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184 out of 284 people found the following comment useful :-
It makes me mad..., 9 January 2006

Author: MinorityReporter from Denmark

...that this film is not getting the credit it deserves. It is in my opinion one of the most underrated films of all time along with The Matrix Reloaded. Revolutions is undoubtedly different from the previous films both in general and in terms of tone but why is that necessarily a bad thing? I won't be so arrogant as to say that the people who don't like this film are unintelligent. Whether or not people like a film or not is a subjective matter but I can't help feeling that the people who dislike (or even hate) this film are missing something because Revolutions is an intelligent, entertaining, beautiful, sad and moving picture.

The acting of all three films have been a mixed bag and although I usually join in the bashing of Keanu Reeves I find him strangely fitting for the part of Neo. His voice is not the perfect voice due to its monotonous tone but his body language is very good and sometimes even great and that is the case in Revolutions as well. Carrie-Anne Moss plays her character like she did in film two and that is neither particularly good or bad but a decent performance. Laurence Fishbourne's character has been reduced somewhat for the final part of the series but I found that the lines he did have were delivered with conviction and experience. As most people know Gloria Foster died before finishing her scenes for Revolutions and thus a different actress was cast to take over. The choice fell on Mary Alice and while she is no where near as good as Foster she is decent enough. Ian Bliss gets a chance to show his worth in the third film and personally I found his scenes to be among the most interesting of the film and his uncanny imitation of Weaving was spot on. Most of the secondary cast from Reloaded returns in their parts in Revolutions and they all do decent jobs with their characters. Harry J. Lennix (Lock) improved his character tremendously in spite of limited screen time. Hugo Weaving still provides the best acting in the film and steals every one of his regrettably limited number of scenes. He is probably my all time favorite screen bad guy. He manages to show the change in his character remarkably well considering how limited his screen time is. Agent Smith exhibits an increasing amount of human traits including anger, hatred, jealousy and even a sly sense of humor. This change happens to mirror Neo's growing understanding of the machines. Neo and Smith are linked in that way as well.

The effects are of course extraordinary which was to be expected after the stellar effects in the second film. Although there weren't as many scenes inside The Matrix this time around I still found the effects of the "real" world to be awe inspiring at the least and the battle for Zion was an incredible display of special effects. Of course the directors never lost sight of the people involved in the battle making it more tense had it only been effects. The climactic battle between Neo and Smith is quite simply stunning. It takes roughly 15 minutes and I for one hardly breathed in those 15 minutes. All three Matrix films have been inspired by Japanese animé comics and that is very visible in the final battle as one can't help but think of Dragonball for instance. The action in that particular scene is frighteningly well done and I got the chills when I watched it in the cinema. Very well done.

The story is darker in this film than in either of the previous films but that is to be expected as the first film was about birth and the second about life. Obviously that means that the third is about the inevitable end that must come to us all: Death. This does that the tone of the film becomes much darker and I felt that was good. This did that the film distanced itself from the previous films in the series and rather than become another rerun the film becomes its own entirely and that is both its weakness and its strength. I think it is its strength as it increases the originality of the film but apparently a lot of people didn't like the interpretation that the third film represents as is clear from the bashing the film has gotten from audiences and critics alike. The film does still have great symbolic value and you can interpret the film in a great number of ways like the previous films. For me this improves the film(s) greatly as you can watch it again and again and still find new things that will renew your interest.

Sadly I cannot make you love this film as much as I do because that would defeat the purpose of the film which is to make people think for themselves. My conclusion about Revolutions is that you will either love or you will hate it but in my opinion Revolutions is almost as good as the first one and one of the best films I have ever seen.

9/10 - On my top 10 of best films.

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106 out of 165 people found the following comment useful :-
Finding Neo, 26 September 2004
Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

'The Matrix Revolutions' is the much-anticipated conclusion to the Wachowski Brothers' cultic sci-fi trilogy, whose previous entries were 'The Matrix' and 'The Matrix Reloaded.' In the series' final installment, the messiah figure, Neo, does battle with the diabolical forces that have imprisoned most of humanity in a world of cyber unreality via a massive computer program known as The Matrix.

