The Matrix Revolutions (2003) User Reviews

Neo of Nazareth becomes Samson then Moses...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 23 August 2020]

We gorge on the binaries prophesied once again, through an ever increasing bandwidth, as we exponentially widen our dietary desire to become what everyone wants us to be without thought for who or what we really are or could be.

And in the end it all comes down to difference and a right to choose.

Better story and visuals than the last one.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 24 December 2021]

They really upped the ante with all the stunning visuals and effects on this one. It actually had a good story (still not as amazing or in-depth as the first film), told properly, albeit some convalusion. The fight scenes were of decent length and better choreographed. Cinematography was excellent and the score on point. 8/10 from me.

Finding Neo

[Buddy-51 · 26 September 2004]

'The Matrix Revolutions' is the much-anticipated conclusion to the Wachowski Brothers' cultic sci-fi trilogy, whose previous entries were 'The Matrix' and 'The Matrix Reloaded.' In the series' final installment, the messiah figure, Neo, does battle with the diabolical forces that have imprisoned most of humanity in a world of cyber unreality via a massive computer program known as The Matrix.

Of the three films, 'Revolutions' is definitely the least imaginative and the least interesting. What separated the first two episodes in the series from most other action films was the willingness on the part of the filmmakers to bring some thematic depth and narrative complexity to a genre that, all too often, finds no room for such qualities. The previous two films didn't always succeed in their endeavor - often emerging as more hollow and pretentious than meaningful and profound - but they managed to remain intriguing even in their moments of failure. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 'Revolutions,' which spends so much time on repetitive action scenes and special effects that there is little time left over for storyline and theme. In a strange way, Neo himself ends up getting lost in this film, dropping off the radar screen for astonishingly long stretches of time, only to re-emerge periodically to remind us that there really is supposed to be a purpose buried somewhere beneath all this ear-splitting commotion (this could be re-titled 'Finding Neo'). The sad fact, though, is that, once we arrive at the climactic scene to which all three films have been building, the resolution turns out to be a ham-handed muddle, utterly lacking in clarity and coherence After an almost six-hour-long buildup over the course of the three films, the audience is left scratching its collective head wondering just what it was that happened before the closing credits started rolling by. Perhaps smarter people than I can figure all this out for, frankly, after the overall disappointment occasioned by this film, I couldn't muster either the desire or the effort to probe very deeply into the matter.

It goes without saying that the special effects in this film are spectacular - we would expect nothing less - but what we don't get from 'Revolutions' - which we did from the two previous 'Matrix' films - is that little something extra in the form of intelligence and sophistication that made them more than just the bland, over-produced, assembly-line products they easily could have become - and which 'Revolutions' very nearly is. Even the stolid earnestness of Keanu Reeves can't convince us this time around that there is anything hidden under all those cool gadgets and explosions worth our looking into.

Thus endeth the Matrix series, not with a bang but with a whimper - intellectually speaking that is.

Better They Had Stuck To One Super Matrix Film

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 23 October 2006]

I found this better than the second Matrix film ("Reloaded") but not anywhere as intriguing as the first film. Perhaps they shouldn't have made ANY sequels.

Once again you have the same problems: too much verbiage that you can't make sense of, and too much violence. Regarding all the techno-talk, what good is it if you audience doesn't understand what's going on and are lost most of the time?

After awhile, frankly, especially with the unlikable lead characters, I didn't care what happened. As I said in the second movie's review, they should have made just one tremendous Matrix movie, even if it were an hour longer. The sequels did nothing to enhance the legacy of that film.

It makes me mad...

[MinorityReporter · 9/10 · 9 January 2006]

...that this film is not getting the credit it deserves. It is in my opinion one of the most underrated films of all time along with The Matrix Reloaded. Revolutions is undoubtedly different from the previous films both in general and in terms of tone but why is that necessarily a bad thing? I won't be so arrogant as to say that the people who don't like this film are unintelligent. Whether or not people like a film or not is a subjective matter but I can't help feeling that the people who dislike (or even hate) this film are missing something because Revolutions is an intelligent, entertaining, beautiful, sad and moving picture.

The acting of all three films have been a mixed bag and although I usually join in the bashing of Keanu Reeves I find him strangely fitting for the part of Neo. His voice is not the perfect voice due to its monotonous tone but his body language is very good and sometimes even great and that is the case in Revolutions as well. Carrie-Anne Moss plays her character like she did in film two and that is neither particularly good or bad but a decent performance. Laurence Fishbourne's character has been reduced somewhat for the final part of the series but I found that the lines he did have were delivered with conviction and experience. As most people know Gloria Foster died before finishing her scenes for Revolutions and thus a different actress was cast to take over. The choice fell on Mary Alice and while she is no where near as good as Foster she is decent enough. Ian Bliss gets a chance to show his worth in the third film and personally I found his scenes to be among the most interesting of the film and his uncanny imitation of Weaving was spot on. Most of the secondary cast from Reloaded returns in their parts in Revolutions and they all do decent jobs with their characters. Harry J. Lennix (Lock) improved his character tremendously in spite of limited screen time. Hugo Weaving still provides the best acting in the film and steals every one of his regrettably limited number of scenes. He is probably my all time favorite screen bad guy. He manages to show the change in his character remarkably well considering how limited his screen time is. Agent Smith exhibits an increasing amount of human traits including anger, hatred, jealousy and even a sly sense of humor. This change happens to mirror Neo's growing understanding of the machines. Neo and Smith are linked in that way as well.

