Rating: 
Summary: Who Started the REVOLUTIONs?
Review: I honestly have to admit: I don't understand what all the critical panning of THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS is about. I'll concede that the first hour almost plays like a "Last time we last saw Neo" introduction, and the Wachowskis might've gone back to the drawing board to "revolutionize" a stronger opening. However, at the time of working on the picture(s), perhaps they didn't have a clear-cut breaking point between the two storylines, and, thus, the opening of REVOLUTIONS suffers from too much exposition. Some of it is has the feel of a manufactured recap, hinting that reshoots might've been performed after they agreed on the two films' midpoint.Still, once the action begins, the action begins, and the non-stop blow-out (and blow-ups!) are technically as sophisticated as anything revealed in the first MATRIX film. While not quite capturing lightning in a bottle the way they did with the first outing, the Wachowskis manage to pull out all of the stops to give serious 'Matrixiles' a grand send-off to this slightly uneven trilogy. The theology slant was, in my humble opinion, an obvious set-up to the conclusion. When fanboys and fangals everywhere were expecting the probable "ship in a bottle" virtual reality tie-up (myself included, to a point), the Wachowskis managed to veer off toward the "other" logical plotline to tie up the loose ends. Little did we know that, at the end of the stellar first film, we were actually being shown an allegory for Christ's struggle on behalf on mankind. Sure, the foundation was there, but it played out winningly through REVOLUTIONS. If REVOLUTIONS has any great strength, then it would have to be creating a hunger to go back and rewatch the first and second installments for hints, clues, and foreshadowing that will inevitably appear on subsequent viewings. While that isn't the kind of brick to build a franchise around, it certainly didn't hurt this cyber-driven action trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: insultingly stupid
Review: The first Matrix moview was an incredible, cerebral, mind-blowing experience and hearing of 2 sequels coming out in the same year sounded almost too good to be true. "Reloaded" was an immense dissapointment, and knowing that "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were filmed at the same time, I must admit I held out very little hope that Revolutions would somehow be better than "Reloaded." A friend of mine said she and her husband enjoyed it, so I suspended my initial pre-judgments and a friend and I went to see "Revolutions" this past weekend. As many fans know, the lady who played "The Oracle" in the first 2 films died due to complications from Diabetes, so another actress took the role. Because she did look so different, the reason for her different appearance was put into the plot of the film - poorly. Fishburne is back as Morpheus, but his role is minimal. There is a hinted past relationship with Niobi, but it isn't really explored. As the machines start to penetrate the outer dock of Zion, the volunteer military mans these rediculous human-shaped shooting machines that are so poorly balanced, they easily tip over. These are a total rip-off from the 2nd "Aliens" movie, and they are far from realistic looking. Some of the special effects are extraordinary, but the painted in CGI of these apparati are just poor quality effects... about the same level you'd see in a college film. The wounds are also perposterous and look like they were created with the Halloween make-up kits you see in the holiday aisle at the local supermarket each October. One captain who is manning one of the obsurd walking/shooting machines is torn up by a sentinel (squiddy) in a quick shot that looks like his face was put in a blender. A young volunteer that idolizes the captain runs to his fallen hero. This man has gaping wounds in his forehead that look like they are 4 or 5 inches deep and they move when he talks. The head bleeds a lot when injured - a wound like this would not only knock any human unconcious, but just the blood loss would make him unable to see or talk... yet with these gaping split-loaf-bread type wounds, there is no bleeding and he is able to hang on long enough to give the kid a pep-talk. It is so cheesy, you have to restrain yourself from projectile vomiting. The squiddy swarms are impressive looking, but that's about it. We learned in the first movie that an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) is their only defense against the machines. They are able to power down their ships so their own electronics are unaffected, and turn on the EMP to permanently render the sentinels et al inoperable within a certain radius. With the unbelievable, unrealistic technical advances in Zion, there isn't a single EMP in existence - only the sparse number of hover-craft ships in their armada are equipped with an EMP. It's well known for news reports that a terrorist can build a small EMP for about $400... they aren't that hard to make. Even though the humans know that the final attack against Zion is inevitable, they have absolutely no plans for a quick power shut-down and use of an EMP... only a ship that makes it back to Zion can use one. What an insult to the intelligence of the viewer. Some people have given the excuse that "well, it is a sequel - they'd never outdo the first movie," but I just don't buy it. They literally put years into the preparation of the storyline of the first film, but preparation for the second film was focused more on CGI and choreography than plot. These sequels could have been incredible AND profitable, but are instead just profitable for the filmmakers, who are no doubt laughing all the way to the bank. The sorry plot not-withstanding, the performances of Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) are the only true strong points in the film. While the viewer is spared the endless diatribe of the architect that they were subjected to in "Reloaded," this final edition in the trilogy is - as hard as it is to believe - even worse than the 2nd installment. During the film, people in the audience were laughing out loud and having conversations about how stupid the scenes were. If the first Matrix movie had just been about eye-candy, these follow-ups might have been tolerable - since they have about the same substance as "Starship Troopers," but this is such a rip-off to fans who made the first movie such a cult success story. Shame on the Wachowski brothers for rushing to make such drivel. I have seen the first movie at least 30 times and will continue to watch it - but I really don't think I'll go out of my way to see "Reloaded" or "Revolutions" ever again.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Reloaded, Not as good as the original.
