The Matrix Trilogy comes to an end with
Revolutions, where the fight between the Human Resistance and the Machines comes to a dramatic finale.
The strengths from the original film are underused. Gone is a feeling of mystery, suspense, and second-guessing and in its place is an overall feeling of predictability. The few good characters from
Matrix Reloaded are underused, and when they are used it is to no great effect and the film fails to explain the motivations or drives of the characters (The enigmatic Merovingian, for example, seems motivated purely to resist the protagonists and seems to have no personal conviction towards the events occurring). Trinity et al seem to follow Neo blindly and unquestioningly, and neither her character or Morpheus' are developed any further in this final chapter. The film's major weaknesses lie in its various plot holes and lackluster script.
Revolutions is quite spectacular visually, with great use of CGI animation throughout, and quite a few brilliant stunts, but the action sequences have all been seen or done before. Take for example a sequence where Trinity and company enter the foyer to Merovingian's lair- this was done much more effectively in
The Matrix, in almost exactly the same sequence, at the entrance to the skyscraper lobby. The Wachowski brothers saw fit to add some enemies walking on the ceiling and counted it as new and exciting. The film feels lacking in any real emotion- and everything is taken with such portentous gravity- there is no humour in
Revolutions. The two moments when the film makers try to convey any sense of emotion appears when they use predictable and unimagintive characters, as when the clumsy kid takes over the mech of the dying Zion Commander, and similarly with the little girl who is part of the Matrix waiting at the train station to escape with her parents because she is an unnecessary program that they brought into the world without permission.
Final
Revolutions fails on most levels; the storyline is muddled, confused and incoherent, the characters display little or no real emotion, and the action sequences have all been seen before in similar situations in the earlier films. It is by all accounts overlong, tiring and turgid. It has a few good moments which stand apart from the rest of the film- most notably the attack on Zion, which was quite adeptly presented (the CGI effects for the Sentinels and Drills were great for this sequence). The film makers manage to ruin this sequence as well, however, by adding in the over-sentimental device of the young kid who rushes in to save the day. By the end of the film we are left with a very unsatisfactory ending, with too many gaping plot holes in it. Why would a computer, an AI, honour a promise to a human (Neo)? How would the Matrix continue to operate with so many humans leaving it? Surely this would mean that most of the machines wouldn't have enough power to survive? Basically the ending is rushed and not thoroughly thought through- which seems to me to be the maxim for both the
Matrix sequels. An unsatisfactory ending to two sequels which were quite frankly- never meant to be.