by El Zorro Viejo (aka; Jim)

I finally saw the "conclusion" to the Matrix trilogy of films. On the one hand, it was a tour de force of special effects and computer graphics/animation. On another level, it once again raises the bar for hand-to-hand combat scenes in movies. On even another level, it was a disappointment in both the plot line and the acting as far as the cast was concerned. And finally, it was a huge disappointment as far as exploring the man/machine interface was concerned. This thing wherein Agent Smith becomes the major villian was too sophomoric for words. Agent Smith as the embodiment of the machine is one thing...Agent Smith as this deus ex machina substitute for both death and Satan was plain dumb.

Of course, I am not unduly surprised to be disappointed. After all, this was produced by the suits in Hollywood, and they are not know, generally, as heavy duty philosophers. However, I have come across, out there, something called a shadow script which (I'm up to the second screen) so far is far superior to what has actually been produced. Yeah, yeah...I know that the only reason movies are made is to make money for somebody. At least, that is the reason they are produced. They are written, directed and acted in for entirely different reasons. What makes the movie industry interesting is the tension between these antithetical motives. Unfortunately, it seems that the Matrix trilogy has lost the tension and become the product of the suits and not the product of the philosphers/creatve people who first envisioned it. This final episode is full of big effects and very light upon intellectual capital. Think about it: here you have a virtual reality in which self-aware programs (which is what self-aware machines actually would be) interacting with equally self-aware humans (as opposed to the masses of not very aware humans). The dialogue and the exploration of creation/god/reality could be profound. But, in Revolutions, the emphasis is more on Neo's martial arts and less upon the actual conflict between humans and machines. And, as an aside, the way the Merovigian(sp?) was, basically, blown off was a crime in itself. That program could have--should have--played a much larger role in the story.

All in all, it is probably true that the silver screen is not the proper venue for this. The Matrix needs to be moved to a literary setting and then the nuances can be explored without the need for visually overpowering special effects

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. ©El Zorro Viejo 2002-2005