Review: The plot was certainly much better in this movie than in Reloaded, although the mindless psychobabble pretending to be serious philosophy persisted in this film. The action sequences were a little over the top (need I say it...completely unbelievable). Now I realize that what goes on in a movie isn't real, and everyone knows that. It's obvious. But the Matrix series, being sci-fi, are by definition supposed to present possible futures containing possible events, and the sheer logistics of both Zion and the final fight scene with the machines are completely impossible. That struck me immediately, and so profoundly as to prevent my enjoying that part of the movie. It was so ridiculous that I couldn't get into it.
The primary redeeming aspect of this film is, of course, the incredible Hugo Weaving.
The ending was, to put it mildly, incredibly naive. We already know from the first film that the Matrix needs the human "slaves" in order for the machines to continue to function, so how is it that there can peace without one side completely and finally defeating the other? Even the Oracle hints at that at the end of the film.
As far as the philosophy/theology is concerned, I have to say that it's about 90% gibberish and 10% just plain wrong. As a Christian, I can certainly sympathize with those who want to find a hidden Christian metaphysic in the plots of films, and indeed many films can be pointed to in which such a worldview can be found, albeit sometimes unintentionally (the Shawshank Redemption comes to mind). However, to be completely honest intellectually, I am compelled to say that the Matrix series as a whole, and Revolutions in particular, borrows more from Eastern pantheism (Hinduism in particular) that it does from Christianity. This is most evident in the fact that Neo is not resurrected at the end of the film. There was a little bit of Neo in Agent Smith, and a little bit of Agent Smith in Neo. Neither one is good or evil in the Christian sense, and Neo is not the Messiah while Agent Smith is the devil or some other similar notion. They are avatars: they are beings who are able to control natural forces (i.e., they are not supernatural like the Christian Messiah), and, in the classic dualistic sense, the two of them must "cancel each other out," as it were. The Hindu influence is also evident in the whom Karma discussion near the beginning of the film. Revolutions also borrows from Fascist Existentialism in its glorification of the "Triumph of the Will" (as Hitler put it) and its glorification of violent force. The theme of the movie (along with the others) is the ability to choose (and of course no consideration whatsoever is given to whether the choices being made are the "right" choices). So, philosophically, I found the movie disappointing, albeit interesting. As a whole, the movie could've been better, but I think it was the natural conclusion to the series. It will definitely be worth buying when it hits the stores.
Rating: 
Summary: Ultimately, this conclusion disappoints
Review: The incredible phenomenon of "The Matrix" that hit theaters in 1999 was a landmark film that defined and redefined what we know about science-fiction/action movies and the special effects that can be employed. The minds behind the madness, the Wachowski brothers, decided to capitalize on the first film's enormous popularity by creating two sequels ("The Matrix: Reloaded" and this one, "The Matrix: Revolutions") to complete a spectacular trilogy. To avoid the pitfalls of making fans waits ridiculous amounts of time between each sequel (like the "Star Wars" prequels), the Wachowskis decided to film "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" at the same time with the intention of releasing them about a half a year apart ("Lord of the Rings" director, Peter Jackson, employed this same strategy). Unfortunately, due to onset tragedies and unforeseen delays, the sequels didn't appear until four years after the original, at least a year and a half later than was intended. Still, the first sequel, "The Matrix: Reloaded", did a credible job of continuing and expanding the story begun in the original. The meta-philosophical gobble-de-gook didn't bog down that film due to its awe-inspiring and relevant action sequences. With a bit of a cliffhanger, the table was set for the final part of the trilogy, "The Matrix: Revolutions" to end this saga with a spectacular flourish. Alas, "Revolutions" turns out to be a mixed bag. It still provides some awe-inspiring battles, but the discussions get more arcane than in the previous film, and there are some plot developments late in the film that seem to go against everything that has led to this point and create a decidedly unsatisfying and incomplete conclusion.
