|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B+ B+ B+ | |
| Review by Xibo | Date seen: November 3, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: East Village, NYC | Grade: B+ |
| Summary: Second half of Matrix Reloaded. | |
| I came into this movie expecting an explanation for how Neo could do the things he did. I had theories of a meta-matrix, using Neo's new abilities and Oracle's offer of a red candy as a clue. But no, I was way off-- Oracle reoffered candy in this movie, but instead of a red pill, it looked more like a red gummy bear. There was no hidden message. There was no deeper meaning.
If you've seen the trailer, then you've seen the plot of the entire 2+ hour movie. Really. There's very little story there and it's nothing new. In fact, parts of it looked rushed and altered to fit a happy Hollywood ending, such as the architect and the oracle. Whee. The fight scenes were okay, but not as good as the first two movies. Fighting style and technique has been replaced with raw firepower. The port battle goes on forever, it feels like an hour, and is incredible to watch, due to its massive scale. In the end, the infinite amount of machines overrun everything, and have the whole game won, except, for some reason, they decide not to win. Why? Not explained. I don't get it. Still, I'm giving the movie a good rating because technically, it's amazing, and mentally, I'm still thinking about it the day after. Okay, the whole messiah/saviour/Jesus symbolism was overdone, especially as they didn't back it up with any kind of explanation. The best way to describe this movie is as the second half of the second movie; with some decent editing, the two movies could have been stapled together into one movie. Like Kill Bill, the only reason it's two separate movies is that the directors wanted to show off their fight scenes and the time ran too long. | |
| B B B | |
| Review by dragonprincess | Date seen: 0, 0000 |
| Viewing Location: theater | Grade: B |
| Summary: better than the first | |
| This movie wasn't what i expected it to be, although it could have been better, it was definetly more interesting than the first. THey were both good movies but only if you can pay attention non-stop while trying to understand whats happening. They are both the kind of movies you have to watch over again to understand. | |
| B+ B+ B+ | |
| Review by Sinpathy | Date seen: October 11, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Sydney Australia | Grade: B+ |
| Summary: Revolutions>> What revolution? | |
| I had for a few days pondered whether I would view this third installment of the Matrix series. After reloaded, Like many i thought that we would find zion to be an outer matrix. A matrix within a matrix like thirteenth floor. this i feel would have been a far more interesting ending and fit very well with reloaded and neo being able to stop the sentinels. Many people see Matrix 2 & 3 as one movie whereas myself i see so much to suggest them to made without anything but superficial connections between one another. Consider in reloaded when the Senator has a talk with neo in the Machine level in Zion, they discuss the inveitabilty and need humans have for machines and vice versa. This need and balance is weakly referenced to in the final installment. Im not making a very logical posting but im hoping those that can be bothered are following. In answer to season five's question: The matrix was required by the machines as the architect said 99.9% of all test subjects accepted the matrix zion was allowed to prosper for the rest. This would also support my matrix within a matrix theory and seemed so definate at the end of the second. Instead we find an strange open-ended ending. SO what happened? Where was the revolution, they didn't revolt, they were set free by the machines if they chose?? Is the revolt instead supposed to be the actions of the oracle against her programming which allowed the end to come. Mostly i feel i learnt more from the second matrix even with the arhitects verbal dioreaha. The maovingi talking about power in the second was again a great scene. But these were virtually non-referenced in revolutions and trinity took too damn long to die! Revolutions has left me much like the xfiles movie did ticked off we were told then that the truth would be revealed and we had two seasons longer to find out. It seems they've made the same mistake. While visually the entire series was spectacular never has there been balance of action and plot like there was in Matrix 1. Also like majestic i loved seeing the first one in sydney, suddenly budget and we have an oversized metropolis, it seems wachowskis are fans of blade runner cause the matrix didn't look like our world anymore. And whats the point of sydney harbour at the end if ur going to flood it with weird buildings. the whole movie may aswell have been done on green screen. Probably was. I don't why ive talked this long and if ive contributed anything i will be greatly pleased, though i doubt it. its a great trilogy but as far as plot back to the future tied everything together better and they weren't a trilogy from the begining. | |
| A+ A+ A+ | |
| Review by Finrod | Date seen: November 5, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: AMC Parkway Pointe 15, Atlanta | Grade: A+ |
| Summary: Kick ass | |
| To me, this was the best of the three, though granted I did like 2 better than 1. This movie is pretty much the second half of Reloaded; if your dislike of Reloaded stemmed from the fact that it pretty much left everything up in the air, then you'll have no such problems with this one. The gritty, brutal style of Reloaded continues in this one, and the intensity doesn't let up until the end.
