Matrix Revolutions

[poliphilo]

The problem with the Matrix trilogy is that most of the story got used up in the first movie. The Wachowskis claim to have always intended a trilogy, but I'm having a hard time believing them.

I've not seen Reloaded (I understand I'm not missing much) but Revolutions is just an extended battle sequence. It's beautifully imagined and executed, but I want more. With all that time to play around with, you'd think they might have developed the characters a bit. Zion v the machines- why should I care when the human beings are scarcely more interesting than those (rather wonderful) steel octopii?

Nemo was quite affecting when he was human and vulnerable, but once he turns into Superman he's dull. I liked the idea of a Geek Messiah, but lose the geekiness and you lose the thing that made him distinct from all those other two-fisted rocket men. He's dwarfed by the CGI and so is everyone else. Morpheus stands around and does nothing in particular. Trinity gets to flash her cheekbones. After the smartness and trippyness of the first film, it's disappointing to find that the fate of the world ultimately depends on gun-play and fisticuffs. What started as a fascinating intellectual conundrum ends as a B western.

I always suspected that Dark City (which has a similar premise and which came out at the same time as the Matrix and got swamped by it) was the better movie- now I'm sure.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"Both were shot in Australia"

I didn't know that. New Zealand gets all the fanfares these days. I didn't realise you guys were also in on the act.

[currawong.livejournal.com]

"Star Wars 1, 2 and 3", "Peter Pan" and many more recent films were shot here. These blockbuster American projects are likely to be the death of local productions as the studios go for the big bucks and lock local productions out of the studios...as they did in England with Elstree, ( which ended up as a factory foe the 007 franchise.

New Zealand's booming film industry is a different matter, the big films coming out of there may be foreign financed but with all NZ creative staff...Peter Jackson has pulled of a remarkable counter-coup to American cultural imperialism.He's so damn good they just had to swallow their bile and accept his conditions.

meanwhile yhey continue to make delicious little films like "Whale Rider" or wrechingly powerful small films like "Once Were Warriors".

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's a shame. Australian cinema (since Pic-nic at Hanging Rock) has been distinctive and distinguished.