Of the three films, 'Revolutions' is definitely the least imaginative and the least interesting. What separated the first two episodes in the series from most other action films was the willingness on the part of the filmmakers to bring some thematic depth and narrative complexity to a genre that, all too often, finds no room for such qualities. The previous two films didn't always succeed in their endeavor - often emerging as more hollow and pretentious than meaningful and profound - but they managed to remain intriguing even in their moments of failure. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 'Revolutions,' which spends so much time on repetitive action scenes and special effects that there is little time left over for storyline and theme. In a strange way, Neo himself ends up getting lost in this film, dropping off the radar screen for astonishingly long stretches of time, only to re-emerge periodically to remind us that there really is supposed to be a purpose buried somewhere beneath all this ear-splitting commotion (this could be re-titled 'Finding Neo'). The sad fact, though, is that, once we arrive at the climactic scene to which all three films have been building, the resolution turns out to be a ham-handed muddle, utterly lacking in clarity and coherence After an almost six-hour-long buildup over the course of the three films, the audience is left scratching its collective head wondering just what it was that happened before the closing credits started rolling by. Perhaps smarter people than I can figure all this out for, frankly, after the overall disappointment occasioned by this film, I couldn't muster either the desire or the effort to probe very deeply into the matter.

It goes without saying that the special effects in this film are spectacular - we would expect nothing less - but what we don't get from 'Revolutions' - which we did from the two previous 'Matrix' films - is that little something extra in the form of intelligence and sophistication that made them more than just the bland, over-produced, assembly-line products they easily could have become - and which 'Revolutions' very nearly is. Even the stolid earnestness of Keanu Reeves can't convince us this time around that there is anything hidden under all those cool gadgets and explosions worth our looking into.

Thus endeth the Matrix series, not with a bang but with a whimper - intellectually speaking that is.

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58 out of 78 people found the following comment useful :-
Overall worthwhile, but hard not to feel disappointed, 2 April 2004

Author: (bjg213@aol.com) from University Heights, OH

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The first Matrix movie is one of the more ground breaking movies in the last decade as evidence by a pretty massive influence on pop culture. I could immerse myself in this review of just how great I think the first movie is, but I digress. The second was received with so much hype that it couldn't possibly live up to in all fairness, but I thought the second movie was wildly entertaining and a bit like the first one in the fact that it made you think quite a bit after the movie was over (The first one "blows your mind" an over-used phrase when it comes to reviewing movies, but it certainly applies in this case). However, I thought the second had too much action, I believe Keanu has close to 5 fight scenes. Morpheus has one, Trinity has 2 I think, all this fighting I think cuts out of the plot which is why the the Matrix is cool to begin with. The action is fun and out of this world at times, but without a good enough plot, a viewer can feel disconnected from the characters in the action. The plot of the second movie I did enjoy, I just thought more time should have gone into it. I thought there were many twists and turns and it ends with a decent "cliffhanger."

My own problem was that unlike most of the critics I went into the third movie with a lot of expectations, but I knew seeing the first Matrix and the previous Wachowski Brothers movie (Bound from 1996) that this trilogy was going to end a bit differently than a conventional sci-fi film...and it did, but more so in a way that I think a real fan of "The Matrix" is still left wanting more, or let me re-phrase, a little more attention to detail. Revolutions does have bright spots, as much as I love a rock-em, sock-em WELL DONE Kung-Fu in any movie, thankfully that part of the Matrix was cut back. How many times do I need to see Keanu just entirely beat the tar out of some random machine that never really dies? I like the fact that Jada-Pinkett Smith was at least put to some more use(although it could have been more) in this last film, she adds spark in basically every scene she's in. The final Neo-Smith fight is awesome. I think the rain alone creates a very cool atmosphere, but a death fight in the rain is certainly something that isn't new to an audience viewing an action movie. It's still the same basic plot, but I think too much of the plot is revolved around the destruction of Zion. I think the battle sequence is something around 25 minutes? That's way too long for a computer generated battle...at least if your movie is barely over 2 hours. For a 4 hour epic like the 3rd Lord of the Rings for example it works because they've taken so long to develop the characters that the action is more thrilling because you feel so attached. The supporting characters are barely developed that are fighting in that sequence, The Kid has a back story in the Ani-matrix, but Capt. Mifune or the vast array of other characters that get blown to bits, I have no clue who they are, so what does all that destruction mean to the viewer? It's a huge display of visual effects that in the end, kind of have a weakened purpose.