The effects are of course extraordinary which was to be expected after the stellar effects in the second film. Although there weren't as many scenes inside The Matrix this time around I still found the effects of the "real" world to be awe inspiring at the least and the battle for Zion was an incredible display of special effects. Of course the directors never lost sight of the people involved in the battle making it more tense had it only been effects. The climactic battle between Neo and Smith is quite simply stunning. It takes roughly 15 minutes and I for one hardly breathed in those 15 minutes. All three Matrix films have been inspired by Japanese animé comics and that is very visible in the final battle as one can't help but think of Dragonball for instance. The action in that particular scene is frighteningly well done and I got the chills when I watched it in the cinema. Very well done.

The story is darker in this film than in either of the previous films but that is to be expected as the first film was about birth and the second about life. Obviously that means that the third is about the inevitable end that must come to us all: Death. This does that the tone of the film becomes much darker and I felt that was good. This did that the film distanced itself from the previous films in the series and rather than become another rerun the film becomes its own entirely and that is both its weakness and its strength. I think it is its strength as it increases the originality of the film but apparently a lot of people didn't like the interpretation that the third film represents as is clear from the bashing the film has gotten from audiences and critics alike. The film does still have great symbolic value and you can interpret the film in a great number of ways like the previous films. For me this improves the film(s) greatly as you can watch it again and again and still find new things that will renew your interest.

Sadly I cannot make you love this film as much as I do because that would defeat the purpose of the film which is to make people think for themselves. My conclusion about Revolutions is that you will either love or you will hate it but in my opinion Revolutions is almost as good as the first one and one of the best films I have ever seen.

9/10 - On my top 10 of best films.

An amazing third entry to end the Matrix Trilogy!

[ivo-cobra8 · 9/10 · 15 November 2015]

The Matrix Revolutions (2003) is very underrated trilogy of the mythology to understand. I know for a lot of people is not that good and it is terrible movie to watch. The first time I watch it, I couldn't finish it because I did not understand it and I felt bored with the movie. The second time I kept watching I just enjoyed the movie and I wanted to know more, what will happen next. I think the movie end perfectly the trilogy, tough it did lack on a story and on the action, there very barely in it, that it was in the original and the second movie. It is one of my personal favorite Keanu Reeves movies amd I love this movie to death I don't care what anyone says.

The movie it self's focus more on the humans and the battles against the machines on the planet Zion, more than they are in the phone line of Matrix. I think this was a brilliant end to a brilliant trilogy. If you didn't understand what the matrix was by the end of the film, then you're never going to get it!

Many viewers preferred Revolutions to Reloaded, thinking it was a simpler, more straight-ahead action movie. Though it may have appeared that way, nothing could be further from the truth. Revolutions was a mind-blowing layered ending that honored and respected the plot threads and themes introduced in the first two movies. The character arcs were satisfying and true to the characters introduced in The Matrix. The creators continued to challenge our understanding of the Matrix and its purpose, avoiding the temptation to serve us a bunch of "their" answers on a platter. That, to us, would have been a sellout of the vision they've been constructing, and wouldn't have been fair to us. Nor would it have been true to the spirit of the previous movies - they've never told us what things meant, they've only shown us the door.

Everything that has a beginning has an end. In this explosive final chapter of the Matrix trilogy, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity battle to defend Zion, the last real-world city, against the onslaught of the machines that have enslaved the human race. And, now as Neo learns more about his heroic powers--including the ability to see the codes of things and the people, he faces the consequences of the choice made in The Matrix Reloaded. For Neo, that means going where no human has dared - into the heart of Machine City and into a cataclysmic showdown with the exponentially more powerful renegade program Smith. The revolution is now: The Matrix Revolutions.

I wish they made more films about the Matrix. The fighting, story and the conspiracy theories that emerged from these movies created a new world for millions of people out there. Some of the conspiracy theories even created a new "religion", the CGI was at the time freaking impressive, the fighting in slow-mo were even more epic and the story itself captured a lot of hearts. Just saying to all who think this movie (and/or the first two) sucked balls,- you are a minority. Movie is great, second one being the best in the trilogy. It is my second favorite film in the trilogy because it ends the story and answers what happened with Neo (Keanu Reeves), he saved Whole planet and defeat Smith (Hugo Weaving) on the end of the movie. This movie may not be the best in storyline, but hell it knows how to make action! That end fight and emotional ending leaving behind a plot for sequel ...Second really expanded the meaning of matrix and the whole idea so I don't understand the hate.

There is a lot of memorable moments the Smith vs Neo climax rain scene is one of my favorite movies scenes of all time. Anyway I love this movie it is not good as the greatest or the best movie or that good, but it is still a worthy sequel to watch and a good end to the trilogy. It is one of my personal Keanue Reeves favorite movies and I love this movie to death. I am giving this 9/10 and only because one of the characters dies in this movie not telling which one.

It would have made more sense had they stopped with the first

[johnmichael-2 · 3/10 · 11 December 2006]

So the problem about the Matrix trilogy is this: it totally changes its objectives between the end of the 1st movie and the beginning of the 2nd. In the end of the first, it seemed like they were going to get rid of the matrix and free everyone. In the 2nd and 3rd, it seemed like they were trying to save Zion and that the matrix was just some unimportant story line.

The first movie: amazing. Second movie: not at all great, but better than what I had been hearing. Third movie: As bad as I heard and worse.

