Destroys all that is left

Rating: 2/10 (7 December 2007)

THIS COMMENT CONTAINS VERY HEAVY SPOILERS!
Anticipation was high entering May of 2003 when the first sequel to "The Matrix" was released. Writers/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski redefined reality in the first film, yet fell victim to the impulse to do it again. "The Matrix Reloaded" contained their shocking ending, but in doing so the Wachowskis altered their perfect vision beyond repair. That set the course for this film and all of its follies.
1. Lack of time in the Matrix: The title is a bait-and-switch. It is called the matrix yet almost no time is spent there. I count five brief scenes: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) meeting with the Oracle (Mary Alice), the invasion of the Merovingian's (Lambert Wilson) night club, Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Smith (Hugo Weaving) seeing the Oracle, the final fight between Neo and Smith, and the end meeting of the Oracle and the Architect (Helmut Bukaitis).
2. No Agents: "Every single man or woman who has stood their ground, everyone who has fought an Agent has died. I've seen an Agent punch through a concrete wall. Men have emptied entire clips at them and hit nothing but air." Morpheus, "The Matrix."
Back then, the Agents were scary. They are one of the primary reasons "The Matrix" succeeded so greatly. They were invincible. Wherever there were people, they could follow. I remember my jaw dropping when Agent Jones avoided Neo's gunfire, and when Smith delivered impossibly quick punches to Neo's stomach, and when Smith was run over by a subway car, only to emerge anew from it seconds later. Instead of them, we are given a single gun battle against the Merovingian's henchmen.
3. Zion's defenses: "Electro-magnetic Pulseit's the only weapon we have against the machines."-Trinity, "The Matrix." "They can't know we don't have an EMP."-Lock, "The Matrix Revolutions." Say what? Zion is the last human city and the center of human resistance. They do not even equip their entry point with an EMP while 250,000 sentinels are closing in? Wow, they are dumb.
4. The source of Neo's power: "The power of the One extends beyond this world; it reaches from here all the way back to where it came from." The Oracle. "Where?" Neo. "The Source." The Oracle, "The Matrix Revolutions." So the power of the one comes from the Source. Does he control the source? Does it control him? If that is so, why does the Source not revoke his power once he has refused his function? If he was working for the machines, why did the Agents fight him?
5. Virus Agent Smith: Star Trek survived without Khan. James Bond was just fine after Goldfinger. "Batman Returns" made a huge profit without the Joker. This series would have flourished without Smith as a cheap Borg rip-off. The whole idea makes the Matrix invalid.
6. The battle in the dock: Another sad example of writers contradicting what is established for the sake of an action scene they want. It is like Space Invaders; kill as many machines as you can before they overwhelm you. It is stupid and frustrating, only existing for the CGI. The main battle of the film should be in the Matrix, not out of it.
7. The Architect: "That's his purpose, to balance the equation." "Smith is the result of the equation trying to balance itself." The Oracle, "The Matrix Revolutions."
Does that mean that the Architect created Smith? Smith assimilates the entire Matrix. Could the Architect not see it? Why would he create a program that will destroy the Matrix, infect the Source, and then destroy the real world as well? These questions are raised but no answers are given. The plot becomes as mysterious as Wes Studi's character from "Mystery Men" when it should be providing answers.
8. The function of the One: "The Agents are the gatekeepers. They are guarding all the doors; they are holding all the keys which means that sooner or later, someone is going to have to fight them." Morpheus, "The Matrix."
Now we know how the war can be won. Instead of winning the war, Neo can only help by the providence of Smith's existence.
9. The Merovingian: Just what the hell is this guy's function? All he does is make random decisions. He even fights the Source by imprisoning the Keymaker. Then he holds Neo, the only person who can save him and everybody else.
10. Seraph's inconsistent power: The agents are helpless before Neo's power. The Seraph was able to hold his own against the One, then struggles with the Merovingian's inferior programs. If they were as good as the agents, they *would* be the agents, so Seraph should have no trouble.
11. The death of Trinity: If they were to kill Trinity, it should have been at the end of "Reloaded." When her life is saved, she becomes untouchable. Her salvation makes us root for her even more. I liked her from the beginning, and she grows more and more sympathetic as her love for Neo does. Killing her in an unheroic fashion kills the part of the trilogy's very soul.
12. The Ending: Everything in the first film pointed to the One winning the war, not dying for a truce with a wicked enemy. That is *the* main reason that "The Matrix Revolutions" was poorly received. Humanity only survives because of Smith's crusade. With their stupid decision regarding the ending of "Reloaded," the Wachowskis painted themselves into a corner. After villains like Agent Smith and the precise ruthlessness of the machine army, we want to see victory, not treaty. Great lengths are taken to ensure we hate the machines. The ending is what broke "Reloaded," and here it breaks the trilogy. The Wachowskis depriving the viewer of what they conditioned them to desire is unforgivable, Christ allegory or not.