(Bound, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions)
Producers:
Bruce Berman, Grant Hill, Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski
Screenplay:
Larry Wachowski & Andy Wachowski
(Assassins, Bound, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions)
Cinematography:
Bill Pope
Music:
Don Davis
Cast:
Neo/Thomas Anderson: Keanu Reeves
Trinity: Carrie-Anne Moss
Morpheus: Laurence Fishburne
Agent Smith: Hugo Weaving
Niobe: Jada Pinkett Smith
The Oracle: Mary Alice
Bane: Ian Bliss
Link: Harold Perrineau
Lock: Harry J. Lennix
Persephone: Monica Bellucci
Merovingian: Lambert Wilson
Seraph: Sing Ngai
Zee: Nona M. Gaye
Kid: Clayton Watson
Sati: Tanveer Atwal
Trainman: Bruce Spence
For every beginning there is an end.
That beginning came in 1999, when
The Matrix
became a surprise blockbuster hit in a summer many thought
would be dominated by
Star Wars Episode I.
Now, nearly five years later, the Matrix trilogy is complete.
While many criticized the first sequel, The Matrix Reloaded for its
chaotic plotting and reliance on spectacle, others praised its deepening
of the franchise's mythology and disregard of blockbuster convention.
Can you name another action movie that chooses to climax on a
conversation with a bearded man?
(DVDfever Dom adds: "The Ten Commandments?... I'll get me coat.")
But it's true that Reloaded, while an exciting technical marvel, didn't
deliver the same emotional impact of its more cerebral predecessor. So
has The Matrix Revolutions delivered the goods?
Revolutions continues exactly where Reloaded climaxed - with Neo
comatose in a limbo state, the human city of Zion facing imminent
destruction by machines and with rogue Agent Smith busily cloning
himself throughout The Matrix's population.
Unlike the agenda-setting Reloaded, Revolutions benefits greatly from an
increased sense of urgency. The pacing is much brisker, despite the
occasional sojourn into philosophical musings, and the characters all
have something far more tangible to threaten them. A spark of energy
that was lacking in Reloaded makes a welcome return, and characters that
previously seemed bland and unremarkable become more real - particularly
the "annoying" Kid character introduced in Reloaded.
Of course, the special-effects are extraordinarily effective, but
deservedly not the focus. Reloaded's dense plotting meant it had to be
alleviated by two somewhat pointless sequences (the burly brawl fight
with a hundred Smiths and the freeway car chase), but Revolutions' own
set-pieces are integral to the plot and therefore far more enjoyable.
The pivotal action sequence between the humans of Zion and the machines
is an immensely satisfying and exciting moment of contemporary action
cinema. Likewise, the climactic battle between Neo and Agent Smith in a
rain-soaked malfunctioning Matrix is supreme entertainment and wonderful
to behold.
Sadly, the acting remains stuck in a venerable state between remote and
intellectual. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss continue to stare at
each other with doe-eyes, while Laurence Fishburne generally acts
quietly confident.
As always, only Hugo Weaving as the mischievous Agent Smith has any
tangible fun with his role, bringing great sophistication, malice and
humour to his role. Ironically, he's by far the most human character.
Sadly, Lambert Wilson and Monica Bellucci's roles as enigmatic Matrix
programs are criminally small. In fact, Bellucci barely speaks and
Wilson's role as the dastardly Merovingian becomes a minor subplot that
dead-ends far too abruptly. One can't help thinking an opportunity with
these characters was missed, particularly when remembering their
important roles in Reloaded.
A special mention must go to Mary Alice, who replaces the late Gloria
Foster in the role of the all-seeing Oracle. Changing an actress during
a trilogy is always very risky, but thankfully Alice brings a great deal
of grace to the role and should be commended for doing a great job under
difficult circumstances.
But in the world of The Matrix, premise is king. While the uniqueness of
The Matrix will never be bettered, Reloaded managed to throw some
intellectual curve-balls into the equation, and Revolutions successfully
manages to bring them all to a fitting conclusion.
Rather remarkably, the finale to Revolutions is neat, tidy and generally
very logical. Of course, there are still threads left dangling and a few
leaps of logic are required from the audience... but the Wachowski
Brothers should be congratulated by avoiding the one pitfall that could
have shipwrecked their trilogy's legacy: a duff ending.
The Matrix remains the classic piece of filmmaking - a magnificent mix
of styles and ideas that shook the movie world on the eve of the
millennium. The Matrix Reloaded was an enjoyable bridge between the
trilogy, packed with some crazy visuals and philosophical layering, and
The Matrix Revolutions is the emotional pay-off for the Wachowski
Brothers 6-hour epic.
Imaginative and stylish, the films are almost a sci-fi opera with
special-effects replacing the songs. The Matrix Trilogy may have its
detractors (name me a film that doesn't!) but there's no denying its
impact on the social consciousness and the sheer joy in watching the
trilogy takes it final bow.
I'll certainly miss entering The Matrix.
DIRECTION PERFORMANCES PLOT SPECIAL FX MUSIC/SOUND
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
