Blame yourselves, not the Wachowskis

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2003)

I am a fan of the Matrix. I also appreciate good cinema. When I first saw the original Matrix, I was impressed. It was a unique if not wholly original concept, coupled with some amazing action sequences and fight scenes. It was a treat, and I have been looking forward to the newest installments for some time.
Watching Reloaded, roundly praised in some circles and booed in others, the concept felt more routine the second time around. There wasn't that same feeling of going down that rabbit hole and seeing what was on the other side. But it was a thrilling romp, with one of the all-time best cinematic chase scenes on record, and most fans, namely among those, the ravenous "Matrix Fanboy", could forgive this, knowing the be-all-and-end-all of cinema was just around the corner, and that all of the questions that were raised in the first two films would be answered soon enough.
Therein lies the problem. As the cult of "The Matrix" grew from its humble and surprising 1999 debut, fans built up what was an outstanding action film as the next cinematic epic, and that it is not. Enter November. With four years of anticipation and what amounted to a full length cinematic trailer released earlier in the year for the conclusion of the trilogy, expectations were sky high. So the real question is, does Revolutions deliver? That will depend largely on what you expect from a movie.
I could dissect this movie, tell you that it was slow to build, that a lot of questions do remain unanswered, and that the writing will not be nominated for any awards any time soon. But I would then follow those statements with a question. Is that really what you came to a movie like this for? The writing has not grown worse, nor has the action become any less compelling throughout the life span of "The Matrix". What has grown is our expectations. Call it Star Wars-itis or trying to find the remedies for our problems in the form of cinematic opium, in waiting for "the next big thing", we were surprised to find that what began as an action trilogy has ended as an action trilogy, and those who were waiting for the greatest movie of all time were left with an empty feeling.
Is this, then, a bad review? Quite the contrary. I was compelled by the action and what may go down as one of the most intense final battles in movie history (the battle for zion as well as Neo's duel with Agent Smith). I was touched, even, by characters that other reviewers have booed as being "unlikable" and
(MAJOR SPOILER ALERT)
found myself saddened by the demise of both major and minor characters.
(end spoiler)
This final movie certainly didn't go where I thought it might, but in the end, I didn't care. It was compelling, it was one helluva ride, and I thank the Wachowski brothers for sharing their vision with the rest of us. If anything, I feel sorry for them, for shouldering the Atlas-like pressure of pleasing thousands of rabid fans, all of whom have been salivating for something deeper and concocting scenarios that even these fine craftsmen would strain to put on screen.
So call it what you will, but don't call it bad cinema, because once the action began, it grabbed me, and I didn't care where it took me, because I wanted to see it through to the end. You won't find the answer as to why Neo can blow sentinels apart through his pure force of will, but in the end, you may find that it didn't ever matter why in the first place.

***1/2 out of **** stars.