Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Matrix Revolutions'

Sorry for the delayed review as I had to leave in the midst of preparing this review if I were going to catch the showing of Patriots Day I planned on attending last evening and I didn't get far along as I had hoped to be writing this review. Anyways, this week I'm concluding my series of reviews over The Matrix trilogy with my thoughts on The Matrix Revolutions and next week I will review John Wick to coincide with the release of its sequel. The reason I decided to review The Matrix trilogy prior to John Wick is that John Wick: Chapter 2 sees a reunion between actors Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. I'm almost caught up on other reviews as you can find my review of Split at the preceding hyperlink and my review of Patriots Day should be finalized by Saturday. I've yet to watch either The Founder or Gold but I intend to see and review those in addition to two other 2016 releases Jackie and Lion in the near future. What you can look forward to for the remainder of February are Throwback Thursday Reviews for John Wick, Spider-Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and reviews over new releases The LEGO Batman Movie, John Wick: Chapter 2, The Great Wall, A Cure for Wellness, and Get Out. 

'The Matrix Revolutions' Review

The Matrix Revolutions draws The Matrix trilogy to a close bringing man and machines together for a final confrontation while Neo must fight against Agent Smith one last time, deciding once and for all whether he's truly the "One." The Matrix Revolutions is considered by many to be a incredibly disappointing close to the franchise and I can understand that sentiment. However, considering that this was my first time to watch the trilogy, aware that neither The Matrix Reloaded or The Matrix Revolutions would compare to The Matrix, I wasn't let down. That's not to say Revolutions isn't flawed or isn't a bad movie, merely that it's not the atrocity I was expecting.

Revolutions, like its precursors, was written and directed by the Wachowskis and the duo stuffed Revolutions to the brim with extraneous characters, plot lines, and visuals. The Wachowskis weren't able to rekindle the flame of The Matrix with lackluster action and don't really deliver any memorable action this time around. There are maybe one or two somewhat cool action sequences but none of these are on par with what the Wachowskis had delivered previously. The cinematography from Bill Pope is fairly good and Don Davis' score sounds more cinematic but across the board everything just feels rushed together in comparison to the preceding installments.

One step up from Reloaded is that the Wachowskis were able to better hide the terrible CG, taking advantage of darker lighting and rain effects in some scenes, but again only a few of the effects hold up to today's standards. A slight improvement in the screenplay department was that the stakes were believable because the characters feel vulnerable, you actually believe that any character could die at any moment.

Otherwise, the plot itself is actually incredibly convoluted and a little hard to follow in some instances if you aren't paying keen attention to every detail and line of dialogue. The narrative largely takes place out of the Matrix and the end result is plenty of boring character exchanges. The Wachowskis introduce so many random characters that the story loses focus on the core group of heroes from time to time, there's a good chunk of the movie where Neo's nowhere to be found.

The core cast returns for one final hoo-rah and bow out half-heartedly. Keanu Reeves is disconnected from the audience as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne are given almost nothing of consequential importance to do as Trinity and Morpheus respectively, and Hugo Weaving portrays Agent Smith to be a cartoonish robot.

Across the board The Matrix Revolutions actually isn't an atrocious movie, rather a lazily-made one that can't bear the burden of the heavy weight the Wachowskis set out to lift. All departments don't seem to be putting forth full commitment and the end result is a forgettable close to what should have been an awesome action trilogy.

Film Assessment: D+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Matrix Reloaded'

Sorry for the delayed review as I was quite busy this past week and when I was about to pop in The Matrix Reloaded disc Thursday night, I learned it was scratched and wouldn't play. This week I'm continuing my trek through The Matrix trilogy and in the following weeks I will review The Matrix Revolutions to cap it off and John Wick to coincide with John Wick: Chapter 2. The reason I decided to review The Matrix trilogy prior to John Wick is that John Wick: Chapter 2 sees a reunion between actors Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. Anyways, I'm well aware I've fallen behind in regards to reviewing some of the recent releases but will definitely get around to seeing Patriots Day and Split soon, no promises for The Founder and Gold but I intend to see those as well. Other reviews I haven't mentioned but can all but guarantee will be coming in the next two weeks include The LEGO Batman Movie and John Wick: Chapter 2. 

'The Matrix Reloaded' Review

The Matrix Reloaded picks up with Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus continuing their efforts to thwart the machines and our heroes must learn the secrets of the Matrix if they hope to save mankind. The Matrix Reloaded was written and directed by the Wachowskis as the duo sought to expand the immersive world they created in The Matrix. 

The Wachowskis succeed in some avenues but ultimately are unable to find the spark that made the original so great. The Wachowskis' visual plane is much more of a mixed bag than previous efforts with post-apocalyptic production design and streamlined futuristic special effects blended seamlessly together in contrast to the CG-rendered versions of characters, who look like poorly designed avatars from a dated video game, utilized in the more outlandish action sequences. 

