The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Director: The Wachowski Siblings

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Colin Chou

Country: United States / Australia

Rating: R

Run Time: 129 minutes

*spoilers abound*

While I have always loved The Matrix Reloaded since its initial release in 2003, The Matrix Revolutions has always been the sequel to escape me. After having seen once it in the theaters in 2003, I never got around to seeing the film again. I don't know what was wrong with me but I know that somewhere along the line I developed the opinion that the film sucked and jumped on the bandwagon for the film's hate. For my excursion into the much maligned Matrix sequels, I decided to watch The Matrix Revolutions back to back with Reloaded. This was also my first time viewing the film in over 10 years. And you know what, I think that The Matrix Revolutions is an awesome and underrated finale that gets an unfair bad rap. 

To be honest, I think that Revolutions is a film that needs to be watched back to back with its predecessor. For starters, both films were shot and written at the same time. Therefore, both films were envisioned as a two part finale. Second, both films were released within the same year a mere six months apart; something that is unheard of in today's cinematic world. They were envisioned to be seen very close together. And third, Revolutions picks up from the moment that Reloaded ends on. In a sense, Reloaded is act one and two of the Matrix finale while Revolutions is the third act drawn out to movie length. This is why watching Revolutions on its own may make for a detached and distanced experience if one does not have the events or characters of Reloaded fresh in their mind. Therefore, I believe that Revolutions holds up better when paired back to back with Reloaded (much like the Bond films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace).

Revolutions takes what started as a small scaled franchise and turns it into a massive science fiction epic the likes of Star Wars with its plentiful characters, epic action scenes, and grand storytelling. The two final battles of the film take place on such a grand scale that I couldn't help but get swept up into their proceedings. It's hard to resist massive machine wars and a grand one on one fist fight when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Unfortunately, Revolutions has more issues than Reloaded does. However, I still find the film to be thrilling in parts and serviceable as a whole despite its flaws. 

Why do people dislike this movie again? All I see is beautiful double gun fisted action.

Revolutions falters from the get go as it struggles to wrap up the loose ends of Reloaded. After Neo used his powers in the real world at the end of Reloaded, he passed out and mentally landed inside of a train station that serves as the go between for the Matrix and the real world. In the real world, Neo was placed on a table next to Bane, a human controlled by Agent Smith of the Matrix. Therefore, Revolutions spends nearly 25 minutes of its run time resolving Neo's imprisonment at the train station.

And while this sub-plot results in a stupendous action sequence that homages and resembles the iconic lobby shootout in The Matrix (arguably the best action sequence in the film), the search to rescue Neo puts us back at square one concerning the war with the machines. It's as if the Wachowskis didn't want to end Reloaded without leaving a cliffhanger for audiences to ponder over until Revolutions. In the grand scheme of things, the opening act of Revolutions is entirely pointless and feels more like cinematic homework than it does an enjoyable viewing experience.

Once Neo is freed from the clutches of the Train Man (Bruce Spence of The Road Warrior fame in a nice cameo), he and Trinity decide to head for the source of the machines in the real world in order to stop the attack on Zion. However, the machines have already begun their war with Zion. Unfortunately, the humans have no ships or EMP's to their name in Zion. Therefore, Morpheus and Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) pilot the last remaining ship with an EMP to Zion in order to help out with the grand battle of Zion. Neo ultimately realizes he must make a pact with the machines in order to destroy their common enemy, the program Agent Smith, and to save his people. What follows is an epic and massive one on one battle between Neo and Agent Smith inside of the Matrix that puts the Superman vs. Zod fight at the end of Man of Steel to shame (just saying, anything puts the Man of Steel fight to shame, it sucks).

I'd be just about speechless if I witnessed this first hand.

Once The Matrix Revolutions arrives to the meat of the film, the war in Zion, the film kicks into gear and never lets up. What results is a fantastic and awe inspiring battle between human controlled mechs and terrifying machines. This anime inspired battle features incredible special effects and visuals that I will never forget. The Wachowskis conjure up some of the most beautiful and horrifying imagery I have ever seen in a science fiction epic during this massive machine battle. You'll never see a more terrifying machine once you have seen the sentinels form up into a worm-like shape in mid-air (pictured above). I want to specify that the Wachowskis do an incredible job at crafting some of the most terrifying robots in cinema history. We all agree that the T-800 in its skeletal form in The Terminator is a terrifying robot. However, the sentinels in the Matrix films are absolutely terrifying in both their design and their actions. Don Davis' score reaches terrifying heights during the many robot heavy sequences of the film in order to reflect the machines' menacing nature.

Even though the massive battle between the machines and the humans makes for a stupendous array of special effects, thrilling action beats, and memorable character moments (The Kid!), it is not the be all end all of the film's action sequences. Instead, the Wachowskis posit the face off between Neo and Agent Smith as the grand finale of the film. Even though I am typically for as much action as possible in a film, I think that the Neo vs. Smith fight is too much to handle after experiencing the incredibly tense and jaw dropping machine battle. The Wachoswkis go from a truly massive set piece to yet another massive set piece within 10 or so minutes of one another. Because of this, the fist fight between Neo and Smith feels monotonous and exhausting instead of tense and gripping as it should be. Still, the fight scene is cool and showcases more of those computer rendered characters that I "loved" so much in The Matrix Reloaded.

