Everything that has a beginning...

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2003)

IMHO, when the Wachokwski brothers came up with the idea of "The Matrix" they did not realise just what a hot potato it would be.
Before I go any further, let's not forget that both The Matrix and Reloaded are in the top 40 grossing movies of all time, and these are the first big budget movies the Wachowski brothers have done. For all Reloaded's slating by critics, it is the 13th highest grossing movie of all time. At $735,300,000 it almost doubled the Matrix' $456,300,000. These are popular movies, not art house movies. There is no question that Revolutions will join them in the top 40 - I predict in the top 15.
The second thing to remember is, this is a comic book. The Wachowski brothers are huge comic book fans, and anime fans. They envisioned this project as if it were a comic book or anime project, but they rightly predicted it would be so much cooler if they could make it as a movie.

More, they had the determination to get it made. The studio system turned them down initially and so they `hacked into the system' by creating the excellent low budget movie, Bound as a showcase for their capabilities.

Then, Warner Bros didn't `get' the Matrix so when SFX costs were expanding during the early stages they closed it down. But not to be defeated, the Wachowski's pulled out all the stops to get the opening sequence with Trinity at the Heart O The City motel edited together, which blew the studio execs away and ensured they got the SFX budget they needed.
I think these guys should be proud of themselves! They created a fantasy / sci-fi world which has it's own internal logic, breathed life into it, imbued it with layers of philosophy, intelligence, wit, but most of all with a hefty dose of cool.
For those who are whinging about the sequels being `such a disappointment' - go do better!
Everybody I speak to seems to enjoy the Matrix on a different level, or likes many of the multiple layers of meaning, but I suspect none of us "get" all those layers - probably not even Larry and Andy to be fair! ;) But it's obvious from reading some of the comments here that a lot of people did not `get' the Matrix at all!
If you are after standard dialog, plotting and the "satisfactory" ending in true Hollywood(TM) style, then you will be disappointed.
What many critics miss when they talk about how different Reloaded and Revolutions are, is that this is a story in three chapters with a beginning, middle and end. Each chapter has it's own challenges and needs, and the Wachowskis were willing to go the distance to get their movie done in accordance with their vision.
Bullet time was the big thing in the original - Neo learns he can dodge bullets - but it was not needed in the second and third movie - Neo won't have to dodge bullets anymore. But they had their own challenges. I look at the Burly Brawl and Neo vs the Merovingians henchmen as stand out moments in terms of artistry and craft in sci-fi action movies. The fights are ballet.
Gaeta and his SFX team move the benchmark by rendering true `virtual stuntmen' in virtual worlds. Taking the `virtual stuntman' one step further, the adrenaline pumping freeway chase combining real and virtual vehicles makes for the most amazing car chase I've ever seen. Can you tell which vehicles are real and which are not? I couldn't!
For those who claim Reloaded offered nothing new or original in the way of ideas - were you watching the same movie? In the first movie there's that jaw-dropping moment when Keanu wakes up in his pod in the real world. He's then led down a path by Morpheus who believes he is `The One'.

In Reloaded the Wachowski's take that message and turn it on it's head. The legend of The One is another system of control! Morpheus' faith is totally destroyed, along with his ship, and then another shocker (although I admit I predicted this from the first movie) he appears to have powers now in the real world. The final `shocker' is Bane, who we know is now Smith, inches from his enemy as a cliffhanger finale.
***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT*** Then we get to Revolutions. I admit, it's more an Evolution than a Revolution, because unlike Matrix to Reloaded there was no 4 year gap for technology to advance. But as a sequel to Reloaded it is a far better movie in that it takes us to the denouement.
Along the way to the finale we have some more super cool moments. Neo, blinded by Bane, sees him for what he really is, and beats the crap out of him. Superb! The APU/Squiddy battle royale in the dock is tense, emotive, and powerful.
But does Revolutions cop out and take us down a predictable path? No!

Neo does not lead the humans into war with the machines and free them by force. Why? Because WAR IS BAD. Instead, he co-operates and negotiates with the machines in a common goal. Both he and Trinity sacrifice themselves to win the peace.
And finally the `super brawl' - Smith vs Neo - the guy who said this is no better than the fight between Superman and General Zod in Superman II should go watch that dated movie again honestly! I have been reading comic books for over 20 years, and this is the best superhuman fight scene ever brought to film, bar none.
But again, does it end with Neo kicking Smith's butt? No, it has a more subtle and more powerful ending. Here is Smith, the ultimate nihilist, death personified, vs Neo the existential positivist. The humanist. And he wins by having the courage to accept his fate.
Agree with it or disagree, this trinity of movies is visionary, and it rocks!