With the Matrix I feel more so attached to the ideas presented rather than specific characters. As much as you gotta dig Mr. Whoa(Keanu) and the ever present bad-ass himself Mr. Fishburne(great in Mystic River by the way), and the under-rated Carrie-Anne Moss, I just don't feel as attached to them as I would to say, well Sam-wise(Sean Astin) from Lord of the Rings. I'm not trying to compare, I'm just offering an example. Also, because it is a little over 2 hours there's no time to get into some of the other cool supporting characters. Monica Belluci has one stinking line, I mean she's a very talented actress (See the Passion or foreign flick Malena), but hell at least give her a few more to see her in that dress, WOW! Lastly, the overall flow just seems like the Wachowski's didn't know exactly how to end it, not enough time is really given to any of the main or supporting characters, I seem to keep harping on this, but if you are going to end a trilogy you don't have to come to end-all-be-all on everything, but it would be nice to go into more detail than they do. A scene between Seraph and Neo in the teahouse is so light and generally cool for example, but nothing like this really appears in the third. Like what is this underlying connection between the Frenchman and Seraph for example? What is that about?

All in all, the Matrix was a fun ride, interesting early philosophy (the first movie), unbelievable special effects (all three just incredible), and great Kung-Fu, but it just could have ended differently with more depth. So I tried to write this (while being sick at school), but as un-biased as I could for someone who isn't a fan of the trilogy. Overall rating: 6.5/7.0 out of 10 for the Matrix Revolutions, course if you're a fan, you'll probably dig this way more than that.

P.S. - I seriously hope the Wachowski's don't pull a George Lucas and plan on making a bigillion more of these movies because while I thoroughly enjoyed the Matrix Trilogy, I'm Matrixed Out. No need for Matrix Rebooted, or Regenerated, or Regurgitated, you get the picture.

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157 out of 288 people found the following comment useful :-
I can't understand the hate. Amazing movie., 5 November 2003

Author: Chris (nikecjc@yahoo.com) from Richmond, Virginia

We all know the original Matrix was easily the pinacle. But that's because it grabbed out attentions as something brand new. The first movie, if done correctly as the Matrix was, can open our eyes to new ideas we never considered in any strain of our imagination.

I'll admitt, Reloaded was a bit slow and perhaps a bit tedious at times. It was saved by an amazing Neo vs. Thousands of Smiths' battle, an even more amazing highway scene centered around Morpheus, and the appearance of the amazing Monica Belluci (a character I wish we'd heard more from the in the 3rd installment).

Now as for Revolutions. Unless you're unrealistic or a mass-media critic, who all hate anything outside of artsy or useless Indy movies that get ZERO major release...you'll enjoy and perhaps love Revolutions.

You get clarity to a lot of questions. You get resolution. No cliffhangers. People die and people survive, I won't dare say whom. You are brought all the way from dispair to happiness. Instead of simply giving the cheesy ending, the Matrix's "end" is proper and sensible.

Of course there are some plot holes, but I dare anyone and everyone to find a movie without numerous mistakes or unanswered questions. More and more directors should heed the advice of David Lynch and allow the audience to interpret a few things for themselves. Keep them thinking. (I won't open up a Lynch debate, that's for another time and place)

In the end, you'll enjoy Revolutions. It is action-packed with amazing special effects and the usual above-average acting and amazing creativity in the choreography of the fight scenes.

Agent Smith shines in a stellar performance by Hugo Weaving. His words to Neo throughout his battle are stellar. His encounter with the Oracle, awesome. Keanu, Fish, Carrie-Anne, Jada, and others for the fight for good are also as sharp as they need to be.

In the end, Revolutions is everything a true fan of the Matrix wants. And if they ask for more, they are not only guilty of being unrealistic, but also asking too much for an amazing trilogy.

