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By
WAYNE KLEIN
"Matrix Revolutions" isn't
"The Matrix" nor is it "Revolution #9" but falls
somewhere between the two. Here the Wachowski
Brothers show the plan and execute it in this
large, elaborate final installment to the Matrix
Trilogy. "Matrix Revolutions" offers something for
everyone with its something borrowed, something
new approach to the science fiction genre.
Certainly every film owes a debt to another one
but the Wachowski Brothers aren't ashamed to beg,
borrow or steal from other seminal works
(particularly those of film director James Cameron
and of writers Philip K. Dick and Harlan Ellison)
both inside and outside the film world. What they
borrow and how they put it together does make the
trilogy unique although hardly original. "Matrix
Revolutions" borrows from Greek Mythology,
Folklore and Christian iconography. The Wachowski
Brothers fashion a larger than life battle between
the machine world, human world and one rogue, evil
computer program.
The Wachowski Brothers tapped directly into our
concern about the role of machines and computers
in our society but, more importantly, they hooked
into the cutting edge of fashion, visual effects
and Chinese action films combing them into an
easily digestible science fiction story for the
first film. The original Matrix had a huge
cultural impact evident in the dramatic look of
the science fiction and fantasy films that
followed and the way that films were edited. By
liberally borrowing from Chinese action films and
grafting it to a genre familiar to western
audiences, the Wachowski Brothers helped create,
for good or bad, a new look in American films.
When we last left Neo (Reeves) he was in a coma as
was another human taken over by Smith (Weaving).
"Revolutions" starts off without a preamble making
the assumption you've seen the previous
installments. Neo survived but his mind has been
separated from his body. It seems he's trapped
between the computer world and the real world
which has been manifested as a train station.
Without help from the Train Master, there's no way
in or out and the Train Master works for the
Frenchman who has put a bounty on Neo, Trinity
(Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne).
Within The Matrix the world of 0's and 1's begins
to change radically as the rogue program Agent
Smith begins to multiple hijacking other programs
within the system like a bizarre computer virus.
This preamble ultimately allows Smith to reach his
ultimate goal -- to take over the Machine World
and squash humanity. Eventually, Trinity and
Morpheus find a way to break through Neo's
purgatory and free his mind to rejoin his body in
the human world. Zion the last human city deep
within the bowels of the Earth braces for the
final assault from the machines. The city has
fortified their defenses in an attempt to brace
for the worst. Their intel shows that the machines
plan a massive onslaught directly at the gates of
Zion and there's a good chance of success. Many in
Zion still believe that Neo will save them while
the more practical military minds believe that
they have little hope against the armada
surrounding their city.
"Matrix Revolutions" looks very good. Like a lot
of films, the picture quality has been maximized
by putting only the film and soundtracks on the
first dual layer disc. Visually, the film looks
sharp without visual garbage (i.e., analog
artifacts such as hair, dirt or digital artifacts
such as edge enhancements, etc.). That's all good
news. The dark, occasionally grainy images are
intentional and add a sense of gritty realism even
to the scenes using lots of digital optical
effects. The sound is really designed well for
Dolby Digital 5.1 but sounds a mix crowded when
listened to in stereo mode with dialogue
frequently lost in the louder passages.
Nevertheless, the busy Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
mix makes good use of the format capturing a
quality similar to the theatrical exhibition of
the film.
The second disc is loaded with interesting
featurettes. The user friendly format and general
nature of the featurettes guarantee that the
material will be understandable by the average
viewer. There's the typical talking heads that
dominate these sorts of things. We get a look at
the actual making of the film, how the computer
visuals were integrated with miniatures, the use
of
"CG Revolution" focuses on the creation of the
visual effects for the film spotlighting the
unusual combination of CG visuals and live action.
Although "Matrix Revolutions" boasts an unusually
large number of computer generation images there's
still quite a bit of live action wizardry going
on. For example, the sequences involving multiple
Smiths were created with a combination of CGI,
puppets and men wearing latex masks of actor Hugo
Weaving. The combination makes it more difficult
to spot real vs. CGI. We also get a demonstration
of all the wire effects (i.e.. the scenes where
Neo and Smith leap through the air or appear to
fly) and how computers were used to erase the
wires.
We also get a comparison between the live action
shot for the film without effects, the storyboard
and the final CGI augmented film. The striking
comparison and contrast of all three gives one a
better appreciation of the artistry that went into
the making of this film. 3-D Evolution features
what they call "mutli-dimensional" stills gallery
which incorporates the live action still and
artwork produced to illustrate the same thing. For
fans really interested in the background of the
film "Before the Revolution" gives an illustrated
and written timeline which borrows images from the
animated shorts produced when the film was
released. This gives a complex, complete timeline
backstory that occurs prior to the first film. It
also demonstrates how well thought out the first
film was prior to production. Like the last couple
of DVDs, if you follow the White Rabbit you'll be
taken to a corresponding featurette that will
illuminate what you're watching.
The mysterious, illusive Wachowski's chose not to
comment on their work. I'm surprised that there
isn't a commentary track by all the artists
involved in creating the visual effects. Producer
Joel Silver would also have made a credible
commentator for the film as his larger than life
personality would have kept even the most mundane
observations entertaining. I suppose one could
always listen to the French or Spanish language
tracks and pretend it was the Wachowski's. After
all, they seem to sometimes speak their own
private language from the limited interviews and
comments they have made.
While "Matrix Revolutions" doesn't have the impact
of the first film, it makes up for that with
nonstop action. The CGI effects push the
boundaries of what is currently possible yet
again. Unlike the first film "Matrix Revolutions"
comes across as complacent not revolutionary in
its themes, storytelling style and goals. The
final film in the series keeps you entertained
and, if nothing else, is far more interesting than
sitting in a movie theater watching a bunch of
guys sitting around chatting while drinking
coffee. |
