Matrix Revolutions (*Warning - spoilers!!*)

[Incognito]

Matrix Revolutions (Warning: spoilers!)



******WARNING! Possible spoilers! ******











Saw Matrix Revolutions last night - frankly was not impressed.

A big part of the appeal of the first film was the entire notion of the Matrix itself being a form of holographic reality, that could not be discerned from “reality” itself without subtle clues.

Matrix Reloaded dealt with how that reality was in a state of change (not least through Smith) and the emphasis on there being a deeper meaning to the Matrix itself.

Matrix Revolutions is really just the attack on Zion. In short, nothing more than a fireworks display. Fin.

The coming attack on Zion played a small but irritable role in Matrix Reloaded, that could be easily forgiven for the rest of the content. I mean, really, the idea at the end that all of the ships had been wiped out by the Smith character was rushed and made little sense to the given story. Only in Revolutions did we learn that at least some of the ships carried an electro-magnetic weapon that would destroy not only the machines, but also their own fleet of ships. Huh? And the Smith human survived…how?

Matrix Reloaded promised an exploration of Free Will, as we learned that Neo would be able to make important specific choices that no one else was able to make. But at the end, he didn’t do much other than “choose” to keep getting up in a fist fight with Smith. Big intellectual statement, huh?

There was also the notion raised in the Matrix Reloaded that machines and humans existed in a state of co-dependence: remember when the councillor showed Neo the machines that kept Zion running? Yet Revolutions failed to expand on this metaphor to a resolution in the plot - it was simply raised, then abandoned.

Overall, Matrix Revolutions left a lot of loose ends, and failed to exploer a number of issues that had been promised in earlier films. For example, what happened to all the other people entombed by the machines to run the Matrix, as shown in the original film?

Maybe I’m mistaken here (and please correct me if I am) but didn’t Niobe die in Reloaded? Remember when her ship’s crew “jacked in” so as to shut down the Power Station, so that Neo could safely walk through the door to meet the architect? Wasn’t the ship’s crew killed by a sentinel attack - remember Niobe and the others collapsing dead in the Power Station? Hence why Trinity had to go and shut it down herself, which ultimately led to her being “killed” - and then brought back by Neo? (The eventual Trinity death scene was completely annoying and corny).

Generally, Revolutions was a big rush job, where all the effort went into making empty special effects sequences that dragged on and on and on.

This whole film was one big let down - the fireworks themselves were merely a series of testosterone statements, and they went on for far too long (a full 45 minutes?) that it became simply boring.

The story itself seemed to forget all sense of purpose, character development and meaning were thrown away, and rather than being a film that made you think, it simply bored.

Even the soundtrack music itself became over-the-top in many places - when a film soundtrack grates you know there’s something wrong with the film.

Overall, maybe I approached Matrix Revolutions with too many expectations - ie, that it would simply be a decent and enjoyable film. Instead, Matrix Revolutions simply disappointed, and failed to crown an otherwise promising series of films with an ending that it deserved.

[Twelve]

Originally Posted by Incognito

Maybe I’m mistaken here (and please correct me if I am) but didn’t Niobe die in Reloaded? Remember when her ship’s crew “jacked in” so as to shut down the Power Station, so that Neo could safely walk through the door to meet the architect? Wasn’t the ship’s crew killed by a sentinel attack - remember Niobe and the others collapsing dead in the Power Station? Hence why Trinity had to go and shut it down herself, which ultimately led to her being “killed” - and then brought back by Neo? (The eventual Trinity death scene was completely annoying and corny).
.

No, she didn't die. The girl who died looks a LOT like Niobe, but it wasn't Niobe. Much of that weird part of the movie can only be clarified when you play the Matrix: Reloaded videogame. Meanwhile, here are my comments on the movie. (I'm just going to paste this from another forum I write in)


Matrix: Cool, innnovative

Matrix Reloaded: Unnecessary, money-grubbing filler

Matrix Revolutions: Utter Hollywood cheese.

Saw the movie last night, and the biggest tragedy of part three is that the W. Brothers stopped being original.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Alright, let me break this movie down right quick.

*I went with two guys to the film and all three of us struggled to stay awake until the fighting really got serious. That whole spiel with that Indian chap, his wife, and his daughter was only annoying.

*Hollywood cheese: Trinity has got 6 or 7 full gouges in her body and it takes her about 10 minutes to die. While the 3 or 4 girls in the theaters were crying, many boys, including myself, were laughing.

*Who in the world would make a MECH that has your body sticking out butt naked to the wind? I mean, sure, those mechs look nice, but one well shot bullet would end it all. It's like in Metal Gear Solid 2, where you had this HUGE metal gear, but there was a clear, wide opening where you can shoot Liguid Snake. Corny, stupid.

*WHY were the robots breaking into Zion and attacking like a school of fish? For some reason, they decided to attack in swirling, aimless, easy to attack streams. Lord knows the fight would have been over if the robots just swarmed.

*Illogical robots. Part 1 made it clear that the robots were ruthless. Animatrix solidifies this notion for us. Then, in part 3, when all of mankind is at their mercy, they decide to make "peace". In other words, in the future, robots become liberal. Whatevers. Corny!

*Horrible lines. You know it's bad when SWISS PEOPLE laugh at horrible American lines. The best one, "It took me 10 minutes to strap my boot." Snickers all across the theater.

*Neo copies Jesus. The whole "It is Done" crap solidified where they got the idea from. And Neo being taken away on a glorified cart with holy music in the background is directly stolen from King Arthur.

*Two scrawny women take out a freakin' MAJOR machine construct. Twice. Hollywood. Cheese.

*In part one, there was a focus on martial arts that made the movie cool. In part 3, we got to see some sweaty folks fighting in a basement. Boring.

*Notice how the electrical wire made a perfect swath of hurt over Neo's eyes. It was like he put on a pair of sunglasses. What is Trinity's reaction? "Oh, your eyes!" And a hug. C'mon.

*After Smith makes a point about how he would enjoy killing Trinity as much as Neo, when he can easily do just that, he lets her go. Why? I really don't know. I just don't.

I bought part 1 on DVD and that's where I'll stay...that's when the Matrix was HOT. The rest...bleh. The Terminator Trilogy is WAY better than the Matrix Trilogy...at least in the former, the robots are cruel and nasty. The theme remains consistent. And in the end, the robots will LOSE.

SPOILERS OVER

[Incognito]

Good call on he Niobe issue. Always happy to be corrected.

The mechs were odd in that rspect - like having tanks where the driver has to sit on top of the turret.

I guess my main problem was the meaningless of Revolutions. Neo existed simply to create Mr Smith's destructive incarnation, and then simply neutralise it? that didn't make sense.

Of course, years ago I might have loved it - but nowadays I'm such a cynical old fart that I'm easily disappointed.