Was it a movie or a page from a comic book?

Rating: Null/10 (7 November 2003)

***contains spoilers***
It is strange to think that a few years ago, because of the huge buzz surrounding it, I resisted watching The Matrix until it was old news. And I am glad I waited, because once I did get around to watching it, I felt so incredibly overwhelmed. The Matrix was a really REALLY good science fiction movie.
But what of its sequels? I watched Reloaded a day after it was released in my local cinemas. Sadly, even sitting in the prime location of a THX Hall didn't lessen my disappointment. I thought Reloaded was a very wordy movie, corny at best and unfathomable most of the time. There were so many questions. How can Neo exist if the Architect has destroyed the first 4 versions of the Matrix? And if dying in the Matrix means dying in the 'real' world, how come everyone else is still alive? How did the Oracle, Merovingian and the Architect know what choices Neo will make? How come all the tvs in the room where Neo met the Architect were tuned to his 'future' reactions?
So many questions, so many action sequences and I left the theater feeling dissatisfied.
And then, just like a corny line in a movie, everything CLICKED. It's like playing an RPG where there are multiple alternate endings. Suddenly Reloaded became a brilliant movie - it lulls you into thinking that everything is clear cut: that there is the matrix (green) and there is the real world (blue). But the questions it posed yield no answer based on this simplistic assumption. Unless. Unless the green world is merely a simulation of the matrix, and the blue world -- the one that we perceive as the real world -- is in fact the real matrix itself. And that in 'reality', everyone is still hooked to machines in some way or another, tubes and all.
Which was why Revolutions also made perfect sense. Once I opened up my mind to the possibility of 3 worlds, it explained why Neo was able to stop the machines in blue world (as if it were 'the matrix') and why he could 'see' the energy patterns even when he was supposedly blind. Why Agent Smith paused and 'recalled' his script as he stood in front of Neo. Yup, they've been there. They've done that. What was different is that in the 5th version of the 'matrix'(green world), Neo made a different choice ie to save Trinity instead of saving Zion. Hence, he met an alternate ending. But just like all RPGs, the ending may be different but the outcome is the same: the world is saved once again and everything went back to what it was supposed to be.
Revolutions can be summed up with these 4 points: Machines attacks Zion. Neo destroys Agen Smith. Matrix 5 reaches gestation and ends. Reboot (enter Matrix 6 where everything is well again). Will Sati see Neo again? Of course she will!
So, Revolutions held no surprises. A lot of corny lines esp in the scene where Trinity was dying. I almost shouted .. come on, die already! And the kungfu scenes, especially where Neo & Agent Smith pitted skills, were comical.
Perhaps the Wachowski brothers are trying to tell us not to take the Matrix too seriously? I give Revolutions 6.4 out of 10. The production is better than your average movie (hence the higher than average rating), but just like any fast food meal ... half an hour later you'd feel hungry again. Watch only if you are a die-hard fan. I'm ready to have ppl tp my house now.