We start with the Warner Brothers symbol and its green...ohhh...interesting...we'll get to the importance of green later.

"You like him dont you...you like watching him"

Obviously Trinity's been watching Neo often....she's already got a bit of a thing for him.

"Were going to kill him you know"

Now this is perhaps a foreshadowing technique to illustrate Cyphers betrayal. He is in no way a believer...he doesnt believe Neo is the One...he doesnt believe there IS a One. I think this line is actually referring to the fact that training Neo will kill him....and he will certainly die if he ever comes up against an agent.

It is interesting to think that the film opens with the heroine (rather than the hero). Notice Trinitys room is 303...trinity...three. I love the fact that we dont know whether Trinity is good or bad....the entire mystery of the Matrix begins in the opening scene. We have no bloody idea whats going on.

And we cut to Neo sleeping....his computer running a search on Morpheus. Very interesting technique of the screen reflected on his facebeginning a theme of different perceptions of reflection and reality. "Wake up, Neo" The film is essentially Neos awakening to his destiny....to the true nature of reality (so we think...if the whole Zion is another level of the matrix is true....apart from being royally pissed off...Im going to be screwed...all my theories shot to shit). Anyway the essential idea behind Buddhism is to awaken to your true self...to reach the final level of enlightenment (Nirvana). The thing with The Matrix is that it does not subscribe to one religion, one path, one way of doing things...the philosophies are drawn from all religions, all ideas...you can draw you own conclusions...these are mine. Anyway "Follow the white rabbit" is the first reference to the Alice in Wonderland stories...where Alice falls down the rabbit hole and finds herself in a strange and warped reality. By the way, Neos room is 101. And Neo=One....its an anagram...but we all already knew that (well most of us..*points to Sarah*.

This scene establishes Neos nighttime profession as a hacker...as well as his perception of reality. Let me explain. The book Neo that Neo keeps his hacker stash in is "Simulacra and Simulation", a book all about the falseness of reality. The chapter he opens it to is called "On Nihilism". Notice the entire conversation with Choi; "Youre my saviour man, my own personal Jesus Christ", "I know...you dont exist", "Mescaline, its the only way to fly" ,"It just sounds to me like you need to unplug, man"...more foreshadowing basically. Let me give you a theory on good old Thomas Anderson. He's got a pretty poor social life. I mean, he's at a rave...and he just stands against a wall watching...he lives alone in a piece of shit apartment (and keep in mind...he probably earns quite a bit from his hacking work...Choi gave him $2000 after all)...his apartment is full of take-away food containers (the grot) and he spends all night searching the net. Anywaythe plot thickens as Trinity shows up and confuses the hell out of him (and us). This is the first real connection they have...and lets face itthey get pretty closeTrin whispers in his ear, etc. (Okay...Im mentioning this because a certain person I know annoys me by continually saying that Trins declaration of love at the end is completely unfounded. Im trying to prove them wrong).

I really like the scene with Neos boss...Mr Rhinehart. "You have a problem with authority, Mr Anderson. You believe that you are special...that the rules do not apply to you". Because he is special...the rules dont apply to him, see. The window washers are interesting...perhaps another indication that the world is not quite right...notice how Neo is affected by the sound....Mr Rhinehart is not. The green tint that signifies the matrix world (another indication) is very prominent in this scene. His next words are in fact, an analogy for the matrix system; "This is one of the largest software companies in the world because every employee realises he is part of a whole. If an employee has a problem, the company has a problem". This scene also begins the theme of choice prominent in the film; "the time has come to make a choice, Mr Anderson; either you choose to be at your desk, on time, from this day forward...or you choose to find yourself another job".

Notice the look Neo gives the FedEx guy when he says; "Have a nice day"...furthering my theory that Neo is a bit socially inept...he doesnt even smile or say thank you for godsake! Take note of Neo's whispered dialogue when forced out onto the ledge..."Why is this happening to me....i'm nobody...i didn't do anything".  While i think he's delusing himself with the 'i didn't do anything' line (the kind of hacking you does is *illegal*, you know Neo).  It's cute because he doesn't believe in himself..."Why me...i'm nobody".  He also makes the choice not to take the scaffolding, rather to get taken away by the agents. An example of his basic human emotions; fear. Take a look at the tv screens that we go through into the interrogation room (a technique that is used a few times) do the screens look familiar....seems like the Architect was watching all along! Let me just draw attention to Hugo Weaving...cause hes just great at that deadpan villain type.

"It seems you've been living two lives.  One life, you're Thomas A Anderson, program writer for a respectable siftware company...you have a social security number, you pay your taxes...and you...help your landlady carry out her garbage.  The other life, is lived in computers...where you go by the hacker alias Neo and are guilty of virtually every computer crime we have a law for.  One of these lives has a future...the other does not"

But it seems like Thomas Anderson does have a spine after all; "How about I give you the finger....and you give me my phone call". Well...he could have taken the wimps way out...but he didnt....he show some kind of strength "You cant scare me with this Gestapo crap"...we all know what the Gestapo did to people after all. Hmmmhow much can the Matrix manipulate its inhabitants? We see Neo being bugged....but he wakes upas if from a dream. Its interesting because hes about to wake up from the ultimate dream....the levels of awakening, see?

Well, Morpheus seems to be giving a lot of important information out on a line that is supposedly tapped...but oh well. Notice that Switch is kind of a bitch "Listen to me, coppertop, we dont have time for 20 questions...right now theres only one way. Our way...or the highway". Note to Switch...when trying to free the One....dont make fun of his battery state (coppertop being a nickname for a battery) and dont almost make him get out of the car. No Neo = No One = human race doomed. Anyway...it gives Trin a chance to have some more dialogue with Neo "Because youve been down there, Neo. You know that road. You know exactly where it ends...and I know thats not where you want to be". You see....she understands him. Anyway...Switch seems to be less than convinced with Trins abilities; "You're going to lose it!". Now, I dont want to sound like I hate Switch...or that other guy, Apoc (who really careshell be dead in an hour anyway), Im just trying to add some stuff on the minor characters. "Jesus Christ, that things real?!?"  Well....not actually real....there is no spoon remember.

"Right now I imagine youre feeling a bit like Alice....tumbling down the rabbit hole? I can see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically this is not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo?"

"No"

"Why not"

"I dont like the idea that Im not in control of my own life"

"I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why youre here. You are here because you know something...what you know you cant explain, but youve felt it your whole life. That there is something wrong with the world. You dont know what it is, but its there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that had brought you to me. Do you know what Im talking about?".

"The Matrix?"

"Do you want to know...what it is? The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth"

"What truth?"