The flaws of the previous sequel are more readily apparent here as the focus shifts to the “real” world which is populated largely with uninteresting characters that were poorly developed in the previous film. As before, the film is stronger when it focuses on what is going on in the Matrix and Neo’s own struggle to understand his role and the fallout from his discoveries. It is a shame then that most of the plot centers around a large scale assault on Zion that quickly becomes tiresome as characters who we care little about face off against an overload of CGI machines that really needed cutting down. That the film grinds to a halt in its biggest action sequence says a lot about how badly thought through this part of the film was and without the juxtaposition of scenes within the Matrix that made the “real” world sequences bearable in the last film, it never really recovers from it, even if it does improve slightly as it shifts its focus back to Neo. It doesn’t help that whereas in the last film plots elements from the “real” world were rushed, here it’s the elements related to the development of the Matrix that feel rushed and forgotten about for large parts of the film which make the final sequence difficult to care about. It’s not unwatchable by any means, but as the culmination of a trilogy it can’t help but disappoint.

Nothing new. Another shoot out behind concrete posts. Another techno club but this time with a bondage dress code. Thanks. It used to be cryptic but now it's cryptic for the sake of it, which comes to the usual conclusions of love, destiny, choice, time etc. I'd rather the cheesy hollywood dialogue back to be honest. At least gent Smith even gets an evil villain laugh. These movies were never as deep as people think but the first one was good sci-fi, left open to be as deep as you wanted it. That's why it was great to me. There were a lot of unknowns in the original instead of talking about the unknowns of the unknowns... of the unknowns. The third movie is a mess and unoriginal. Luke loses his hand - I mean Neo is blind!... but he can see! Just use the force matey. Some say even the first Matrix isn't original but it was to most of us not in the anime or whatever loop. Least the second was a decent action ride even if the nonsense was becoming apparent. Not much Neo in this either. We're left with a lot of characters we don't know or care about who don't really have a purpose. Lot's of jittery gun action that puts you in a trance state and a dodgy ship escape that is in no way like the millennium falcon. The end? What were those guys/now gals thinking?

The Matrix I loved.

The Matrix Reloaded I liked AND used it to teach... seriously.

The Matrix Revolutions just stank.

Seriously, it was really bad.

Reloaded was kind of heavy handed on the philosophy... but it still had enough stylized action to compensate for characters who were so transparent representations of religious philosophies they were as vapid as steam.

Revolutions kind of abandons the conflict of philosophies, doubles down on one and then.... it commits the BIGGEST crime of all.

It switches gears into CGI battles and all but abandons the stylized Wire-Fu and gun violence that made the first two movies so much fun.

HELLO! We weren't watching them because of the plot, we were watching them because they were trippy cool kung-fu shoot em up sci-fi films... and you went and abandoned the action that we loved in place of CGI battles that are even boring almost 20 years later.

It basically left everything that made us go "WOW!" when we saw the first one behind and took a totally new form for the climax and... you lost me there.

And so the much-hyped Year Of The Matrix comes to an end. Truthfully, though, the real Year Of The Matrix was 1999, when the groundbreaking original proved to be the right film in the right place at the right time. Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist and Y2K fears about the power of machines over mankind, The Matrix not only revitalized slo-mo action sequences with its 'bullet-time' style, it had a political relevance that already seems dated in a 21st century world dominated by a war against terror, not technology.


The Matrix Reloaded, for all its faults, did try to up the ante, both in its creation of a wider Matrix myth and its budget-heavy effects. Revolutions, however, is content to follow in its wake, the final couple of hours of a four-and-a-half hour slab to which the original movie, in the makers' minds, is but a pre-title sequence. Granted, there's less philosophical babble and more emphasis on action in Revolutions, but the Wachowskis, having backed themselves into pseud's corner, can only deliver with a formula where spectacle and pretentiousness follow on from each other in steady succession. Gut thrills and intellectual stimulation are never integrated as one.


Revolutions' sustained action set-piece - the Sentinels' attack on Zion - is undeniably exciting, but it sure doesn't feel like an episode from a close sequel to the original Matrix. For a start, Zion was off-screen for the entire first movie. Secondly - and dramatically more importantly - this centerpiece relegates the main characters to, at best, mere bystanders. Neo and Trinity are off on a mission of their own. Morpheus - now dressed in what looks like a burgundy Benetton jumper rather an outfit consistent with his standing as the coolest dude on (or under) the planet - takes a literal backseat to Niobe's driving. Instead, the key players are the Kid, whose backstory is apparent only to those dedicated enough to watch The Animatrix cartoons, and Mifune, whose on-screen impact is unfortunately as brief as it is memorable.


That such a primary scene is completely filled with secondary characters isn't just disappointing - it's damaging, because it draws attention away from the protagonists' climactic acts. Basically, this is the bit you remember, more than Neo's vital conversation with the Wizard Of Oz-like face of the machines or his up-in-the-air fisticuffs with Smith (a fight whose sfx impact has dwindled following Reloaded's Burly Brawl).


Some viewers will indeed be completely satisfied, their questions answered, as the final credits roll, but they're the ones who have done their homework. Without filling in plot gaps by watching The Animatrix or playing derided computer game Enter The Matrix, a sense of confusion reigns. And those who are confused can't emotionally engage with the characters, thus rendering any amount of sacrifices and love themes null and void. In the original film, the casual viewer could relate to a slave race of pod people and their need to be freed, but the Wachowskis seem to have moved the goalposts as the story has progressed, sidelining what began as a focal point of the plot.


In other words, few box-office-storming blockbusters have been aimed so consciously at such a narrow and precise cult audience. The Year Of The Matrix will be remembered as an indulgence for fans, while the original movie will be affectionately held as a separate entity by a bigger crowd.


Verdict - What once represented the future of science fiction cinema has become little more than a solid genre offering. But, hey, it wasn't supposed to be the Second Coming, was it? Oh, hang on...

3/5

- Empire Magazine