Sequels Suck: Or Why the Latest Matrix Didn't Revolutionize Diddly

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2003)

Let me start by saying I am actually one of the minority who enjoyed Matrix Reloaded. The first time I watched it, I was impressed by the visuals and the story seemed pretty strong, if a little wordy at times. The one down point was the 15-minute Zionist orgy that was supposed to show us that Neo and Trinity (or is it `Trin'?) love each other - I suppose because they went away and did their lovemaking privately instead of in the crowd. A few days later, thanks to the editors at Relevant, I was able to download, print out and digest The Architect's speech. Being able to study it and then subsequently see the film again in the theatre, my esteem for The Wachowski Brothers went up dramatically. It was clear to me during the second showing that the brothers had written an extremely tight film, with almost every line of dialogue pointing to what I saw as the ultimate conclusion.
I was wrong.
Now I wouldn't mind this too much, if there had been given a more plausible solution to the situation. The problem is, Revolutions basically ignores the question. I won't get into particulars here, but suffice it to say that almost nothing we learned from The Architect and The Oracle in Reloaded has any bearing on what happens in Revolutions.
As an aspiring screenwriter and film buff, I know from experience that the best conclusion for a film is the obvious one that takes you by surprise. One of the best examples of this is the film Fallen, starring Denzel Washington, where they show you the end of the movie in the first ten minutes, despite which you still are kicking yourself two hours later for not seeing it coming. I expected the same from Revolutions. As I say, I wouldn't mind being wrong about the ending if it delivered on the promises on the first two films. It just didn't.
I am a huge science fiction fan, with a little extra emphasis on the science. I love seeing how writers and filmmakers explore and create new worlds, some based on our world, some with rules of their own. But I hate, hate, hate it when they arbitrarily break the rules to make something work. The Matrix is supposedly set in a possible future on our earth. Inside the Matrix there are rules that don't always jive with the real world. That's okay, because we're told that it is a construct and everyone `in' the Matrix is basically a programmable subroutine based on the person's mind. The exceptions are the Agents and people like The Oracle, The Merovingian (of is that the Frenchman?) and the Keymaker, who are programs designed by the machines to interact with the pseudo-humans. No problems here. However, it should be expected that outside the Matrix, in Zion and around the machine-dominated areas, normal physical laws should apply. Unfortunately, they don't. I don't know if it is sloppy writing or last-minute late-night edits, but for some reason the EMP pulse doesn't work the same in Revolutions as it did in the last two films or as it is theorized to work real life.
Unfortunately, to give air to most of my rants about the problems with Revolutions, I would have to provide extensive spoilers, and I think enough critics on other online sites have done this. Suffice it to say I was disappointed with the overall film and the open ending - you see, Matrix Revolutions is supposedly the third in a trilogy - but things could change (I suppose that has to do with money).
Would I recommend the movie? Yes, I suppose. Not at all for the reasons I recommended the original. If you like action sequences and shoot-em-ups more in the style of the video game Quake than the John Woo-inspired sequences of the first film, you'll be right at home. There is something horribly ironic about fighting machines with machines, and you'd think from the technology displayed in Zion they would have ended this a long time prior, but. Martial arts fighting buffs will also be impressed. Hoping for some water cooler discussion material? Try again. I should say though that there are two strong stand-outs in the film. Ian Bliss deserves props for doing a fantastic Hugo Weaving voice-impression. And sadly, Monica Bellucci was apparently paid for displaying her considerable cleavage - her breasts have almost as much dialogue as she does, and twice as much screen time - hopefully she'll get to actually act in The Passion of Christ, rather than just being lewd eye candy.
Everything that has a beginning has an end - I just wish this had been a better one.