One person said upon seeing it right after its release: "It left more questions than it answered." Can anyone say UNDERSTATEMENT? NOTHING makes sense at the end of this movie. I'm not even going to bother to try to explain it, because I can't. The climaxes (with Neo & Trinity, and with Zion) were both SEVERE anticlimaxes. The fight at the end made no sense. A good hour of the movie (NOT including the scenes with Neo & Trinity spliced in between) was taken up by the battle for Zion. Nothing happens. Sentinel after Sentinel pours from the sky/roof/whateverthing and attacks the people, and they're killed over and over (and over). It's the exact same. . . the ENTIRE time! At least movie 2 made each action scene different, even if they weren't as good as #1. Oh, and the CG effects were so rampant that it clogged the screen. You didn't know where to look, and it turned out messy, not breathtaking.

Messy. That's the perfect word to describe the end of this disappointing movie. Everything would have made MORE sense, even with the unresolved plot lines, had they stopped at Matrix #1 and left us hanging. "Quit while you're ahead," the old saying goes. If only the Wachowski Brothers had.

Visually impressive but bloated and unwieldy

[bob the moo · 13 November 2003]

As the city of Zion fortifies itself for defence against the influx of sentinels, the two remaining ships of the fleet prepare to return to the city. Neo lies in a coma with the sole survivor of the attack on the fleet, however his brain patterns show that he is lost somewhere within the matrix. Trinty and Morpheus go to rescue him and return him to the real world. Back in the real world, Zion is under attack from the sentinels, Neo decides that he must travel into the machine city and confront the creator of the matrix while Niobe pilots the remaining ship back to Zion to take on the sentinels.

I love the original Matrix, but can't help feel that the 2 overblown, over serious sequels have damaged it. This film works a little better than the second sequel but not by much. Where Reloaded left us with unanswered questions, Revolutions offers us the answers. Sadly the "answers" just left me confused and bewildered. I didn't feel like the film even tried to explain what was going on, and the ending came about far too suddenly and with little explanation. I know that a film is good if it leaves you thinking about things and I could sort of guess that Neo might have become some sort of programme etc at the end, but I still felt that the film should have helped me out even a little bit!

The plot is very heavy going and it lacks the light imagination evident in the first film. This really sucks the fun out of the film and makes it hard work - I have nothing against it being thought provoking and requiring thought, but it all seemed very laboured to me. The opening hour is quite hard work and the whole "train station" thing is never really explained and just seems designed to fill time or something. The action all looks great - the attack on Zion is visually very impressive and is quite exciting. However some fight scenes are so overblown that they failed to inspire. The shootout in the check room of the club is simply a tired retread of the groundbreaking lobby shootout but it is the final fight with Smith that shows what I mean. Neo's showdown with Smith in the first film was great fun and very exciting. Here (and in Reloaded) it is an excess of special effects, horribly overblown - visually impressive but not enjoyable.

The film seems to have taken on the mantel of "meaningful epic" where once it was a clever film with no assumptions. Listen to the music - that's where the clue is. Instead of the rock mix from the first film it has taken on big sweeping classical pieces that it scatters around liberally to try and give the film an epic feel that it doesn't deserve. It is still worth seeing as it finishes the trilogy but it is hard work at times. The acting continues the curse of Reloaded in that everyone thinks they are reading Shakespeare and gives their performance as if they were speaking words direct from God. Even Weaving's Smith is a little too full of himself this time. The dialogue is pretty bad as before - full of clichés and over wordy speeches of grandeur, it just gets tiresome before it gets engaging.

In the first film we were told no one can be told what the matrix is, we must see it for ourselves. We were then taken on a journey (with Neo), led by Morpheus into this world that was explained as we went. Here we are simply dumped in the middle of an impenetrable plot and basically left to work things out for ourselves with little or no help. Attempts to have characters like the Architect or the Oracle explain things are simply clunky and don't work at all. I'm not adverse to thinking, but the more I think about the film as a series the more i see unanswered holes. I was hoping that Revolutions would tie things up from Reloaded and actually serve to make part 2 work better, but it didn't. It took some positive steps but really the same weaknesses just continue.

Overall I was glad I saw it to finish the story, and visually it had some very impressive moments. However the feeling was of a film with no controls, spiralling out of control - with narrative flow lost behind half ideas and spiritual nonsense. It is over indulgent, bloated and full of a sense of it's own importance - an importance it simply does not have and should not be wearing on it's sleeve. The Wachowski's created a fascinating universe but, as they opened it out, their egos have inflated the material and their inability to control and tell such a massive story has shown and the last 2 films have really suffered as a result. Worth watching for what it attempts to do, but ultimately very frustrating for what it actually delivers and, more importantly, what it fails totally to do.

Third part of the splendid dystopian trilogy with Neo , Morpheus and Trinity

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 18 November 2021]

This successful futuristic saga is formed by ¨Matrix¨in which Neo aware the world he is living in is an illusion maintained by machines that have taken over earth , and following : ¨The Matrix Reloaded¨ and ¨Matrix Revolutions¨ in which takes place the final battle between machines and humans ; it holds similar artistic and technician team . The first movie came out in 1999 but the last two parts of the trilogy make their stand in May and November , 2003 . In part 2 , the machines learn the location of Zion , the last human city and send an army to quash all resistance . In this part 3 , deals with the impressive and nail-biting battle between the destructive machines and Zion citizens . Overwhelming and spectacular third part with some of the best action scenes ever made , as Zion is preparing for the oncoming war with the machines with very little chances of survival and ultimately takes place the definitive battle . Perception: Our day-in, day-out world is real. Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. In a world of 1s and 0s...are you a zero, or The One? .Be Afraid Of The Future .The Fight for the .Future Begins .Believe the unbelievable .Reality is a thing of the past. Free your mind. Reload before the revolution begins. Think big. Everything that has a beginning has an end. The IMAX Revolution

