The Matrix Revolutions Movie Review:


“Everything that has a beginning has an end.” It is a ho-hum tagline for the conclusion to the epic sci-fi series, The Matrix. Will it finally reach an satisfactory conclusion?

The film literally picks up seconds upon the conclusion of “The Matrix Reloaded” where our hero Neo (Keanu Reeves) has exhausted all his powers to stop an approaching Sentinel. He saved his lady-love, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and ends up on a slab with a fellow injured crewmate. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), Neo’s mentor, is concerned about his fallen prophet.

Neo awakens in a “rapid-transit” station where he learns he is trapped between the machine world and the human world. Morpheus and Trinity are forced to confront Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and Persephone (Monica Bellucci) in hopes of unlocking the secrets of the “Train-Man” (Bruce Spence) and retrieving Neo. Without Neo, the gang has very little chance of saving Zion from an all-out assault by the machines.

As the war wages, all the secrets will be revealed and an eventual conclusion is eminent. Who will live? Who will die? And more importantly is Neo really Zion’s savior?

“The Matrix Revolutions” maybe presented as a stand-alone film but you can tell from its beginning that this is just the second half of the previous film. For the first 20 or so minutes you scramble to recollect what happened in the celluloid-ridden “Reloaded”. But quickly you are pulled back into the crazy world that harbors Neo.

The film has a lot of heart as it builds on the momentum of “Reloaded”. Without seeing Reloaded, you would be utterly lost here. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but this picture is obviously the pay-off from having to sit through “Reloaded”.

There are so many things that sci-fi fans and Matrix lovers will like. The war battles are utter eye-candy and will amaze any sci-fi geek. The final battle between Neo and Agent Smith is homage to Superman much like it was hinted at in “Reloaded”. The strange hidden program societies are teaming with more strangeness.

Hidden beneath all the latex, rubber, leather and special effects are two talents that make the third entry a lot of fun. Lambert Wilson’s return as the ruthless Merovingian is a riot and his scene with the always beautiful Monica Bellucci is one of the best of the film. But what fans and audiences should be recognizing is the untapped talent of Hugo Weaving whose Agent Smith is probably the best character of the whole series. Weaving’s eye-brow lifting, over-pronunciation, smugness and quick wit are a welcomed addition to the environment that is the “Matrix”. Weaving is a brilliant talent who blows Keanu off the map in every scene. It is a brilliant performance and a great villain.

One of my complaints about this 3rd film is the fact that there is no sum-up or throwback to what happened in the previous film. This could have acquainted audiences quicker with the momentum. Second, would be how much I want to see both films run back to back without interruption this could be something to consider with the DVD treatment of the films. Third, the series eventual conclusion is a little bit ambiguous. There are some still some unanswered questions.

“The Matrix Revolutions” is by far the better sequel and is sure to make all die-hard fans squeal with glee.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

As the machines get ever closer to Zion, the humans prepare to make their last stand against the rampaging sentinels. Neo (Reeves) has other matters to attend to as Agent Smith (Weaving) is becoming more and more powerful as his numbers grow. He and Trinity (Moss) head into the heart of the machine world with an offer that could end the war and destroy the escalating Smith menace.

Everything that has a beginning has an end and the finale of The Matrix trilogy doesn’t disappoint.

As the Wachowski brothers bring their Sci-Fi epic to its exhilarating conclusion, the question most fans will be asking is, does it conclude all the plotlines thrown up by the original and Reloaded. The answer is yes and no.

The movie continues straight from the point that we left off with no big flashy opening or recap of what happened in the second movie. The film starts quite slowly as we discover what has happened to Neo after his altercation with the sentinels put him into a coma and to be honest this does drag abit. If fact this entire portion of the movie and its relating storylines could happily be removed (except for Monica Bellucci’s reappearance and the Oracle moments) making the two sequels one three hour movie. It just feels like you are plodding along and watching filler so that Warner could get two movies for their money. But after this the movie moves into top gear.

The invasion of Zion battle sequence is simply stunning. This is exhilarating, relentless excitement and worth the price of the ticket alone. It is a roller coaster thrill ride of epic science fiction proportion and is currently the best use of computer graphics in cinema. You will not believe your eyes as the humans make their last stand against the machines, as the movie drags you into the thick of the battle and doesn’t let go for over forty minutes.