Complaints about a 'lack of plot' miss the point-- humans are fighting this war to try to survive, and that's what they're doing. Their survival and doing what they have to do is the plot and story. Anything else would have been superfluous, and would have just slowed things down. I also liked seeing more of the Oracle in this movie than before. It was interesting seeing her view of the Architect and their disharmony and how that ended up reflected in the Matrix as a whole. The idea of Agent Smith as Neo's opposite number was something I didn't expect that worked out well. How he's defeated isn't really explained, but I'm not sure that any explanation they could have come up with would really have improved it any. Anyways, if it wasn't for Return of the King coming out next month, I'd be calling this movie the best of the year. If it's not to your liking, maybe you'd be better off seeing Elf instead. | |
| B B B | |
| Review by pixel9899 | Date seen: November 5, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: somewhere, USA | Grade: B |
| Summary: like hell there is no explanation! | |
| if anybody aint a dumass and passed 1st grade, they could understand everything & all tha symbolism in the movie and look past the kick ass special effects | |
| A A A | |
| Review by Phooz | Date seen: November 5, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Poulsbo, WA | Grade: A |
| Summary: Explanation | |
| In response to "seasonfive"s post. The machines needed real humans {ones born in the real world} in order to get the "one" out of the Matrix and teach him who he is and what he is capable of. To LEAD him back to the architect and the "source" to reset the Matrix. This is why Zion was NEEDED. Without it the one would never know he was the one. In every previous version, Neo did NOT destroy Smith. The other "one"s chose to save humanity, to return to the source and restet the matrix. But neo chose to live, not go to the source, and save trinity. No other "one" had chosen that before. The machines are not giving up every human, many humans in the matrix will not want to be saved, even if they hear that they can be (like if I said Jesus can save you, you dont HAVE to believe me, you can choose not to). So ALL humans wont want out of the Matrix. Also, someone else posted that Agent Smith was already EVERYONE in the matrix... but I highly doubt that, the two last movies only take place within a couple of days, and Agent smith couldnt have taken over the whole world by then, neo aludes to this when talking to the main machine, he says once smith is done with the matrix, he will take over the machine world too, meaning smith wasnt quite done yet. Just because there were alot of smiths doesnt mean everyone was taken over. I had somethin else but I forgot. I LIKED IT! | |
| A+ A+ A+ | |
| Review by EnigmaticProphet | Date seen: November 7, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Oakridge Century 20, San Jose | Grade: A+ |
| Summary: Excellent | |
| The key to understanding Agent Smith's defeat lies in the Oracle's conversation with Neo. The Architect describes Neo as the remainder of an unbalanced equation; the Oracle describes Smith as the equation's attempt to balance that remainder in order to reach a state of equilibrium. Thus as in any mathematical equation, when two variables of equal and opposite value are combined, their existence as a contributing factor to the equation's solution is nullified.
