In my opinion, Matrix Revolutions failed to become a megahit movie because the audiences were disappointed in the conclusion. In the first Matrix movie they were lead to believe that it was Neo’s primary objective to free all mankind from the enslavement of the Matrix. He does not do this. At the end of the trilogy, the Matrix continues to exist, and the Machines continue to dominate. But worst than that, both the protagonist and the love interest die. Trinity allows herself to die because she believes that she can no longer be of service to Neo. She saved his life in the first movie and he saved her life in the second movie. For him to retrieve her from the dead again would be redundant. She also knows that Neo does not expect to survive the final battle with the Machines. Neo will not be coming back for her. Trinity dies. Neo also dies in the climax scene, because in order for the Machines to destroy all the Agent Smiths, they must destroy their essence, which is also the essence of Neo, since he gave birth to the Free Agent Smiths. Neo’s death is necessary in order for the Machines to survive. In the climax scene, the audience experiences the death of the protagonist and love interest; the two characters for whom they had the most empathy and with whom they shared the adventures of the trilogy. This left them with an emotionally unsatisfying experience. Many people did go to see Matrix Revolutions, but would not return a second time, and it is the repeat audience that is necessary to make a film a megahit movie.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
In the spring of 2004, The Passion of the Christ, produced and directed by Mel Gibson, became a megahit movie, grossing over $370 million. To analyze or criticize the story of Christ would be to engage in a 2000 year old debate that has been carried on by theologians and historians and would be missing the point in explaining why this movie was so successful.
This movie became a megahit because it appealed to an audience of millions of Christians who wanted to see the story about the trial, persecution, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It had a great pre-existing market for the story. This same audience will also watch it every year during the Christian Easter celebrations. Many people will also buy the DVD version to view at home or with their community.
HARRY POTTER and THE SORCERER’S STONE The Opening Image: An owl is on Privet Drive. An old magician walks down the street. He sees a cat. The magician holds a device in his hand. When he points it at a lamp, it pulls the street lamp’s light into it. The cat transforms into the witch, McGonagall. Hagrid rides a motorcycle across the sky and lands on the street in front of the house. He delivers the baby to Prof. Dumbledore, who believes that it is best for the child to grow up away from the world of magic until he is ready. The child, Harry Potter, has a scar on his forehead. The child is in jeopardy and must be protected from danger.
Ten years later Harry sleeps in a room under the staircase. He is bullied by his cousin, Dudley, who stomps on the stairs in order to make dirt and dust fall onto Harry. Dudley is a spoiled little boy who receives 36 presents for his birthday. Dudley is angry because last year he received 37. His father promises to buy him two more gifts on the way to the zoo. Harry is threatened by his uncle Vernon, who tells Harry that he does not want any funny tricks at the zoo.
They go to the reptilian house in the zoo. Dudley torments a snake. Harry uses magic to remove the glass and Dudley falls into the snake pit. Harry talks to the snake then helps him escape. Dudley is locked inside the snake’s cage. The snake says thank you to Harry then slithers away. Uncle Vernon is very upset with Harry.
An owl flies by and drops a letter addressed to Harry Potter. Uncle Vernon takes it and will not let Harry read the letter. The owl delivers another letter, but Uncle Vernon rips it up. Owls gather outside the house. Harry’s evil guardians burn all of the letters delivered by the owls. Uncle Vernon is happy because today is Sunday, and there is no post on Sunday. Suddenly, letters fly into the room from the fireplace and fill up the room. Harry fights with his uncle.
The family takes Harry away to a lighthouse, hoping that the owls will not find them there. It is Harry’s 11th birthday. The door is smashed in by Hagrid. He brings a birthday cake for Harry. It is a gift from Hogwarts. “Harry is a wizard,” says Hagrid. His aunt and uncle have been lying to him for years. They do not want Harry to go to a school for wizards. Hagrid uses magic to give Dudley a pig’s tail then takes Harry away. This is the inciting event.
