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