Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Jada Pinkett Smith
Writers: The Wachowski Brothers
Director:
The Wachowski Brothers
The Matrix Revolutions Revisited Director: Josh Oreck
Feature lengths: 129 minutes/189 minutes
The
Matrix Revolutions Extras: Audio Commentary By Philosophers Dr. Cornel West and
Ken Wilber, Audio Commentary By Critics Todd McCarthy of Variety, John
Powers of Vogue, and David Thomson, Author of The New Biographical
Dictionary of Film
The Matrix Revolutions Revisited Extras: Crew Featurettes, HEL Featurettes, Super Burly Brawl Featurettes, New Blue World Featurettes, Siege Featurettes, Aftermath Featurettes
Languages: English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles: English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging: Two-Disc Digipack Gatefold Within A Deluxe Cardboard Slipcase
Chapter Stops: 33
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 2003/DVD Release: 2004
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures
Home Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
When we last saw Neo (Keanu Reeves), he had successfully saved Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) by literally reaching into her heart and restarting it while they were still within the matrix. Shortly after getting out, their hovercraft is destroyed and the surviving crew are all but dead meat at the tentacles of the squid like machine sentinels, but Neo amazes everyone when through his own force of will, he is able to set off an EMP burst that incapacitates the sentinels before he slips into a coma. Now aboard another hovercraft sent from Zion, Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) and Trinity learn that the preemptive strike sent from Zion was sabotaged and the only survivor from the failed mission is the prime suspect. However he too is in a coma and harboring a deadly surprise.
The original Matrix feature film was such a bombshell hit that it spawned endless discussions, essays, and even became one of the best selling films on DVD to ever be released since the format was first introduced in 1997. However while the promise and even the seductive lure for a sequel to “The Matrix” was quite understandable, the truth is that the film stands just fine on it’s own. The two sequels were shot collectively and released theatrically six months apart. While many complained that “The Matrix Reloaded” was at times incomprehensible and a bit slow, others appreciated the fact that the film was ambitious enough to raise even more questions, which would somehow all be answered in the third and final film “The Matrix Revolutions.”
Unfortunately many of the questions “The Matrix Reloaded” posed were never answered and some of the new characters introduced in both films seem only to have been glorified cameos with no real dramatic payoff. It seems as if somewhere between the second and third films drastic changes were made resulting in a film that focused too much on the effects action at the expense of satisfactorily resolving some of the character arcs in the trilogy.
Having seen all three films now both theatrically and on DVD and taking into consideration the prequel, prelude, and companion shorts found in “The Animatrix,” I think that as a whole, “The Matrix Trilogy” feels incomplete and I resent that fact that the story will continue in a massive interactive Internet game entitled “The Matrix Online.” There is nothing wrong with marketing a property to create an expanded universe fans can enjoy for generations to come, but I hate the idea that the open ended finale of “The Matrix Revolutions” will go unresolved in a real online matrix that I have no doubt people will have to pay for if they want to play. Movies are movies and games are games and no matter how lifelike a game may appear, ultimately the story structure of a game is not at all linear like a film. Even films that present events out of order somehow have a beginning, middle, and an end, but games can go on indefinitely depending on the multiple paths the players will take and no doubt what they will bring to the game as well. So while I appreciate the hard work that went into expanding the world of “The Matrix” to create a true multimedia experience, I think it was created at the expense of the films themselves and ultimately the expense of those who will have to buy the software in order to participate in “The Matrix Online.”
I
could go into what my interpretations of the events of the film were and they
were definitely quite archetypal complete with biblical sacrifices and more, but
in some ways I’m still a bit disillusioned by the conclusion presented in the
third film to a point where I almost wish they left things alone after making
the first film. I am a huge sci-fi fan too so for me to state that in a DVD
review still means a lot. Regardless of what I expected and what I got, I have
no doubt “The Matrix Trilogy” has earned it’s place as one of the most
creative sci-fi storylines ever put on film, but as far as cohesiveness, it
leaves a lot undone
My
gripes about the storylines aside, Warner Home Video new DVD release of “The
Matrix Reloaded” that comes as a part of “The Ultimate Matrix Collection”
did in many ways clarify and even make me appreciate the trilogy more than ever
in part because of the two audio commentary tracks included on the first disc,
which feature Philosophers Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber and Critics Todd
McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and David Thomson,
Author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. West and Wilbur make a
very compelling case from the advantage of looking at the entire trilogy as a
whole, including “The Animatrix,” stating that Neo’s journey to redeem
both humanity and the machines and bring peace comes from uniting the world of
the flesh, which the characterize as Zion, the world of the mind where the ideas
are often argued out loud as in the matrix itself, and the world of the spirit
as seen by the lights Neo perceives in the machine city of Zero One. Taking into
consideration the two-part prequel cartoon from “The Animatrix” entitled The
Second Renaissance, it is mentioned that the machines were created with a
purity of spirit that humanity had long let go of in favor of self-indulgence.