The Wachowskis nail the action sequences when they're not trying to break the boundaries of what visual effects are capable of in filmmaking. However, these effects heavy sequences don't hold up to today's standards and that's to be somewhat expected from a fourteen year old movie but these are just awful. The sequences actually shot by cinematographer Bill Pope are a remarkable display of varying fight choreography from visceral hand-to-hand combat to a riveting chase sequence to the thrilling sword fight in the Chateau. These sequences are made even cooler thanks to another digitized soundtrack from Don Davis that's a perfect fit for the world of the Matrix. 

All the action's fairly memorable and there are plenty of cool moments interspersed but there's one thing that nearly undermines it all. There's simply no major stakes. This is largely due to the Wachowskis' script that negates the most crucial element of any action screenplay, vulnerability. It's difficult to truly become invested in the onscreen exploits if the screenwriters can't bridge the gap, leaving none of the threats to seem credible when Neo can simply walk away from everything unscathed. 

Another problem with the Wachowskis' screenplay is that it fails to properly address gaping plot-holes that emerge as a result of bringing back characters simply because they were cool in the original or fail to explain what really happened in-between the previous film and now. The Wachowskis did a fairly good job of laying out the rules and concepts of the Matrix in the predecessor but this time around so much is left unexplained, making it difficult to ascertain why certain events or actions are able to occur. The Wachowskis almost threw the idea of grounding the story (and quite literally characters) completely out the window. 

Most cast members return for the sequel with Keanu Reeves' Neo much more confident in his own abilities and prowess, Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity given further humanity to explore while serving as the black leather-clad eye candy (the early 2000s were weird...), Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus deepened as the keen believer, and Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith a reckless robotic force to combat. 

To sum it up, The Matrix Reloaded is a serviceable popcorn action flick with enough iconic moments to keep action junkies entertained but fails in almost every regard to live up to its predecessor. It probably sounds like I'm being overly critical of the Wachowskis but it's merely because all the pieces are there, they simply aren't laid out correctly or to their greatest potential.

Film Assessment: C-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Matrix'

This week I'm starting my series of Throwback Thursday Reviews over The Matrix trilogy with my thoughts on The Matrix. In the next three weeks I'll review The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and John Wick to coincide with John Wick: Chapter 2 since it will see a reunion between actors Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. In the meantime, reviews you can expect to see relatively soon include Patriots Day, Live By Night, Split, The Founder, A Dog's Purpose, Gold, The LEGO Batman Movie, and John Wick: Chapter 2.

'The Matrix' Review

Nominated For: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.

Won: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.

In The Matrix machines have fabricated a false reality for subjecting humanity as they harvest humans to fuel their campaign of world domination. Computer hacker Neo learns the truth about the warped reality from a rebel insurgent group who reveal to him that he's prophesied to be the "One." Neo then must join the fight against the Matrix if humanity is to be saved. 

Confession: I had never seen The Matrix prior to watching it for this review, I had heard about it practically my entire life and knew enough to understand references but had never really gotten around to watching it. Therefore, I had some lofty expectations and must say the film holds up surprisingly well despite being nearly eighteen years old. The Matrix was originally written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Lawrence, however the two are now the Wachowski sisters, Lilly and Lana, and I don't want to get into semantics so for the purposes of this review I will refer to them purely as the Wachowskis. 

The Wachowskis' imagination can't be paralleled as the two pushed the boundaries of action blockbuster filmmaking with The Matrix. The visual effects were definitely groundbreaking for the time but don't quite hold up as well as one would hope. The practical effects look incredibly authentic but early CGI simply wasn't up to what the Wachowskis envisioned when compared to what we see today. The Wachowskis and cinematographer Bill Pope shoot action in such a dynamic and interesting fashion that it's nearly impossible to not get engaged despite limited character development. 

The action sequences are almost 18 years old yet still maintain high energy and robustness about them to remain iconic. This is helped by the score from Don Davis, which has a digital DNA with poppy beats and a synthesizer to (re)boot. Elsewhere, the concepts and world building present in The Matrix are exceptionally well laid-out and the Wachowskis' screenplay explains nearly everything but the characters can't help but feel hollow in contrast to the limitless world surrounding them. 

Keanu Reeves plays the role of the reluctant "Chosen One" with enough uneasiness to make Neo's disbelief viable while also maintaining an air of confidence needed by an action hero. The main supporting cast fill the standard tropes with Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity standing in as the romantic interest, Laurence Fishburne portraying the keen insightful leader, and Hugo Weaving as the sinisterly robotic Agent Smith. While all the aforementioned actors fit the roles and play their parts well they can't help but feel limited to the boundaries of their paper thin characters. 