A trilogy I believe should be held in the same breath as Star Wars (the original three), Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and numerous other action-drama based trilogies. I'm sure I'll be adding the Lord of the Rings trilogy to that list, barring a collapse with the Return of the King (another debate for another time).

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38 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
Fairly satisfying conclusion, but there are disappointments, and it still doesn't make total sense., 7 April 2004

Author: manalone923 from California, USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

(No plot spoilers.)

Like most others, I loved the Matrix. And like a lot of others, I was underwhelmed with Reloaded. But for Revolutions, I came out pretty happy. You do see an end, and there are some surprises. But I was still left with important unanswered questions, and that's kind of inexcusable for the finale in a 7 hour trilogy.

What Matrix Revolutions brings to the table is a giant war. The machines have reached Zion, it's the last stand for the humans, and Neo must make a choice that could bring him face-to face with the machine city and a possible end to the war.

After a slow but interesting start, we see the war begin. It's a special effects frenzy, similar to that of Lord of the Rings or the arena battle at the end of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The war scene makes up the entire middle third of the film, and for what it's supposed to display, it does it well enough. Aside from legions of the "squiddies", or Sentinels, there are a couple new machines that are fascinating to watch: Giant, drilling creatures that instill an appropriate feeling of dread and power. On the human side, there's a small army of walking robots similar to the Power Loader machines in "Aliens", but with extensive firepower. This results in long sequences of shooting, attacking, and screaming, which is going to uninspire fans of the Matrix's deeper plot but which is appropriate for a war setting.

The only problem is that a lot of this is pretty standard stuff. Grizzled military commanders will be hard on young soldiers, who find their courage and prove their true worth. People will be injured and give important information in a speech just before dying. The heroes will be doubted but still do just enough to prove their doubters wrong.

But then one of the bigger overall problems is that the main characters are sort of lost amongst the backdrop of war. Morpheus has maybe 30 lines, becoming a shadow of the informative, enigmatic hero he was in the original. This time, he's reduced mainly to someone who hopes Neo saves the world while himself taking orders as co-captain of Niobe's ship. Trinity has little else to do either besides tag along with Neo or do a couple arbitrary flips and kicks.

And then there's actually a few more specific problems. A very important scene with Neo and Trinity occurs within the movie's last half hour, and although it's dramatic it too is cliche. What's worse, after the scene is over the plot just moves right along as if it didn't matter, without it even being mentioned again. Given the importance of the scene, and the fact that it's occuring between two characters who we've known for years, it feels like it's over way too quickly. That's just a letdown. The same thing occurs with the appearance if the Architect, the builder of the Matrix. He has a brief scene in this film, and has almost nothing important or informative to say whatsoever. Again, it seems like a waste, especially due to the fact that he SHOULD have interesting things to say by the point at which he appears in the film.

Finally there's the film's conclusion, which I won't reveal. I will say that it was one of the less predictable of possible outcomes. But it too is a letdown in a couple ways: First, it leaves quite a few important questions unanswered, and could be construed as leaving the door open for a sequel, but also could be seen as the absolute finish. But that's the problem. If it's the end, I want my questions answered, I want to know the hows and whys. The final minutes left me wanting, left me thinking that there were several possible conclusions to the story that aren't there on film. And in my opinion, that shouldn't happen at the end of something this large and built up to.

But what really matters is whether I enjoyed the film. Although the review doesn't sound like I did, that's actually not the case. I went in planning to know what I wanted to know, and while I didn't learn everything I still did spend a couple fun hours watching an action movie. The acting, score, and effects were pretty much on par with the other films so there's nothing lost there, but it's the details that hurt. Where the original Matrix was a smart script that mostly made sense, this one was more or less action with an incomplete plot wrapup. But it still did have several good scenes, and many of the special effects were great (I loved machine city, with its vast fields and burned skies). I also truly loved the music for the final fight, and during the end credits.

