By Chris Kavan - 07/22/10 at 02:20 PM CT
There are bad movies like It's Pat and Blankman that you know are going to be bad. There are sequels that are so bad, it can sink the entire series - Jaws, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, even Indiana Jones have fallen victim to this trend. Yet some films go beyond mere series to transcend the medium and become their own little world - Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek - legions of followers that demand perfection.
Now, the trilogy I'm speaking of doesn't have quite impact of the big three, but it was a huge phenomena and even now is a sci-fi classic. I'm speaking of The Matrix. When the original was released with its "bullet time" and memorable characters - including Keanu Reeves in his best role to date - was enough to make grown men cry. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit I never say The Matrix in theaters - one of my biggest mistakes.
The Wachowski brothers had created a film that captured the cultural zeitgeist of the time, and took their time crafting a two-part conclusion to their story. Yet for all the effort that went into wrapping things up, I can honestly say I have never been more disappointed in the result - and yes, not even by the Star Wars Prequels or the five endings to Return of the King.
The Matrix Reloaded wasn't too bad, as long as you were in the mood for action and not much else. It was all flash - "look at the awesome stuff we can do now!" kind of thing - big fights, big chases but little in the story department. They were saving that for The Matrix Revolutions. Now I have to warn you: SPOILERS BELOW.
Now, as messianic stories go, The Matrix isn't half bad, and that isn't my beef. The sci-fi robot battles aren't that bad either. No, what I hated about Revolutions is that even after pondering the end, all that happened, the conclusion I came up with is that nothing changed. Robots are still using humans as batteries, humanity is still stuck underground in a city that's all but falling apart - sure, people who have become "aware" can be extracted without malice, and there's a temporary truce, but who cares? In a few generations the humans will have forgotten or the AI will coldly calculate their chances and decide that human freedom isn't worth it.
It infuriated me to no end when I saw it, and it still burns me just thinking back on it now. I've tried it from other people's perspectives, gone through arguments, tried to understand things - but in the end I've came back to the same conclusion - the entire journey, this epic trilogy, ultimately ends with some vague agreement that things will change - not be better - just... change. So, like the Mythbusters, I reject this reality and substitute my own. In my world, this movie does not exist. Nope, it's an unfinished work - feel free to make up your own conclusion after Matrix Reloaded - that's what I do.
If anyone wants to try to convince me otherwise, I'm open to suggestion, but be warned many have tried in the past and as you can see they have failed.
Comments
Alex - wrote on 07/27/10 at 01:35 AM CT
Chris - isn't that kind of what the Matrix ended like - where peace was on earth? The ending of the movie wasn't bad but the acting was terrible and there was too much mindless action that did nothing to enhance the film (like the first one and to some extent the second one).
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/24/10 at 11:34 AM CT
You know, there was a lot of nerd rage over Battlestar Galactica as well - just not from me. As for Matrix? Just something less vague - how about a flash-forward to X years in the future when either humanity has been wiped out, or the robots have finally been defeated - or hell - they've found a way to live in peace without resorting to human battery fields and false Matrix worlds.
Nick - wrote on 07/23/10 at 05:39 PM CT
what do you think the ending should have been? Some unrealistic epic battle where the humans destroyed all the machines? Unlikely. The ending was just fine the way it is. Isn't Battlestar Galactica pretty similar? There was just a truce there too.
Alex - wrote on 07/22/10 at 11:59 PM CT
Matrix Reloaded was great to me. At the time I felt it was almost as good as the first one (though I now know it is not). Revolutions was all action with heartless characters. It spent too much time in the real world. No one likes the real world. There were some really cool parts for me though - the fact that Neo had powers beyond The Matrix. I still liked this movie a lot and I think the ending is very clear. We all know what Neo stood for (Jesus H. Christ) and he created peace among a war.
Doen't make it any better but still really enjoyd the Trilogy. To be honest though, yes I wish these sequels wouldn't have been made. I think it would give more credit to the original. The original to me, though, isn't bullet time or action - it is the feeling I got the first time I tried to comprehend. Talk about mind blowing.
John Doe - wrote on 07/22/10 at 06:42 PM CT
Strange you wrote this. When I saw Inception last weekend my first thoughts were "This was the kind of movie Matrix Revolutions wanted to be." They couldn't have failed any worse though. Inception left me teetering on the edge of not knowing what the hell was happening for 2 full hours... It was greatness.