"The Matrix: Reloaded" ended with Neo (Keanu Reaves) trapped somewhere in between the Matrix and human world as the result of using some newfound human powers. While Neo tries to find his way back to the real world, the humans must still contend with the deadly armada of sentinels still drilling towards Zion in an attempt to exterminate the humans. After some garbled philosophical discussions, including wasted appearances by Merovingian and Persephone, Neo returns to the real world and a decision is made on what must be done. After much discussion and arguing, Neo and his lover, Trinity, take one of the human ships to go towards the machines' main city and try and defeat them there, while the remaining humans (such of Morpheus, et al) take the remaining ship and rush back to Zion in an attempt to provide some help during the inevitable battle with the sentinels. The stage has been set for some truly dramatic developments and, indeed, much of what happens over the next hour is quite compelling and dramatic. Neo and Trinity's approach to the machine city is a technological marvel. Much is revealed about the structure and extent of the surface of Earth. Many miles below the surface the tension of waiting for the sentinel armada is palpable. Once the battle starts, it becomes a mind-bending sensory assault of images that at once seem to clutter the screen, but never become so indistinct that you cannot tell what is happening. In terms of technical achievement, the Battle for Zion may be second only to the freeway battle in "Reloaded".
Unfortunately, there is more to the movie than this, and the last 30-45 minutes is both ponderous and frustrating. It is very tempting to reveal the final plot twists so that you can understand the confounding left-turn this film takes, but in the interests of not playing spoiler, I won't. I will put forth that this does create a decidedly unsatisfying ending, though. This is truly disappointing, because the "Matrix" trilogy had the potential to completely redefine the definitions of existence and, perhaps, even spawn a new school of philosophical thought. It just seems as though the Wachowskis got too clever for their own good and the trilogy ends up being less than the some of its parts. "The Matrix: Revolutions" is not a bad movie. Its actions sequences are enough to grant it three stars. However, it is my belief that, in time, the original "Matrix" will be viewed on its own as a truly great film, with two sequels being thought of as frustrating and necessary additions.
Rating:
Summary: All the hype for a huge dissapointment
Review: I was sooo pumped about going to this movie. I waited in line for 2 hours to get a good seat. FOR WHAT!!!!! A crappy ending. the first matrix got my pulse pounding and made me thirsty for more, only to be utterly dissapointed in the end. Dont get me wrong i liked the action and the great special effects, but the story was horrible. There was no closure to the film. The machines are still there so if they wanted they could enslave humanity again. All of the population is still plugged into the matrix. At the end i found myself saying WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!! why bother making a trilogy if you dont end the story. all that happened in the 3rd film is Neo dies Trinity dies and Smith dies, and the machines leave the humans alone. See the movie for yourself but it is not worth the 9 dollars for a ticket.
Rating: 
Summary: There is "no beginning or end" ... only "karmic justice"
Review: "Revolutions", part III of the Matrix trilogy, is a fitting conclusion to one of the most creative film concepts ever conceived. Along with "Star Wars" and the "Jurassic Park" films, it will go down in film-making history for its originality and unique, special effects. Part III pulls together the mystery, intrigue, romance, and tensions developed in the first two films. The mysticism and religious allusions are effectively balanced with the "war" that is inevitable ... It begins with both Neo and the other guy lying on two stretchers - out cold, trapped in the cyberspace of "the Matrix". Trinity, Morpheus and the others are trying to revive them, to return them intact to Zion. The next scene is Neo at a train station ... talking to an Indian couple and a little girl of about 4 years old. They are waiting for the 'trainmaster' who will help them return to the 'real world', for them it is the one created by machines. Neo learns, the little girl, is Seti, their daughter, whom they love ... but she is a program, who can be deleted. Neo discovers how "love" transcends *even* the programming of machines. Neo finds out the trainman works for the Frenchman, the Frenchman controls their fate ... the trains is due, but it is late ... How does Neo escape this trap, of being caught in a purgatorial existence, not really belonging to either the world of Zion or the one created by the machines? The scenes are phenomenal. Naturally, he makes it out, with the help of his friends ... Zion plans for the inevitable invasion by the machines. The humans prepare a few surprises of their own ... indescribable combat scenes, indescribable special effects. I sat with clenched teeth and tense muscles, as swarms of insect-like and squid-like machines zoomed and descended into Zion. The fighting scenes are some of the best I have ever viewed ... When the Oracle is consulted we learn the simple but hard truth, that she does not predict anything, she provides information and those who summon her help "make a choice" based on their "belief" in themselves. Neo and Trinity leave in a ship -- with a stow-away on board ... Neo "believes" in his abilities after a tragic occurrence. Neo does what must be done ... you have to see the film to know what that is and how the film ends. This film is *highly* recommended. Of the three films, this is my favorite. One must view all three to fully appreciate and understand why the Matrix series is so popular and appealing. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
Rating:
Summary: "Everything that has a beginning has an end."
