Reloading the Series

Rating: 6/10 (1 September 2012)

Released only 6 months after Reloaded, the last film in the Matrix series is actually a pleasant surprise, especially considering the middle installment being exactly the opposite. While the movie leaves a lot of questions open, it serves as a satisfactory and exciting conclusion to the series.
While the second film was bogged down in a convoluted and draining script, Revolutions seems to have stripped the story down to its basic elements. Now, far removed from the bitterness of the disappointment of the Matrix sequels—which seemed to be on par with the general sentiment for the Star Wars prequels—Revolutions actually ends up being a much more emotional and spiritual climax than any of us probably remember. Although this movie picks up right where the last one left off—that is to say, in the middle of an embarrassing mess—The final film is way more entertaining and refreshing than Reloaded ever could have dreamed of being.
The reason, I think, that Revolutions was so ill received when it came out was for a number of reasons. First of all, the majority of the movie takes place in the real world, completely outside of the Matrix. The only time we are in the Matrix is when Trinity and Morpheus meet with the oracle to try and find out how to get Neo out of the in-between world he thrust himself into after realizing his powers work in the real world, and then one more time for the final battle. Also, the story goes in a very unexpected direction which left many people, myself included, feeling like it was the biggest anticlimax of any story. Neo is stricken blind by a man that has been possessed by Agent Smith, Trinity serves as only a dramatic character, and the film ends with peace between man, the machines, and the Matrix, rather than the annihilation of the last two. However, looking at it now, all of these things work in favor of the movie.
While Reloaded exploited the iconic nature of the first film with such stunts as having Neo fly, having Neo fight fifty Agent Smiths at once, having Neo manipulate the Matrix in every way imaginable, having Morpheus fight bad guys for fifteen minutes straight, and having the machines attack the Nebuchadnezzar again, Revolutions seems to throw off all of the iconic nature of the trilogy, and instead find a conclusion that is interesting and, surprisingly, in tune with all the mounds of philosophical ideas they built into the first one.
Zion is preparing for an all out machine attack, and deep down they know they will be making their last stand. Meanwhile, Neo and Trinity have taken a ship and are trying to make their way to the machine city. The battle takes up a majority of the movie, and the characters that were introduced in the second film serve as the focus of this part. The battle is certainly too long, but considering it has an emotional center, it is not nearly as draining and pointless as all of the fights in Reloaded. If the supporting characters had been more interesting, then the battle would probably have been more fun to watch, but what can you do.
One thing that is a striking blow to the movie is that Neo gets a little shortchanged in this. During most of the battle, and a long battle it is, we don't even cut to see where Neo and Trinity are. When we do, Neo fights the man that has been possessed by Agent Smith, but he is blinded in the process. No matter, because he can now see the world, or at least machines, as golden light. When they arrive at the machine city, their ship crashes, and Trinity dies. Neo then walks to a certain point, and meets the head honcho of the machine city. It turns out, Agent Smith has turned every single person in the Matrix into himself, and both Neo and the machine leader know only the Chosen one can stop him. Neo then goes into the Matrix, fights the Agent Smith that used to be the powerful oracle, and is then defeated. Neo's defeat then brings an end to the perceived glitch that was the Chosen one, and then the Matrix reboots. In the real world, Neo dies, and the war between humans and machines ends. We don't see what happens in the near future, or the rebuilding of society. We do know that now anyone who wants to unplug from the Matrix will be allowed to do so.
This story is obviously heavily influenced by religious texts and stories. Neo as a martyr for the freedom of humanity as opposed to the leader of a revolution completes his arch as a Christ-like figure. And the film leaves us by telling us that people plugged into the Matrix have a choice if they want to leave or not. That theme runs throughout the entire series, so it is fitting that is how it should end.
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