The Matrix Revolutions (2003) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction
Added 2024-08-01 23:00:06 +0000 UTC👋 Finally concluding this trilogy! (DW, still gonna watch the 4th one eventually.) Please enjoy! Looking forward to the discussions. [Direct link here.]
✦ KL
Comments
Not only do I agree that The Matrix Revolutions is the weakest of the series, I actually think it's the weakest movie The Wachowski sisters have on their resume. Their debut film Bound is a masterpiece (that woman who fires the rocket launcher on the big Sentinel drill has Bound vibes) and my favorite of their movies, with my second-favorite being their Matrix follow-up Speed Racer. Then there's the beautiful, decade-spanning epic Cloud Atlas, co-directed with Tom Tykwer (also a masterpiece, although it gets demerits for a well-meaning but foolhardy choice in the film that I won't explain -- I get what they were going for, but, they shouldn't have tried it, in retrospect). Finally, there's Jupiter Ascending, their second-worst film, but still entertaining, and interesting to consider through the lens of being The Matrix 2.0, including some ideas that might have been honed for The Matrix Resurrections. I also agree with your reasons, to which I would add: the reason the battle for Zion and the fight between Neo and Smith feel drawn out is because the narrative is not being moved forward by either of those things. Both The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded are constantly revealing something new to us, the characters are being developed, we are considering another philosophical idea...or we're watching a cool fight. But even those fights generally stand between us and one of those other three things, which gives them dramatic urgency. Here, we've reached the end of the story. The best parts of the movie -- Neo talking to Rama-Kandra about love and karma, Neo realizing Bane is Agent Smith, Trinity seeing the sky -- are the moments when those things are happening, and conversely these battles are simply keeping things status quo. That said, I do like Neo's realization that giving himself over to Smith will provide balance to an equation, and allow the machines to terminate Smith. Also, the moment when Trinity sees the sky might be my favorite moment in the entire original trilogy. A perfect, beautifully-executed and unexpected bit of grace. As you may guess, Mary Alice took over the role of The Oracle from Gloria Foster because Gloria Foster passed away. Thankfully, this was the kind of movie where a sci-fi explanation for a change in appearance was easy. I'll be the guy who isn't nearly as excited about The Animatrix as some others. There is one short that I absolutely love, "Beyond." I also think "Final Flight of the Osiris" is decent, and many others, I like to varying degrees, plus it's just fun to watch some of the animation. However, the two that people tend to focus on, "The Second Renaissance" Parts I and II, felt pretty simplified and silly when I rewatched it before Resurrections, especially compared to the films' approach of leaving some of this stuff to the imagination.
Tyler Foster
2024-08-02 02:36:03 +0000 UTCWould also recommend the Animatrix. It's 9 short films from different anime directors and studios that take place before and after the first movie but before the 2nd. You learn about Kid, Trinity, how the Matrix formed, all kinds of cool stuff.
djKENTO
2024-08-02 00:30:15 +0000 UTCSay what you will about The Matrix trilogy, but damn those soundtracks are FIRE. Excited to revisit this with you!
Nathan Jasper, the Artist Formerly Known as Primary
2024-08-01 23:09:29 +0000 UTCSweet! Can’t wait to watch this…it’s been a while. Looking forward to that 4th one as well, whenever that may come to pass. 👍🏼
William
2024-08-01 23:09:23 +0000 UTC
