MOVIE REVIEW: Not revolutionary, but still entertains
The new “Matrix” movie, “Revolutions” picks up immediately where “Reloaded” left off, and we soon discover Agent Smith has taken over freed human Bane, who sabotages Neo’s efforts against the machines. I won’t tell you much more about the plot, except to tell you that although “Revolutions” doesn’t have the quality fight scenes in “Reloaded,” it manages to deliver something even more.
Themes that bubbled to the surface in the first and second “Matrix” reemerged, such as the principle of determinism, taught most often by the Frenchman Merovingian. Agent Smith also believes in determinism, but calls it “inevitability,” teaching Neo not that everything happens for a reason, but that Neo’s destiny is to die at Smith’s hand. In one of the most triumphant scenes of the fight, Neo rebukes causal determinism with the declaration that he chooses to continue fighting.
Agent Smith is far and away the most entertaining character in the film. Hugo Weaving has fun with the role, hamming it up with a certain psychotic delight. He out-acts the other players, not only by baring his teeth-gritting maniacal smile, but by flawlessly delivering the best lines in the movie. Even his tone of voice conveys cold, calculating confidence.
The biggest flaw of “Revolutions” is the cliché-riddled script. I longed for more fighting without generic and trite commentary, and some of the lines are so bad you just wish the characters would shut up and start kicking butt. Sure, those utterances sound meaningful and important, but that’s because the characters, especially Morpheus, utter them in a slow, deliberate manner with good close-ups.
But let’s face it, most people don’t go to “The Matrix” for the writing and dialogue; like most action movies, talk is cheap, and the majority of Schwarzenegger/Stallone/Willis/Van Damme films feature laughable one-liners and plot holes. Matrix fans will be able to overlook the sappy melodrama and get what they’re really after; action, violence, amazing special effects, and on a deeper level, pop philosophy and religious allegory. Neo, the Christ figure, sacrifices in a big way and in one scene containing bright, golden heavenly light, Neo is stretched out as if on a cross.
I don’t want to ruin the movie by giving you specifics here, but I will tell you that some events in “Revolutions” are pleasantly unpredictable. One major character suffers a startling handicap and another pays the ultimate price. I only mention this because the death speech of this character goes on way too long, and I almost felt embarrassed for him or her (no hints). It was kind of like the way-too-long club/sex scene from the second movie. It just became embarrassing after two minutes.
I suspect that the film will make almost as much money as “Reloaded,” which broke the box office record for an R-rated movie. I still prefer the first “Matrix” for its groundbreaking visual effects, its boiling suspense and its bold attempt to redefine reality. It took the old “brain in a vat” philosophical argument to an almost believable level.
Most of the auxiliary characters appear in the third movie, although none have as critical roles – except the Oracle. The Oracle has more lines, but also has the most bothersome scene in the film. The movie-makers play upon the fact the audience would know that the original Oracle, Gloria Foster, died before “Revolutions.” Meant to be a witty inside joke, the scene would be more appropriate in a self-aware comedy than in the bleak, dooms-day drama “Matrix” is.
“Revolutions” music is more symphonic – both triumphant and mournful – than the music in the first two films. I miss the edgy industrial rock of the first film; it mirrored the rebellion of the freed humans. Really, what better band could play theme music for an antiestablishmentarian movie than one with a name like “Rage Against the Machine?”
Mark LaRocco is a senior majoring in print/broadcast journalism. Comments may be sent to him at marklaroc@cc.usu.edu.