The weakest film of the trilogy

Rating: 6/10 (6 November 2003)

The Matrix Revolutions really feels as though the Wachowski brothers have run out of ideas, both for the fights/shootouts, and in terms of overall story development. The Matrix was visually stunning, thrilling, mysterious and complete in it's own right. The Matrix Reloaded was arguably overtly less "cool and hip"(take Zion for instance; a sub-standard, post apocalyptic, Mad Max style dance club), and lacked the tension of the first film's scenes with its terrifying agents, but this was compensated for by intriguing character and plot development. Morpheus, for instance, ceased to be the apparently all knowing and seeing character of the first film, and developed into a man who's faith, whilst strong, may just be blinding his judgement. It was also implied that perhaps Zion itself was a part of the Matrix, designed especially to keep the small percentage of rebels happily fighting the good fight. This is a bleak but fasinating concept, which, when combined with the old stalwart, "will history repeat itself/ can the loop be broken" by Neo's choice this time around, made for a tantalising setup for the grand finale in The Matrix Revolutions. Sadly the new film begins with a very talky opening 20 minutes where most of the scriptwriter's energies seem to have been spent unconvincingly trying to explain why the Oracle is being played by a different actress, and very little else of any consequence is conveyed to us. Morpheus is given far too little to say and do before we get to the impressive battle with the machines to cheer us up. Then it's back to Agent Smith's quest to dominate everything, and an ultimately rather unsatisfying and inconclusive conclusion. In short The Matrix Revolutions is nowhere near as smart, trendy or tense as the first movie and not as puzzlingly, fascinating as the second. If you see the film do what the word Revolutions suggests and complete the cycle by going back to the beginning of the trilogy and watch the first, and best film again.