In conclusion, The Matrix isn't the best action film but its influence on action is virtually unrivaled. The Matrix's technical prowess, direction, performances, and conceptual notions stand tall but the lack of necessary character depth keeps The Matrix from reaching its highest potential. 

Film Assessment: B

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Transformers'

Sorry for the delayed review but this week I'm beginning another series of reviews with my thoughts on Transformers, once again well in advance of the correlating film due to the number of installments in the franchise and sequels that will be released this year. Next week I'll be doing my Throwback Thursday Review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and I will then take a break from Transformers reviews till April. The following four weeks I will be reviewing The Matrix trilogy and John Wick to coincide with John Wick: Chapter 2 since it will see a reunion between Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. Reviews of new (or wider) releases you expect over the course of January include Hidden Figures, Patriots Day, Live By Night, Split, The Founder, A Dog's Purpose, and Gold.

'Transformers' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing. 

In Transformers two races of alien robots, the Autobots and Decepticons, bring their war to planet Earth and everyman Sam Witwicky is drawn into the conflict. I'm not going to dress it up, Transformers is mindless popcorn entertainment and the fact Michael Bay is at the helm doesn't help much. Bay has a distinct style, it involves big loud CG and lots of explosions, and his tropes are cranked up here. With that being said, it's actually fitting for a movie where metamorphosing robots fight each other in grand action sequences.  

Bay's in his wheelhouse and alongside the visual and sound effects departments does a superb job translating the Transformers to the big screen, handling the action quite well. On the flip side of things, the script from Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and John Rogers features scarcely developed characters with basic motivations and the story is generic, but that doesn't make it bad, just mediocre. The performances are passable for this action blockbuster ranging from pure exposition delivery to regular people running amidst the robot rumble.

Shia LaBeouf makes Sam an awkward protagonist, Megan Fox feels like a dunce in some moments as her mouth is open a little too long and then Mikaela often gets over-sexualized, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are around as the military personnel with Rachael Taylor and Anthony Anderson playing the techie comic relief and Jon Voight, Michael O'Neill, and John Turturro playing the governmental agency representatives.

I also feel the voice actors who voiced the Transformers deserve some appreciation for great robotic caricatures including the likes of Peter Cullen, Mark Ryan, Darius McCrary, Robert Foxworth, Jess Harnell, Hugo Weaving, and Charlie Adler.

Transformers is the perfect encapsulation of a big, dumb popcorn movie, the insane action and grand spectacle can't be denied as visually interesting and make for a fun ride but the flat storytelling can't be ignored either. In summary, Transformers encapsulates everything notable from Bay's filmography; explosions, slo-motion, explosions, blatant eye-rolling product placement, and did I mention the explosions?

Film Assessment: C

'Hacksaw Ridge' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Mel Gibson, Best Actor; Andrew Garfield, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. 

Won: Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Hacksaw Ridge tells the incredible true story of Desmond Doss, a World War II Conscientious Objective who joined the army under the condition that he doesn't handle a weapon or kill a person since it's contrary to his own beliefs. The film depicts the trials and tribulations Doss must face as a member of the U.S. Army, only to become the first WWII C.O. to receive a Medal of Honor after saving 75 men at the Battle of Okinawa. 

The period piece war drama is directed by Mel Gibson, the first film he's directed in ten years, and Gibson's right in his element as he realistically portrays the horrors of war in some truly grotesque sequences of violence and gore at Okinawa, probably the most horrifying combat sequences I've seen since Saving Private Ryan. Gibson in collaboration with director of photography Simon Duggan frames the gruesome sequences of warfare from some interesting angles, interjecting some unique perspective to the piece. 

However, one of Hacksaw Ridge's greatest strengths is it's empowering narrative and screenwriters Robert Shenkkan and Andrew Knight did an excellent job translating the tale to the big screen. While the first act seems a little generic, it effectively lays the groundwork for the themes and messages Gibson and his writers hope to convey to the audience over the course of the film. What really gets all the aforementioned elements across though is the actors and their performances are top notch. 

Andrew Garfield gives his best performance to date as Desmond Doss, capturing Doss' spirit by believably portraying someone who will stick up for their beliefs no matter what the circumstance. Garfield manages to ensure Doss is heroic, headstrong, charming and vulnerable all at the same time, a remarkable feat. 

Teresa Palmer stands in as Dorothy Schutte and does a fine job in the love interest role considering her she and Garfield are adorable onscreen together. 

Hugo Weaving is a standout amongst the cast as he dives into a very different role from what we're used to seeing him in as Weaving accurately brings the mentality and tortured psychology of a disillusioned soldier turned drunk father to Tom Doss. 

Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, and Vince Vaughn all play respective soldiers and do well with what they're given beyond the small one-dimensional bit moments although I wished their humanity and characterization had been further explored. 

