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Will "Revolutions" complete "Matrix" evolution?
A little movie called The Matrix Revolutions opens Nov. 5. Maybe you've heard of it, or the two flicks preceding it.
In case you've been living under a rock (or the Rock, if you loved The Rundown), the Matrix trilogy is primed for a conclusion. Not a moment too soon for folks who thought the second installment, The Matrix Reloaded, was one of this year's biggest summertime disappointments. Certainly it wasn't as mind-bending as The Matrix in 1999. But part two boasted some terrific special effects including a highway chase putting similar action in Terminator 3 and Bad Boys II to shame.
When Reloaded ended, the last remaining humans thinking on their own - the underground citizens of Zion - were bracing for an attack by Sentinels dispatched by the Matrix, a computer program taking over the world. The human race's savior, Neo (Keanu Reeves), was still unsure of how to fulfill his destiny, especially after the architect of the Matrix explained that he's part of a program cycle that can't be broken.
Meanwhile, Neo's main squeeze Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) barely escaped death foretold in Neo's dreams and a traitor in Zion was on the verge of becoming the final link to overwhelming power for Neo's nemesis, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). Neo's mentor Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) is convinced Neo is "The One' who can save humanity but keeps running into resistance as time ticks away.
At least that's what I got out of it after two viewings. One of the best things about this series is that everything is open to various interpretations.
As much as I enjoyed parts one and two, previews for The Matrix Revolutions make me worry. It appears that co-writers and co-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski are pulling out all the special effects stops for a big-bang ending rather than the conundrum solution begged by The Matrix and unfulfilled by The Matrix Reloaded. It would be a shame, after three movies, if the machines actually do win the battle for creativity.
- STEVE PERSALL, Times film critic