You say you want a Revolution

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2006)

With The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix trilogy, begun in 1999, comes to an explosive conclusion and generally corrects course from the slightly underwhelming Matrix Reloaded sequel to bring the series back into fighting form. Some outstanding issues are still present that stops Revolutions short of matching the original Matrix, but it comes pretty close.
Picking up right where The Matrix Reloaded left off, Revolutions finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) trapped in a limbo, realized as a train station, between the machine world and The Matrix. Meanwhile, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) are in search of Neo, consulting the Oracle (Mary Alice), who has been forced to alter her appearance (actress Gloria Foster, who portrayed the role in the first two films, had died in the interim). She directs them to the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) who reveals that Neo is trapped in his limbo, run by the Trainman (Bruce Spence). Upon freeing Neo, the battle begins heating up in the real world, with the machines almost to Zion, where the humans have massed all their might to hold them off. Neo realizes what path he must take to save Zion, while Morpheus and Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) head back in the direction of Zion to help defend it from the machines. Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is nearing his almost total control of the Matrix, and his presence begins to threaten even the machines themselves.
Where The Matrix Reloaded was the plot developing middle chapter of the trilogy, Revolutions is the grand epic finale, concluding with multiple major action sequences of a magnitude not seen in any of the Matrix films to date. Among the most significant is the machine siege on Zion, a whirlwind of visual effects that are as captivating as the sequence is exciting. Others have criticized this segment of the film, claiming it is just a computer game blown up to the big screen, but it is little different from the massive computer generated armies and battle sequences from the Star Wars prequels, so to dismiss it seems foolish. The quality of the effects is top notch, among some of the most detailed computer generated sequences realized to date, and while films shouldn't just be eye candy, this sequence also manages to capture the sense of desperation as the humans make their final stand against the machines. Occasionally, when the size of the tale calls for it, imagery on this grand of a scale is necessary.
In fairness to the criticism of Revolutions, the film does not entirely pay off the elements set up in Reloaded. Once again, there are a lot of ideas on display in Revolutions, but it is difficult for writers-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski to completely tie everything up. Some aspects of the overriding plot are also left vague, but it may very well be on purpose, to give the viewer an opportunity to come to their own conclusions. Even so, there is some lingering questions that a little tighter screen writing would have helped with.
Acting-wise, everyone still delivers as necessary. Reeves continues to turn in a sufficient performance as Neo, Carrie-Ann Moss and Laurence Fishburne are dependable, and Hugo Weaving gets some of his best material as agent Smith. There are not standouts, but everyone is serviceable.
With The Matrix Revolutions, the Wachowski brothers have brought their epic science fiction trilogy to a close, and while it may have dropped off a bit from it's strong start, The Matrix trilogy is still a challenging and entertaining masterwork, and should not be dismissed as callously by some as it has. Only time will tell the lasting power that this series may contain.