Unfortunately, this final fist fight is rendered completely useless when reflected upon. In order to enter the Matrix to fight Smith, Neo allows the machines to plug into his body. Once Neo lands face to face with Smith, the two engage in a ridiculous 10 minute fight scene that pails in comparison to their previous fights from both The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. At the end of the fight, Neo stands still and allows Smith to duplicate him. Once Neo is taken over by Smith, the machines destroy Smith using their mechanical connection through Neo's physical body. Therefore, both Smith and Neo die. However, the entire fight between Neo and Smith was completely useless than. Why didn't Neo simply allow Smith to duplicate him from the start? The machines could have destroyed Smith in a matter of seconds instead of having to wait 10 minutes for Neo to stop fighting Smith. It may seem like a silly error to some, but I found it to be a laughably silly excuse for a fight scene once reflected upon.

"Should I bother fighting him even though I want him to win? Oh, whatever."

Unlike The Matrix Reloaded, there isn't much to say about the final Matrix film. Revolutions is essentially a third act finale dragged out to movie length. And even though the film wastes its opening act, features a hilariously over the top performance by Hugo Weaving, and rushes to the credits before you know it, I still enjoy it. Plot holes aside, The Matrix Revolutions is a grand and epic finale to a series mostly forgotten by today's movie goers and movie buffs. Once the film arrives to the battle of Zion, the film kicks into gear and never lets up. And even though the film is mostly special effects fueled, the imagery is beyond beautiful (except for the slow motion shot of CG Hugo Weaving being punched in the face, what were they thinking?).

In my personal opinion, the Matrix trilogy is one of my favorite movie franchises, warts and all. I love the characters, the action scenes, the music, the cinematography, the story, and the franchises' plentiful inspirations ranging from Akira, to Ghost in the Shell, to the cinema of action maestros John Woo and Yuen Woo Ping. And even though Revolutions is easily the most flawed of the franchise, it still stands as a serviceable and awesome finale that kicks more ass than any one of Michael Bay's Transformers films. In all honesty, I don't believe that movie fans will ever get an R rated blockbuster franchise like the Matrix series ever again. Therefore, I hope to be one of those movie fans who reminds people why the Matrix films are so special and why haters be damned.

Rating: 7/10 - Unnecessary story and plot errors aside, The Matrix Revolutions is a damn awesome finale that deserves a second chance after all of these years.

Franchise:

The Matrix (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 1999)

The Matrix Reloaded (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 2003)

The Matrix Revolutions (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 2003)

The Matrix (1999)

Director: The Wachowski Siblings

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Hugo Weaving

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 136 minutes

In 1999, American audiences were introduced to the blockbuster phenomenon that was The Matrix. It was the ultimate cinematic blender that found a way to fuse aesthetics from Alice in Wonderland, Doctor Who, Hong Kong action films, Japanese Anime, various religions, cyber culture, and much much more. Much like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Matrix was a huge hit that combined blockbuster special effects with old fashioned rated "R" shoot 'em up and beat 'em up action. Thanks to the Wachowski Siblings directing, writing, and innovative camera work, The Matrix turned out to be one of the greatest American action films of all time.

Aw yeah. Praise the movie Gods.

The Matrix tells the story of a hacker named Thomas Anderson / Neo (Keanu Reeves). Anderson's world is turned upside down when he is introduced to the truth: the world as he knows it is only a computer program called The Matrix. Long ago, artificial intelligence enslaved humanity and now feeds off of our bodies in order to fuel their existence. Since than, a few humans have unplugged themselves and have made it their mission to find "The One", the prophecized savior of humanity. Neo is introduced to Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss), and a group of rebels who have made it their mission to find Neo and stop the sentinels that have overthrown the world.

This epic plot sounds like it could span three movies (and it eventually did). However, what makes The Matrix great is that this epic plot is not the main focus of the film. Instead, Neo must learn whether or not he truly is "The One" while training himself in martial arts and guns. He also must come to grips with the fact that his life has been nothing but a farce. Neo and friends must also combat Mr. Smith (Hugo Weaving) and his fellow Agents; essentially computer programs built into The Matrix who fight for the sentinels. These small and personal character arcs and storylines help make The Matrix a more focused and emotional film.

"In the Matrix, we all wear tight black leather."

As I stated before, The Matrix excels as an action blockbuster much like Terminator 2: Judgement Day because it focuses on characters that we actually care about and places them within small scale action scenes that raise the tension. The beauty of the final act of the film is that each action sequence focuses on just a small group of characters. There are no large and confusing Transformers-styled city battles here (that's right, I am taking a stab at Michael Bay's Transformers). Therefore, we really feel like we are on the adrenaline ride with each character and care for their fate at the same time.

