Three and a half stars
Less philosophy, more action and unexpected plot twists make "Matrix Revolutions" an excellent finale to "The Matrix" trilogy.
The original "Matrix" was released in March of 1999 and revolutionized the way action movies are made. The Wachowski brothers, who wrote and directed all three films, mixed philosophy and cutting-edge special effects to create a thinking man's action movie.
In May of this year "Matrix Reloaded," the second film in the trilogy, was released in theaters and performed exceptionally well. Despite its box-office success, critics viewed "Reloaded" as having a sluggish , over-philosophized story offering more questions than answers.
With the original "Matrix" and "Reloaded," we know that machines rule the earth. The machines are using humans as their batteries. All of these batteries are still plugged into the Matrix waiting to be freed, and the only man who can free them is in a coma.
"Revolutions" begins with a comatose Neo (Keanu Reeves) suspended between the Matrix and the real world. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) come in to make a deal with Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) to save him. When Neo escapes his purgatory, he consults the Oracle (Mary Alice) and she tells him that humanity's fate will be determined that evening by either Neo himself or his nemesis, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving.)
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Like the original "Matrix" and its sequel, there are several moments in "Revolutions" that are jaw-dropping. First, the long awaited battle for Zion takes place and ends up being one of high points of the trilogy.
Nearly all of the battle is computer-generated imagery, and takes place between thousands of sentinels and humans. Because most of the images are machines and the battle takes place in a poorly lit underground city, the special effects are very convincing.
Another high point for the trilogy is the final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith. This time Smith decides to go one-on-one against Neo, while his numerous replicas watch. In "Revolutions," Agent Smith has the ability to fly; almost all of the battle takes place above the virtual city. Set in a rainstorm, this showdown looks real and is well executed by the filmmakers.
Another plus about "Revolutions" is that almost all of the minor characters introduced in "Reloaded" have expanded roles. Captain Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) becomes one of the central figures in the movie and plays a big part in the film's outcome.
The previous two "Matrix" movies did not stick to the typical Hollywood action movie formula. Both had groundbreaking special effects and forced the audience to think. "Revolutions" follows the same path as its predecessors, although this time there is less mind-bending philosophy and more action.
As the promotional campaign for "Revolutions" states, "Everything that has a beginning has an end."
After watching "Revolutions" one could argue the opposite.
