVE plays a dual character, as the Princess and as the main Doner, which is common in many films. She is not the stereotypical “Princess” character, as she is generally cleverer than Wall E, and does most of the hard work and fighting, whereas Wall E seems to get in her way a lot. This breaks the stereotype of female characters being unhelpful and needing saving. Although some of the character challenge the stereotypes of that character, the film still retains its familiarity, and is able to be recognised by the audience in terms of the characters which are used.
Todorovs narrative theory:
The structure of Wall E is fairly conventional, and follows Todorov’s theory on the narrative structure of films.
Equilibrium – Wall E is living a simple, peaceful life on Earth, as he clears up the mess which is left day after day. He is alone, and nothing especially exciting happens as he works, apart from Wall E finding a plant which he keeps.
Disruption – A space ship lands on Earth, and EVE, the “princess”, comes onto Earth in search of something. Wall E falls in love with her, and they begin to bond. However, the thing that EVE was looking for happens to be the plant Wall E shows her, and she unwillingly takes the plant and goes into something I would call “sleep mode”, awaiting a ship to collect her. When the plant is collected by the humans, Auto, the villain, tries to destroy the plant to stop the humans returning to Earth.
Resolution – Wall E and EVE, along with the many helpers and doners, go on an adventure to give the plant to the captain, and return the entire space ship back to Earth. Auto is stopped by Wall E, and the plant is given to the captain.
Restoration – The humans return to Earth, and plant the plant into the ground. Wall E and EVE hold hands and electrically kiss, showing signs of a relationship. The humans are taught to look after plants, and a bright future is suggested as the camera zooms outside the city, showing more signs of plant life.

like ur blog bhavin but it made me laugh that ur favourite thing about action/adventure movies is people getting kicked in the head
i never knew u were so violent ;)