The Matrix Narrative and Genre Overview

Genre: Action/Adventure/Science Fiction

Set: Future world - unknown

Our protaganist Neo lives two lives, in the daytime he is a computer programmer and at night he is a hacker. He finds himseld targetted by the authorities and is contacted by Morpheus, an infamous computer hacker branded a terrorist. Morpheus shows Neo the real world: a wasteland where machines live off human's energy and imprison their minds into the Matrix. Neo, Morpheus and the rest of his team fight the computer programmed agents for the freedom of the human race.

Protaganist - Neo

Neo is the consciousness we follow throughout the film. We are placed on his side as an audience because we are told about the injustice that abuses the human race. His role to guide the audience is effective because, like us, he knows nothing about the true reality of his world until the narrative begins, therefore building our trust.
His all black costume is common of protagonists in action adventure films. However his costume is not conventional modern day wear, therefore reinforcing the idea that the plot exists within another world.

    

Antaganists - The Agents

The presentation of the agents in exactly the same clothing, manner and appearance allows us as an audience to dismiss their roles as characters we could sympathise with. Their dress conforms to the stereotypical audience perception of CIA dress from the 1960s onwards. This is then directly juxtaposed with Neo's costume, which in comparison seems less official, and more 'cool'.

How the film conforms to it's genre:
The protagonist is a male character
He develops a love interest in a female character
Contains futuristic technology
Is set at least partly within a city
Contains extended action sequences
Uses computer animation
Set in the future
Different political or social system to ours
A problem the protagonist must overcome
Conflict with technology
Plays with illusions of the real world

'The Matrix' title, typography and anchorage

'Matrix' is defined at dictionary.com as the place at which something else develops or is contained. This perfectly describes the setting in which the narrative is created. There are two worlds, one which is contained inside another.
The typography of the title depicts the science fiction element of the film, with the letters using a design effect making them seem blurry and connected with each other. The colours used are white, black and green. The green theme is used throughout the Matrix films but is uncommon within the genre.