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The enigma of the law of diminshing returns, er, returns. The anticipation was almost too much.
Would it be better than Reloaded? Would Neo save Zion? Why didn't they give Morpheus some credibility
and kill him off? Would we be able to understand it ergo will it explain life, the universe, everything?
Or perhaps more accurately, would it live up to our expectations?
Well, the time to tell is at hand. The good news is it doesn't disappoint, sort of. It's better
paced than Reloaded (although the film's grand set piece, the attack on Zion, goes on
far too long), is easier to follow, clearer in its aims & the newly expanded Matrix has
a fonder, more familiar feel to it (despite remaining a complete contradiction to the rules set out
in the first film). It's more humane too. Back is the emotional attachment & jettisoned the cold
mechanics (the tender moment at the train station which would've seemed
defunct in the prequel but appears rosy here). The SFX are impressive enough & show no signs of the
dubious animation that tainted the fight scenes in Reloaded but still fail to
live up to the wonders of bullet time. On the other hand, many of the main characters are criminally underused, Smith is largely absent 'til the
end & the peripherals introduced in Reloaded are skimmed over just enough to tie them up, Serif being
the only one to develop in any way. In fact the whole thing moves way too fast, doing what it must to
tidy up the franchise & little more.
They say all's well that ends well but I can't help feeling weary toward all
this sequelitis. Sure, I'm looking forward to The Return of the King (the most untarnished
of all recent franchises) but waiting and waiting for the next part that rarely lives up to expectation
(because logically they can't, its just a selling point cynics!), is becoming as tiresome and unsatisfying
as it was with the late 80's/early 90's horror boom.
I'm bored of waiting for the final Jedi film which is bound to be yet another disappointment, bored
of watching half a Tarantino, bored of all these lacklustre sequels and bored of being manipulated
by a system whose only certainty is disappointment.
As for Revolutions, three
nagging questions remain. One, what the hell happened to Gloria Foster? She WAS the Oracle &
what joy to have seen her sitting on that park bench! Two, how the hell did they get Monica Bellucci's
breasts to do that and three why didn't the Wachowski's leave it at number one...?
RATING: (c)Limer 2003
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The Matrix: Revolutions (Cinema: November 2003)
