Jack Ruby

I am appalled at some of the comments I've heard. Everyone seems to think that all the pre-release hype (which really wasn't that bad, all things considered) about a movie justifies completely driving it into the ground after its release. The Wachowski brothers cannot make a movie that caters to everyone's expectations. So they have made a series of movies that explore different things (philosophy, combat, action, allegory) while providing some of the most adrenaline-filled cinematic effects and action scenes in the genre.

Revolutions is no different. Granted, there are a few annoyances that struck me during the viewing. Mainly, one factor that was out of the hands of the directors : a different actress taking over the role of the Oracle, previously played by Gloria Foster, who died during production. I get the feeling most of the Oracle scenes, including the ending, would have had a far greater impact had the character been played by the original actress. But hey.

The small technical inconcistencies and details don't interest me that much. The fact that Neo can now survive plummeting to the ground (creating a 30 ft. hole in the process) does bother me, though, as it poses the question - why do Smith and Neo bother fighting as seemingly neither one of them can be killed by physical force ?

I was left kind of confused about certain aspects of the film, though maybe a second or third viewing will take care of that. Specifically, the whole reason why Neo can control Machines in the real word is still a mystery to me. Also, I'm not entirely sure just how Neo succeeded in destroying all the Smiths. Which is odd, since I usually have an eye for the unstated in movies... but maybe I was just overwhelmed by all the good things in this movie.

The battle scenes, for example. The fight at the Dock was quite possibly the most amazingly cool battle sequence I've seen in a science fiction setting. It seems to be very politically correct these days to say special effects are just eye candy that can't cover up a badly produced movie, and I guess that's true, but FUCK ME. The special effects are half of what makes this movie (and the entire series) great, but that's not a bad thing. So much hype was created around the highway chase scene in Reloaded, but the scene at the docks is definetely the most impressive one in the trilogy, IMO.

I actually enjoyed the allegorical and semi-philosophical aspect. I can't tell you why, I just did. For some reason I had immediate sympathy for the Indian program guy. The confrontation between Neo and the 'sentinel face' in the machine city (and the whole scene leading up to it, culminating in the first time Trinity sees the sun outside of simulation) was pretty farking cool as well.

Ultimately, without trying to be an apologist for the Matrix (because I never really got excited about the first movie and was disappointed with the second), I think what matters is this :

When the credits rolled and the lights went on, I was overwhelmed at how good this movie was, and immediately wanted to see it again. I'd give it 85 out of 100 now, though that may chance after a few more viewings. I love it, and though the ending did leave something to be desired, I think it's a great conclusion to the series.

Conclusion : Matrix Revolutions > Jesus.

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