This exciting sequel is full of thrills , cutting-edge visuals , stylist innovations , fights , tension , suspense and groundbreaking scenes , but also several commercial elements , including computer-simulated violence . This is a dynamic, fast-paced and amusing movie , though overlong . It's an enjoyable , if somewhat light-headed piece of escapism with state-of-art special effects and straightforward screenplay . Big-budgeted film by the great producer Joel Silver led to break into the booming Sci-Fi/adventure/fantasy market plenty of inventiveness and imagination . Full of action, it's complemented by rousing scenes , breathtaking flights and struggles are spotlights . It deals with Neo : Keanu Reeves ¨who is thought to be the chosen one¨ as he finds himself trapped between the Matrix and the Real World. And while the human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith : Hugo Weaving . Neo's associates set out to free him from The Merovingian since it's believed that he is the One who will end the war between humans and the machines. What they do not know is that there is a threat from a third party, someone who has plans to destroy both worlds. The rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. During this, Neo has to save Trinity : Carrie-Anne Moss from a dark fate and she along with Morpheus finally meet Merovingian : Lambert Wilson who is accompanied by a gorgeous Monica Bellucci. T is a dark time for the world in this third adventure. The epic war between man and machine reaches a thundering crescendo : the Zion military, aided by courageous civilian volunteers and led by councillor Hamann : Anthony Zerbe and Major Commandant : Harry Lennix desperately battle to hold back the marauding Sentinel invasion from overtaking the last human fortress . Neo : Keanu Reeves , Morpheus : Laurence Fishburne and Trinity : Carrie Anne Moss race against time and again advised by the Oracle : Gloria Foster to encounter the Keymaker who would help them reach the Source. While the human city of Zion is preparing for the oncoming war with the machines with very little chances of survival. The city , the last outpost of humanity , is defended by valiant warriors : Harry Lennix, Gina Torres , Nora Gaye against the massive invasion of the machines to save the humanity as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the cunning Agent Smith : Hugo Weaving.

This is an action-packed, booming follow-up with some of the best action scenes ever filmed , including awesome visual effects by John Gaeta. This thrilling movie contains impressive fights , chills , breathtaking designs , dense philosophy and many other things . From start to finish the comic-book action-packed and extreme violence are continued and it's fast movement, that's why the picture results to be pretty entertaining ; furthermore, displaying lots of state-of-art and high-tech images, along with spectacular combats in martial-arts style staged by Yue Woo Ping who also made ¨Kill Bill¨ and ¨Crouching tiger, hidden dragon¨ . Contrived beyond belief with thrilling visual effects that play like video games , but slickly calculated to please 2000s audiences . Moving and pulsing musical score by Don Davis . Magnificent , glamorous production design by Owen Paterson . Colorful and imaginative cinematography by Bill Pope . The motion picture was stunningly written , produced -along with Joel Silver- and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski-The Wachowski Brothers- .

Some fun shoot em up to wrap up franchise

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 16 January 2014]

Neo is stuck in the Matrix without being plugged in. He finds that his powers are expanding. The danger from the spreading Agent Smiths is also expanding. Meanwhile the machines are closing in on Zion, and the survivors are preparing for the last stand.

The Matrix double talk continues. It continues to confound. The ultimate ending seems random. This is strictly to wrap things up. And they get to blow lots of stuff up in the CG world. The best part is the battle in Zion. It is super fun, wildly chaotic, and overwhelming. The big CG battle looks really good. The Neo part of the movie is just too convoluted and random. I don't understand how he defeated Agent Smith. Maybe the fact that he did is all that is necessary to know.

Good Movie Which Is Underrated

[lov_nks · 9/10 · 24 July 2012]

I'm watching Revolutions this time again in 2012, and now being almost 8-9 years older, i understood and liked the movie which back there in 2003 i felt disappointed.

This movie is much better than the piece of crap movies we get to see nowadays (I mean in the science fiction category). To those who wanted logic and gave bad rating to this movie... i'm sure they did not went to see logic in Avengers and Spiderman. Makes me laugh when people speak of logic in such type of movies.

What a dose of special effects, which were really fantastic, specially the final battle, with $110 million budget it outcast many biggies of nowadays.

I personally believed that those who felt disappointed was because:

1.They wanted to see the normal happy ending.

2. Did not want to see a character die.

3. Wanted to know what happens after the end.

4. They have watched Matrix 1 & 2 too many times and this one came too soon (6 months after reloaded... it should have released 1 year after)

5. They wanted to compare it with Matrix 1 & 2 and did not want this one to be different.

Well... Enjoy the action and special effects and take it as a movie itself and don't compare it with Matrix 1 & 2. Each has its own style.

Yes, I understood it. Yes, it was bad.

[Orgazmo · 1/10 · 29 November 2003]

I don't care what you learned in your Philosophy courses, this movie wasn't any good. I don't say this because it was "too deep," because it wasn't, I say this because it was a film that failed miserably at everything it set out to do.

