Short of any Revolution, it Falls Back on Convention

Rating: 3/10 (9 November 2003)

No one can argue with the anticipation the Matrix sequels have created. Yet after seeing the second film I was not expecting much of the third and final installment (The ending may hint at a Revolutions sequel? The Oracle may only know). Frankly I don't usually waste my time writing reviews for movies I hate. Yet in this case, it was a rather personal letdown.
I enjoyed the first Matrix, aside from all the pseudo philosophical garble, for its ability to be a good sci-fi, action-thriller. But in the case of the sequels, they fall victim to melodramatic Hollywood clichés, riddled with convention and unoriginality. Without the newness of the bullet-time photography, Matrix Revolutions becomes a bad episode of Star Trek Voyager or can I dare say, Deep Space Nine in all its gloried political correctness. Bring on the Borg, this one was painful.
The fight scenes are few and far between buffered by more pseudo-philosophical Zen Nihilism asking "What does it all mean? Where are we? What will we become?" Blah, Blah, Blah. "When is this movie going to start or better yet end?" If I wanted to spend 129 minutes debating the question of "life and death," as diehard fans have suggested it so deeply touches on, I'll read some Jean Paul Sartre or take a college introductory philosophy course. Not here, not for 6 dollars. We get it already Andy and Larry. You have not provided anything new to the debate. Meanwhile go back to your video games techies. Yeah, so if you were smart enough to descramble the Anagram, "Neo" is the "One" (clever isn't it) and if you still don't get the connection (why is it called Zion again) you will be hit on the head with a 2x4 by the Christ reference. I know you're up there Neo, I believe. To summarize my rant, I felt like I was watching a sci-fi masturbation at my, the viewer's, expense. Whatever the brothers weren't able to include in the first Matrix due to budget concerns they squeezed into this film. It was nothing more than a Star Wars, Star Trek, Mecwarrior tribute film. Am I the only one that was bothered by the Mecwarriorness?!