Underrated Epic Conclusion

Rating: 7/10 (5 November 2003)

The third and final movie in the Matrix Trilogy did not disappoint. As controversial as that may sound to a lot of people, the Wachowski brothers ended it the way they saw fit, and I wholeheartedly agree with the ending. The first movie enthralled us with the fascinating philosophical concept of the Matrix, and once we had four years to pour over every detail of what the first movie wanted us to know, the second and third don't worry about fleshing out the world of the Matrix and concentrate on telling the story of the Matrix universe.
Revolutions is not the first "Matrix." It does not owe us completely different overshooting special effects or even more intelligent concepts to mull over. The first movie dealt with the reality of the Matrix, the second dealt with the reality of Zion, and the final movie is the conclusion of the conflict between the two worlds. It is an epic. Those of us who want to pretend the Matrix is a tight, compact movie with a limited physical and mental scope are kidding themselves. The trilogy is a massive epic spanning a huge universe (as fleshed out by the Animatrix) that concludes with a huge leap backward, looking back on all the involved universes of the Matrix, Zion, and the Earth caught in the middle.
Spectacular cinematography... the choreography of the fights was beautiful, and the themes of love and ying/yang are proper. The relationship between forces like Neo/Trinity, Morpheus/Naobi, the Oracle/Architect, machine/human truly pervades the last movie against a backdrop of an amazing fantasy world. The action fits well with this final clash between machines and humans, and Neo's role as the intervention between both forces is spectacular.
As controversial to fans of the first Matrix movie this ending may seem, take a step back and look at the trilogy and the Animatrix as one huge movie telling one huge story in one huge universe. The climax of a truly well-done film is not always anti-climactic and deeply intellectual. The Matrix is an epic; the innovate cinematography and mind-bending philosophy behind it make it stand out above many a film.