If you're looking for a fascinating true story and compelling war drama then this is the film for you. Hacksaw Ridge is uplifted by the exceptional story it's based upon, strong direction from Mel Gibson, and a host of great performances to make for a great addition to the war drama genre, even if it doesn't break new ground.

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Captain America: The First Avenger'

I apologize as this review will end up posted a few days late as I've had a very hectic week. Thursday, I was at the Ultimate Captain America Marathon almost all day so I was unable to publish the review and normally I would have prepped the review ahead of time earlier in the week, but I was very busy all week. A majority of my free time went towards the early screening of Captain America: Civil War that I saw first Tuesday and then again at the conclusion of the Marathon. Luckily, this film was a part of the marathon though and so it's fresh on my mind as I'm writing this. I typically watch films that I review as a Throwback Thursday right before I write the review anyways but in this case I don't have to watch it separately from the marathon. Next week's Throwback Thursday Review will be of J.J. Abram's Star Trek since Star Trek Beyond will be coming later this summer and that was one of the only available spots for me to place it in my ambitious Throwback Thursday review schedule. The following week will resume my Bourne reviews as I pick up with The Bourne Ultimatum.

'Captain America: The First Avenger' Review

Captain America: The First Avenger is the first in the eventual Captain America trilogy and the final Phase One film before The Avengers which tells the origin of Steve Rogers and his journey becoming Captain America. At it's core, the film is quite charming and I love the 1940's World War Two period piece feel to the film. The director, Joe Johnston, does an incredible job enveloping the 1940's period setting. Meanwhile, there are many fictional comic book elements to be found, such as Hydra's Tesseract weapons, that manage to fit in the era coming across as somewhat believable. Speaking of which, the visual effects in this film are terrific! All of the effects for Captain America's shield look great when there wasn't a tangible shield being thrown around, and Hydra's weaponry effects looked cool. All the World War 2 action is just loads of fun to watch and extremely enjoyable, particularly the montage where the Howling Commandoes takes out several Hydra factories. One landmark for visual effects was that the creative team managed to make Chris Evans look about 200 pounds skinnier (an authentic skinny Steve). Prior to seeing the film for the first time, I knew next to nothing about Captain America and wasn't really too interested in him as I saw him as Marvel's version of Superman. However, this film really fleshed out his character and he quickly became my favorite Marvel character. The film is down to earth, just like the character himself, and director Joe Johnston does a phenomenal job showcasing Steve Roger's morale that carries through the entire film. There's a specific scene where Steve is pummeled on by a bully in an alley way after sticking up to him when the bully had some disruptive theatrical etiquette. He gets back up again every time he goes down and says the line "I can do this all day." that really just resonates with the core of Steve Rogers. I think credit is due to the two screenwriters that shaped the entire Captain America Trilogy, Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus. The duo did a phenomenal job making Steve Rogers accessible to general audiences without making him boring but rather a complex character with simple morale structure. The performances in the film strengthen the film even more backing Chris Evans' Captain America. Chris Evans brings heart to the character of Steve Rogers and even does particularly well when CGI'd as skinny Steve. Evans manages to nail both his action scenes wielding the shield and his dramatic scenes opposite Hayley Atwell. Hayley Atwell makes for what I'd say is one of Marvel's best love interests thus far as Agent Peggy Carter. Carter's terrific as she can hold her own, kick butt and even saves Captain America a few times, no wonder she warranted her own Marvel One-Shot and television series (Here's to hoping it gets a season 3 renewal). The scene in which Captain America is forced to fly the plane into the Arctic Ocean leaving behind everything he knows is so emotionally charged and makes me tear up every time I watch it. All credit for my emotional reaction is due to the gorgeous musical score and incredible performances of Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell. Dominic Cooper is introduced as a younger version of Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark, and Howard (I won't refer to his character by last name because that could get confusing) is essentially just like his son; a suave, "genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist" but in a 1940's setting. Sebastian Stan is quite believable as Steve's best friend, James Buchanan Barnes, or Bucky. His scenes opposite Evans are great and he serves as a great emotional linchpin for the film. You don't really see his major acting chops till Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which I'll delve into in a Triple-R review soon. Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones are both terrific authoritative supporting players that bolster the incredible supporting cast. Hugo Weaving goes full Nazi as the leader of Hydra, the infamous Johann Schmidt or the Red Skull. The Red Skull is one of the better Marvel villains in my opinion as he made for a great foil to Steve Rogers and a viable threat that was quite intimidating. One more thing I didn't quite touch on was the film's score, that I adore. Alan Silvestri manages to perfectly encapsulate a 40's feel and patriotism in his rousing musical score. In summary, I see Captain America: The First Avenger as one of Marvel's better origin films and it still remains to be one of my favorite Marvel films.

Film Assessment: B+ A-