As do all great movies, The Matrix follows the 120 universal minute-by-minute story beats to a tee!
MINUTE 1: ATTENSION!
Cypher tells Trinity, “We’re going to kill him.”
MINUTE 2: THE BUILD
Agents show up and argue with the Police Chief
MINUTE 3: THE RATCHET
Morpheus tells Trinity that they’ve been compromised — agents are outside!
MINUTE 4: ANOTHER NOTCH
The cops and agents chase Trinity on the rooftops
MINUTE 5: JAW DROPPER
Trinity executes a jaw dropping superhuman leap through a far away window
MINUTE 6: FRIEND OR FIST
Trinity’s friends save her life by ringing her into the phone (FRIEND)
MINUTE 7: FRIEND OR FIST 2
Trinity sends Neo an email, telling him The Matrix has him (FRIEND)
MINUTE 8: SOMETHING STARTLING HAPPENS
The loud knock on the door startles Neo
MINUTE 9: THE PURSUIT
Neo pursues the girl with the white rabbit tattoo to see where she leads
MINUTE 10: THE DISCUSSION
Trinity discusses The Matrix with Neo
MINUTE 11: THE WARNING
Trinity warns Neo: “They are watching you”
MINUTE 12: HARSHER WARNING
The boss warns Neo not to be late again or he’ll be fired
MINUTE 13: THE SUBMISSION
Neo submits to his boss’s threat
MINUTE 14: DANGER WATCH
Neo sees agents looking in his direction
MINUTE 15: WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE!
Neo barely dodges the agents as he scurries toward the empty office (Whew, That Was Close!)
MINUTE 16: THE BIG CONCERN
Neo is concerned that he might go to jail
MINUTE 17: WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
Agents handcuff Neo and force him into their car
MINUTE 18: TROUBLE TURN
Agent Smith tells Neo they know he’s a computer hacker
MINUTE 19: THE THREAT
Agent Smith warns Neo that he’d better help them bring Morpheus to justice
MINUTE 20: PUSH BACK
Neo gives the agent the finger
MINUTE 21: THE GREAT AFFECT
The agents insert an electronic bug into Neo’s navel
MINUTE 22: TRUTH DECLARED
Morpheus calls Neo “The One”
MINUTE 23: SCARY STUFF
Switch points a gun at Neo
MINUTE 24: SCARY STUFF 2
Trinity pulls out a scary contraption and presses it onto Neo’s navel
MINUTE 25: SCARY STUFF 3
Trinity’s scary contraption sucks the electronic bug out of Neo’s navel
MINUTE 26: THE BIG UNEXPECTED
Neo meets the legendary Morpheus in person!
MINUTE 27: THE MINI-QUEST
Neo wants to be told what The Matrix is (Neo’s Mini-Quest before he actually sees it)
MINUTE 28: BIG QUEST PREP
Morpheus explains to Neo that he has to see The Matrix (preparing him to be The One)
MINUTE 29: BIG QUEST PREP 2
Morpheus offers Neo the red or blue pill (preparing him to see The Matrix)
MINUTE 30: THE NEED
Neo needs to see what swallowing the red pill means
MINUTE 31: DISTRESS SIGNAL
The liquid mirror, attached to Neo’s fingertip, causes him distress
MINUTE 32: ANXIETY AMP
The liquid mirror creeps up Neo's arm and into his throat. He screams!
MINUTE 33: OMINOUS OH NO!
Neo sees that he’s naked inside a glass pod — and so are millions of others!
MINUTE 34: FRIEND AFFECT
Morpheus’s machine grabs Neo
MINUTE 35: BAIT & SWITCH
Neo is welcomed to the real world (BAIT), but he’s stuck with hundreds of acupuncture needles (SWITCH)
MINUTE 36: HIDE & SEEK
Neo’s true potential remains hidden within his doubting mind
MINUTE 37: OVER HIS HEAD
Neo realizes that there is something attached to the back of his head. He may be in over his head
MINUTE 38: POSITIVE RECONNECT
Neo is re-introduced to Trinity, Apoc, Switch, Tank, Dozer and Mouse — his new friends
MINUTE 39: NEW JOURNEY BOND
Neo bonds further with the Nebuchadnezzar crew as they prepare to defeat the Matrix
MINUTE 40: ALLY’S WORLD
Morpheus explains more about his world inside the computer program
MINUTE 41: THORNY ROSE
The world Neo lived in was nice (ROSE) compared to its ugly reality (THORN)
Neo is welcomed to the real world (BAIT), but he’s stuck with hundreds of acupuncture needles (SWITCH)
MINUTE 36: HIDE & SEEK
Neo’s true potential remains hidden within his doubting mind
MINUTE 37: OVER HIS HEAD
Neo realizes that there is something attached to the back of his head. He may be in over his head
MINUTE 38: POSITIVE RECONNECT
Neo is re-introduced to Trinity, Apoc, Switch, Tank, Dozer and Mouse — his new friends
MINUTE 39: NEW JOURNEY BOND
Neo bonds further with the Nebuchadnezzar crew as they prepare to defeat the Matrix
MINUTE 40: ALLY’S WORLD
Morpheus explains more about his world inside the computer program
MINUTE 41: THORNY ROSE
The world Neo lived in was nice (ROSE) compared to its ugly reality (THORN)
MINUTE 42: SURPRISE REVEAL
Morpheus reveals that humans are used as batteries
MINUTE 43: SURPRISE REVEAL 2
Morpheus reveals that there are human crops used for harvesting
MINUTE 44: NEW NEWS
Neo throws up after experiencing all this overwhelming new information
MINUTE 45: OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Neo has his mind freed at an older-than-usual age
MINUTE 46: THE REVELATION
Morpheus reveals that he believes Neo will lead humanity to freedom
MINUTE 47: THE ESCORT
Tank says he will take Neo to his training
MINUTE 48: NEEDED KNOWLEDGE
Tank inputs combat knowledge directly into Neo’s brain — Needed Knowledge
MINUTE 49: FOREBODING FACT
Tank gives Neo deadly fighting knowledge (if he doesn’t have this knowledge he will die in The Matrix)
MINUTE 50: THE PORTENT
Morpheus tells Neo, “Your weakness is not your technique” (if Neo doesn’t overcome his weakness he will die)
MINUTE 51: THE ENGAGE
Morpheus intimidates Neo with his superior fighting skills
MINUTE 52: SAY UNCLE
Morpheus beats Neo in the fight
MINUTE 53: THE INTIMIDATION
Morpheus (Neo’s enemy in the dojo) tells Neo to know he is faster.
