Studying The Matrix: Student Edition

"Anna Dawson feels that The Matrix is far more substantial than it first looks and her enthusiasm for the film is not only valuable but ultimately infectious."--TES 2003 saw the release of two sequels to the surprise 1999 hit, The Matrix, prompting producer Joel Silver to declare 2003 as 'the Year of The Matrix'. Certainly, interest in the film and its sequels has never been greater, and there can be no better time for using the original film for study in the classroom. Science fiction fans are absorbed in the revolutionary special effects and the convincingly depicted dystopia narrative; action movie buffs relish the conjunction of Hong Kong martial arts techniques with mainstream Hollywood aesthetics; and intellectuals immerse themselves in the film's explicit and deliberate evocation of Baudrillard and higher mathematics. Studying The Matrix considers the diverse influences behind the film--be it cinematic, philosophical, literary or comic book--together with its iconographic use of costumes, groundbreaking special effects and its stars, alongside its very particular industrial and ideological background, all in the context of the key concepts of media studies.