The Matrix Revolutions

So is he The One or not? Please just tell us, because any more of this and it really will be the End. Oh, wait...

Right, first of all, let me clear one thing up. We deserve a smack around the face for scoring The Matrix Reloaded one hundredth less than nine out of ten. But then, that was someone else's review, and this is mine.

Can Revolutions rescue the appaling Reloaded effort?

Whilst Reloaded had its enjoyable moments, it was highly disappointing and even action sequences like the freeway chase were nowhere near as earth shattering as the hype goblins had us believing. And, while I'm bitching, the game was a waste of time too.

But this time around, the makers and the stars are saying that Reloaded was just 'setting the scene' for The Matrix Revolutions. Right, OK. We'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but you'd damn well better deliver this time. So, is it as good as the original? Does it rescue the trilogy? Or is it as bad as the last film - Reloaded With Rain, perhaps?

Revolutions is only marginally better than Reloaded, and in no way does it capture the uniqueness and excitement of the 1999 original. The Wachowski brothers, along with Yuen Wo Ping (choreographer) and John Gaeta (effects) have made a brave attempt to complete the trilogy, but even though the ending might surprise you, it's all one huge anti climax.

As you might expect, the movie picks up where Reloaded left off. Neo (Reeves) is in a coma after using his mind power to fend off the sentinels, in a metaphorical limbo represented by (you guessed it...) a subway station, half way between the matrix and the real world.

But thanks to the efforts of Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in a bondage club (seriously), he's soon back in action with just twenty hours until a huge attack on the underground city of Zion. They'd better get moving.

But AHA! First it's off to the Oracle (now played by Mary Alice after the death of Gloria Foster) who vaguely explains her different appearance, then offering guidance to Neo with the now-trademark 'bullshit talk' - instead of actually giving him proper advice, obviously. Of course, her credibility is still in question after Reloaded, but Neo listens regardless.

Meanwhile, Agent Smith (the fantastic Hugh Weaving) has taken hacking to new heights by replicating himself inside the Matrix again and again, with the participation of real-world crew member Bane (Ian Bliss) coming into play. Smith is now at his most powerful and is the real threat to the world.

But Neo and Trinity - whose love affair and cumbersome dialogue adds a rather superficial layer to the struggling story - have taken a strategic venture to the city of the machines, so the audience has to endure the goings-on of 'other' Zion fighters Zee (Nona Gaye), Mifune (Nathaniel Lees) and Kid (Clayton Watson). Surely it's these jokers who should have been relegated to the videogame plot? Meanwhile, Niobe (Jada Pinkett) takes care of the ship, pretty competently, in a role more comparable with Enter the Matrix than Reloaded.

With all this time wasting, plenty of time for 'afterthought' philosophical blabbering has been afforded, when all the audience really wants is to catch up with Neo and Trinity and their mission. Some of the dialog is remarkably unconvincing - but after Reloaded, I don't know what else I expected.

Although the first half of the film is pretty quiet on the action front, with one or two fights at the start, the second half bursts into effects frenzy with a staggeringly impressive computer generated (no, seriously) battle with the machines. This is really the meat of the film and basically the best bit, so enjoy it. You won't miss it - it lasts about twenty minutes.

Then we enter the Matrix once more, for one last Neo / Agent Smith face off while the army of duplicates looks on. Weaving is still good as Smith, but you'll know the drill by now. You may have seen the documentary where Reeves harps on about the groundbreaking effects and how the team worked for three months to get the 'perfect raindrops' during this battle. Hmm. You might also have seen the pair flying around as well. You'll know what to expect then - nothing super special, but pretty entertaining. Surprisingly, some of the most effective dialog is heard between Neo and Smith at this point. And indeed, it does rain a lot.

The ending is a bit of a let down, and fails to answer many of the questions raised in the first two films. I really can't say how disappointing it is that none of those philosophical or sci-fi aspects are elaborated upon - what does the Matrix mean, on what levels does it exist to us, and the other stuff I've long since stopped wondering after these two films battered my intelligence - the stuff that interested everyone in the first place. Instead, it's become just a mediocre action flick, heavily vanished of course.

Reloaded was disappointing because the script was bad, the plot was mostly convoluted and pointless, the action did nothing to develop the story and the direction was poor. These are not problems a bunch of filmmakers can remedy in the space of six months, and when shooting the two films together. They are serious problems. How Reloaded was so bad after the exceptional original is beyond me. But Revolutions - while likely to please the fans - is ultimately as disappointing as Reloaded, and will only be regarded as a slight improvement thanks to a sharper plot and bigger, more impressive action sequences.

Of course, one good thing comes of The End - the film is over, and hopefully for good this time.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com