In London, Hagrid takes Harry along a street in order to buy school supplies. They enter a pub. The bartender announces that Harry Potter is in the pub. They all seem to know who Harry is, but he does not understand this. Hagrid taps on a brick, and a wall opens up. They walk into a street filled with magical shops. Harry admires the Nimbus 2000 Flying Broomstick. Hagrid takes Harry to Greengotts Bank which is run by Goblins. They go into Harry’s vault. It is filled with gold coins left to him by his parents. They next go to vault 713 where Hagrid takes away a bundled wrapped in cloth. This is Hogwarts’ business. This creates a mystery: the audience wants to know what Hagrid takes from vault 713.
Harry needs a wand, so he goes to a special wand store. The first tested wand is destructive, as is the second. The third wand is perfect. Wind blows through Harry’s hair. This is a phoenix wand. The brother to this wand gave Harry the scar on his forehead. The storekeeper says that he expects great things from Harry. ‘He that must not be named did great things…terrible things, but great things.” Hagrid gives Harry a White Owl as a birthday gift. Voldemort followed the dark side. He killed Harry’s mother and father, and gave Harry the scar. But Harry survived that night. “You are the boy that lived!” says Hagrid.
Harry has to take a train to Hogwarts. The ticket indicates platform 9 ¾. Harry can only find platforms 9 and 10. Mrs. Molly Weasley and her sons come up the platform pushing carts filled with luggage. Ron pushes the cart into the brick wall and goes right through it. Harry follows his example. On the other side of the wall he sees the Hogwarts train on platform 9 ¾.
The red-haired boy, Ron Weasley, shares a compartment with Harry. Harry buys candy from the cart. Both he and Ron eat all the candy they want. They are joined by Hermione Granger. Ron tries to do a magic trick which does not work. Hermione uses her magic wand to fix Harry’s broken glasses. They finally arrive at the train station, where they are met by Hagrid. He gathers all the first year students around him. They ride on a boat across the waters to Hogwarts.
They are met by Ms. McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts! The school which gets the most points will win the house cup. They are all gathered in a massive dining hall. Candles float in the air above them. The new students are told that the dark forest is forbidden to all. The fourth quarter of the Hogwarts Castle is also forbidden. The students then must wear the sorting hat to be sent to the different houses. Hermoine is sorted to Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy goes to Slytherin. Ronald Weasley goes to Gryffindor. Harry Potter prays not to go to Slytherin. The Hat sorts him to Gryffindor. The feast begins.
Professor Severus Snape leads some students through the hallway. A ghost floats though the dinner table: Nearly Headless Nick. The students climb the staircase. They are told to be careful because the staircases like to change. They walk past portraits hanging on the wall. The eyes follow them as they walk up the stairs. They must speak a password to the woman in the portrait who guards the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry, with his owl by his side, looks out his window. In the classroom, Prof. Snape discusses potions which can be used to bewitch the mind and snare the senses. Prof. Snape asks Harry several questons, but he does not know the answers. Hermione does, and constantly raises her hand, but she is ignored by Snape. Draco snickers.
Harry Potter is writing something at the dinner table. Neville receives a crystal ball which glows red when he is to remember something. But he forgets what he is to remember. Mail is delivered by an owl. It is a newspaper with an article that Gringotts Bank has been broken into, and that someone tried to break into vault 713. This was the vault from which Hagrid had removed an object.<
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The students are out on the quad for a flying broomstick lesson. Nevell flies into the top of the tower and falls to the ground. He drops his crystal ball. Draco picks it up and mocks Nevell. Harry argues with him. Draco throws the crystal ball into the air and Harry flies on his broomstick to catch the ball. Ms. McGonagall sees this. Harry is then chosen to be a “seeker” in the game of Quidditch. He learns that his father, James Potter, was also a seeker. The three students are walking up the staircase when it changes direction and leads them to the third floor, which is forbidden. A cat follows them. They run into a room where they find a three-headed dog. The dog scares them, and they all run. The threeheaded dog was standing on a doorway that leads into a secret chamber.
Harry is taught the rules of the Quidditch Game. The objective is to catch the golden snitch before the other team and your team wins.
