I was so excited for it to arrive, but couldn't wait to leave the theater!!!

Rating: 3/10 (8 November 2003)

I am a huge fan of the first Matrix. It was groundbreaking with its special effects, kung fu fight sequences, slow motion "bullet time", and of course unbelievable storyline. I've watched the Matrix DVD close to 20 times. I saw Reloaded the first night it came out and though I was a little confused by it at first, I found it to be a highly entertaining and acceptable sequel to such a spectacular first film. I went and saw it again the second night of its release and enjoyed it even more - there was quite a bit of dialogue/plot twist that I was able to follow better upon repeat viewing.
In Reloaded, there were many memorable new characters added, more groundbreaking fight scenes, and discussions on fate, choice, inevitability, man's dependence on machines, and such. The storyline was tricky but enthralling and some of my favorite scenes included the development of Agent Smith's even more entertaining and hilarious character. "Me TOO!".

What I expected of Revolutions from the trailer and past experience with these films was nothing less than spectacular. I couldn't have been more excited for November to come around. When I saw most of the critics reviews of "C's", I recalled most didn't like the first Matrix initially anyway so I kept my hopes up. What I felt when I left the theater of Revolutions was utter disappointment and even a loss for words.
To me, Revolutions was a movie failure of dire proportions. Every aspect that made the previous movies so entertaining was lost. Unlike the Matrix and Reloaded I could pretty much predict most of what would happen. That does not make for an entertaining movie - as a side note, trailer creators need to save a few secrets and simply tantalize, not give away an entire plot (learn something from Lord of the Rings, NOT the Italian Job).
So many plot lines in Reloaded were either forgotten or discarded. Why mention multiple versions of the destruction of Zion if you have no plans to include it in the conclusion? What purpose did the kiss between Persephone and Neo serve in the Reloaded? Why is this version different from the other previous versions? etc.
Where also was the kungfu fighting that made the first two movies so memorable? Sure, there was the scene with another corridor and pillars and guns, but this time everyone shoots upside down. Wow. How impressive, how groundbreaking. (SARCASM) And what purpose did the story line about the Trainman or the "family" of programs serve? None readily apparent. Even the time spent on the Merovingian -an enthralling character in Reloaded, now extremely pacifistic - was likely added into Revolutions as a time filler and a useless plot turn.
Which brings me to character development. Every good movie has it - think why Empire Strikes Back is the best of all 5 Star Wars movies - Revolutions had little or none. Morpheus has no real presence or growth. Agent Smith becomes bland at best and just a typical "bad guy" wanting power, nowhere near his curiously devious self of Matrix and Reloaded. Link was an interesting new character in Reloaded, but again wasted screen time. And the kid who helped save the docks from the first attack - how predictable and wasted a character is he? Three cheers for the little guy who wants to be all grown up. Brings a tear to my eye. Whatever.
The movie just started slow and ended slower. There was no real excitement in its introduction (learn something from the first 10 minutes of LOTR Two Towers PLEASE on how to tie sequels together) and the plot didn't pick up much in pace until nearly 45 minutes in. I'm not implying there wasn't any action, but even during such "intense" scenes I found myself losing interest and I felt bad for myself and everyone else around me. The scenes of dialogue between Neo and Trinity as well as all those of the crew on the two hovercrafts at the beginning were mind-numbingly boring. Don't get me wrong, I'm not all about action, but dialogue should serve its purpose to learn more about the characters and plot, not simply lengthen a movie to 2 hours.
I couldn't believe I'd even find the flashy special effects fight scenes between Neo and Smith less than exciting either, but they were. How many ways can you one-up yourself in the same sort of good vs evil kung fu fight. Wow, they keep hitting each other but this time even harder... ooo, slow motion fist to face impact... and wow, large shock wave impact explosion. It didn't keep me do anything for me - nothing near the helicopter scene in Matrix. (By the way, a great scene to test the low end abilities of your audio surround system)
I did not think the end at all probable or acceptable. It wasn't really the end that had been alluded to by the original Matrix and Reloaded. Simply stating 'Oh, bye the way, any human who wants to leave the Matrix is free to do so'. In reality, no man wants to live in bondage especially in a reality that is controlled by someone/thing else, so in fact every man would choose to leave the Matrix and the machines would then no longer have their "Copper Tops" and would cease to exist without a power supply. That could not happen, so they would not be able to "live together" peacefully - there will always be war.
Personally, I would have rather waited a year for a final movie that captured the questions and characters of the first 2 films than a short 6 months for such a thrown-together film that wasted those same characters and tried to over impress its audience with special effects in order to cover a plot that was severely lacking in forethought or grandeur.
I'm pretty sure I won't watch this movie again or at least not for some time - which is tragic because The Matrix and Reloaded were leading up to something better than they what we in turn paid to accept as an ending.
But above all, make your own decision on the film. Thanks for reading!

As an after thought, I agree with many others that it is tragic about the loss of the Gloria Foster who played the Oracle in movies 1 & 2, but to be honest, she could not alone have made this final Matrix better. She was missed, though.