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Matrix Revolutions [2003]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

The opening reels of Matrix Revolutions do nothing to dispel the feeling of exhausted disappointment that set in during the second half of The Matrix Reloaded. There's plenty more talky guff combined with the picking-up of hard-to-remember plot threads as Neo (Keanu Reeves) lies in a coma in the "real" world and is stranded on a tube station in a limbo "beyond the Matrix" while his allies do a reprise of the shooting-their-way-past-the-bodyguards bit from the last film (this time, the baddies can walk on the ceiling). A new Oracle (Mary Alice) makes some pronouncements about the end being near and more things happen--including the evil Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) manifesting in reality by possessing a minor character and perfidiously blinding our hero, who wears a becoming ribbon over his wounded eyes and perceives the world in an impressive "flaming truth vision".

What about the action? The equivalent of the last film's freeway chase scene is a huge face-off as the Sentinels (robot squids) finally breach the caverns of Zion, "the last human city", and swarm against a battalion of pilot-manipulated giant robots: here, the effects are seamless and the images astonishing, though the fact that none of the major characters are involved and the whole thing goes on so long as if designed to top any previous robot-on-robot screen carnage means that it becomes monotonously amazing, like watching someone else play a great computer game. After a too-easily-managed major realignment of the enmities, the film--and the series--finally delivers a sign-off sequence that's everything you could want as Neo and Smith get into a kung fu one-on-one in a rain-drenched virtual city, flying as high as Superman and Brainiac in smart suits. It comes too late to save the day and the wrap-up is both banal and incoherent, but at least this single combat is a reward for hardy veterans who've sat through seven hours of build-up. --Kim Newman

On the DVD: when the first Matrix DVD was released, with never-before-seen features such as the "Follow the White Rabbit" option, it set a benchmark against which subsequent discs were judged. But neither sequel has lived up to the original's high standards. The Matrix Revolutions two-disc set is an unexceptional package, with a routine "making of" featurette being the main bonus item. Amid all the usual backslapping guff about how great everyone is and what a great time they've all had, it's possible to glean some nuggets of useful information about the baffling plot--though cast and crew can't repress a note of weariness creeping in when discussing the horribly protracted shooting schedule. The feature on the CG Revolution is the most informative for people who like to know how everything was done, and, in the same vein, there's also a multi-angle breakdown of the Super Burly Brawl. A 3-D timeline gives a handy summary of the story so far, and there's a plug for The Matrix Online game. The anamorphic 2.40:1 picture is, of course, a real treat to look at, even if the movie is mostly shades of dark grey and dark green; soundwise the dynamic range of the Dolby Digital surround is extreme: all conversations are conducted in throaty whispers, while the action sequences will push your speakers to the limit. No DTS option, though. And as with Reloaded, there's no audio commentary either: the Wachowski's policy of not talking about their creation begins to seem like a ploy to avoid answering awkward questions. --Mark Walker


better
Review date: 2008-06-07 Rating: 4 out of 10

a much better flick after the rubbish reloaded this is much more entertaining.the first hour is forgettable but after the hour mark thier is some decent action set pices that are actually quite exciting.

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Reviews


Matrix Revolutions [2003]
Review date: 2008-05-04 Rating: 4 out of 10

You cannot watch The Matrix Revolutions without having seen both films that came before it, and having only seen The Matrix a couple of days ago, and Revolutions a few hours ago, I cant help but feel irritated by, (1) the contrast in viewing pleasure between parts one and three, (2) How little I cared about any of the characters (Carrie-Ann Moss being the exception) by the time this special effects roller coaster had come to its end...assuming you can call a very ambiguous, somewhat confusing, jaw dropping finale a conclusion. Granted I am not a Matrix fanatic, (although like most people thought the first film was tremendous) but a casual viewer, it seems surprisingly difficult to be engaged by this film. What was surprising was the actual absence of the main characters as special effects extravaganzas took center stage in monumental fight scenes, which were spectacular to watch, but unlike Film one had little effect beyond being eye candy. I haven't seen The Matrix Reloaded, although I know how the story goes and cant help but feel this mammoth trilogy got muddled somewhere along the line.

It seems a relatively straight forward concept of the world being an interactive virtual prison used by machines to control the human race, with elements of mythology mixed with Sci-Fi action somehow turned into a very un-interactive experience for anyone who is not a die hard fan. Do you have to have seen Reloaded to enjoy Revolutions, not necessarily, do you have to have seen Reloaded to appreciate and understand Revolutions, most definitely. Obviously new characters, new ideas are all thrown in, but isn't part of what makes a sequel great is its ability to function without its predecessor. For Terminator, Aliens and Star Wars I enjoyed each feature as a stand-alone piece even though Empire Strikes Back had a cliffhanger ending, it didn't prevent you from being able to pick up the story immediately in what came next. Reloaded and Revolutions are clearly package deals but that prevents you from being able to fully enjoy a film if it happens to pop up on TV one night as Revolutions did for me. On its own it makes little impact without Reloaded, which cant function without Revolutions to tie up the story. Paradoxically Revolutions does not appear to tie up anything, it has spectacular special effects, but seems to shelve characters in a bid to showcase its grand CGI, whereas the film that started the series had a superb mixture of both, without going over the top in some cases like this one did, i.e. scenes butchered by irritating slow motion technique as opposed to letting it flow, as they did in film one (surprise, surprise).

