"Revolutions"  It goes on and on and then ends, at least with a bang.

Rating: 7/10 (7 June 2004)

"My admiration for 'The Matrix Revolutions' is limited only by the awkward fact that I don't much give a damn what happens to any of the characters. If I cared more about Neo, Morpheus, Niobe and the others, there'd be more fire in my heart. But my regard is more for the technical triumph of the movie, less for the emotions it evokes. Neo is no more intended to have deep psychological realism than Indiana Jones, but the thing is, I liked Indy and hoped he got out in one piece -- while my concern about Neo has been jerked around by so many layers of whether he's real or not, and whether he's really doing what he seems to be doing, that finally I measure my concern for him not in affection but more like the score in a video game."
OK, so again I use the words of critic Roger Ebert to help express the feelings I have towards the groundbreaking "The Matrix" (1999) and its two lackluster sequels "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" (both films released in 2003).
The first "Matrix" was (obviously) the best film in the series, with its wild and kinetic action scenes, and gravity-defying special effects. This film ushered in a new era of action film that would quickly wear out its welcome just two years (and about 20 imitators) later.
It came to us amidst a very welcoming public, dazzling us and puzzling us with that catch phrase  "No one can be told what the matrix is  you have to see it for yourself"; I myself was put into complete awe by its magnificence and brilliant storytelling.
Then came "Reloaded" in May of last year and its sequel later in November. "Reloaded" came to us amidst hostilely mixed reviews from both fans and critics and the same situation occurred with the release of "Revolutions."
Add to that my feelings are the same. "Reloaded" was mediocre at best and the main criticism I had with that film was that it was simply too much, and tried too hard to be deep and meaningful but failed miserably at winning my interest and convincing me of what its supposed goal was.
It was full of semi-meaningful and pseudo-philosophical dialogue about free will and choice; it just didn't matter. It was a lot like just get to the action scenes already, and believe me, I never pray for action scenes but "Reloaded" just wore me out with its boredom. I rated that film a "6" and believe me, I haven't changed my mind yet on that rating.
Now we're at the third film  "Revolutions." Though "Revolutions" is, as a whole, a much, much better film than "Reloaded," I got the feeling that it was only making up for the problems that plagued its predecessor, and I'm positive that was what it did. That kind of killed the experience knowing that is what was most likely the intention behind this film; but at least it kept you watching through the special effects and breathtaking action scenes that were reminiscent of the sequences in the first "Matrix" film.
Indeed "Revolutions" was much more tolerable to watch, and it did go out with a bang as was expected by the "holy" crowds that view these films as some sort of new religious experience.
Another scene would be the attack on Zion, which, forgive me, reminded me a little too much of the battle sequence from Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" (2001) because of the style and the way it was presented to the audience. Believe me, when I saw this scene for the first time, it reminded me so much of seeing Zeroes dropping bombs on Battleship Row, and then sitting there and watching the Sentinels in this film slay humans mercilessly in their never-ending assault on Zion.
The trilogy certainly ended the way I predicted that it would (I will not disclose the details) but it ends up being worth it (much more satisfying than the abrupt conclusion of the previous film), especially for the all-too symbolic, apocalyptic "Burly Brawl" action sequence between Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) at the end of the film.
The scene itself is a masterstroke of genius and technological mechanics, and you're immediately put in awe by the effort and skill that went into engineering it. If the Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry) ever did something right with the sequels, it would easily be this one scene.
Anyways, to conclude, "The Matrix Revolutions" ended the series on a good note and I enjoyed it a lot.
I give it a solid "7."