If Neo is a remainder, then his existence causes fluctuations in any and every program around it. The equilibrium becomes shifted, and compromises must be made to ensure that it is maintained and not lost completely, which resulted in SuperSmith: an amplification to compensate for the shift that, when pitted against the need for compensation, would result in an eternal conflict (equilibrium). With equal and opposite value in the equation, any conflict between the two is completely arbitrary (choice) But the conflict was never allowed to persist for eternity. Upon the One's realization of his capabilities, the machines would control his involvement in the Matrix by forcing a choice upon him that would ultimately lead to his own destruction. With the destruction of the One, the equation would again be unbalanced, equilibrium shifted again. Therefore the Matrix could continue existing, and the Machines would reign supreme. The ultimate solution was to stop trying to balance the equation and remove the variables causing the shift. If x+1=x+y, you can spend eternity trying to simplify terms until you realize that the solution lies not in substitution of variables or integers, merely a subtraction. It was impossible for previous versions of the One to come to this realization, because it was Neo's specific manifestation of his humanity (Trinity's love, something which the Oracle may or may not have been responsible for) that allowed him to separate himself from the decision forced upon him and conceive of another choice. The ending with the appearance of the Sun was completely appropriate. See reference: The Allegory of the Cave. My opinion of this movie is vastly improved over that of Reloaded. It wasn't the open-ending that bothered me so much, but none of the events of the movie had any relevant contribution to the story's underlying meaning. Only the 30s conversation with the Architect, stating in unnecessarily complex terms the idea of an unending man-made paradox. The talk of vampires or fights with ghosts, former romantic couplings, enormous orgies, anxious nocturnal walks with old men, and praising of religious icons served to further the plotline not at all. That the paradox had a solution which did not revolve around brute force (depicted for two reasons: to demonstrate the extent of which the machines desired to control the power of the One and to re-establish the basic human instinct of survival) or love (as I suspected it would after the words of the Architect) was a pleasant surprise which undoubtedly will cause much debate over the true nature of the trilogy's events. However, it has served to reinforce my own belief that neither our survival in the face of overwhelming opposition nor emotional reinforcement of personal determination compose the end-all and be-all of life. Rather, it is how we choose to react with the obstacles we are dealt that is important. Natural instinct drives us to fight for our survival, but we create our own battles by discerning between what needs to be fought for, and what does not. | |
| A+ A+ A+ | |
| Review by tranqui1ity | Date seen: November 7, 2003 |
| Grade: A+ | |
| Summary: this movie was a movie that made you think | |
| This movie was so sweet and yea the port seen did get old but the special effects used were worth the the long wait through talking. The talking in the movie was necessary because that way you could understand the movie (even though most people dont). Xibo, the reason the machines stopped attacking was becuz that spike thing that had the face with the sentinels was like the boss of all of the sentinels and when the boss was talking to neo he told the sentinels to stop becuz zion and the machine world's fate was in neo's hands. becuz smith would have found a way to come out of the matrix again and take over both worlds. So if zion got destroyed, there would have been no point for neo to do what he did. I personally liked this movie and i believe that this movie wasnt made for the average viewer, it was made for the intellectual viewer. __________________________________________________________________________________________ My explanation on the end of the matrix is that the pinhead made the architect and some how the real world and the matrix are result of each other and since neo was going to kill smith which would balance the equation again (if neo would have won, then all the smiths would have died and so would have he, or if smith won(which happened) then neo and all the smiths would have died). The war would stop for now becuz the equation was finally balanced but eventually the matrix would have a glitch or some kind of revision where the equation was yet again unbalanced and neo would come back(meaning being reborn) or someone else will come along to take his place to balance it and thats why the oracle said that they would see neo again "someday" | |
| A A A | |
| Review by majestic beast | Date seen: November 7, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Australia | Grade: A |
| Summary: | |
| i feel that EnigmaticProphet is right in his insight into the complicated ball of fluff that is the matrix. i must admit though in refernce to the end of the movie it was a bit open ended and starring into the sunrise with the beautiful splash of light on Sydney's Harbour was somewhat unessacry and really left me with a sour taste but in all the movie was great. i also feel that the producers were perhaps very generous in the time they allowed for trinity to die for, i must admit that i really hope that my last breath can last that long when i die. anyway though, at the end of the movie, i think there is something important about the open ended comment by the oracle. to begin with, the little girl (whom i didnt really understand but i guess would be a program designer herself, given her parents abilities), says to the oracle "do you think we'll ever see Neo again?" the oracle replies with a thought that she thinks he will. this gives way for two things: 1. another movie; 2. in this next movie/ or ieven if there isnt, the oracle is telling us hat she doesnt know how much longer the peace will last and perhaps this matrix will also be deleted and a new one will be rebooted which means the events start all over again.... but this would merely be grasping at straws as we've already established that the architect (and yes tranquility the big boss of the sentinels was the architect) has finally now balanced the equation. | |
