The Matrix Revolutions (2003) Directors: The Wachowskis

★☆☆☆☆

The Matrix Revolutions is the third and painfully final installment of The Matrix series. In it, Neo is trapped in the Matrix in order to face one final battle with Agent Smith. Meanwhile the humans make their last stand against the invasive robots at their underground city of Zion until Neo suddenly saves the day by sacrificing himself to the machines. Peace is preserved, Agent Smith is destroyed, and the matrix is rebooted amidst more nauseatingly trite religious symbolism. The same cast of characters reprise their roles in this film: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and others.

The Matrix Revolutions is a sad, pathetic homage to a Hollywood that just gave up trying once it found a rare original blockbuster hit. The original Matrix film in 1999 was a brilliant science fiction thriller latent with philosophical questions about the nature of reality. In contrast, the sequels are just petty, cheap knock-offs. And now (in 2021) one of the Wachowski’s intends to release a fourth Matrix film, perhaps a prequel, though after the box office decline of The Matrix Revolutions it seems unlikely that audiences will flock to this now-bloated and tired franchise.