Deeply misunderstood movie (and trilogy)

Rating: 10/10 (10 August 2007)

Okay, so let me tell you the truth. You may not like it, but it's like that red pill, you know you have to take it... Ready? The first Matrix sucked, the following two movies are brilliant, each in a different way.
The first Matrix is one of the most unoriginal movies ever released. The idea that the world we live in is an unreal one is as old as the world, really. It has also been seen on film before, several times, in different versions. For example, Total Recall (late 80's) relied on a very similar idea. The much-praised philosophical references behind The Matrix are a joke. It's philosophy 101, the kind of philosophy that your Mom's neighbor probably knows about. The way action was depicted in the movie was not very original either. It was an import from the Hong Kong action movies of the 80's. In addition, The Matrix positioned itself as the "ultimate action film". But most action scenes in the Matrix are completely unexciting (in part because of the story itself - when everything is virtual, it is hard to worry for your character's life). The dialog is a total disaster (that remains true in the entire trilogy). What saves the movie, somewhat, is its depiction of the computer world. Not that, as a concept, that was original either (see Tron), but it was definitely updated. How do you take the world of computers that surrounds us and represent it in a cinematic way? Programs, hackers, etc. The most interesting concept in the entire movie is that a group of people are "hacking reality". What a beautiful idea! Unfortunately, it is hidden in the dialog behind pretentious, stereotyped lines about Alice in Wonderland, Plato, Buddha and what not.
In the end, the best thing about The Matrix is that it opened up the way for its two sequels. Each of them reinvents the saga in a different way.
The Matrix Reloaded is a personal and risky movie, very much in line with the best of independent film-making. The Wachovskys take the chance of making a movie about stuff that actually means something to them. Out Plato, Buddha and others they didn't really understand anyway; In Star Wars, Tron, Anime. The movie focuses fully on the subject of computer world representation, going into representing firewalls, viruses, anti-viruses, spy-ware, password decoders, operating systems (think Mr Smith, the Keymaker, the Architect). What an abundance of interesting images! In an unprecedented move for a blockbuster, the Wachovskys complicate the story to the greatest degree, making it almost impossible to understand, to make the audience focus on the representation of this world, on the "feel" and on the cinematic experience. They take the style from the first film and give it a whole new meaning. The lack of excitement in this film is total (in part because Neo is made invincible, killing all notion of risk and excitement) but sought-after this time. The action scenes become pure choreography, almost ballet. Matrix Reloaded never positions itself as an "ultimate super-exciting action movie", but rather as a contemplative film experience. The story surprisingly gains depth too: the "real world" is not a group of "happy free friends" anymore, but a political/ military group, with a strange sectarian feel. Is that "real world" any better than the Matrix?. The final sequence, where Neo brings Trinity back to life, almost digitally, by literally "holding her heart in his hand" is one of the most beautiful images seen on screen in several years.
After such radical success, where do you take the saga from there? Matrix Revolutions takes it in a totally different direction. No wonder they called it "revolutions"! Because in every movie, the concept is completely turned around, yet around the same core. So, "revolutions" as in creative destruction, but also as in continuous turn, because it seems that the same concept could be re-conducted in completely new ways forever.
Matrix Revolutions is often interpreted as a "matrix within the matrix" story. To that "Russian dolls" view, I prefer a radical change interpretation. I think Matrix Revolutions gets away from the computer representation scheme of Matrix Reloaded, to deliver a very unexpected type of "the One", an almost religious one! Neo becomes an actual Messiah (the relationship with the figure of Christ is striking: sacrificing his life for humanity, he leaves in a "crucified" position). We even get to see how he sees the real world in "God's code" (a code made of light, voluntarily very far from anything that would resemble a computer code). Think about it: we get to see the world the way God sees it!! From a film style perspective, the movie is a revolution too. Out goes the clean world of "the Matrix" with its slow-motion movements; In comes the light- speed "real world", with its dirt, its blood and its real death. Revolutions also takes an "aquatic" approach to action. The enemies look unequivocally like squids, and they move like squids. It's taking the pace and style of the Ocean and introducing it into action scenes in an industrial setting. Impressive! That aquatic feel is reinforced by the last fight scene between Neo and Mr Smith, which really feels like shot under water. I have read some people complaining about the end of the movie not explaining enough elements. My criticism to Revolutions goes the other way. I wish the final scenes had been deleted. I didn't need those sunsets in the end. Imagine it had stopped right when Neo is carried away "crucified" and all you ever saw in the movie was rain. What a perfect, open-ended ending that would have been! I believe the Matrix saga will be recovered from its poor understanding as time goes by, probably by real cinephiles rather than the large audiences that made the first Matrix a success, and it will influence generations of filmmakers to come by the boldness and creativity of its two sequels.