Susan Granger’s review of “The Matrix Revolutions” (Warner Bros.)
There are two things to keep in mind before seeing this final installment in the Wachowski brothers’ epic sci-fi trilogy. First, you must have seen “The Matrix” and “Matrix Reloaded” in order to understand the plot, and it helps to be acquainted with the video game “Enter the Matrix.” Second, the entire story can be taken on two levels. While it’s fast-paced eye-candy for techno-geeks, it’s also a metaphysical action-thriller with a distinctly spiritual message. That understood, this dense, complex conclusion is stylishly conceived and meticulously executed. The plot opens with comatose Neo (Keanu Reeves), still searching for truth, trapped in limbo by Mergovian (Lambert Wilson) as his cohorts – Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss), along with Mifune (Nathaniel Lees) – attempt a rescue. Time is running out. The Sentinels are invading Zion, the combat rescue mission by the intrepid pilot Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) faces catastrophic odds, and treacherous Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), now in multiple forms, poses the most evil threat. Only Neo – with the help of The Oracle (Mary Alice) – can journey to the menacing Machine City to beg for peace with the hope of saving humanity. This time, the Wachowskis have all but abandoned giving consistent direction to their actors, whose performances vary from scene to scene. Instead, it’s all a fast-paced, spectacular narrative of special effects, a celluloid video game, that’s released concurrently in 35mm and in the huge IMAX format. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Matrix Revolutions” is an adrenaline-fueled, climactic 6. “Everything that has a beginning has an end,” yet the battle between good and evil continues and there is always the hope of resurrection.
