The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
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I have to confess that I went to see this film with fear and trepidation. I have been a big fan of the Matrix trilogy and I was afraid that the finale would be a major letdown. Sequels are a risky business at best. If you've seen Rocky V, Jaws 3-D, or any of the Halloween movies after the first one you know of what I speak. In Rocky for example, we meet characters, situations, and places that are fresh and new. The hero's quest is as old as mythmaking itself but the new contexts and characters allow us to approach old myths in new ways. As each successive sequel was made, the myth became trite and clichéd, the characters devolve into caricatures, and the formulaic nature of the films makes them mundane and boring.It is admittedly a difficult task to keep the mythmaking fresh and awe-inspiring. I am pleased to report that the Wachowski brothers succeed in doing just that. I read several reviews that were fairly negative about the film, but as I read the reviews it was clear to me that the critics simply didn't get it. They reminded me of the critic who criticized Field of Dreams for not being as good as other baseball movies. If you have seen Field of Dreams you know that that film is not really a baseball movie at all.As in the previous films, there is an abundance of special effects in the battle sequences. There are also more sparks in the relationship between Trinity and Neo. In my review of the original film I praised the film because of the abstractness of the mythology. When we try to literalize metaphors they lose much of their power. Neo-Marxists, Buddhists, and Christians could all walk away from this film feeling as if the film had strengthened their faith. If we look at the film as a commentary on the postmodern world, the Architect and the Oracle become perfect metaphors for the competing voices of modernity and postmodernity respectively. One of the reasons I was nervous about this final installment was my concern about the Messianic Neo character. The Christological images are fairly strong in the film, but I have always had a problem with Neo as a machine-gun toting Messiah. Once I let go of my literal reading of this metaphor I was able to appreciate the richer metaphors contained in the film. I resonate with the film's critique of the "domination system" (to borrow a phrase from Walter Wink's The Powers That Be), but I did not want this film to degenerate into yet another legitimation of the myth of redemptive violence. Fortunately, it does not . . . to say more is to give away too much of the ending. This will not be everyone's cup of tea, and more than a few viewers will leave scratching their heads or disappointed that there wasn't even more computer-generated mayhem. But for those who have eyes to see, this film is clearly worth a look.
How bad is this movie? 15 years later I woke up in the middle of the night and the first thing that popped into my mind is just how much the Matrix sequels sucked. The disappointment is permanently ingrained into my subconscious. Wow... so sad.
Starting from the moment the second film ended, this one presents the final part of the war between humans and machines. Struggling between the real world and The Matrix, Neo must do what he believes is right, after a few visits to the Oracle, in his desperate attempt to avoid an imminent human extinction. Between them infiltrates former agent Smith, more powerful than ever, threatening even the mighty machine.This movie brings the conclusion to this trilogy, and, like the others, looking simply gorgeous and featuring impressive combat sequences, while, in contrast, struggling with a story which leaves a lot to wish for. As a disappointment for me, they tend to focus much more on the real world, leaving the Matrix fewer chances to impress you. The finale it brings is also a letdown, but I won't spoil it, just in case. Another complaint I have has to do with the citizens of Zion, which, mostly because of the plot, seem to be as stupid as they are numerous. They are facing extinction, they don't believe in Neo and all they are willing to do is stand there and pray to hell knows who, let alone doing something remotely useful. It's a sad ending to such a franchise, from my perspective, but overall, it isn't a bad movie. You have to see it for yourself.
When the credits for the movie came up and yet another great song by Rage Against The Machine blaring in my ears, I just thought to myself, what a great piece of entertainment this movie was. I was a big fan of the first one (like other millions were) and was eagerly awaiting the sequel. Although it might not be as good as the first one in terms of it shocking us the way it did in 99 when it brought to us such a new flavour in cinema in terms of development in action, special effects and its terrific story. All and all it still held up very well considering the pressure this movie had on its shoulders to live up to the great expectation. I think that's why a lot of people weren't real keen on this one, because it had such huge pressure, and whatever the Wachowski's produced, it wasn't going to be good enough, or people would say it could or should of been better. I believe the Wachowski brothers made it more epic and like most sequels, you can tell that it had a s*** load more money to work with. Apart from the Zion scene and the Twins not getting enough screen time, this movie was right up there, and for a movie just to sit back in awe and watch all these fighting sequences, car chases and special effects in action, it's a special movie.