First off, the battle for Zion. This would have been interesting, had it not been a case of a bunch of minor characters being the focal point. Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are the central characters of this film, and they were nowhere to be found in what was supposed to the biggest action scene. While the concept was cool, it just came off as watching some kid you don't know at an arcade play video games. Sure, some of the stuff is neat, but there's no emotional attachment. I could have also done without this battle including every single war movie cliche ever. The momment I saw the kid tip his cart over, I knew exactly what was going to happen, and I was correct. Not because I'm smart, but because I've seen it done in dozens of other movies.

Then we get to the script. Here is an excerpt, more or less:

NEO: What am I supposed to do? ORACLE: You know what you're supposed to do. NEO: Ok. ORACLE: By the way, I'm a different actress, I better explain that every time I'm on screen.

This goes on for about 20 minutes or so and makes you want to put your lip over your head and suck your eyeballs out of the sockets. In fact, I'd say that a good 60% of the script consists of characters saying "You know what you need to do" "You know the answer" "When the time comes, you'll know." This is fine in a comic book or a novel, where we know a character's thoughts, and there's room for introspection, but on film it just doesn't work. Screenwriting 101, people.

Also, when did they replace the actors with wax statues? Keanu is Keanu, but even since Reloaded, the acting seemed to drop off. I've always thought that Morpheus was the most interesting character in Martix lore, and Larry Fishburne usually is a high point of the movies, but he sleepwalked through this one, mailed in every line and had a look on his face that seemed to say "I really don't wanna do this any more." This is probably due to the fact that they really didn't give any of the principal characters anything important or interesting to do. Morpehus was relegated to playing second banana to Niobi, which pretty much was a total betrayal of his character. The same guy who gave a speech to fire up Zion is now just sitting around being yelled at?

As for the philosophy stuff, there wasn't all that much in this one, which was one of the positives, because if I had to sit through another half hour speech about causality, I'd declare holy war on france. But not to fear, this one's chock full of religious symbolism. If you never made the connection that Neo was supposed to be Christ, well.. this movie will not only make that clear, they will beat you over the head with it, to the point where a cross actually appears on Neo's chest, and he's dragged off while in a crucifix position. Why not just end the movie with 100 years later everyone celebrating a holiday called "Neomas?" Despite all the Matrix fans who say that this is a film designed to "deprogram" people and "open minds," and all the Matrix fans I met who bash christianity, this is a pretty pro-christian movie.

When I first saw the Revolutions trailer, I said "This fight between Smith and Neo had better be the best throwdown ever caught on film." Well, it wasn't. Now, I'm not gonna go on a tirade about the CGI, because even though it looks like The Sims fighting, that's what you expect in the Matrix series. My problem is how on a whole, the fight was just pretty un-interesting. It's basiclly like watching Dragonball Z. Stuff blows up, they punch each other through buildings and fly around. The problem simply is that the first Matrix was so innovative, they just were unable to top themselves, no matter how hard they tried. It just seemed like everything they did in terms of action and fights was just... old. They even just redo the lobby fight from the first film, except this time the bad guys are on the ceiling.

As for the ending, I wasn't as angry about it as some other people were. I can see why it ended that way, and I think in a way you have to respect the risk that went with ending the trilogy like they did.

This movie seemed like it was running on fumes, and that ultimatly was the failure. I think that if they had not shot Reloaded and Revolutions back to back, if they had time to say "What worked in Revolutions?" before they did the third, they would have been able to come up with something better. But alas, they ended up with what will most likely prove to be one of the most disapointing films of all time. And worse even is the fact that Reloaded and Revolutions take away from the original. I tried watching Matrix the other day, and it just wasn't as good now that I know the full story and most of the disapointing answers to the questions asked in the original.

So those are my problems with the movis, but I've got one other problem pertaining to Matrix Revolutions. I'm pretty sick of the main defense of this movie being "You didn't understand it!" or "You had too many expectations!" Please. The movie is flawed, horribly flawed. Just because it has "The Matrix" in the title, doesn't mean it's good. It's ok to dislike this film, you can still call yourself a matrix fan. Heck, I hate Rocky V, but I still call myself a fan of the Rocky movies. If you loved it, great, that's ok. But if you realized that it's not good, don't grasp at straws trying to prove to yourself that you liked it, I'm sure your compatriots over in the mIRC Matrix Chatroom will love you nonetheless.

Also, you really dont have to be a rocket scientist to understand the Matrix Trilogy. We're not dealing with 8 1/2 here. So if you wanna respond to someone who didn't like this movie, don't play the "I'm smarter than you because I liked this" card, because that's just silly... it's a movie, not a way of life (if you think it's a way of life, please get help immediatly.)

So before you're about to call someone a mental midget for daring to dislike a Matrix film.. just think: What would Jesu...err...Neo do?

Interesting

[TorpidOne · 7/10 · 8 April 2004]

Having now seen the full trilogy along with The Animatrix, I feel that it is safe to say that the body of work is quite an achievement. While I did prefer the original, I don't think that it is necessarily due to the quality of the film as much as the fact that it was my first venture into the world of the Matrix. I feel quite strongly that the original film has been grossly overrated despite being a good movie. It was just as porous in its logic, and certainly the corniest of the trilogy.

The last film is perhaps the coldest of the three, and yet the most intellectually interesting. The first barely contained much originality of philosophy. With each film, however, the trilogy veered off further and further into surreal philosophy. Still, although the most interesting, it's that coldness and detachment that made me like this film the least.

I am sure this, like Lord of the Rings, will go down in history and become a beloved trilogy. To me, however, it is the achievement of the films moreso than the films themselves that impress. Unlike the original three star wars, I do not hold a special place in my heart for these films. Instead I look back upon them as a piece of film history.