I have stated before on this blog that I am not a large fan of "third act build up" action films. These are the kind of films that save all of their action and special effects for the final act of the film. Therefore, the first two acts are very slow and heavily reliant upon their characters and story. Some flawed action films that use this technique include Man of Steel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Max Payne, and Death Wish 3. By the time these films reach their epic finales, you won't care about the characters or story anymore. The action becomes exhausting to watch and you'll be dying for the film to be over. I know this is a controversial opinion of mine and some people love these big finales and that's great for you but they aren't for me.

However, The Matrix is a successful "third act build up" action film because the first two acts of the film are extremely interesting, unique, creative, innovative, and gripping even without action. You'll love the film so much that by the time you reach the action, you'll be jumping out of your seat.

Best action movie couple of the '90's?

And how about that action? The Matrix is a Hong Kong action movie fan's dream come true because the fight scenes are choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping (The Grandmaster, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, etc) and the gun fights are modeled after the films of John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, etc). Readers of my blog know that I consider the action scenes of Hong Kong cinema to be the absolute best there is. Therefore, I love this film for introducing American audiences to the types of martial arts and gun play that H.K. audiences have been so familiar with.

While there are some very small fight scenes during the first two acts of the film, the best action scenes are saved for the finale. The lobby shootout that kicks off the finale is one of the greatest shootouts of all time. It's beautifully shot, scored, edited, and sound designed. Everything flows perfectly. We are than treated to another great action scene where Neo fires a minigun from the side of a helicopter into a room in order to save Morpheus. All of the film's shootouts are a sight to behold. I can't rave enough about how gorgeous the slow motion shots in this film are.

The Matrix also delivers on the big confrontation between Agent Smith and Neo that we have all been waiting for. And what a fight it is! They start off by shooting at one another and than leap into the air and continue to fire! A beautifully choreographed Yuen Woo Ping fight proceeds after this and it is just so great. I could write a whole article on just the action scenes of this film. I'll leave these three paragraphs to convey my love for them though. There is so much more to talk about in this film.

"Mr. Anderson."

The characters and performances in this film are all fantastic. Keanu Reeves is great as Neo, a quiet and stoic action hero that suits Reeves' calm sensibilities. Reeves has since become a joke on the internet as a bad actor and many people mock him for being one noted in his films. However, I think Reeves is very good in this film and many other films. While not normally associated with the genre, I think that Reeves is an interesting and notable action icon to study. With films like Point Break, Speed, Johnny Mnemonic, The Matrix Trilogy, Constantine, Street Kings, Man of Tai Chi, and 47 Ronin under his belt, Reeves is an action icon in my eyes.

Carrie Anne Moss (Memento), Joe Pantoliano (Bad Boys), and Laurence Fishburne (Apocalypse Now) all give great performances as well. Moss is great as the sexy and kind Trinity, Pantoliano is great as the devilish and wise ass Cypher, and Fishburne is darn near perfect as the wise and calm Morpheus. I want to single out Fishburne's performance specifically because he portrays Morpheus so well that I actually view Fishburne as Morpheus in real life! However, the scene stealing performance of the film goes to Hugo Weaving. He is flat out perfect in every way as Mr. Smith. Smith is an unforgettable character because he talks slow and pronounces his words very carefully. I love the Wachowskis' decision to make the Desert Eagle the signature side arm of all of the Agents. It's a beautiful looking gun and it looks even better when fired in slow motion. Overall, Hugo Weaving gives the villainous performance of the film and will ingrain his presence into your psyche forever.

The Matrix is also a technical marvel. The cinematography by Bill Pope is absolutely excellent. His shots are gorgeous and I love every single one of them. I love the choice to depict the Matrix as green and the real world as blue. Some of the shots in the first third of the film feel like they are straight out of a film noir. There is also a great shot during the final Neo and Smith face off that feels straight out of a Euro Western. Pope's photography heightens the film to an Oscar level quality of filmmaking. 

Composer Don Davis also delivers a breathtaking score. After re-watching the film for this review, I couldn't get any of the film's tunes out of my head. For example, I love the track that plays before Neo and Trinity enter the lobby. It sounds like repeated metal smashing on the ground. I also love the music that plays during Smith and Neo's big fist fight. It's an incredible track that will get your heart and adrenaline running. I also adore the Wachowksis' admiration for Japanese Anime. Many elements of Ghost in the Shell and Akira resonate throughout The Matrix. 

Neo takes aim at the detractors of The Matrix sequels.

The Matrix is simply a cinematic landmark. It's an incredible science fiction tale, an action fest, and a philosophical feature too. The Wachowski Siblings crafted a beautiful action film with memorable characters, an awesome story, incredible cinematography, a perfect score, and excellent action. 15 years later, the film still holds up and stands as one of the contemporary action greats. Tune in next time for the even bigger, larger, and crazier...The Matrix Reloaded.

Rating: 10/10 - One of the best action films of both the 90's and of all time! Highly recommend for all to see!

Franchise:

The Matrix (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 1999)

The Matrix Reloaded (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 2003)

The Matrix Revolutions (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 2003)