In the real world, the human city of Zion struggles to defend itself as the war against the machines comes to a head. As Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) fights alongside the humans, Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) must fight a different version of the same war. As these three heroes and their team of fighters do what they can to save humanity, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) will make one final push toward power. The Matrix Revolutions shows these powerful individuals going toe-to-toe with their enemies for the final time; who will come out victorious?
Something that I believe is often overlooked when it comes to the The Matrix series is the Wachowski’s deep, meaningful understanding of the English language. I’ll admit that I didn’t pick up on their mastery until late in the series–but early in The Matrix Revolutions. In an early conversation between Neo and Rama-Kandra (Bernard White) they discuss the meaning and the purpose behind the words “love” and “karma.” As they discuss the intricacies of language it finally dawned on me that beyond the mind-blowing story, attention to detail, and ground-breaking concept, the Wachowski’s ability to create beautiful, relatable dialogue is incredible. Now, I consider myself a fair writer, and I’ve worked (to a degree) on writing a screenplay–and developing dialogue is daunting and difficult. No, I’m certainly not comparing myself to writers like the Wachowski’s, but the reality is that I understand that writing honest, believable dialogue is incredibly difficult. The Wachowski’s simple but real explanations of those aforementioned words are beautiful, and they caused me to question the English language, which I adore, deeper than ever before.
Reeves, in my opinion, has survived the rocky terrain of Hollywood simply as a result of him being a genuinely good person throughout the course of his career. I say this because, with the exception of his performance in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (and its sequels), Reeves has failed to entertain in the way that many had hoped. The ability to convey emotion or sound like anything other than a hippie surfer boy has often evaded him–and while his performance is far from perfect in The Matrix Revolutions it’s one of his best performances to date. I found him compelling in certain scenes, and, from time to time, he was even able to convey emotion. Again, not perfect, but Reeves seemingly found his way in The Matrix Revolutions.
The Matrix Revolutions shifts dramatically from what viewers had come to expect from the series. Viewers had come to expect high-octane, humanly-impossible action sequences that took place inside of the Matrix, but we finally see a war come to the world of humans–and while that’s a potentially scary transition for the Wachowskis, I think it works brilliantly for the narrative and for the overall reception of the series. We’ve always gotten characters and scenarios that relate to the real world, but for what feels like the first time in the series, the war against the machines moves to the world of humans, and that war feels much more real than anything viewers had seen before in the series. Being able to create new and familiar scenarios in The Matrix Revolutions is a testament to how the Wachowskis are able to evolve to ensure success. They never turn their back on the vision that they had from the start, but they consistently find unique ways to express all that they have to say.
I’m in love with the cinematography of this film. It’s often choppy, shaky, and even violent–but most importantly it accurately depicts every second of the story in The Matrix Revolutions. The film often feels like you’re in an immersive theme park attraction, dizzied by the shuffle of the scenery, nauseated by the eb and flow of the story, and, just as effectively, consoled by intense love that exists throughout the film. The intense understanding of how to capture each and every moment by the cinematography team, headed by Bill Pope, is a massive part of what brings The Matrix Revolutions to life.
There are so many moving parts, and so many brilliant aspects of The Matrix Revolutions, but the reality is that this film can only be as good as its conclusion. The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded were groundbreaking and wonderfully entertaining, but they weren’t tasked with wrapping up this incredible series–The Matrix Revolutions is given that very task. So, the question looms: “does The Matrix Revolutions appropriately wrap up this innovative series?” I believe that it has. The story that viewers had fallen in love with was effectively closed, while still providing a glimmer of hope that a future exists without taking away from what had been developed for so many years. I felt emotional as the series concluded, I felt what Neo felt, what each of the characters on the screen felt–and, for a split second, what was being depicted on screen felt real. Everything is depicted so seamlessly, so emotionally accurate that seems impossible for anyone to find any bit of disconnect.
I feel like it should be obvious, but the reality is that nothing that occurs throughout the course of this series is possible without the Wachowskis, particularly not The Matrix Revolutions. From the writing, to the genuine understanding of language, to the ability to adapt to make things better, the Wachowskis never miss a beat, and their vision comes to life in vibrant and outstanding ways from beginning to end. With their unique and innovative vision regarding cinema and what it could be, this is able to transcend generations. The Matrix Revolutions appears to conclude their vision in a memorable and spectacular fashion. The series as a whole is beautiful, and The Matrix Revolutions is the most breathtaking of them all.
Written & Directed by Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers) & Lilly Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers).
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Mary Alice, Tanveer K. Atwal, Helmut Bakaitis, Monica Bellucci, Ian Bliss, Collin Chou, Nona Gaye, Christopher Kirby, Nathaniel Lees, Harry Lennix, Robert Mammone, Harold Perrinneau, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Roberts, Bruce Spence, Gina Torres, Clayton Watson, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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