The one piece I will remember is The Animatrix. Now THAT was a great work.

Action-Packed Tedium

[pietzsche · 28 August 2004]

It is hard to believe that the original Matrix's philosophical subtlety came from the same authors of the two sequels.

It seems the brothers must have cribbed the original story for the first Matrix, since the last 2 show none of the original's subtlety or interest, just rehashing and CGI multiplication.

One evil robot, two evil robots, many many evil robots. Wow, what an idea, what creativity!

Viewing the behind-the-scenes on DVD disc 2, you can see the reasons for the incoherence of story and scenes - the huge fractured design team, numerous 'senior this' 'senior that', all contributing to some corporate creation lacking any inspiration. Maybe the corporate cube-farm culture works for making cars, but it doesn't seem to work for films.

I would have liked to have seen another level of reality exposed behind the mindless machines, and why are they so mindlessly evil when they can think up such a subtle ruse to enslave the humans? It isn't consistent. Why not introduce an alien ET culture who is really the master culture enslaving the machine culture by some similar hallucinatory ruse. Or, have the humans escape by transcending their bodies, as in all the traditional gnostic spiritualities.

All in all, the Matrix is just a retread of the movie TRON. TRON at least had some insight into what the machine mindset and motivation for domination might be, e.g. tyrannical game addiction, much like the decadent Roman emperors. The Matrix, after the first film, gives no thought to any subtle motivations of the machine culture, preferring the tired cliché of 'alien villain = mindless unrelenting violence'.

"Revolutions" provides substantial conclusion.

[Mr_Censored · 7/10 · 12 March 2009]

"Wait. I've seen this. I stand here, right here, and I'm supposed to say something. I say, "Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo." - Agent Smith

Picking up where "The Matrix Reloaded" left off, "The Matrix Revolutions" has a big task ahead of itself. While attempting to wrap up looses ends from the previous installments, it also has to provide closure on the overall saga as well as live up to the precedents set before it.

Was "Revolutions" a disappointment? Well, financially it performed much weaker than its big brother in "Reloaded" but otherwise, the answer remains a resounding "no." In fact, "Revolutions" slightly succeeds at besting the second film, as well as wrapping up the trilogy in a nice and neat manner.

Unlike "Reloaded," the third installment carries more emotional weight rather than show off its visual marvels. There are two big action scenes that make up about a third of the film. One is a breath-taking invasion of Zion by the sentinels which is so good that you almost forget that we haven't seen our two main characters for the better part of a half-hour. The other, the final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith, is nothing short of epic. Thousands of Smith's clones watch in the streets and the buildings as the two duke it out mano a mano in the rainy streets of The Matrix. These two scenes best what was done in "Reloaded" and push the plot forward all the better, all the way to its inevitable conclusion.

Sure, the film's loaded with clichés and yes, it still has an overall feel and tone similar to "Reloaded" that doesn't sit well with the original film (Powerade, anyone?), but it's as close to a perfect closing chapter in the trilogy as we were ever going to get. It's got a grand feeling. It's both sentimental and definitive. There are very few franchises in Hollywood that end in a way that ensures there will be no more sequels to water down the formula, and "The Matrix Revolutions" ends in such a way that not only do you feel satisfied, but that simply, there is nothing left to be done. The Wachowski Brothers close out their trilogy with a bang, slightly redeeming itself while providing appropriate closure.

Half I expected, and half was better than expected.

[BravesPaul · 10/10 · 9 November 2003]

Revolutions is much more concise and to the point than Reloaded was. The action is much more focused and purposeful, mostly because the movie is working its way toward a conclusion, rather than an open ending or a cliffhanger like either of the first two movies. The dialog is geared toward answering unanswered questions rather than raising new ones, and even the new questions raised in the third film can be answered by watching the film again (watch all three a few times over and you'll be as pointlessly knowledgeable about The Matrix universe as I am!).

Unlike Reloaded, even the score fits well with every scene in the movie. I didn't care too much for the rave scene (the scene or the music) in Reloaded, but I can't recall a moment in Revolutions when any scene or sounds felt contrived or unnecessary. If nothing else, I was more disappointed that some scenes and characters didn't appear in the movie! For instance, the Merovingian and his goons were grossly underused in this film! Such an egotistical, maniacal character should be the focus of more attention than what he received in what is supposed to be the best movie of the trilogy.

(One thing I must say to any viewers who criticize the film because it doesn't look real enough or doesn't feel right: you need to stop thinking like an illogical human and treat The Matrix like what it is: something that isn't real. It's science fiction, and much of the action takes place in a computer simulated dream world that is described as an imperfect simulation of the "real world". That is all.)

I have been more involved in The Matrix than I have been in any other media phenomenon to hit pop culture, which means that it is simply, for whatever reason, the realization of an idea that works very well for me. The Wachowski brothers put together an excellent body of work with these films and accompanying works on various media -- so excellent, in fact, that I am easily distracted by discussion of The Matrix, both within the context of the story and above and beyond the story (symbolism, allegorical applications, etc.)

My only complaints were that the Merovingian was grossly underused, the fate of the Twins and some other characters was not explained, and the Kid's triumphant "The war is over!" at the end was a bit premature, given what we had just watched for the last two hours.

Finally, everyone should keep in mind that the machines have Neo's code, and whether Keanu Reeves comes back or not, his intellect may yet survive in the Matrix somehow...