Then just as you start to get your breath back, you realise that Agent Smith and Neo haven’t been on screen for a while. The titanic battle you knew was coming as soon as the movie starts, does not disappoint. As the two archenemies face-off in the rain, you can’t help but get slightly excited, as you just know this is going to be good.

The performances again are first rate. We all know Keanu Reeves isn’t the world’s greatest actor but you just can’t imagine anyone else playing Neo. The man gives his life and soul for the part and successfully transforms himself into the superhero action star for the new millennium. Carrie-Anne Moss brings even more passion to Trinity and Lawrence Fishburne is the coolest cyber-monk in movie history.

The star of all three films for me however, is Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith. The character he and the Wachowski’s have created will go down as one of the great villains of the silver screen. His performance is tremendous. He has all the best lines, all the best moments and by far the best screen presence. The man deserves to become a superstar.

Support is also good from Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe, Harold Perrineau Jr as Link and Mary Alice as the new Oracle (which is cleverly explained after the sad death of Gloria Foster).

If The Matrix was birth, Reloaded was life, Revolutions is definitely Death. The story comes almost full circle and ties up most of the plot lines raised in the first two movies. It does leave a few things open and some fans and maybe the studio may cry sequel but I think the non-Hollywood ending is both daring and completely unexpected.

Whether The Matrix trilogy will be held in the same regard in twenty years as the original Star Wars trilogy is now remains to be seen but this is still, by far the best and most creative piece of science fiction in many years. The Wachowski’s have delivered big style and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Everything that has a beginning as an end and for The Matrix this is an astounding one.

Star Rating = * * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

The final chapter in the Matrix trilogy gets off to a slow start and only livens up a couple of times in its two-plus hours. But those action sequences are seriously impressive! Pity the rest of the film is so limp and vacuous. As we begin, Neo (Reeves) is in a coma, his mind in a train station limbo between the worlds of the matrix and the machines; while our intrepid warriors, led by Morpheus (Fishburne) and Niobe (Pinkett Smith), are regrouping. Meanwhile in the underground enclave of Zion, the residents are bracing for the machines to tunnel in ... and kill them all!

Morpheus and Niobe must consult both the Oracle (Alice) and the Merovingian (Wilson) to rescue Neo, then the action splinters into four strands: As Morpheus, Niobe and crews head to rescue Zion; the fighters of Zion, led by the stubborn Lock (Lennix), prepare for the onslaught; the villainous Agent Smith (Weaving, channelling a demon-possessed Clint Eastwood) continues to bend the matrix for his own purposes; and Neo and his main squeeze Trinity (Moss) head above ground to confront the machines.

Yes it's an epic battle for survival! And the plot itself is good--much more in the quest-for-peace action genre than the earlier examination of identity and purpose. It's intriguing to have most of the film's action take place outside the matrix itself. But the Wachowskis take their universe even more seriously here than they did in the last film, if that's possible.

The dialog is a curious mix of mind-numbing self-importance and jaw-dropping banality ("You did it!" ... "No, we did it."). There's virtually no humour at all; the only distractions are Smith's gleeful arrogance and Bellucci's heaving bossoms. All the over-serious talk about love, peace and karma is so shallow that it wears us down long before the first action scene kicks in. And that's so derivative that it almost feels like a parody--yet another gunfight in gravity-free, plaster-chipping, super slo-mo Wachowskiland.

Things do liven up as main characters are forced into corners, allowing for some decent acting (Pinkett Smith is the standout) and hilariously contrived plotting. Then about halfway in, the driller machines hit Zion and the film finally rockets out of the starting gate! This scene is a breathtaking stunner--both the massive effects and the character drama--that shifts levels as it goes, maintaining the excitement brilliantly until the next moody and muted stretch of fake philosophy, portentous pronouncements and extremely dragged-out death scenes.

Finally we arrive at the moment we've been waiting for: The climactic Neo vs Smith battle, which seriously delivers on every conceivable front. It's like a do-or-die fight between two indestructible superheroes, and it looks absolutely amazing on screen. But two impressive sequences do not a movie make, and the endless stream of meaningless mumbo jumbo, phoney emotion and galling religious imagery conclude the saga on a seriously sour note.

We feel like we've been force-fed a gigantic feast ... but everything tasted rancid. And we're still hungry.

Rich Cline

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