Ayisha Audrain

What makes a film a good film ?

I think that a good film has a unique and relevant story and it has to have a message that the audience can understand, for example The Matrix is set in a hypothetical future where humanity is trapped in an illusion that is created by machines and a chosen one rises up to defeat this evil force that is keeping humanity enslaved. Although this film was released almost twenty years ago it also incorporates some scathing commentary on our increasing reliance on machines, in addition, the film has many philosophical layers to it and this makes The Matrix a piece of cinema that will endure for years to come. My chosen film is a sci – fi film and it presents the audience with a bleak, dystopian future – the film was written and directed by the Wachowski siblings and the film stands out in the way that it integrates the colour green into its environments and it is also distinguished by its use of dark and muted colours in the environments and the costumes that the characters wear.

The film is written from the point of view of a hacker called Neo and we see his journey from a slave to the system to the chosen one who will save humanity from bondage and in the beginning Neo is scared and frantic but by the end of the film he has evolved and he has taken up the mantle of the ‘Chosen One’ and he is more calm and composed and this shows Neo’s growth thought the story.

The cinematography in The Matrix contrasts shiny office buildings with a bleak underbelly and this symbolises the illusion that The Matrix has created in order to oppress and enslave humanity and it shows the duality of all humans , in addition, the constant use of mirrors throughout the film symbolises Neo’s search for the truth and that is one of the major themes that encapsulates the entire film and it also serves as a cautionary tale about the arrogance of humanity and the potential power of technology, furthermore , sound is used to build tension in the film , especially when the heroes are being perused during the high – speed chase scenes and much of the background music utilises a lot of synthesisers and this is highly suitable for the theme of the film which is about computers and how they have come to dominate humanity.

The mise – en – scene in this film is sparse and minimal because the world of the film is very harsh and the characters in this film wouldn’t own anything frivolous , that being said most of the mise – en – scene in this film either consists of reflective objects like the spoon and mirrors and computers which helps to reinforce one of the key themes in the film which is the power of technology and the revolutionary potential it holds. The Matrix is a film about the destructive potential of human arrogance and it is also about hope for a better future , furthermore , the editing helps to extenuate the slick action scenes and it drives the story

forward because it makes said action scenes more dynamic and the editing becomes a story technique in its own right.

To conclude , I firmly believe that a film can only be good if it has a good story and plot and all of the other aspects that I just mentioned are secondary because if you don’t have a good story which you use as a starting point all of the other aspects of a film will fall completely flat and it won’t end up b