The Matrix: The Plot and Character Summary of the Film

The film “The Matrix” considered Will Smith instead of Keanu Reeves to play as Neo the main character. This essay will begin with a short plot and character summary. Following the plot and character summary are three hero’s journey stages that are reflected in the Matrix. The three hero’s journey stages I am talking about is the call to adventure when Neo is talking to Morpheus, to allies and enemies where he spars Morpheus, meets the crew, learns about the dangerous agents, and the attainment of the goal where he kills agent smith.

In the film “The Matrix” it involves Neo the main character wondering what the matrix is. Morpheus who is considered to be the most dangerous man alive can answer that question. Neo is contacted by another main character named Trinity who leads him to the underworld to meet with Morpheus. Neo and the team fight against the A.I. that made the matrix to save their lives.

First, Neo’s call to adventure by Morpheus. Neo is called upon by Morpheus at his workplace and is put in a situation that he cannot ignore. Morpheus is telling him that the agents are coming after him and he has no choice but to run. Neo comes to a point where he is refusing to do what Morpheus is telling him to do which is to get on the side of the building. Therefore is captured by the agents and interrogated. Neo wakes up from the interrogation thinking it never happened and received a call from Trinity who picks him and gets a wiretap bug ripped out of him. Neo sees the crew for the first time after picking the red pill and enters the world of the matrix where he loses his mind on what is going on in this futuristic world. Neo is then healed into his new body and is taught about the matrix while he is in the real world now.

The next hero’s journey is allied to enemies. Here Neo is taken into a simulation program where he learns about the matrix which is the dream world he has been living in and the real world which is all corrupt and run by artificial intelligence. He then gets plugged into a computer that teaches him fighting skills like jujitsu, kung fu, etc. After he learns everything about combat he spars against Morpheus to test how well he learned to fight. After Morpheus teaches him the right mindset to be in, Morpheus changes the simulation to the rooftop of a tall building in a city. On top of the building, Morpheus tells him to do the matrix jump across to another building and fails horribly. After Neo’s recovery from all the testing, Morpheus explains that the Matrix and everyone in it is their enemy. Neo also learns about the dangerous agents that can move in and out of any software that they made and the red dresses. Neo gets to meet his allies in the Nebuchadnezzar ship and begin his new life in the future and the past.

Lastly, the attainment of the goal stage. One of the best scenes in the matrix is when Neo kills Agent Smith (the leader Agent). Morpheus and the crew were betrayed by Sypher causing Morpheus to be taken by the agents and tortured to get answers because of it. Neo is then given the option by the future giving a person named Oracle to unplug causing Morpheus to die forever or go back in and risk his life to save him. Neo and Trinity go back into the matrix and successfully save Morpheus by killing all the security guards and the agents to fly out of the building dangling from a helicopter. Morpheus and Trinity safely got back to Nebuchadnezzar through the telephone but Neo was left behind because Agent Smith destroyed the phone. Neo is now in a face-off with Agent Smith when you’re supposed to run from them because they're strong. Neo fails to kill Agent Smith and runs off. Sadly, the agents are to fast and track him down to finally shoot and kill him. A miracle happens when Trinity confesses her love to Neo and is resurrected. He then has the power to stop the bullets instead of dodging them and dive into Agent Smith to blow him up into green bits.

To conclude, Neo frees his mind from the matrix. The matrix does indeed follow the hero’s journey as proven from the call to adventure, to allies and enemies, and the attainment of the goal.