Leaned too much into the machine action.

[SPZMaxinema · 7/10 · 11 November 2021]

It's not near as good as the first, or even the second movie. The dialogue wasn't that impressive or memorable for the most part (except Hugo Weaving does play a great villain and is good in all of the movies, along with how his conflicting plays out with Neo), except the human conflicts and the more philosophical exploration of the Matrix and reality were not explored in this film near as much since it was very established very early on, but that makes this movie somewhat uninteresting. I don't care about the machines or Zion as much, I care about the human to human action/hand to hand combat and the more personal conflicts that this film did not have a great amount of. In the end I'd say it's fair though. I still liked it more than others did just because of a few parts that made up for most of the film.

Better when viewed twice...

[cpilgrim · 9/10 · 30 March 2004]

Initially, I was expecting the movie to be more plugged into the matrix than unplugged from it. After deciding to go back and see the movie a second time with that expectation already established, I watched it again and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I understood then that the movie really required to be primarily "unplugged" in order to make any type of sense at all and close the trilogy. It didn't hurt that the second viewing was on an IMAX, as well. The sound and effects were simply amazing once again, and in spite of all the negative reviews out there, I am satisfied with the trilogy as a whole. I look forward to adding the DVD to my collection; it will be well worth the investment that is required.

Takes the rest of the step off the edge

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 11 April 2009]

I base this upon the Ultimate 10-Disc Set. An appropriate question to ask would be "where did it go wrong?". The first left little, if anything, to be desired. Already with the second it got worse, and this just does not work. Such a waste of potential. The dialog ranges, but it's too often simply not believable, or incredibly corny. This also has an abundance of cheese. The clichés are all over the place, with situations we've seen countless times before in typical mainstream pap. The plot isn't all bad, however, it spends so much time on characters that aren't fleshed out enough for us to care about them(and The Kid is downright intolerable in this). There are scenes that don't feel like they have a point. The effects are still almost invariably excellent, but more than ever before in the series, it feels like they were put there for no other reason than that they looked so great, to put something cool in, because the Wachowskis could, and without being well-integrated. The cinematography isn't as impressive. The editing is fine, but several things go on for too long. There is still philosophy, still ideas, still themes and symbolism. These, sadly, come off as being pretentious, like in Reloaded, and here they even take over, rendering this meaningless if you do not interpret it, and while that also somewhat rings true for the second one, the first one, whilst it would make it have considerably less impact on the viewer, could be enjoyed as nothing beyond another version of the old popular conflict between good and evil. This can't decide if it wants to be accessible and mere popcorn-flick fun, or smart and providing food for thought, and ends up failing to be acceptable as either. The acting ranges. The music is well-done. There is sensuality and definitely material in that realm, a fair amount of harsh language, and some quite bloody violence. This also comes with a text introduction(by the brothers, the same one as on the other two) for the commentary tracks(well worth listening to). One of philosophers, Dr. Cornel West(and yes, if his voice sounds familiar, he does, in fact, have a part in both sequels, as one of the councillors) & Ken Wilder, who like the three films, and one of critics, Todd McCarthy, John Powers & David Thompson, who were less positive. The double-DVD holds artwork, a time-line, and a couple of featurettes. I recommend this to those who want the whole franchise, at least the efforts that were put up on the silver screen, and/or those who are mainly interested in the concepts and thoughts explored in these. 7/10

Still trying to absorb what I've seen

[puppyperson · 8/10 · 5 November 2003]

Going into this movie I had one wish: To leave feeling that it was a successful conclusion to a two-part film. Taking Reloaded/Revolutions as a single (very large) movie with an intermission is the best way to evaluate it. Viewed that way I think it succeeded. I thought Revolutions was the equal of Reloaded, yet I can see how many will think it failed. The ending gave us everything we needed to know, but did not show us all we wanted to see. I'm speaking of the last twenty minutes or so here. After a visually robust middle, in which I felt my eyes grow larger in their sockets more than once, the ending seemed like an anticlimax. It needed to be longer, and I would gladly have traded some of the fx flair used earlier to give the final part of the film it's justified due. It will be awhile before I can look at it more objectively (perhaps I'll have to wait to view the two parts as one on DVD). I only suggest now that anyone seeing it let it sink in completely before being too critical.

Spectacular, but disappointing

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 19 November 2003]

'The Matrix Revolutions' is not as good as 'The Matrix Reloaded', which was not as good as 'The Matrix', and it is not as spectacular. If you thought 'Reloaded' was a disappointment you will probably not like this installment.

The story goes to the attack of Zion and Neo (Keanu Reeves) on a mission to the Machine City, together with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) try to arrive in Zion on time to stop the machines. Of course Smith (Hugo Weaving) is causing some problems.

There are spectacular scenes here, although I think the best were in 'Reloaded', but that is about it. The attack on Zion is way too long, and things simply didn't feel as 'The Matrix' anymore. In the end that feeling came back, a little. The final sequence are spectacular and felt right. Not bad, but compared to the other two movies a disappointment.

Nothing new, nothing revolutionary.

