You Say You Want A Revolution?
The Matrix Trilogy Comes Full Circle

Back in 1999, I left the theater after seeing The Matrix and I felt something profoundly different in the way I perceived the universe. After watching the sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, I felt cheated somehow, as if the underlying truth of the story I had first seen had been co-opted by a summer blockbuster. Seeing the final movie in the series, I believe that The Matrix Revolutions is a bit of both. It is a special effects bonanza, but underneath it all there are some interesting questions about free will and determinism.

Most people who go to see Revolutions are not interested in philosophy, no matter how slick the packaging. They merely go to see if Neo, Morpheus and Trinity will find a way to vanquish Agent Smith and bring an end to the war between humans and machines. For those wishing for nothing more than eye candy and a couple of hours distraction, Revolutions does not disappoint.

The story begins where Reloaded left off, with the crew of The Hammer limping back to Zion, unable to find the crew of The Logos. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is unconscious, having just destroyed four sentinels by merely thinking about it. No one knows what this new development means for Neo, or if he will ever wake up. Lying beside him in sick bay is Bane (Ian Bliss) who, with the downloaded persona of Agent Smith inside him, helped to sabotage the assault on the sentinels that destroyed most of the ships in the fleet.

As the story progresses, the people of Zion prepare for a last stand against the encroaching armies of sentinels digging their way through the Earth's crust to the underground city. Outfitted with Armored Personnel Units (A.P.U.s), the troops stand prepared for a frontal assault while volunteers with homemade shells and rocket launchers sit in the shadows waiting to take out the diggers.

Revolutions seems to climax almost from the very beginning, and it is fitting that it does so. This is not so much a third film, but the second half to the second film. As such, it picks up momentum quickly and becomes an all out battle with special effects that have to be seen to be believed. The slithering momentum of the squid-like sentinels is perfectly captured. The A.P.U.s, despite their bulk, move with a graceful fluidity that makes them seem like live creatures rather than mechanical devices.

Neo, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) all make choices that lead them to their fates. Neo decides, after consulting with the Oracle, that he must seek out the Machine City. Trinity decides to go with him and help pilot the ship. And Morpheus decides to stand beside Niobi (Jada Pinkett Smith) and mount a rescue of Zion.

There is less philosophical dialogue in Revolutions than in Reloaded where Neo's encounter with the Architect left many audience members scratching their heads. Still, there are some interesting notions, as when a program talks to Neo about concepts of love and karma, concepts that Neo has mistakenly assumed were human inventions. Of course, the idea of choice -- free will vs. determinism -- plays a central role in Neo's final battle with Agent Smith.

I don't think Revolutions is as intriguing as the original film, but that may be in part because the original is always better. Also, it is dependent on Reloaded and can only be seen as the second half of that movie. I don't find fault in the film for that. Artistically I understand that sometimes it is difficult to cut something that should be a much longer work. Audiences wouldn't go to a four hour movie, so two shorter movies were necessary.

As the third story of a trilogy, I think Revolutions works. As a single movie, it is merely a part looking for a whole. Whether audiences see The Matrix trilogy as a profound pop-culture lesson from Philosophy 101 or merely a summer movie with delusions of grandeur, it takes a cynical eye to say that the movies aren't interesting in one way or another.

What Morpheus said in the first film still holds true for Revolutions, "No one can be told what The Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 129 min.