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reviews in brief.
Remember in the original movie, The Matrix, when Morpheus (Laurance Fishburne, Event Horizon) breaks his
CAL CREEK
One part dark fairy tale, two parts special effects wonder, The Matrix Revolutions is an awesome spectacle.
handcuffs after being beaten down by The Matrix
STEVEN SHUPE
That it hasn't fared better with audiences is the result of misplaced expectations. After all, the idea that a movie
agents? He slowly stands up, drenched from water spraying everywhere, and sprints for the open window, with bullets whizzing by, he leaps out, gets clipped by a bullet, yet still lands in the safety of the helicopter? Do you remember that? 'Cause it was freakin' awesome. And, disappointingly, The Matrix Revolutions had nothing on par with that or any other scene from the original.
gy. While it does wrap all loose plot ends up, it makes the second film, The Matrix Reloaded, inconsequential as nothing in the previous film had any bearing on the actions and events of this incarnation. It seems the second movie was simply a commercial for Revolutions, which in turn hurts the
That triumphant scene seemed to represent a new era for Hollywood as the Wachowski brothers made a name for themselves and their coterie of actors. In May of 1999 everyone thought the Wachowski brothers much like Morpheus were leaping to success no matter what stood in their way.
Then, last weekend, audiences across the world realized the Wachowski had cocked up what could have been this generation's Star Wars.
In the third and final installment of The Matrix Trilogy Neo (Keanu "Ted 'Theodore' Logan" Reeves, Point Break) must face his growing power and how he can use it to save not only humanity but all of existence from the growing threat, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving, LOTR: Two Towers). Meanwhile Morpheus and the other citizens of Zion must protect their homes from a massive assault staged by the machines.
The Matrix Revolutions isn't a bad movie, it's just not a very good one either, and it is extremely disappointing to think that it came from the same brains that kicked Hollywood's door in four years ago.
This trite plot structure is just one of several debacles in this mediocre film.
Think of this movie as a confusing and disappointing Return of the Jedi as it follows a similar plot structure in which the messianic hero must face his antithesis alone while his friends involve themselves in several large-scale battles.
The movie also is seriously hurt by Reeves' acting. In the first Matrix audiences could ignore Reeves' crap-tacular acting because the film style was new, innovative and astounding. In this episode Reeves' deadpan delivery falls on deaf, bored ears as the audience quickly grows tired of his inabilities.
Perhaps the greatest fault this film perpetrates is its relevance in the trilo-
significance of the original
In defense of Revolutions, the movie looks spectacular. The machine sentinels attack Zion in a glorious, ominous mass that is as scary as it is jaw dropping. The final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith looks great too. While the hand-to-hand combat seemed a little worn out after the massive Agent Smith battle in Reloaded, this fight does still deliver the special effects in a creative and aesthetically pleasing manner.
—Cal Creek
The Matrix: B+
The Matrix Reloaded: D+
The Matrix Revolutions: C-
Even though the movie looks nice, is better than Reloaded and really is just mediocre, not bad, it still is extremely disappointing to think that this is the follow-up to The Matrix.
about defeating evil computers through mastery of the martial arts can reveal the mysteries of life is probably testament to the trilogy's theme of grand illusion.
This gleaming sequel finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) trapped between the machine world and the human world. At a train station, a little Indian girl named Sati (Tanveer Atwal) talks cryptically of a Trainman who will return her to the Matrix. Neo learns that the Trainman works for the Merovingian, the malevolent program from The Matrix Reloaded.
originality. The Wachowski Brothers have envisioned an alternative universe that, despite its dystopian view of world order, is utopian in its diversity. Also, visualizing computer programs as living, breathing humans is an ingenious bit of sci-fi worthy of Stanley Kubrick.
If the station represents purgatory, the Merovingian's lair represents hell, where Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) intrude to barter for Neo's safe return. These opening sequences highlight some of the trilogy's most laudable claims to
Revolutions moves at a brisker pace than its predecessors. It combines their strengths and strips away much of their weaknesses. Where the original relied heavily on Neo's point of view and, thus, the muddled presence of Keanu Reeves, Revolutions breaks into three alternate storylines so that Reeves is onscreen for only a third of the running time. Also, the film takes the throwaway genius of Reloaded (remember those super-cool Twins who survived for about 15 minutes?) and spreads it out more evenly, leaving viewers less insatiable.
Most of the dialogue is stilted, the reprise of Neo's fight with Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) digresses—or, some might say, progresses—into Harry Potter territory, and some of the Matrix mythology is left unexplained; I still don't understand how Agent Smith was able to copy himself. But where filmmakers flub content, they enthrall with imagery, from the cloudy midnight city of the machines to the ornate beauty of the film's closing scene.
That genius is on grand display in the nearly 20-minute battle for Zion. When the sentinels, agile, spider-like robots that can fly, finally burst through the concrete dome that encases the city, they seem to number only in the hundreds. Then, in an image of frightening grandeur, thousands swoop down like a swarm of metal bees and attack the Zion army. In this scene and others, there is no separating the real from the digital. It could be said that, in pushing the technology to its nova, the Wachowskis have created a real-life version of the Matrix.
I think people have turned against Revolutions because, in ending an industry of destruction, the Wachowskis have chosen to stay true to their own pacifistic philosophies. Neo comes with a message of peace, love and understanding. In these doomsday times, what's so funny about that?
Stephen Shupe
The Matrix: B
The Matrix Reloaded: B
The Matrix Revolutions: A-
20 jayplay
thursday, november 13. 2003