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Box Office Gross (US)
$139,313,948
Directed by
Andy and Larry Wachowski
The Matrix Revolutions – Review by Paul Martin (Specter)
When the Matrix Revolutions began, I knew that this was the culmination of more than four years of anticipation. Since running this website since about a month after The Matrix came out in 1999, I’ve heard rumors and speculation about how the Trilogy might end, but none of them really resounded well. It had to end somehow, and I feel that the Wachowski’s have really outdone themselves here.
Not only does it make Reloaded a better film, but it also closes up the trilogy on a whole with the references to the beginning of the journey that remind us of just how far everyone has come since the finding of the One. Watching all three films together is going to be quite an experience.
As it progressed through the story, you noticed a lack of a whole lot of character development. What do you expect though, you’ve seen the first two films, and you should know the characters well enough by now. When they cry, you feel it, when the cheer, you cheer. You feel for the people in Zion, you root for them to survive against all odds. You grow frustrated, along with them, as they face incredible odds. Who has to suffer? What will be the cost? How does it have to end?
As we go through the story, you begin to realize that this is, in fact, the last stand for everyone in the story. Everyone has everything at stake, and it’s really a culmination of everything. There is much to take in, but everything begins to make sense and closes the gaps, and brings answers to the many questions that we had. Such questions as to what this trilogy is really all about, and what the actual message is, they are all brought forth in an amazing way that should appease most.
One actress that I miss, is Gloria Foster. Don’t get me wrong, Mary Alice does a fine job as the Oracle, but well, you know.
Bernard White’s performance as Rama-Kandra is one to watch for. The lines that he says to Neo are crucial to understanding the message of the entire trilogy. I would say that it is the key to the end of the movie, and it’s found right there. My only problem is with this character’s daughter. She’s a typical child actor and comes across as such.
Upon my first viewing, I noticed that every single character seemed to have much less screentime, to make room for the rest of the characters. It’s fine though, as the time that they are on screen is not wasted time. Each of them turned in what is probably the best performances of the three movies. This was where everything counted, the main course.
The fight scenes.. wow. I can’t say enough. The effects were incredible and really believable. There were more guns in this one. The first fight was like the lobby in “The Matrix” but with some incredible visuals that have you wanting to see more like it, but it’s not overdone at all.
The superbrawl was one of the most incredible scenes that I have ever seen. Full of emotion and darkness. The effects in this were hardly noticeable, mostly thanks to the rain. My favorite part of this scene though, was reminiscent of the Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker scene in Return of the Jedi, where you see their silhouettes and the lightsabers crashing. In Revolutions, this made smile with glee. This was the best choreographed fighting of the trilogy, in my opinion. Everything was so fluid, and smooth, and both Hugo Weaving and Keanu Reeves were fighting with a grace that showed they were giving it all their heart.
That’s all well and good, but is it better than The Matrix or The Matrix Reloaded? That’s debatable. You’ll have people that like the first one best, the second one best and the third one best. I’m now looking at the trilogy as one solid movie. The story begins in the first film, and ends in the third. Each film is now so intricately connected, that now we know why things turned out as they did. Parts of each of the first two films are brought back or referenced in Revolutions.
Movie Score: 9.8/10
-.1 for the dialogue at the beginning of the film. It could have been a little better.
-.1 for the costuming in the club scene.
On to the main course, the SPOILER section of the review. This is where I talk about specific parts of the movie and tell what I loved, starting with…
..The beginning. This is where most everything begins. As far as we knew, Neo was in a coma, and this is true, however, his mind is trapped in a place between the Matrix and the Real World. A train station. This is where he meets Rama-Kandra. Who we find Rama-Kandra to be is not important, at least not as important as what he says. He talks to Neo about love. About love being merely a word, and that it’s what goes into that love that is the most important part. I loved what he said.
Next we get a phone call from Seraph, he wants Trinity and Morpheus to come to the Oracle. No fight scene when they get there though, like in Reloaded and Enter the Matrix. She tells them how to find Neo. The Merovingian. Here’s where they enter Club Hel. There is a room just outside, where security waits, and a fight takes place on the ground and the ceiling simultaneously. This was brilliantly conceived and played out so well that you knew it wasn’t done entirely with computers.
The next scene to stick out in my mind, is when Zion falls under siege by the Sentinels. This scene was loaded with characters that, even though you don’t know them, you want them to survive, you know that they are fighting against great odds and it would take a miracle live through. You see some very gruesome things, but it’s very well done, and it places you in Zion, deep underground.
There are some very emotional scenes that I won’t get into here. They are best experienced without prior knowledge of them.
After that, we meet Unicron. But in this movie, they call him Deus Ex Machina. He talks to Neo and makes a deal with him. They have to find a way to kill Smith, and Neo is the only one that could do it. Then it begins. The most amazing fight scene in the whole trilogy, in my opinion. The use of slow motion is well placed, as well as the brilliant use of bullet time. The silhouettes and the effect on the rain water as they fought were pretty incredible. Absolutely stunning.
Neo’s sight is really incredible to see. It’s very beautiful. There are also more shots of the fetus fields from the first film. These shots are breathtaking. They’re a bit like the shots from the first film, but seeing characters taking in those fields is quite a sight.
The ending is not what most expected, thankfully. It’s much smarter than most theories that came out. Most were way off on all accounts.
Will this movie disappoint? Some will be let down. I’ll say that. It’s not an end that everyone wants to see happen, but it’s a solid one. People will look back on this, and hopefully say that it was a fun trilogy. I know that I’ve had a blast with it.
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