A thrilling conclusion, but still a huge miss on the wide opportunities given the premise.

Rating: Null/10 (8 April 2004)

*** out of ****
As the concluding film of an epic saga, The Matrix Revolutions is certainly more satisfying and thrilling than the likes of, say, Return of the Jedi or Back to the Future Part III, but its accomplishments are almost entirely in the visual sense; this is a sensational action experience, complete with epic battle scenes and a showdown for the ages. There's barely any focus on the Matrix this time around, but in my opinion, that's okay, the previous films have already squandered enough opportunities that I don't mind (and even actually prefer) the switch of attention to Zion and the war against the machines.
For those who haven't seen the previous installments, good luck trying to catch up. When we last left off in The Matrix Reloaded, Neo (Keanu Reeves) fell into a coma after displaying the surprising ability to destroy sentinels in the real world. He's currently trapped in a place between the Matrix and reality, a squeaky clean subway station run by the uncouth trainman (Bruce Spence).
Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) team up with the Oracle's protector, Seraph, to rescue Neo. Meanwhile, there are two burgeoning problems; an invasion force of 250,000 sentinels drilling their way into Zion and the ever multiplying Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who's quickly taking over the Matrix. You can see where this is leading.
Much like Reloaded, most of Revolutions' glaring faults are in the first half. There's slightly less philosophical babble this time around, but the constant questions and debates are as tiresome and silly as before. Returning is the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and his wife Persephone (Monica Bellucci), and while they're not saddled with the heavy-handed philosophy they were forced to utter in Reloaded, the minute screen time they're give suggests that the Wachowskis had no idea what to do with these characters. I would have liked at least a mention of the Merovingians' thoughts on Smith's rapid multiplication, but we don't even get that much.

Nearly as annoying is Neo's final meeting with the Oracle (this time played by Mary Alice, who's just as good as Gloria Foster was), where the answers that are revealed are purely anticlimactic. Like most others, we all wondered why Neo had the power to destroy the sentinels; the answer makes no more sense than anything else the Oracle says. Most frustrating of all is that the Oracle could easily have revealed to Neo all the information the Architect laid upon him, thus rendering most of Reloaded's running time and plot rather pointless, but instead gives some b.s. remark about how Neo wasn't ready to be told, but in typical "Oracle-style" fashion, gives the answer in a question form that has Neo responding to his own query in a lamely introspective manner.
As Revolutions' plot progresses, there are several hints and plot strands that intrigued and frustrated me. The Oracle mentions that Smith is Neo's opposite, the result of the equation balancing itself. I gather this implies that the five previous "Ones" had opponents similar to Smith, perhaps even Smith himself, as there is a line between him and Seraph that suggests at past rivalry (and led some to believe that Seraph was a previous One, not entirely an impossibility, given the color code he emanated in Reloaded, but not something I care to ruminate about at the moment). Unfortunately, it's merely a line that's never expanded on, we know little more than we did before.
For this installment alone, I would think the most wasted opportunity was in not displaying Smith's rapid multiplication. By the end of the film, he's taken over the entire virtual world, imagine the chaos and terror the population must have experienced at the sight of a man constantly replicating himself through human hosts. I can't believe the Wachowski brothers didn't see the gold mine they were standing on with this potentially terrific subplot, but like many other aspects of the series, they simply avoid it.
But the first hour is still more bearable than the similarly draggy moments in Reloaded; there are several cool scenes, like the end result when Neo tries running out of the subway or the shootout in Club Hel. There's also a more palpable feeling of suspense, what with the imminent destruction of Zion.
Where the film really takes off and almost never loses its footing from here on out is the Zion battle sequence. It's a fabulously thriling and intense setpiece, as the sentinels bear down in droves into the dock and are, for a short while at least, held at bay by a massive army of APUs (many claim they're inspired by Aliens, but they're more similar to anime designs that existed prior to the James Cameron flick) and machine guns. The twenty-minute battle is split three ways, but it's definitely the dock segment, which heavily resembles Starship Troopers, that delivers the most thrills. I was particularly taken by Nathaniel Lees kick-ass Mifune, whose gung-ho attitude is exhilaratingly infectious.
The battle still raises at least one major question; (mild spoiler) it's suggested at one point that one of the returning ship's EMP could knock out part of the invading force of sentinels. Sure, it's something that should only be considered as a last-minute contingency plan, but shouldn't the Zion army have at least kept one of the ships behind in the most likely case that such an act of desperation would be needed?
The non-stop action continues with Neo and Trinity's journey to the Machine City, leading to the trilogy's most purely awe-inspiring scene, the beautiful sight of sunlight. The Wachowskis also have the cajones to kill off major characters, and I cared enough about the leads to be moved by their sacrifices.
The climactic action sequence, the showdown between Neo and Smith, is a classic case of repetition. Return of the Jedi had the same problem, considering it involved attacking yet another Death Star. But the grievance here is to a far lesser extent as the fight does boast more than enough variety to separate it from the previous Neo/Smith brawls. That said, the first half of the sequence is great, full of rousing choral music and slick martial arts choreography mixed with stylish slow-motion and freeze frame shots (one gets the feeling, though, that all this would have been utterly mind-blowing four years ago, and not just a blast to watch). I especially loved the setting and look of the scene, the dark green tint and pouring rain amidst the lightning-wracked sky.
Unfortunately, the latter half of the brawl is less satisfying, with Smith prattling on about the pointlessness of Neo's struggle. Seriously, I just want to see the supermen duking it out, there's no need to strive for the greater meaning here. The overall conclusion is satisfying enough on an initial viewing, but raises more questions than are answered.
For one, I think it's safe to assume that everyone in the Matrix is at least a little leery and suspicious of their world, they've just seen a man in sunglasses absorb the entire population. Thus, it's likely many will come to the conclusion that their world is a fabrication. (Major spoiler) The Architect's final words, stating something along the lines of the fact that anyone who wants to be freed will be freed resolves nothing, making one wonder why machines had to even use humans as batteries in the first place.
As I write this review, I realize I've spent more time harping on the movie's faults, but the truth of the matter is that I had a great time watching this film. Taken purely as a sci-fi action epic, it delivers first-rate excitement and thrills and moves at a much faster pace than either of its predecessors. Sure, it barely touches on the concept of the Matrix, but I'd rather fault that with Reloaded, as Revolutions' primary intent was to conclude the saga with battles and brawn, and not to further dwelve into the fabricated world of the Matrix.