MINUTE 54: THE LIGHTBULB
Neo realizes he can’t jump from one building to the next
MINUTE 55: SIDESWIPE
Neo’s failed jump stuns Mouse
MINUTE 56: DARK TWIST CHAT
Trinity and Cypher chat, but then Cypher expresses jealousy
MINUTE 57: DIFFICULT WORDS
“Were you listening to me or looking at the woman in the red dress?” Morpheus asks Neo
MINUTE 58: VITAL EVENT
Morpheus tells Neo that when he’s ready he won’t need to dodge bullets (vital information for Neo)
MINUTE 59: THE DECEPTION
Morpheus tells the crew to set down the ship (to deceive the Sentinels)
MINUTE 60: THE SHOCKER
The sentinel approaches the Nebuchadnezzar!
And so on...
To learn about all 120 story beats, and how to apply them effectively to your screenplay, TV pilot, novel or graphic novel, order Something Startling Happens: The 120 Story Beats Every Writer Needs To Know at Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles. http://shop.mwp.com/products/something-startling-happens-the-120-story-beats-every-writer-needs-to-know
And try the #1 Bestseller, The Screenwriter's Fairy Tale: The Universal Story Within All Movie Stories: http://www.amazon.com/The-Screenwriters-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B007U6D0CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348519200&sr=1-1&keywords=the+screenwriter%27s+fairytale+the+universal+story+within+all+movie+stories
Todd Klick Writing Services: www.toddklick.com
Morpheus reveals that humans are used as batteries
MINUTE 43: SURPRISE REVEAL 2
Morpheus reveals that there are human crops used for harvesting
MINUTE 44: NEW NEWS
Neo throws up after experiencing all this overwhelming new information
MINUTE 45: OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Neo has his mind freed at an older-than-usual age
MINUTE 46: THE REVELATION
Morpheus reveals that he believes Neo will lead humanity to freedom
MINUTE 47: THE ESCORT
Tank says he will take Neo to his training
MINUTE 48: NEEDED KNOWLEDGE
Tank inputs combat knowledge directly into Neo’s brain — Needed Knowledge
MINUTE 49: FOREBODING FACT
Tank gives Neo deadly fighting knowledge (if he doesn’t have this knowledge he will die in The Matrix)
MINUTE 50: THE PORTENT
Morpheus tells Neo, “Your weakness is not your technique” (if Neo doesn’t overcome his weakness he will die)
MINUTE 51: THE ENGAGE
Morpheus intimidates Neo with his superior fighting skills
MINUTE 52: SAY UNCLE
Morpheus beats Neo in the fight
MINUTE 53: THE INTIMIDATION
Morpheus (Neo’s enemy in the dojo) tells Neo to know he is faster.
MINUTE 54: THE LIGHTBULB
Neo realizes he can’t jump from one building to the next
MINUTE 55: SIDESWIPE
Neo’s failed jump stuns Mouse
MINUTE 56: DARK TWIST CHAT
Trinity and Cypher chat, but then Cypher expresses jealousy
MINUTE 57: DIFFICULT WORDS
“Were you listening to me or looking at the woman in the red dress?” Morpheus asks Neo
MINUTE 58: VITAL EVENT
Morpheus tells Neo that when he’s ready he won’t need to dodge bullets (vital information for Neo)
MINUTE 59: THE DECEPTION
Morpheus tells the crew to set down the ship (to deceive the Sentinels)
MINUTE 60: THE SHOCKER
The sentinel approaches the Nebuchadnezzar!
And so on...
To learn about all 120 story beats, and how to apply them effectively to your screenplay, TV pilot, novel or graphic novel, order Something Startling Happens: The 120 Story Beats Every Writer Needs To Know at Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles. http://shop.mwp.com/products/something-startling-happens-the-120-story-beats-every-writer-needs-to-know
And try the #1 Bestseller, The Screenwriter's Fairy Tale: The Universal Story Within All Movie Stories: http://www.amazon.com/The-Screenwriters-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B007U6D0CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348519200&sr=1-1&keywords=the+screenwriter%27s+fairytale+the+universal+story+within+all+movie+stories
Todd Klick Writing Services: www.toddklick.com
