| Campbell |
Star Wars |
The Matrix |
|
I: Departure
|
| The call to adventure |
Princess Leia's message |
"Follow the white rabbit" |
| Refusal of the call |
Must help with the harvest |
Neo won't climb out window |
| Supernatural aid |
Obi-wan rescues Luke from sandpeople |
Trinity extracts the "bug" from Neo |
| Crossing the first threshold |
Escaping Tatooine |
Agents capture Neo |
| The belly of the whale |
Trash compactor |
Torture room |
|
II: Initiation
|
| The road of trials |
Lightsaber practice |
Sparring with Morpheus |
| The meeting with the goddess |
Princess Leia |
Trinity |
| Temptation away from the true path1 |
Luke is tempted by the Dark Side |
Cypher (the failed messiah) is tempted by the world of comfortable illusions |
| Atonement with the Father |
Darth and Luke reconcile |
Neo rescues and comes to agree (that he's The One) with his father-figure, Morpheus |
| Apotheosis (becoming god-like) |
Luke becomes a Jedi |
Neo becomes The One |
| The ultimate boon |
Death Star destroyed |
Humanity's salvation now within reach |
|
III: Return
|
| Refusal of the return |
"Luke, come on!" Luke wants to stay to avenge Obi-Wan |
Neo fights agent instead of running |
| The magic flight |
Millennium Falcon |
"Jacking in" |
| Rescue from without |
Han saves Luke from Darth |
Trinity saves Neo from agents |
| Crossing the return threshold |
Millennium Falcon destroys pursuing TIE fighters |
Neo fights agent Smith |
| Master of the two worlds |
Victory ceremony |
Neo's declares victory over machines in final phone call |
| Freedom to live |
Rebellion is victorious over Empire |
Humans are victorious over machines |
|
Common Mythic Elements
|
| Two Worlds (mundane and special) |
Planetside vs. The Death Star |
Reality vs. The Matrix |
| The Mentor |
Obi-Wan Kenobi |
Morpheus |
| The Oracle |
Yoda |
The Oracle |
| The Prophecy |
Luke will overthrow the Emperor |
Morpheus will find (and Trinity will fall for) "The One" |
| Failed Hero |
Biggs |
In an early version of the script, Morpheus once believed that Cypher was "The One" |
Wearing
Enemy's Skin |
Luke and Han wear stormtrooper outfits |
Neo jumps into agent's skin |
| Shapeshifter (the Hero isn't sure if he can trust this character) |
Han Solo |
Cypher |
| Animal familiar |
R2-D2, Chewbacca |
N/A |
| Chasing a lone animal into the enchanted wood (and the animal gets away) |
The Millennium Falcon follows a lone TIE fighter into range of the Death Star |
Neo "follows the white rabbit" to the nightclub where he meets Trinity |