[ruethewhirl · 1/10 · 8 November 2003]

Within the first ten minutes of this film it seemed that Revolutions wasn't going to be the redemption of Matrix Reloaded I had hoped for. The cod-philosophy was back with a vengeance but within even less substance then the supposed profound musings of the previous films while the first few action scenes seemed crudely tacked on set-pieces used as weak attempts to move between the poor-excuses for plot devices. As the film progresses it gives a disproportionate amount of focus on secondary characters with whom we have little-to-no attachment to, unless of course you have succumbed to the cynical cash-in ploys of the Animatrix and the Enter The Matrix computer game, but even then their backstories are less than fascinating and add little to the film. It is as if the Wachowski brothers have run out of ideas for the main characters, who, without the fast-paced world of the matrix to play with, reveal themselves as increasingly 2-dimensional, only defined by each one's singular purpose - i.e. Morpheus' faith in Neo as saviour, Trinity's love for Neo, or Neo simply being Neo, the all-asskicking super-dude we all secretly wish and/or think we might be. The Wachowski brothers appear to be introducing as many other (also 2-dimensional) characters as possible into the fray in order to distract us from the poor development of the series' central characters. What we are left with is an onslaught of scenes with characters in peril which we ultimately don't care about, and that do not make for exciting viewing. In fact, I personally was looking forward to the potential deaths of certain of the Zion-based characters rather than fearing their demise, notably "The Kid" of Animatrix fame and the Captain who's main role in the film is to shout "Aaaargh!" while firing large guns (I won't tell you whether either of them actually do get it or not). Neo and Trinity are given little screen-time for the bulk of the film as they go about their separate mission while Morpheus literally takes a backseat to Niobe, a character for which we care little for unless we have been lining the Wachowski brother's pockets further by buying Enter The Matrix.

The action scenes themselves can err the viewer towards boredom - there's only so much interest or fear to be gleaned from admittedly well-crafted but still obviously CG creations. The sheer scale of the employment of CG creations in Zion unfortunately makes the whole battle seem too fake to be truly involving. Much of the film is not unlike watching a friend playing on his X-box but not being given a turn yourself.

The film's attempts at plot hinge on the themes of love, death and perhaps even a slightly Jungian themed idea on the dichotomy of the self in terms or Neo and Agent Smith's relationship to one another and the inception of a twisted humanity into the program, Smith, who's menacing role is inevitably driven towards a pantomime villain styled performance. The love theme is somewhat overplayed and seemingly without anything to say other than "Love's great, isn't it?" while we are yet to see really why there is any love between the dull, lifeless characters of Trinity or Neo. The climax of their love in this film is embarrassingly acted and overlong, releasing a few laughs from the more cynical of us in the cinema. Moreover, the much anticipated answers to the looming questions of the second film and the conclusion of the series are glossed over with vague dialogue masquerading as profound sentiment, ultimately leaving the viewer to come up with their own explanations as the Wachowski brother's appear incapable of doing so themselves. Oh, and they never do explain why Neo's intra-matrix powers have deteriorated from the first film (where he ultimately became capable of rising from the dead to invade and destroy the agent programs from inside) into merely being a better-dressed version of Superman. The questions of free-will and metaphysical freedom touched upon in the first film are largely ignored in favour of a simple fight for survival against the evil machines invading Zion and Neo's battle with the cyber-bogeyman that is Agent Smith instead of the potential for a psychic/psychological battle with the matrix program itself - a potential for a mindblowing effects-fest if ever there was.

All in all the concluding part of the Matrix trilogy comes over as a bloated, overlong ending tacked on to reloaded with few to zero new ideas, less engaging action scenes and an ending that may well have been conceived on the back of an envelope while on the way to work. The brothers did a masterful job of melding science fiction, comic and anime influences into a thoroughly entertaining, ground-breaking and thoughtful film in the original Matrix but have stretched the concept too far in a quest for a bigger bank balance. Although kids with a short attention span may well find the blaring gunfire and many explosions of Revolutions appealing they were much more entertaining when more firmly routed in the artificial world of the Matrix itself. Upon leaving the cinema the thought I was left with was whether the real matrix controlling and shaping what we think is that of the dumbed-down entertainment industry, force-feeding us brainless, unimaginative films to pacify our minds.

A Great Ending---7/10

[Sfpsycho415 · 7/10 · 10 November 2003]

Upon first leaving the theater, i was disappointed in the final installment of the Matrix trilogy. As I started to read up on it, however, I realized it made perfect sense to end it the way they did. I don't like writing spoilers, so i'll avoid that. I'll just say don't judge it right away. Let the whole trilogy sink in and it will all make perfect sense. The fight scenes are just as good as ever, but the battle on Zion was a little long and sometimes repetitive. It did feature some great action, though. There are plenty of tense moments and some unforeseen events that will catch you off guard. Hugo Weaving does the best job and plays the coolest character in the entire trilogy in Agent Smith and his many, many clones. This movie is very good but the original Matrix is still my favorite. If you didn't like Reloaded, you probably won't like this one. I think it is a well made trilogy and one that should be seen, because as soon as you understand it, the Matrix has you. 7/10

The Matrix Revolutions (Short Movie Review)

[Cirene404 · 6/10 · 6 July 2019]

Positives:

• Cinematography
• Action scenes
• Musical score
• Main cast

Negatives:

• Inconclusive and lackluster conclusion
• Overbloated and convoluted story
• Poor execution of it's ideas
• Zero character development

Hats off to the brothers

[joshsaunders · 10/10 · 5 November 2003]

Matrix Revolutions is a revolution of a movie and shows that the brothers wont stop at a half worked job. the attention to detail and cinematography of the real world makes you shocked at how much work was really put into this film. In my opinion no one will be able to match the hugeness of the matrix trilogy for a long time. a job well done and a movie definitely worth seeing, even if you didn't like the 2nd one.