The Matrix Trilogy - The Best Superhero Movie(s) ever Made (so far)

Rating: Null/10 (1 February 2009)

As the title of my comment suggests, I'm arguing the case that The Matrix (trilogy) is the best superhero movie(s) ever made (so far!). Lots of people claim the trilogy should have stopped after the first movie, that the sequels were somewhat self-indulgent, over-complicated and not necessary. I watched all three films recently, back-to-back, and the story makes absolute sense, I can't help but feel that due to the large gap between the films (well, the first and second) people maybe lost the overall picture. That being said, each to their own, I just feel that the trilogy is complete, enthralling and narratively exceptional.
My first point that this is a 'superhero' movie may be somewhat controversial, since Neo has no 'superhero powers' - but then again, neither does Batman and that's considered to be in the same genre of those movies containing characters with a biological or physiological advantage. Now, at the end of the first film we see that Neo can fly, in subsequent films we see he can dodge bullets, in fact he can stop them in mid-air. These are super powers, but they only exist inside The Matrix (well, until the last film when he gets stuck in the Matrix, and also acquires a sixth sense where he can visualise his surroundings in terms of light). In a way it's a bit like Superman's powers, he's only a 'superhero' under the Earth's sun; Neo's only a superhero inside the matrix (I know there's complications in the Third film where Smith comes into the human world, and Neo remains in the Matrix without being 'jacked-in'). Much like the Harry Potter franchise, I won't give anything away for those who haven't read the books, but the idea of a hero and anti-hero being 'somehow connected', inevitably leads to a thrilling conclusion.
So, what have the films got that make them so exceptional. Well, they cross so many genres whilst (maybe it's just the 'greenness' of the shots) creating their own brand. Firstly we have space travel, albeit not technically in space (well, not at all actually) in huge hunking piles of junk (remember the Millennium Falcon, anybody?) with a cocky pilot (Narobi = Han Solo). Secondly, we have pirates! The definition of a ship 'space ship or otherwise', Morpheus being the William Shatner of the Matrix Enterprise (haha, OK I made that up - but you know what I mean).
We also have the critical point to any successful sci-fi franchise, obviously 'the one' e.g. Annakin Skywalker in the Star Wars series, we have somebody who possesses something which nobody else has ('bringing balance to the force anyone' :p).
Anyway, comparisons aside. My main point, as I run out of time is the argument why this is the BEST superhero franchise ever made. And I will conclude by explaining my viewpoint. If we look at the Spider-man trilogy, most critics (and even die hard fans agree) that by the third installment with the preposterous transformation of Peter Parker into a kind of emo-rock god mid-way through the film was laughable, and the inclusion of three villains merely muddled the whole film. The Matrix, however, manages to surpass this by maintaining the villains from the very start to the very end. Technically there's two villains. Agent Smith (although he's managed to make about a trillion of himself) and 'the robots' (represented throughout by Sentinels, or the agents inside the film) but really (much like many good video games) the actual villain is the 'final boss' and a fantastic amalgamation of fortune whereby neither villain is mutually exclusive. The consistency of the main villain(s) whilst throwing in a few more relatively insignificant characters for food for thought (such as the Maravinji (I don't know the spelling), or the two identical twins, or Reagen in the first film) whilst adding to the story, not confusing things.
To conclude, this movie differs from all the others by killing the superhero. To show that goodness may not always prevail from a personal sense (Neo loses Trinity) but powers or gifts can be used for larger effect. This is the first film to mind, that the hero sacrifices himself for the benefit of his species. I'm sure most people will recognise the somewhat religious/philosophical element of the hero who dies for his people. Also, the ending isn't exactly perfect, it's not all rosy, the humans aren't free, they're just spared their city, for the time being, thanks to Neo (the Architects speech, humorously flowered with complicated terminology to represent a high intelligence explains how this is all part of the plan - e.g. the creation of Neo occurs due an unsolved equation to iron out the imperfections of the Matrix). If this is true, Neo's part, and death, really hasn't changed much, but it has saved those individuals in the immediate present. In a rather depressing twist, the claims of the Architect that this is, in the words Heath Ledger's joker, 'All part of the plan', makes the struggle of Neo and all his loss, seem worthless. But throughout the movie, human emotions are referred to, e.g. love, hope, emotions that robots can't seem to fathom. And it is this love, sacrifice and display of the fundamental make-up of being human, makes us think that the Architect maybe hasn't quite got it all as worked out as he thinks.
Also, I must add (and I'd be naive if I wasn't to mention) the importance of 'choice'. The clear cut different of having a 'purpose' and choosing to live our own lives. Also, I must mention the train station scene, which suggests that programs of the Matrix may be, themselves, 'evolving' ('I, Robot' anyone?) suggesting that this time, the system, despite the Architects best efforts, may be waking up and escaping, you guessed it, 'control'.