| F F F | |
| Review by dealsusa | Date seen: November 7, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: London, UK | Grade: F |
| Summary: It All Left a Really Bad Taste In My Mouth | |
| After a brilliant start with Matrix 1, the guys really ran out of steam and demonstrated that they really are nothing more than a couple of adolescents at heart. Revolutions, or more to the point, Reloaded/Revolutions was simply a let down in every sense -- plot, cinematography, even the special effects were largely redos of the original. The point was that there is no point and that dear friends is what we have wasted our time and money to find out!! If you haven't seen it already, don't bother!! Those fat, pimpled Wachowski brothers are rich enough!! | |
| C+ C+ C+ | |
| Review by onLine | Date seen: November 7, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: O'Fallon, IL | Grade: C+ |
| Summary: Great story, average movie. | |
Prologue: Short Critique: In conjunction with the first paragraph. too much time was spent in Zion. The effects were great but seemed pointless after a while. This stuff should have been the short cut-aways instead of our main characters. Although there were some great moments our spiritual and philisophical content was usually either to vague or obvious to the point of hokey. The acting was OK, with Hugo Weaving being the obvious standout. Honestly, you can't expect much better from this type of movie. All of the problems I mentioned detract from a great story with many levels of meaning. While I couldn't keep suspension-of-disbelief going long enough to get real emotionally involved, The Matrix Revolutions had some redeeming qualities and ultimately the last thirty minutes saved the movie for me. Discussion Contribution: There are a couple of other definitions of revolution to consider: 1. 2. A sudden or momentous change in a situation: the revolution in computer technology. This should make more sense to you now. seaonfive Keep in mind that one of the main themes of the matrix was choice. It is dealt with constantly in the movie. It was what separated man from machine, avatar from program and it is the reason Neo continued to fight Smith. In the end the machines will allow those who choose to live outside the matrix free and if the rest don't want to be, why would you continue to fight? In reality we were fighting for the right to choose. Will this peace last? Certainly you don't want to eliminate any possibility for another sequel? Discuss more: Did the Oracle really know the future? | |
| C+ C+ C+ | |
| Review by seasonfive | Date seen: November 8, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Va. Beach | Grade: C+ |
| Summary: I'm going to be flamed for this one | |
| Ok while EP's explanation demonstrates his intellect, I must disagree with him. So everything that happened from the point that Neo chooses to save Trinity is "new" to the machines? Perhaps I do not fully understand the 2nd movie either - but anyway - it seems to me that if Zion was reconstituted on a regular cycle than there would be some sort of human historical rememberance of it - but none is ever alluded to. Secondly, it makes NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER for Zion to even NEED to continue to exist at all, because the machines constantly grow all the humans they need anyway. So this whole concept of preserving unplugged humanity doesn't make any sense. Secondly, if destroying Neo was the goal of the machines, then Super-Smith was ALWAYS the perfect solution. If the architect and the Source both knew about the polarity of variables in the equation, did it not occur to them to engineer the Neo-Smith conflict? Because I am assuming that in every previous version of the Matrix Neo destroyed Smith as in the first movie - or can I do that? Perhaps someone could explain the entire concept more cogently, for I have never heard it completely explained. Therefore, since this IS a review, I'd have to say that Reloaded-Revolutions (for they are really one movie in 2 parts) was crippled by a plot that seemed as if it was almost entirely improvised and bore little resemblance to what was alluded to in the first movie. Nice special effects, but the darkness took away from the detail - I would have liked to have gotten a closer look at some of the machine world. What I liked about the original was the incredible plot - the sequels reminded me of a guitar player who, after finishing a brilliant solo, proceeds to noodle the thing into oblivion and never really goes anywhere. The original plot was cogent, it could be followed - but this..... The ending left the most to be desired - is the girl a new ONE? She has the power to change the sun anyway. But what kind of peace was there? Are we to assume that the machines, still requiring humans for power, are going to completely give them up - meaning the destruction of all but a few elite programs with the limited power that can be produced without them? I say - NO! - we are not to assume this. Well then, are we to assume that the humans in Zion are to be content merely with their own survival, considering the only reason they were waging the war in the first place was to free the entire race? They are not going to DEMAND their release from the prison that is the Matrix? And besides, it would only have made sense to me that almost all of the humans in the powerplants were clones, considering the machines do not run breeding grounds of live humans. Someone please explain. | |
