So much wasted potential

Rating: 3/10 (13 January 2004)

I, apparently along with millions of other viewers, thought that the first Matrix movie was interesting and stimulating enough to cover the flaws. The acting was pretty good, the concept, while not exactly new, was presenting in a refreshing manner, and the special effects and camera work were excellent. This was in 1999. In the four years that separated the first movie from the other two, nothing appears to have changed in the Wachowski universe. The final two movies are so much alike that they can be viewed as one long, progressively depressing film. Depressing because it becomes apparent that none of the really interesting questions will be answered. I can handle an open-ended film, provided that the questions asked are interesting enough to make me think about the movie afterward and ponder the possibilities. The Matrix 2 + 3 do not succeed in this capacity, in my opinion. Rather than deal with the interesting questions regarding the fate of a messiah in a machine-dominated world, we introduce new characters, have CGI-heavy fight sequences for no apparent plot-related reason, and generally p*** off everyone who isn't a die-hard fan. My advice to everyone I meet who hasn't seen the last (two) movie(s) is this: skip it. Your imagination will provide a MUCH more satisfying ending than the Wachowski brothers have managed. It is a sad statement that of the three possibly great trilogies running concurrently (Matrix, Star Wars and LOTR), only the Lord of the Rings did not drop the ball. I'm not interested in starting a fight between Matrix fanboys and RingNuts, and I'm aware that the final installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy hasn't been produced yet, however it's probably safe to assume that it will suck as badly as the Matrix final installment, which is saying quite a bit. Shame on the Wachowskis for becoming infatuated with special effects and shying away from cleaning up the mess they created.