The Matrix Trilogy (1999,2003)

Yes, this is yet another Mock Review, but honestly, I would hope I still do a good enough job looking over movies without more of an objective means of hunting up pieces of major significant through the films rather than simply trying to rate them on their quality. On that note, I’m squeezing the Matrix Trilogy into one review. Why am I doing this? Is it because I see the trilogy as one big movie? No. Fair from it, despite this, I hope to look at the whole trilogy, but try to go over what insight that I can actually give that you cannot simply pull out of the Nostalgia Critic or Film Theory seeing how both of those fiends have torn at it, and still did excellent jobs while doing so, but clearly Rotten Tomatoes’ 73% rating of The Matrix Reload, well renowned as the most hated by fans,  has shown that I can’t rely so much on other reviewers to cover everything. Though, I still enjoy Film Theory’s concept that Agent Smith is The One, and it would explain the hell out of the trilogy given that they take the time to actually cap that snippet into the series.

The Matrix (1999)

This is the first of the Wachowski brothers’ projects while I could still correctly enough call them the Wachowski brothers. I would have probably covered that the once known as Laurence Wachowski has revealed that she is transgender and goes by the name of Lana Wachowski now. The fact that this movie had been a part of my childhood is probably proof in itself that I am a 90’s baby. When this movie came out into theaters it immediate struck accord with a large enough audience through intense actions scenes a shit ton of kodak camera’s for slow-mo effects and inspired many philosophies discussed within the movie pertaining to the Matrix as a false reality much like Maya is to Hinduism to a certain degree. However, the original alone focused far too much on the messiah imagery and in order to keep those intense actions scenes the lease bit plausible left a bumpy path of plot holes making any hopes of continuing the series while producing continually satisfying films a difficult journey. The basis of this film’s storyline pretty much capstones what everyone will remember from past 90s actions movies being a strange combination of “the new guy” story, and “criminal zero to salvation” story. I’m not going to criticize “the new guy” storyline too much since it typically makes sense to introduce a strangeness of a whole new world or reality being revealed onto us and using the character as an intermediary to better explore this strange new world much like Alice in Wonderland. In fact, that’s best defines this story, Alice in Wonderland. The movie really does little to make this analogy the lease bit obscure, in about the same way as explaining that Neo is the One. The White Rabbit, Mouse, and even the scene with the mirror where Neo wakes up from the Matrix is straight out of Alice in Wonderland. It’s no wonder with the popularity of this film that so many remakes and re-imaging of Alice in Wonderland has followed. However, this goes back to the whole leaving trails of plot holes so that they could shove in just as many intense scene as possible thing. This movie only served to be the most talked about movie of its time. It drops in philosophies without much explanation nor exploration into their inner meanings or how they could possibly become related toward everyday life. Unless the message is that I should go around shooting members of law enforcement convinced that they are somehow entrapping me to their pseudo-reality. I somehow every much doubt that.

Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Oh, the aforementioned over-rated film of the Matrix trilogy that serves as nothing more than a bridge-episode as I’ve mentioned in my SAW III review. First off, the first Matrix had a nice finish to it, and functioned more so as a philosophical introductory course without much exploration to what those philosophies even mean. This movie surprised me that Rotten Tomatoes. NO! That IMDb as well thought this movie was still serviceable at a 7 out of 10 range. Aside from having to endure awkward orgy scenes in a dystopian world that would make you think you’re looking at a 2010s teen fiction movie, This movie only brought the audience nothing more than what the fans have already talked about. First off, after introducing so many philosophies with endless speeches you’d think that there would be more exploration of those philosophies or even where did those beliefs come from and what might they mean to a society constantly under threat of annihilation. Likewise, now that we are finally introduced to the city Zion only mentioned in the first matrix without much more explanation than that’s where Tank and Bozo is from, they might have the movie take place in that city to give more of an idea of what all the resistance is fighting to protect. Rather this film leaving even more plot holes all over the place to make the road even rougher for anyone to fix, breaking off to unnecessary side quests after side quests, turning actions scenes into exports for exposition dumps and inserting little teasers about where the plot would be going for the third movie. I can understand why there might be some significance in asking why programs that are helping the human resistance are helping the human resistance to begin with might make sense at first glance. However, the resistance has been working with these AI’s who have continued helping them for a long time. generations long. You’d think at some point that they would have managed some intel about that already. The worst part about the plots holes they have left is that so many of them are simply and easy to fix that it would take next to no effort at all. Case and point, the scene where Neo exits a door to end up in the Himalayas and never so much as once thinks to turn back. Why? I mean, I guess it would make sense if the machines also managed to block off the way back with some firewall or force-shield, but none of the sort is so much as suggested. Even with that in mind, Seeing how we left off with Neo breaking the Matrix so that he’s as impervious to harm and limitations as superman, this little thing would mean absolutely nothing to him. Then there’s the final problem that this film might not attract past Matrix fans, Neo had to obtain his power and the threats in the past truly meant either his life or death. Now, He’s superman. Nothing means anything to him the moment he’s in the matrix.  I really don’t know how much more I would like to go on about this. This film is well known for the introduction of The Core who takes long winded speaks to a whole new level with SAT words that not even the SAT would expect you to know. For Those of us who could make out what he had been saying, this is a rather intriguing scene, otherwise it’s like you just got dumped into an advanced Philosophies class already 7 chapters into a book. You would have know idea where he had been coming from, nor what he had been hinting at. Though, I personally always wanted to see a parody of this scene that just stuck a giant donut in his place. Would rainbow sprinkles be too much you thing?

Matrix Revelations (2003)

The first issue that comes to mind with this movie is that, well the first two issues that comes to mind with this movie are that, this movies is clearly where all the actual effort is placed seeing how both of the sequels have been clearly made far too close toward one another to possess much effort in both of them, and that this film would rely on the audience wanting to watch Matrix Reload to actually get the full picture. There are still other issues with the movie, yet I find the complaints against it clearly visualizing Neo as the messiah as the most absurd. Of course they’re going to go that direction. They have been going that direction with The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. Why would anyone think at this point that expect that would somehow change? This movie clearly suffered from the load of plot holes left by its prior brethren, but I think the sudden increase load of character introduced as if we should already know them from the video games made off of the first movie really harmed this movie. Likewise, the sudden introduction of giant military grade weapons where pilots would cruise around in order to shot up at swarms of machines came out of no where. Matrix Reload tried too much to look like the lone sequel that focused far too much on an already explored medium of the series called the matrix than where the hell would this seemingly technologically screwed population could possibly possess these giant machines. You know what, why am I even questioning an obvious marketing ploy for new action figures. First the revenue from movie watchers than the revenue from merchandise.

To wrap this look over of the trilogy up, I still enjoyed myself with the trilogy while I was quite a bit younger. However, with rumors about potential expansions upon The Matrix Trilogy going around, I feel I should reconsider that mark of approval. If they could manage to create enjoyable sequels than I would be fully behind that, yet the fact that there’s a rumored Matrix 4 and 5 being disgusted. I fear that these sequels would not add much more than what the last sequels had to offer. This really didn’t turn out to be such a positive mock review, but I can’t simply give the mark of approval to every film with an idea, I guess.