Now I have read what people who followed this franchise from day one had to say, and there appears to be considerable plot-holes as certain rules established in film one are disregarded. But that's not definite and even if it is it's a minute detail compared to some of the films other failings. Revolutions is not a bad film, but its story lacks the coherence that was present in The Matrix and none of the characters left the kind of impression the crew from (guess which film) did. Cypher(Joe Pantoliano) was someone who definitely left an impression in the first Matrix, as did most of the cast, no such interesting characters were present in Revolutions especially since the main characters were playing second fiddle to the colossal effects,another issue was the factor of the aforementioned ending which made little sense on first viewing and certainly didn't help matters. I just thought some of the effects were simply over the top, I don't really care about the drops of rain caught in the cross fire between Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving's characters, yet they are focused on to remind us how detailed all these great effects are, problem is, a computer game can give you great visuals but that doesn't guarantee compelling viewing. Like I said, sequels that function on there own tend to be less of a chore than two part specials that are essentially a four and a half hour movie cut in two. I hope Reloaded isn't as bad as most people make it out to be, but one things for certain, whatever I liked about Revolutions I can certainly see why so many people criticized it to the extent they did.

What Rubbish
Review date: 2008-01-07 Rating: 2 out of 10

After an astounding arrival on the Sci Fi scene the Watchowski brothers became instantly huge and wonderful and famous with "The Matrix" which revolutionised a lot of the ways the film industry now use special effects. The second film left a lot of people wondering where they were going with the story arc but were prepared to trust in the Watchowskis to pull them through and make it alright in the final instalment.
Which brings us here.

This is an appalling film which no-one should have to sit through. The story doesn't arc at all, it simply flies off into fantasy land leaving it's sci-fi roots behind. The only consideration anyone gave this film during it's making was how the special effects would look and they are good up to a point. They have thrown out all the great stuff they set up at the beginning of the series and made almost a completely separate film about how Keanue Reeves character is actually the second coming of Jesus.

Thanks to the complete departure to the entire of the set-up in the first film, it is a bizarre thing to try and watch these films back to back. You can literally see the genius being sucked out and the greed being squeezed in. The first film was exemplary sci-fi: by the time we get to the third film we have poor fantasy.

I say to you "Save your money" and to the Watchowskis "I want my cinema ticket refunded and 3 hours of my life back please."

The weakest part of an amazing trilogy
Review date: 2007-11-24 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Matrix Trilogy must be one of the most significant films of our time, and is likely to go down as an all time sci-fi classic along with the likes of Blade Runner. It is obviously laden with symbology fished from a variety of sources, but I wonder if the Watchowski brothers realised just exactly how powerful a metaphor for our reality they were creating.

The central premise that our lives are not 'real' but are steeped in illusion in order that our life force may be fed upon whilst we are enfenced unwittingly like cattle - this is a relevant and powerful message on many levels. It can easily be seen that this is true on a superficial level, with the rampant rise of ultra-aggressive capitalist consumerism, whereby everyone is 'sold a dream' in order to siphon off all income to profit the few, but it goes deeper than that, and can be used to catch a glimpse of some ideas on the true nature of reality. The overlap with material such as Castaneda is remarkable, with stories about the archetypal predator who is invisible, and feeds on us because he has 'given us his mind'. In all, it is a striking metaphor for the human condition.

Of course the great thing is that, even if you don't want to explore things to those levels, taken at surface value as a piece of entertainment, the Matrix is still a fantastic sci-fi/action trilogy, with colourful characters, awesome visuals, and a solid original plotline. Taken as a trilogy, this is a fantastic piece of film-making artwork, though for me, this third episode is the weakest of the three, as the story gradually dissolves into excessive desperate violence, so for that reason I give it 4 stars. But don't get me wrong, it is still a very strong film and beats many other modern sci-fi efforts hands down. It just has a very high level of expectation to live up to, given the beginning of the trilogy.


The weakest part of an amazing trilogy
Review date: 2007-11-24 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Matrix Trilogy must be one of the most significant films of our time, and is likely to go down as an all time sci-fi classic along with the likes of Blade Runner. It is obviously laden with symbology fished from a variety of sources, but I wonder if the Watchowski brothers realised just exactly how powerful a metaphor for our reality they were creating.

The central premise that our lives are not 'real' but are steeped in illusion in order that our life force may be fed upon whilst we are enfenced unwittingly like cattle - this is a relevant and powerful message on many levels. It can easily be seen that this is true on a superficial level, with the rampant rise of ultra-aggressive capitalist consumerism, whereby everyone is 'sold a dream' in order to siphon off all income to profit the few, but it goes deeper than that, and can be used to catch a glimpse of some ideas on the true nature of reality. The overlap with material such as Castaneda is remarkable, with stories about the archetypal predator who is invisible, and feeds on us because he has 'given us his mind'. In all, it is a striking metaphor for the human condition.

Of course the great thing is that, even if you don't want to explore things to those levels, taken at surface value as a piece of entertainment, the Matrix is still a fantastic sci-fi/action trilogy, with colourful characters, awesome visuals, and a solid original plotline. Taken as a trilogy, this is a fantastic piece of film-making artwork, though for me, this third episode is the weakest of the three, as the story gradually dissolves into excessive desperate violence, so for that reason I give it 4 stars. But don't get me wrong, it is still a very strong film and beats many other modern sci-fi efforts hands down. It just has a very high level of expectation to live up to, given the beginning of the trilogy.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Laurence Fishburne
Mary Alice
Carrie-Anne Moss
Keanu Reeves
Hugo Weaving

Creators:
Keanu Reeves (Primary Contributor)
Laurence Fishburne (Primary Contributor)
Andy Wachowski (Producer)
Andy Wachowski (Writer)
Larry Wachowski (Writer)
Andrew Mason (Producer)
Bruce Berman (Producer)
Grant Hill (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900680592
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Digital Sound, Dolby, PAL, Surround Sound, Widescreen,
Release date: 2004-11-01
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 124 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2003-11-05
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)

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