Matrix Revolutions.

I guess I’m just a Matrix fanatic, because I still don’t see why so many critics have chosen to pan the third installment of the Matrix trilogy. It’s as if the mainstream press has finally tired of the Wachowski Brothers Hollywood juggernaut, and the hating has come out in full force. Whatever it is, I think they’re all missing the point.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel that “Revolutions” is a flawed movie, just as I felt there were some problems with the second movie, “Reloaded.” But taken as a whole, “Revolutions” is a kick-ass action movie, fully laden with incredible special effects.

A few critics have taken the movie to task because it wasn’t able to create the same genre-jumpstarting buzz that the first Matrix did. All I can say to that is it is the rare sequel that trumps it’s predecessor. Sure, “Aliens” improved upon “Alien”, but none of the following installments were able to hold a candle to number two. “T2” certainly kicked the original “Terminator’s” butt; the jury is still out on “T3” (which I enjoyed immensely, by the way). And perhaps “Godfather II” was better than the first. But that’s about it. And considering the gazillions of movies that the studios insist upon building into so-called “tent peg” films, those successes are just a drop in the bucket.

My point is that just because “Matrices” 2 and 3 didn’t shock the mind as strongly as the first, doesn’t mean that they weren’t effective movies. Yes, they had problems, but they were still good movies. Ah, I guess I’m just a fanatic.

But like I said, I did find some flaws in “Revolutions”, and I intend to discuss them here, so be forewarned that I am going to reveal some plot points. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you might not want to read any further. Final warning: here comes the noise!

Okay. First problem: why, oh why did they NOT spend more time in the Meringovian’s world? Morpheus, Trinity and Kato (well, I don’t remember his name, but he was the Oracle’s Asian bodyguard, and he seemed a lot like Bruce Lee’s “Green Hornet” character to me) had to confront this evil program in a fetish nightclub called “Hell”. Now in “Reloaded”, the W Bros. opened up a whole new world of possibilities by introducing the Meringovian and his luscious wife Persephone and their slew of vampire henchmen. In “Revolutions”, we see that they like to hang out with a TON of hardbodied freaks in an underground nightclub where the dancing seems to be just one second short of turning into an all-out orgy. Cool. But it ends much, much too fast and easy, and it never really addresses what the heck this guy is all about. And if he really “controls” the underworld of the Matrix, could we please see more of what that means? I also noted that while the Agent Smith virus seemed to infect the entire Matrix, the Meringovian not only seemed totally unaffected, but even blissfully unaware. What, was his McAfee Virus Shield updated?

Moving on, the battle scene at Zion was visually spectacular. The swarming sentinels were fantastic, but on second thought, why didn’t they just attack every living thing in the dock, instead of swarming around in circles? The most questionable part of the whole deal, though, was the idea that it took only one EMP (electromagnetic pulse) weapon to defeat the entire first wave of the invasion. Well, it was a cool idea, and it was executed heroically, but why did they only have these weapons on the ships? As well armored as Zion was, you would think they might have a spare EMP or two laying around, just in case.

Yes, the death of Trinity dragged on longer than necessary, and played to Keanu’s weakness: his lack of ability to emote (some would say “act”). Whatever. The true problem here was that their relationship seemed flat anyway, or at least one-sided. Perhaps we have to see all episodes back to back to follow the arc of their love. In the first Matrix, you really feel her love for Neo when she wills him back from the dead. In “Revolutions”, I sort of didn’t care, even though she risked her life (and those of Morpheus and “Kato”) for Neo. So she died in his arms. I guess that meant she was truly human and not, perhaps, a special program.

Oh yeah, it’s true: Neo is able to use his Matrix-powers outside of the Matrix, that is, he is able to stop sentinels with his mind. What does that mean? Who knows? I guess it means he really WAS “The One”. But he was only able to do it sporadically, and mostly forgot he even had the ability. At least, he didn’t try to use it during his battle with the “humanized” Smith.

The final flaw was the concept that Neo negotiated a deal with the machines to join together to defeat the Agent Smith virus. In return, the machines agreed to spare Zion. So the machines jacked Neo into the Matrix and the battle royale ensued. And just like the STOOPID Neo vs. Smith battle in “Reloaded”, they go through just too many histrionics before Neo pulls out the trump card he held all along. C’mon guys! If the critics have a point about anything, this would be it. Yet most of them failed to pick this one up. Why would anyone get bloodied in a knife fight, when they have a Glock in their pocket all along?

So at the end of the movie, Zion is saved, the Matrix is restored and the machines take Neo’s body…somewhere. Can you say “M4”? I sat through the closing credits, not out of respect or interest, but just to take a few minutes to process what had just happened. I knew I had a good time watching the film, but I also felt let down because my expectations were not met. I had expected the Wachowski Brothers to answer all of my questions, and it didn’t happen. I wondered if it was intentional or just carelessness. And it created the expectation that the story was not over yet. We’ll see.

More later…
Paul