Review: OK, let's see, the tag line is "Everything that has a beginning has an end." So what is this really saying to us? Basically I see it as an excuse to make the movie: we began it, therefore we need to end it. This is even more uncreative as "Every saga has a beginning." Most of the movie is a killer action sequence - the machines boring down into Zion and killing people. Sure, it's spectacular effects, but it even gets dull after a while, when you realize the battle is futile and they have to defeat them another way. They could have made that point in just one quick scene. I like stories where I actually care for the people. When one of the main characters dies (I won't say which one. If you've seen it, you probably know which one I mean), the only reason I felt bad was because I was laughing. I think I was supposed to be sad. But I'll never know. Memorable lines: "It ends tonight!" "We all know I'm the one that BEATS you." That's about it. If they put in this movie as much character as they did computer effects and action, it may have been decent. I did think it was interesting that they brought in the idea (from "Reloaded") that "we need machines and they need us" for the conclusion. But even that was stretching it. One final comment: someone I know, *who has never seen the movie or heard anything about the plot or conclusion* said this in joking: "I think it would be funny if the computers and the humans actually work together and become friends. That way the people could still go into the matrix for vacations and stuff. ...but I know they'd never put that in the movie. That would be too silly."
Rating:
Summary: Lifeless
Review: Beware of Spoilers. This film has no pulse. It's completely DOA. Don't be fooled by the soulless CGI. Matrix: Revolutions is extremely boring. It's basically a cure...for not being in a coma. About 90 minutes into this movie my pal whispered to me 'Is anything going to actually HAPPEN in this?' We only went to see it out of morbid curiosity after being bored to the point of absurdity with the stone-cold corpse of a movie called Matrix: Reloaded. While you may think I'm mad for saying that nothing happens (considering the Battle for Zion scene) I found it to be not exciting at all and it totally ripped off every Mechwarrior video game there has been. In fact that's all the Matrix has been reduced too; mind-numbing CGI, old flo-mo effects that have been parodied hundreds of times but the Wachowskis still take it seriously, artless action and the look and feel of a trashy video game. All this film did was prove, even further, the absolute redundancy of Matrix: Reloaded. We could have went from Matrix to Revolutions with no Reloaded. And it's bizarre that a film with such a high budget, with such effort and publicity behind was viewed out of morbid curiosity and only laughed at. We we're not the only ones either. Others, as well as me and my pal, we're laughing at and quoting the predictable, lumpen dialogue before the 'characters' managed to even open their mouths.
And what's the deal with the ending? What happens to the earth? Or the machines? Or Zion? Or the Matrix (which is hardly featured at all here)? Is the war really over? Are humans and machines going to live in peace (while machines still use other humans as batteries)? Are humans and machines going to run hand in hand thru fields celebrating their newfound love for each other? And all because Neo beat up Agent Smith? What? Don't expect closer. Expect worse than Reloaded. And bring some caffeine pills. What was born into majesty dies in ignominy.
Rating: 
Summary: Matrix: Revo-fizzes out
Review: Somehow I feel disappointed with revolutions. Revolutions is a closure of all that began, its an end to the saga this in itself is a disappointment to a fan, but the fact that morpheus and the architects words don't pay off in the final installment doesn't help at all. Neo's abilities in the real world? no clue given to how he was able to do that, we have to believe that he can, as one of the council members put it. I feel that the level of complexity has risen with every film and this has alienated the fans. Revolutions (I think is very complex) has not explained what was promised in the first two movies and yet there are so many unanswered questions It will be difficult for fans to fully comprehend its underlinj=ing messages. Most viewers are more baffled to care about film all together. The film is an intense ride with the high point of the man/machine fight. neo/smith fight was not as good as in the Matrix or reloaded and yet it was bigger, faster and eventful. Drama between major charactors was justified but under used. Sequels is a definate NO maybe in the next 30-40 years later it could be appreciated for its complexity.
Rating:
Summary: A Matter of Choice
Review: Well this being my first foray into the world of reviewing, I apologize for my inexperience ahead of time. I hope that as I continue to review Movies/Books/DVD's and all other medium, that you will enjoy my comtemporary views towards all things entertainment. I will also promise to be brief and with my reviews...as I only read the reviews that do not dilly dally but get to the point..........The Matrix Revolutions along with Matirx Reloaded, it's predecessor, are one big great movie. Yes Reloaded and Revolutions are nothing more than a very long movie. I know that most of you have read the other 335 reviews so I wont go into as much detail as I normally would...so i will get to my inner voice early.. The whole trilogy is a conglomorate of: The Bible, The Dune Series, and many more other books(told you i was brief). Original this film is not. SO dont try to make this into something it isnt. It is the story of the messianic choice...to sacrifice ones self for the greater good of human kind. It all comes down to choice. The oracle is not omnipresciant. She only offers the path and Neo must "choose" which path to travel. As this is the total underlying theme to the movie (and if you know the theme) you will enjoy the film. But!!! If you are looking for closure and resolution to the film then you might want to look elsewhere. This film ends with the filmakers giving the audience a choice. You must choose what you got out of the film.
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