The students practice levitating a feather. It is the night of the Halloween Party. A Troll gets into Hogwarts. The students are sent to their houses while the teachers go down to confront the Troll. Hermione is in the girl’s bathroom, and she doesn’t know about the Troll. Harry and Ron run to rescue her. The Troll tries to get Hermione, but Harry and Ron save her. Ms. McGonagall punishes Hermione but gives points to Harry and Ron for bravery.
It is the day of the Quidditch Game. Prof. Snape wishes Harry the best of luck against Slytherin. An owl delivers a gift to Harry. It is a Nimbus 2000 broomstick, a gift from Ms. McGonagall. The game begins. Gryffindor is dressed in red and yellow, Slytherin in green and gray. Harry’s broomstick goes wild and out of control. It appears that Prof. Snape is concentrating on casting a spell. Prof. Snape’s cape catches fire. Harry regains control of his broomstick and catches the golden snitch. Gryffindor wins.
Christmas Holiday! All the students go home, except for Harry and Ron. They play chess. Harry wakes up on Christmas morning, and there is a present under his tree. It belonged to Harry’s father: an invisible cloak. “Use it well” is written on the note. Harry goes into the library late at night, hiding under the invisible cloak. Quirrell and Snape meet in the hallway. They argue. Snape threatens Quirrell.
Harry breaks a lamp. The old guard finds it but cannot find Harry. Harry finds the magic mirror, looks into it, and sees his deceased mother and father. Harry then takes Ron to the mirror. Ron does not see what Harry sees. Ron sees himself as the captain of the Quidditch team.
Prof. Dumbledore explains the Mirror of Erised to Harry. It shows us the deepest desire of our hearts. It doesn’t do well to dwell on dreams and to forget to live. Harry sits with the white owl by his side. He lets the white owl fly away into the sky.
Nicholas Flammel discovered the Sorcerer’s Stone, the elixir of life, the dream of the alchemists. Hagrid finds a dragon’s egg which hatches and gives birth to Norbert. Draco Malfoy sees the dragon and tells Prof. McGonagall. They each get detention and lose 50 points for Gryffindor for being out at night. Hagrid takes them into the dark forest. They see the silver blood of a unicorn on the ground. Malvoy, Potter, and Fang go into the forest together. There they see a hooded figure drinking the blood of a dead unicorn. The hooded creature comes after Harry. But a Centaur runs into the clearing and fights the hooded figure. The Centaur saves the life of Harry Potter. He reveals that it was Voldemort who killed the unicorn.
Dumbledore will try to protect Harry. The scar on Harry’s head is burning. It is a warning. Fluffy is the name of the three-headed dog. Play music to Fluffy and he will fall asleep, says Hagrid. Prof. Snape questions the three Gryffindor students: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Neville tries to stop the three from going out, but Hermione knocks him out. The three go into the room guarded by the three-headed dog. The dog is sleeping. They move the dog’s paw away from the trap door. The dog suddenly wakes up. The three students jump down into twines which entangle them. Hermione yells that they just should relax, and the twines will release them and let them slip through. Ron cannot relax. Hermione magically produces sunlight, the twines retract, and Ron falls to safety.
They enter another room which has a locked door. A broomstick floats in the air, waiting for Harry to take it. Keys with wings fly through the air. Harry uses his broomstick to find the key to the door, but the other keys attack. Harry grabs the key and gives it to Hermione. She opens the door. Harry flies through the door and slams it shut. Keys stick into the door.
They enter a new room with chessmen on the floor. They must play a game of wizard’s chess to pass across the board. Ron sacrifices himself so that Harry can continue forward and get the sorcerer’s stone. Hermione stays with Ron as Harry continues alone.
Harry enters the room alone. In the mirror, he sees Prof. Quirrell, who wants the stone. Harry looks into the mirror, and sees the stone in his pocket. Harry takes the stone out of his pocket. Quirrell takes the cloth off from his head and reveals that he has another face on the back of his head, that of Voldemort, a parasite who must live on another. Harry tries to run away. Flames surround Harry. Quirrell starts to choke Harry in order to get the stone. Harry’s hands touching Quirrell causes him to crumble into dust. Harry keeps the Sorcerer’s stone. The ghost spirit of the evil Voldemort runs through Harry, but Harry holds onto the stone.
