Every sci-fi that has a beginning has a disappointing end

Rating: 5/10 (11 November 2003)

Science fiction trilogies have a habit of being great in the first book, where they ask the big questions, and dreadful in the third book, where they give the answers. Why? Because messages such as [VERY MINOR SPOILER ALERT] "love conquers all and explains everything", "evolution creates inevitability", "just believe and it will happen" or "the only restrictions are the ones you place on yourself" [END SPOILER ALERT] just don't cut it in everyday life, never mind in a sci-fi world where you need to have many things explained. I had great hopes that the Matrix trilogy would escape from this because the first film was so laced with spiritual/ philosophical/ Alice in Wonderland analogies, but no luck. In fact, I found myself having the awful thought that I was actually watching a re-run of Starship Troopers... There's some great special effects, sure, but even more action film/sci-fi cliches. I was going to get the DVDs of Reloaded & Revolutions for Christmas and watch them together, but I don't think I'll bother now.