I would pay $20.00 to watch this movie 

    I feel I should open this review with a warning: Most people won’t like “The Matrix Revolutions” very much. Now, this is not because this movie is bad, but rather because it is very difficult to understand. Like “The Matrix Reloaded”, this film is complex and somewhat hermetic, and most certainly open to interpretation. In other words, “The Matrix Revolutions” is the kind of movie that requires a certain proclivity to analysis from its viewers in order for them to truly enjoy it. To put it another way, only movie snoots and those with snoot tendencies will get a great deal of entertainment from this film. Fortunately, I seem to be somewhat of a snoot.

    But fie on the naysayers! This is a fantastic conclusion to “The Matrix” franchise, and I’ for one, was quite excited to discover more about the world which the Wachowski brothers built for us.

    In this franchise, the first movie created the setting and introduced the characters. In the second film, we were shown the plot and some new characters. Finally, in this film, we get to see the plot unfold.

    Essentially, the thing that impressed me most about “The Matrix Revolutions” was the fact that it didn’t just imitate the first two “Matrix” films. In fact, I’d have to say that, with “The Matrix Revolutions”, this franchise is one of those rare Hollywood trilogies which actually forms a cohesive story without just repeating itself in each part.

    Now for the breakdown. The acting is good, with a few great performances by supporting actors such as Nathaniel Lees and Jada Pinkett Smith. The plot and dialogue are both very well done, the soundtrack is apropos, and the special effects are superb.

    As usual, the Wachowski brothers have put together a very solid film, but their main characters seem to be a touch lacking in this film, with the notable exception of Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving. Don’t get me wrong, the characters in this movie aren’t nearly as important as the progression of the plot, so the directors focused more on that. This simply made it so that we got to see all of the characters for a relatively short amount of time, with the exceptions of Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), neither of which are played by the best actors in the film. I must say, however, that Reeves managed to pull off the quality of performance which I haven’t seen him do since “My Own Private Idaho”, despite his relatively few lines.

    As I mentioned before, there are several notable supporting actors in this film, primarily Nathaniel Lees, Nona Gaye, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Nathaniel Lees plays Mifune, one of the military leaders in Zion. During his battle scene, the expressions on his face reminded me of Sonny Chiba in “Street Fighter”, which is quite an accomplishment. Not to mention he really pulled off the gruff soldier role remarkably well for the import of his role. Nona Gaye, as Zee, pulls off an arresting performance as the everyman character fighting for survival. She really captures the desperation of the people’s defense of Zion.

    Then, of course, there’s Jada Pinkett Smith. I have always been a big fan of hers, as I have seen great potential in her from her roles in the early 1990’s. In this film, she has an entire sequence to herself, as she pilots an unwieldy hovership through narrow tunnels while being pursued by a horde of evil machine squid. Mrs. Smith really shines through, despite the relative two-dimensionality of the role, and I look forward to her future roles.

    Now for a bit of analysis. Many people who watch this film come away feeling let down, but I did not. This is because I think I’ve figured it out, and it’s really neat. Basically, the end of the movie boils down to a big fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith. As Agent Smith is approaching Neo in expectance of his final victory, he pauses. He says something along the lines of “wait, I’ve been here before”… expressing a bit of déjà vu, as it were. Now, for those of you who haven’t seen “The Matrix”, déjà vu implies a flaw in the matrix, as something is being reprogrammed. The only problem here is… Smith has taken over the matrix. In other words, there is a flaw in HIS matrix, as it is being reprogrammed.

    Then Smith quotes the Oracle from earlier in the film, implying that the Oracle is the one who reprogrammed his matrix. This explains the expression of horror on Smith’s face when he assimilated the Oracle earlier in the film. And what Smith says to Neo is, of course, exactly what Neo needed to hear. Then Neo sacrifices himself to destroy Smith’s matrix, and thus Smith himself. Long story short, this ties everything from the first and second movies together in a nice, tight little bundle. And oh, it is sweet.

    Well, I think I’ll wrap this one up by saying that you need to see it. This movie has so many layers that it should be enjoyable from all perspectives. The reason people seem to not be enjoying this film is probably because it suffers from sequel syndrome, which has been parodied online for this film in articles along the lines of “Movie Nerds Start Hating ‘Revolutions’ Early” and suchlike. But I guarantee that, if you go into this movie with no real expectations, you will enjoy it. And you will glean a great deal from it if you go in eager to pick apart the story and discover what’s really going on. Enjoy.