| F F F | |
| Review by churiso | Date seen: November 8, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: LA | Grade: F |
| Summary: one of the worst movies i have seen | |
| i didn't enjoy this movie at all. yes, i understood it all, but i just laughed all the way through it. too much of a rip off of other works, by much better artists. i'll stick with Gibson and friends. it's not that it was that bad of a movie, but take into consideration the hype, money, fandom and the sycophants that follow it as a religion, and you it's a bad movie. not bad as in good. bad as in really bad, i laughed when trinity got axed. oh, btw, to the previous poster; i forget who, everyone in the matrix died. agent smith was everyone, so everyone died. this means all the farmed humans died too. because when you die in the matrix, you die in real life. this includes agent smith. so the machines have to restart farming, that is why there was a truce. the price to pay for peace. the oracle and others were able to come back because they were programs. basically, they formated the matrix and reinstalled it. but i dont understand why the machines didnt do that from the beginning. they would have ended up with the exact same end result. | |
| B B B | |
| Review by Matrix Fan | Date seen: November 11, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Western NY | Grade: B |
| Summary: Confusing...yet tasty!! | |
| well....this topic sure came to a screeching halt...c'mon people!! | |
| B+ B+ B+ | |
| Review by BernacK | Date seen: November 12, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Addison, IL | Grade: B+ |
| Summary: I was left bewildered and disappointed | |
| The confusing ride through the Matrix really began with the reemergence of the Frenchman. Maybe the people around me talking hurt my attempts to understand, but I am very confused on why he was back and what exactly he meant to the trilogy in the first place. Neo died, or did he? Trinity died, or did she? Does anyone else hate Jada Pinkett Smith, cause I sure do. Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy. I thought I had this thing figured out after Reloaded, with all the symbolism and each character's specific role (Neo as a Jesus-figure, Trinity as Mary, Morpheus as John the Baptist) but Revolutions threw a wrench into my plans. The special effects were good, but not as great as Reloaded. In attempts to avoid sounding long-winded, I'll just end by saying the Wachowski Brothers had a great idea and I think that if this is indeed the end, they ended it the wrong way. | |
| A A A | |
| Review by truth | Date seen: November 20, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: http://what-is-the-matrix | Grade: A |
| Summary: Matrix and Hindu Philosophy | |
| Was i the only one that realised that the references to christianity were more symbolic than actually leading anyone to any closer to the spiritual truths mentioned in the matrix movies..? For example, "Maya" - Illusion. "Karma" - Cause/Effect. "Sati" - Sacrifice & Love. "Cosmology" - Quantam mechanics & Human mind. "Yoga" - Meditation. are fundamental tenets of Hinduism, a 5000 year old philosophy (os which Buddhism is based on.) http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Hindu_Cosmology.htm | |
| B- B- B- | |
| Review by Monroe004 | Date seen: December 3, 2003 |
| Viewing Location: Southern Minnesota | Grade: B- |
| Summary: The Matrix - What the hell happened? | |
| I agree with most everyone I've talked to, the conclusion to the incredible Matrix series left me hungry. The Brothers did such a fantastic job in the first 2 movies (and the AniMatrix) in creating a sci-fi world based on future technology. What I liked about this series is that, although improbable, it based on technology-gone-awry. The basis of many successful sci-fi worlds. The last thing that should have happened is a mystical-Messiah ending. There should have been a better explanation on why Neo could stop the sentinals OUTSIDE the matrix. The Oracle says the One has power outside the matrix, and that's the ONLY explanation. If a sci-fi series begins out strictly technological, it shouldn't betray what made it good, by going supernatural. It would have been much more satisfying, if not down-right creepy, to find out the machines had built an imbedded matrix, to satisfy the minds of those who "thought" they had escaped to "Zion," only to find out that they had really not escaped. MUCH more satisfying, than the crappy Jesus figure Neo turned out to be. It was like the Bros. made this great world, and then didn't know how to finish it, so they just crapped out into a spiritual ending. Just my thoughts. Still, this series is fantastic and I will buy on DVD (I'm sure the Bros. will want to milk all the $$$$ they can by releasing a boxset sometime next year). | |
| D D D | |
| Review by Jigen | Date seen: April 3, 2004 |
| Viewing Location: WA | Grade: D |
| Summary: Ho-freakin-rrendous | |
| Another couple hours of complete garbage shoveled onto moviegoers. I was really hoping that somehow I "missed" something when I watched this the first time. After a second viewing I'm convinced the creators of this film came up with the idea over beer and sausages one night. Where the original Matrix was cinimatic brilliance, This is absolute crap. Pretend there is no "trilogy"; There is the ORIGINAL and then the SEQUALS. No trilogy. It's not F bad, but it's bad. | |
"I should put quotes here."