Still, while Reloaded had a standout chase scene as well as some great kung fu like the 100 Smith brawl, this one had neither. There is a climactic and important Neo/Smith battle at the end of Revolutions, but it too is different: In demonstrating the epic and dramatic repercussions of this battle, it consists mostly of giant (albeit very cool) effects, lots of flying, and very little actual close combat. This makes Revolutions unfortunately boil down to a plot far less interesting and focused than the original Matrix, as well as far, far less kung fu. There's also much less complicated story development than in Reloaded, but that's probably a good thing. That doesn't leave Revolutions with much to digest however, aside from a long war scene and a plot wrapup that doesn't explain much more than the most immediate questions. Even the actual "ending" after the big fight is pretty brief, which then is followed by the closing scenes that make things confusing again.

In the end, Revolutions is still fun to watch, and I still like it 2nd of the trilogy. It's just not as tight and fun as the original, and it kind of deflated after the information overload of Reloaded. Not a bad movie at all, it just falls a little short of the great climax worthy of what the Matrix began years ago. Not in style or flash, but in making everything fit. I'd still recommend it to those who saw the first two, just don't expect that big, revelatory plot scene where everything make sense - that's still missing.

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57 out of 92 people found the following comment useful :-
Not as bad as you've heard--it's worse., 8 June 2004

Author: miokey2004 from New York, NY

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

CONTAINS SPOILERS

After protesting for as long as I could, my brother convinced me to see the third installment of the Matrix trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions. I will begin by saying that I was a big fan of the first film, and was curious to see how the story would end. I went into the movie with as open a mind as I could, but after the first forty-five minutes I was just angry at how bad the movie really was.

It was at this point that Neo was reunited with Trinity after being held by the "Frenchman" in a sort of limbo (in this case it was a white on white on white train station.) This story line was entirely useless, especially since the conflict was resolved and served no point in the rest of the movie, except to introduce a cute little girl who is a machine, a useless program going on to live with the Oracle. (I lie, this story-line also gave the Wachowski brothers an excuse to film both a bondage night club and Monica Belucci's ample cleavage.)

The movie goes on from there building up tension and "drama" that leads up to the breaching of the last human city, Zion. Another thing I do not understand is why the humans want to be free? The Matrix is a much better place to live than the real world, which is dark and cold and only hospitable under the ground. The people here have reverted to a new religion and to wearing horrifically unflattering clothing. Why would they choose this life of constant turmoil and darkness over the life of at least supposed happiness in the matrix?

The movie builds up to two climaxes, one involving Neo in the Machine City and another involving the rest of mankind in Zion. In the end there is a depressingly anti-climatic battle in Zion where lots of stuff blows up real good, and not one person shows a single emotion. It is as if the directors told each actor to choose an emotion and facial expression to go along with that emotion and to stick with it. Watch closely Morpheus and Trinity for an example of this.

Neo ends up having to fight the billions of Agents Smiths that have taken over the Matrix. If he wins, there will be peace, if not Zion will be destroyed. Since it all comes down to this battle, then what was the point of the rest of the movie? Especially the drawn out battle scene that precedes the films second climax? It is enough to make a person mad.

In the end Neo of course defeats Smith in a manner that made no sense to me or my brother. Peace is declared and the Matrix trilogy comes to the most infuriating happy ending ever in the history of movies.

Earlier I said that I was a fan of the first film, that has all changed because of what the Matrix went on to become. With the first film, they made history, but with the second two the Wachowski's have committed murder. The special effects in the second two movies are not eve as impressive, especially in Revolutions (never before have I seen a more boring gun fight!) This movie is infuriating and poorly written with so/so special effects and some of the worst acting ever captured o film (Yes, I am including the Star Wars Prequels). Skip this movie, skip Reloaded and simply watch the Matrix on DVD. It is far better.

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38 out of 55 people found the following comment useful :-
a large step in the right direction, 9 November 2003

Author: NiGe2011 from Syracuse, NY

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"The Matrix, Revolutions" was not on the level with the original, this much is true. However, it was undoubtedly a large step in the right direction.

