THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
Starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne
Written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
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If The Matrix Revolutions proves anything, it’s that The Matrix Reloaded was ultimately a forgettable film. I remember the fighting, the car chases and how bloody long the first hour seemed, but when Revolutions picked up right where the last film left off, I discovered I couldn’t remember any of the details.
Some would argue that that’s because nothing actually happened in Reloaded, but to be truthful not much happens in Revolutions either. However, even compared to the pale memory of Reloaded, the latest chapter feels tame.
Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) are all back to protect the real world from the machines and the Matrix from Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). Though this should be the big finale, The Matrix Revolutions feels more like The Matrix Rehashed.
In the digitally constructed reality of the Matrix, the question of destiny and free will is tossed about like a philosophical beach ball. The all-seeing Oracle (Mary Alice) returns to offer cryptic information and blanket advice which forces characters to make choices that they already knew they had to make. I began to think that Revolutions didn’t refer to the human revolt against the machines, but rather the script’s cyclical and repetitive nature.
Revolutions addresses the concepts of karma and love, but instead of making it something substantial, the script is jammed full of ideas without a proper outlet. Maybe after the Wachowski brothers finished their intro philosophy class they should have taken a screenwriting workshop. With all the Christ-like imagery surrounding Neo and the Buddah-like rantings of the Oracle, Revolutions feels like a dogmatic pastiche. However, when Neo takes the powers he enjoys in the Matrix into the real world, it’s clear that the only religion that matters is The Force.
If Neo was Luke Skywalker, Agent Smith was Darth Vader and the Oracle was Yoda, then this movie would still suck because it would be Return of the Jedi. Revolutions devotes a bulk of its running time to the battle between man and machine. The fact that this takes place beneath the surface of the planet as opposed to outerspace doesn’t change the fact that this is standard sci-fi fare. What made The Matrix so great was the fact that it was something new. Even in Reloaded when they couldn’t make it new, the Wachowski brothers at least made it impressive. By giving Revolutions over to mind-numbing special effects and superfluous secondary characters, the weakness of the script becomes evident. For audiences to care about the outcome of the battle, they have to care about those involved.
As it stands the characters that established The Matrix series have to fight dearly for screen time. Trinity becomes Neo’s sidekick and Morpheus has been relegated to Chewbacca status. By the time Revolutions finally gets around to the inevitable showdown between Neo and Agent Smith, it already feels over. How many final battles does a film need?
Most disappointing is the fact that Revolutions spends almost no time in the Matrix or exploring its mythology. As a result, one of the series’ strongest selling points is abandoned in favour of cinematic excess and a somewhat laughable deus ex machina.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed The Matrix Revolutions more if I had watched Reloaded immediately prior (which I would highly recommend), but ultimately, Revolutions left me wanting to go back to the real world. |
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