Still drooling...

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2003)

I am a die hard Matrix fan. I practically have memorized every shot in The Matrix. I went into The Matrix Reloaded the first showing of the first day, and was blown away. I helped suppress the torture that was waiting 6 months for The Matrix Revolutions with Enter the Matrix and The Animatrix. Although I didn't expect to instantly love The Matrix Revolutions (I always, as a movie fan, try not to go into the theater with expectations of liking or hating it, it just ruins films) I sure didn't set myself up to love it.
But I didn't set myself up to instantly love this movie when I first saw it in the theater. I saw it at the 9 a.m. World Wide Zero Hour showing, which put me in a tired mood because for me, getting up before 10 a.m. is a challenge. I also skipped breakfast, so I was hungry. And of course wouldn't you know it about 15 minutes into the movie I have the need to use the restroom. Not exactly the best movie watching state. But not even my sleep deprivation, my growling stomach, and my bladder that was about to burst could have moved me from that chair.
The Matrix Revolutions fixes the faults of Reloaded. The philosophical undertones in the dialogue weren't so blatantly on the surface. The action scenes actually had a point to them. Also the pacing was improved; this movie takes about 15 minutes to gather itself and then blasts off at a break-neck speed.
There is a neat shootout involving Morpheus, Trinity, and Seraph, which they fight foes who run on the ceiling. It's not as cool as say, the lobby shootout from The Matrix, but it's pretty sweet and crazy.

The real show stealer in this movie is the battle for Zion. It's probably a 20 minute action sequence which blew my mind! It shows so many sides of the battle, like the people in the APU mechs trying to gun down the massive black unending Sentinels death swarms, the unfortunate people who have to navigate through the robot ridden landscape to reload ammo in these giant machines. All while this is going on we follow Zee and another character using crudely made bazookas in an attempt to shoot down huge drilling robots. All while Morpheus and Niobe, pilot a ship that has the last defense against these machines, while speeding through a narrow tunnel and being chased by millions of killer Sentinel robots. The whole sequence was jaw-dropping for me and I consider it to be the best sci-fi battle sequence, probably the best war sequence I will see in cinema for a long time.
Then there is the final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith. It may not be as choreographed and complex as The Burly Brawl in Reloaded, but oh man its BRUTAL! You can feel the hatred between Smith and Neo, and every punch an d kick seemed so hard I thought the theater walls were going to shatter. Then they use their superman-ish powers and fly around the place colliding into each other with amazing force! It was just one of the most brutal and surreal fights I have ever seen. It's definitely anime inspired, and I never thought they could pull off something like this with live action. Just great!
As far as the plot, it's all about conclusion. Most of your questions will be answered IF YOU PAY ATTENTION. But does it answer all the questions? No. Is it supposed to? No. The film doesn't need to answer all your questions, just lead you to come to your own conclusions, which is so much better than the 95% of movies that spell everything out to you. The ending may be open, and to some may seem dissatisfactory, but to me it was the only logically sound and thematically sound way to end this series.
Some people may complain about the dialogue. None of it made me cringe I don't know what they are talking about. Some may complain about it having a million clichés.well EVERY movie is chock full of clichés, get used to it. And as far as the acting, I can't say it's great, but then again I would nominate anyone in any franchise film series for an Oscar, whether it be Star Wars, The Matrix, or Lord of the Rings.
Actually the acting job that has always shined the brightest and should deserve some recognition is Hugo Weaving's portrayal of Agent Smith. It's a delight to watch him on screen and a delight just to hear him talk. Sometimes he's so droll and deadpan, he's almost funny, and at other times he's so deliciously sinister and evil. He's one of the most lovable movie characters to come around in years, and Hugo Weaving gets my undying gratitude for putting such character into that character.
So in the end The Matrix Revolutions was a fantastic ending to my favorite franchise trilogy, which will be adored by me for years to come.