To start with the most praise-worthy aspect of "Revolutions", being that of visuals. From a visual standpoint this movie was amazing, the CGI was unrivaled by anything that had ever come before it. The final battle between Smith and Neo easily places itself somewhere in my three favorite cinematic sequences of all time. And the battle between the machines and humans in Zion is also jaw-dropping. From a purely visual standpoint this movie is simply the best of three (which is boasting a lot since the free-way chase in the sub par "Reloaded" was quite the sight itself). The CGI is probably the best in any movie ever made, a notch above "Reloaded", which at times felt as though it were a video game, and worlds ahead of any of the recent Star War's movies.

Another improvement that was made upon the previous installments of the series was the music. Gone are cheesy techno theme's and watered-down POD lyrics. Instead we get to feast upon more gospel and, dare I say, epic themed musical backgrounds. Epic, as it would turn out, is the word that could best describe the feel of this final Matrix chapter, the entire time you feel as though you are engaged in something epic and important.

The acting is right back where it should have been in the second one, as all characters are portrayed better by their respective actors/actresses. Fishburne provides us with probably his strongest performance of the three, he is in a the role of a more emotional Morpheus then we have seen before. And it certainly turns out to be a role that he seems comfortable in. Reeves and Moss also both seem to be right back in their acting grooves (this is of course assuming Keanu ever had one). Also, Agent Smith definitely is the strongest character in this movie, the acting is right-on and the character is developed to completely new heights as true sadistic colors come out completely for the viewer to enjoy.

The only complaints that can be made are about the over done philisophical conversations and the movie's open ended conclusion. "Revolutions" at times feels as though it is trying too hard to be intellectual. Impending death does not need to make everybody do their best Plato impersonations. And in the end you may feel as though the movie has left you as clueless as when the series first began... Then again, you may also feel as though you have figured it all out. But irregardless the future of The Matrix is left up in the air.

In the end, "Revolutions" will be hated by some people and loved by others, there will be no gray here. It is hard not to measure it up to the first Matrix, which leaves it looking slightly wanting. However, it turns out to be thousands of times better then "Reloaded" (which I feel was a solid flick itself!) And one thing that the open ended conclusion does do for me, is fill me with hope that the journey down the rabbit hole is not yet over.

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64 out of 109 people found the following comment useful :-
Still trying to absorb what I've seen, 5 November 2003

Author: puppyperson from Irving, TX

Going into this movie I had one wish: To leave feeling that it was a successful conclusion to a two-part film. Taking Reloaded/Revolutions as a single (very large) movie with an intermission is the best way to evaluate it. Viewed that way I think it succeeded. I thought Revolutions was the equal of Reloaded, yet I can see how many will think it failed. The ending gave us everything we needed to know, but did not show us all we wanted to see. I'm speaking of the last twenty minutes or so here. After a visually robust middle, in which I felt my eyes grow larger in their sockets more than once, the ending seemed like an anticlimax. It needed to be longer, and I would gladly have traded some of the fx flair used earlier to give the final part of the film it's justified due. It will be awhile before I can look at it more objectively (perhaps I'll have to wait to view the two parts as one on DVD). I only suggest now that anyone seeing it let it sink in completely before being too critical.

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56 out of 99 people found the following comment useful :-
Success breeds 'yes' men., 3 April 2004

Author: Mike Clarke from London, England

The Matrix:Reloaded was good. Not as good as I would have liked, but good nevertheless. Revolutions was unfortunately many degrees below that standard. The feeling I got throughout the entire film was that the Wachowski's had the phrase "wouldn't it be cool if..." on their minds, and due to the success of the first film, nobody would stand up to them and say that, well, actually, it would be pretty cheesy. There are so many scenes that are just awful cliched nonsense. I hope that in ten years time, as happened with the Highlander series, somebody will come along and pretend that these original sequels never existed and create some new ones following on from the first film.

Too many characters with too little substance. Scenes based on effects instead of story, characters based on ability rather than being interesting. A pile of rubbish really.

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13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
We Used Up All Our Ideas In The First Movie, Part 2, 16 February 2006

Author: imprator from England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Before seeing the first Matrix movie I didn't expect to like it. I was dead wrong – I loved that film. I therefore looked forward to the next two. I was wrong again – I hated them both. Each is execrable, but "Revolutions" is the worst.