This coupled with the fact that it was humanity that started the war, but the
machines themselves ultimately lost their own innocence as can be symbolically
seen by the apple the machine ambassador toys with as it signs the treaty
calling for the unconditional surrender of humanity before nuking the United
Nations, shows that both sides are equally culpable in the creation of the
matrix and the endless cycle they all seem to be trapped in. Neo’s sacrifice
blazes not only peace, but also freedom and hope for all sentient life forms
both artificial and organic to begin a brave new world. Of course the Critics
make their points from a film structure standpoint that has a lot of validity
though at times some of their comments are wrong because if they watched the
films closely the answers are there and you don’t have to know anything about
philosophy to see them. However I have to stick up for the Critics when West and
Wilbur jest about how the Critics are somehow responsible for dumb
entertainment. If anything I’d say we are all responsible, but one person’s
garbage is another person’s art and Critics should look at a film differently
from a Philosopher because quite honestly their jobs are so different that
expecting anyone to react the same way to something, especially when their
professions are vastly dissimilar is like comparing apples and oranges. The
amount of thought, appreciation, and inner conversation these tracks set in
motion for all three films makes them in my opinion among the best if not the
best of the extra value features included within “The Ultimate Matrix
Collection.”
The
transfer is impeccable with an anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio
presentation that preserves the manner in which the film was exhibited
theatrically as close as possible for home video users. The English Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is not as aggressive as I had hoped it would be,
but it is very clear with a nice ambient quality and well mixed too. A French
Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack and English Captions and Closed
Captions for the hearing impaired as well as French and Spanish Language
Subtitles are encoded onto the first disc as options. Both discs feature DVD-ROM
links to www.thematrix.com.
“The Matrix Revolutions Revisited” is presented in a full screen (1.33:1)
aspect ratio with English Stereo Sound and French Language Subtitles encoded as
an option.
Six
documentary short groupings regarding the films details a total of 28
featurettes that can be viewed individually or collectively according to the
topics covered, which include a look at the “Crew” (24:59) and their role in
bringing the film to fruition, a look at the action sequences in club “HEL”
(27:34), which even includes an interesting look at the made up extras that
participated in the memorable sequence. The “Super Burly Brawl” featurettes
(16:52) includes an anatomy of the “Superpunch” Neo delivers to Smith in
their climactic confrontation within the matrix. The “Siege” featurettes
(40:06) also includes an anatomy of “Mifune’s Last Stand” in the defense
of Zion. Personally I enjoyed the “New Blue World” featurettes the most
(26:06) because it gives the viewer a better understanding and clearer view of
what Zion is supposed to be. In the film, some of the scenes just seem too
monochromatic and as a result much of the rich detail of Zion can easily be
missed. At least here we actually get a look at the geographic set up of Zion,
which is supposed to be the home of 250,000 humans. A look at the various
hovercraft and machinery is also included along with a detailed explanation of
the production design for the various sets. Taking into the account the events
detailed in “The Animatrix,” some interesting explanations regarding the
origin of Zion and who built it, where it is located with regard to the world
before The Second Renaissance” and even an estimated time as to how far
into the future The Matrix Trilogy actually takes place is expounded
upon. A set of postproduction featurettes under the heading “Aftermath”
(39:46) concludes the materials within “The Matrix Revolutions Revisited.”
Though I have not yet completed screening all ten discs in the box set, much of
the extra value materials found on disc two of Warner Home Video’s “The
Matrix Revolutions: 2-Disc Widescreen Edition” are not carried over into this
set.
The
first disc features full motion scene selections while the second disc has a
main menu with scenes from the film that lead to standard interactive still
frames that are easy to navigate.
“The
Ultimate Matrix Collection” DVD box set is available at retailers on and
offline now courtesy of Warner Home Video. Click
here for Part Four of my five-part review of “The Ultimate Matrix
Collection,” which covers disc seven in the set, “The
Animatrix.”
©
Copyright 2004 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Click Here To Read Part Four Of My Review Of "The Ultimate Matrix Collection."
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