More tension and warmth than its predecessor. A solid finish to the trilogy.

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2003)

First, let's get this out of the way...the critics are dead wrong about this film. In fact, I suspect that many of them had their clever digs at the movie written long before they even saw it. When I read things like "whoah-fully inadequate", my eyes just roll, because I know it's more about the power of the critic to tear down and to seem clever than it is an honest assessment of a film.
That said, Revolutions is not perfect. I recall sighing once or twice at a cheesy bit of dialogue, and there was even one unintentional laugh from the audience at a character's completely inappropriate response of "I'll be alright," when he's obviously NOT alright. Though in retrospect, I suppose it was a reference to a character in the first film who said the same thing. I was also a bit disappointed that some of the key setups in Reloaded (Merovingian, counselman, prior "ones") were not pursued in Revolutions. Minor flaws notwithstanding, this is a very good action movie that simply requires a bit of audience participation.
Many people didn't like Reloaded, and I completely understand why they wouldn't. Because it took place largely within the Matrix, was cold and lacked tension. It felt like one over the top action/fight scene after another with a minimum of real human interaction. Unfortunately the editors noticed and tried to compensate with that dreadful rave scene. There was also a complete lack of tension in that you never had the impression that the characters were in any real danger. The mistake, I think, was in the failure to cut back to the characters' real world bodies every now and then to show that they were taking some damage. Reloaded was a bit cold, generally lacked tension, and the ending was clear as mud, but I still enjoyed it as a hell of a ride with the story taking some interesting directions. The question is "does revolutions have the same flaws?"
Fortunately, Revolutions takes place in the real world with real people in real danger, and the tension is cranked up several times with generally satisfying payoffs. While there was still a lack of chemistry between Neo and Trinity, they are certainly more believable as a couple in Revolutions than in either previous film. Because this movie is about the "real" world and not the matrix, those expecting an abundance of gunplay and kung-fu will be disappointed. This is a sci-fi action movie in the vein of Aliens, and is much more straightforward than Reloaded.
Those expecting to see a solid closing, great action, and stunning visuals will not be disappointed...period.
So there you have it, not perfect but not nearly as bad as advertised. This trilogy will stand the test of time and the final installment should be seen in the theater if you even remotely enjoyed either of the first two.
Matrix: 10 Reloaded: 7 Revolutions: 9