Harry wakes up in the school hospital with Prof. Dumbledore by his side. Ron and Hermione are okay. Nicolas Flamel has decided to die so that the stone can be destroyed. “He who finds it, but does not use it, will get it.” Voldemort can still return. There are ways, says Dumbledorf. It was Harry’s mother’s love that destroyed Quirrell.
Resolution Scene It is the end of the school term, and everyone is sitting in the dining hall. Prof. Dumbledorf announces the points that each college has earned: 312 for Gryffindor 352 for Huffenpuff 426 for Ravenclaw 472 for Slytherin
But Hermione gets 50 more points, Ronald gets 50 more points, Harry gets 60 points, and Neville, who tried to stop them, gets 10 points for 170+312=482. Gryffindor (482) beats Slytherin (472) for the House Cup. The students cheer for Gryffindor and flags change to gryffindor colors
Harry is at the train station. He says goodbye to Hagrid. Harry gets a magic book which shows him as a baby with his mother and father. Hagrid waves goodbye as the train leaves the station.
THE END
COMMENTARY Why do you think the movie was so popular? The movie captured the imagination of the young children. Harry is an “every kid” who becomes extraordinary; an ordinary character thrown into an extraordinary world. Harry is the young nerd who turns into a powerful wizard. How did the screenwriter get the audience to care about Harry? What happens to him in the first few scenes? He’s an orphan with those awful muggle guardians. His home situation made him sympathetic. He’s emotionally abused. He is hated by his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He is forced to live under the stairs. The first few minutes are all focused on creating empathy for Harry.
This is a standard Hollywood story design to get the audience to care about the protagonist. Study each of the situations Harry is in: he is an orphan placed on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle; he is forced to live under the stairs; he is abused by his guardians; they try to keep him from getting his mail; try to keep him in isolation. Creating audience empathy for the protagonist has to take place in the first few minutes of the story. Once the audience cares about the protagonist, you can then further develop the plot.
What is the inciting event? On his 11th birthday, he finds out he’s a wizard! On his 11th birthday, he receives a visitor, Hagrid, who takes him away to Hogwarts. His world is changed by this event! This again is the classic story structure found in popular movies. He is told that he is a wizard, that he is special. Then, the writer creates mystery because she does not reveal all the facts about Harry at this time. This keeps the audience involved.
What is the unique object that both the Protagonist and the Antagonist desire? The Sorcerer’s Stone! What is interesting about this movie is that it is a mystery about who Harry Potter is and what was in vault 713. The first two acts are really about
the coming of age of Harry and the growth of his powers.
For most of the story, the focus is on winning the House Cup: getting the most points during the school year. There is also the Quidditch contest between the two houses: Gryffindor and Slytherin. It is only in the last act that the writer introduces the stone as the primary objective of the story. Harry and his friends want to know what Fluffy is guarding, and they discover that it is the Sorcerer’s Stone. The stone is needed to focus the conflict and bring the story to a climax.
The story has lots of false leads. Most people thought Snape was the villain then found out it was Quirrell. Ultimately, the villain is Voldemort who lives in Prof. Quirrell’s body, but for most of the story, we think that it is Snape. False leads are used to confuse the audience and to keep them engrossed in the story. This is a way to create plot twists and make the story unpredictable.
Harry has to face Voldemort without his friends. That is also common to most popular movies. Ultimately, the protagonist has to defeat the antagonist by himself in the climax scene. Most of the subplots show the characters developing skills they will use later on in the story. These subplots also bring out the virtues and vices of each character, especially in comparison to of Harry Potter to Draco Malfoy. The virtues and vices were created by the contrast with the House of Slytherin and Gryffindor. Especially in their behavior during the Quidditch game.
The mirror was quite interesting. They set it up so the audience understands it reveals the deepest desire of the person that looks into it. Then the mirror is used in the climax scene between Harry and QuirrellVoldemort. Every object established in the first and second acts had a payoff in act three.
The Megahit Movies Page 41