In fact, "hate" is the wrong word to use for this movie. Rather, I was bored. Revolutions is dull, unimaginative and impenetrable. I know, there are people out there who see impenetrable as deep and meaningful. In this case it's not. It is shallow and meaningless.

Revolutions has three distinct parts. In the first third not much happens, and what does happen is of no import. Most of the audience will have been lost by the end of this portion of the film – disinterest will have caused their minds to drift. As the movie proceeds some may think that this inattention was the reason they didn't understand the film – that they were at fault, not the movie. This is a mistake; Revolutions really is as dull and meaningless as it appears.

The second third of the movie is a seemingly unending, desperately repetitive shoot-'em-up. There are lots of special effects, but they are used to no actual effect. Moreover, the effects aren't really very special. The entire battle scene uses the old trick of low lighting and shadow to imply great effects without actually showing them. It doesn't work. All we see are duplications of the same few (very few) basic machines – an obvious economy.

Moreover, some of the machine designs are just stupid. For example - why create a giant metal walking extension of a man, a walking waldo fighting machine, and then leave the operator totally exposed to – well, anything, really. These war machines couldn't beat a stone-age tribe. "Look, here comes one of those stupid machines again. Let's just hide behind this rock/tree/hillock until it's close, then throw a spear/axe/knife/rock at the driver, kill him and take his machine for our own." As for emotional involvement with the characters in the battle – forget it. They are, without exception, poorly drawn, shallow caricatures. If they die nobody in the audience is going to care – the characters aren't real people, just pale, humourless shadows.

Another lowlight of this central third of the movie (an entire third of the movie used up on this drivel!) is the acting. Poor throughout the film, the "acting" of the characters in the "battle third" is truly ridiculous. The General is the worst culprit, closely followed by the Council members, then – well, everyone else, really. It's almost as if the actors had no idea what the movie was about and - ah, yes, of course…

WARNING - SPOILERS ARE PRESENT FROM THIS POINT ON

Then there is the film's ending, its "climax". Spectacular it isn't. No explanations are provided, no great revelations occur.

What we have is Trinity taking forever to die from injuries that quite clearly would have killed her almost immediately. Never mind, we get to hear her spout something about love again and again and again while Neo (on a desperately urgent mission to save Mankind's last hope for a future) takes his ease and waits for her to finish her pointless homilies.

After the woman finally dies Neo cuts a deal with the machines to eliminate Agent Smith in return for "peace". There is a bit of a fight, some meaningless wordplay, then Agent Smith attempts to absorb Neo. Neo becomes a duplicate Smith, the original Smith acts confused and the other duplicate Smiths go pop, followed by the original. The Neo Smith becomes Neo again, but dies – probably. He's carted away in a manner that suggests some kind of Messiah figure. The machines stop attacking the city and that's that.

Much thought has gone into this film's ending by those seeking a deeper meaning. My own interpretation is that Neo "knew" the Matrix to be a fantasy to a degree and with an absence of doubt that others could not achieve whilst interacting within the Matrix. This knowledge gave him the power to manipulate the fantasy. It also grounded him to reality (the "Source"), and when the program Smith attempted to absorb his enemy he became "grounded" to reality through Neo. Programs are just lines of code in the real world; so Smith's existence as a coherent being could not continue.

However, deep thought into the "meaning" of the ending is wasted. This was a very poor, unsatisfactory finale. In fact, the entire movie was dire. It was both dull and dull-witted. It is obvious that the writers used up all their good ideas on the first movie. That film was excellent – imaginative, innovative and understandable. It was complete in itself. But it was also very successful, and successful films must have cash-in sequels. So "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" came to be.

Unfortunately, there really wasn't much left to tell after the first film – and certainly not enough for TWO films. Neo had been left in a position to wrap things up in the first movie, but that was a tale that would take only a short time to tell – and would be uninteresting in the telling. So the writers chose to go all mystical and spiritual, seeking to imply depth and content where there was actually nothing, whilst providing a great big shoot-up to fill time and amuse adolescents and video game fans. It isn't enough. Not even close.

I would suggest that anyone who has not yet seen this movie should ignore the praise of those who imbue it with a depth and meaning that it just doesn't have. This is a bad film, pure and simple.

Avoid.

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