New Matrix

[Coffee Warlord]

Initial reviews coming in are not good. There's a post on slashdot with a bunch of links to various reviews.

Anyone gone out to see it yet?

[Franklin]

Not yet. My 14 year old is practically wetting his pants with anticipation, but I probably won't have time before this weekend.

[Coffee Warlord]

"The Wachowski brothers have delivered a dud so dissapointing, they may as well have bussed in Ewoks to save Zion."

Ouch.

[JeeberD]

Eh, no matter how much it's panned I'm still planning on seeing it sometime this weekend...

[Honolulu_Blue]

I have avoided reviews to avoid spoilers, but according to Rottentomatoes.com the reviews are pretty much negative. I think because the last one sucked so hard, reviewers finally felt like it was "OK" to pan the Matrix and have (most likely rightly) done so.

It's a shame, really. The first one was so great. A precipitous fall indeed. Not quite as bad as say First Star Wars trilogy to the next, but it aint good.

[Francis_Cole]

Just seen it now at the cinema. Imagine a film with quite good special effects, but no story line and terrible acting and you've got it

[wbonnell]

what do you mean no story line!?!?!? There's no many loose ends that need tying up...

[Francis_Cole]

what do you mean no story line!?!?!? There's no many loose ends that need tying up

I guessed you ment to say that there are so many loose ends.... :)

I just personally found it extremly predicatble... and the choice of actors for some roles was questionable.

[cthomer5000]

Heard nothing but bad about this. I was pretty disappointed with Reloaded, so I'm expecting more of the same. I'll still go waste 8-10 dollars seeing it though.

[Francis_Cole]

I'll still go waste 8-10 dollars seeing it though

That's what the makers are hopeing for :D :D

[wbonnell]

I should have avoided this thread because now I'm gonna go into the theater predisposed to criticize it.

As grouchy about pop culture as I've become, I have been pleasantly surprised with the Matrix series. The original was a blast, and Reloaded, sans the indulgent special effects, was stimulating on an intellectual level that is rare in most movies. Sure, there were contradictions and inconsistencies, but I was able to adequately suspend my disbelief.

So, if REvolutions is a dud, I will be greatly disappointed. With all the watered-down garbage, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to find movies that satisfy me. And don't get me started on the Two Towers disaster...

Maybe I'll like opera better. My wife and I are going to see "Turandot" in 2 weeks!

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by Francis_Cole
I'll still go waste 8-10 dollars seeing it though

That's what the makers are hopeing for :D :D

I know, and I feel stupid for doing it. If there is any chance of enjoying this movie, it'll be on a huge screen with amazing sound. It will be even worse at home on DVD.

Ok, I'll at least wait 10 days and use one of my discount movie tickets. That way I'll only wast $5.50. :(

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
I know, and I feel stupid for doing it. If there is any chance of enjoying this movie, it'll be on a huge screen with amazing sound. It will be even worse at home on DVD.

Ok, I'll at least wait 10 days and use one of my discount movie tickets. That way I'll only wast $5.50. :(

or if you're really frugal, you'll wait 6 months for the dollar theater showing...

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by wbonnell
or if you're really frugal, you'll wait 6 months for the dollar theater showing...

I don't know about you, but my cheap theaters (which are more like 2.50) are theaters that were built in like 1970 and have basically been untouched since then. The seats are disgusting, the screens are small, and worst of all - the sound is HORRIBLE.

As I said, most of the enjoyment of this movie will probably (sadly) come from impressive visual effect and sound. If there's any enjoyment to be had there, i don't want to miss out on it. I'll have to catch it in its first run.

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
I don't know about you, but my cheap theaters (which are more like 2.50) are theaters that were built in like 1970 and have basically been untouched since then. The seats are disgusting, the screens are small, and worst of all - the sound is HORRIBLE.

As I said, most of the enjoyment of this movie will probably (sadly) come from impressive visual effect and sound. If there's any enjoyment to be had there, i don't want to miss out on it. I'll have to catch it in its first run.

good point! My local "dollar" theater should be condemned. There's nothing like a seat spring sticking in your back while watching a movie...

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by wbonnell
good point! My local "dollar" theater should be condemned. There's nothing like a seat spring sticking in your back while watching a movie...

Exactly. This is why my friends and I dubbed our local cheap theatre "Discount Lion Safari!," anyone who's seen that Simpson's episode will know precisely what I'm talking about.

[Blackadar]

I've read a number of reviews and while most have not raved about it, most said it was at least decent. Around a 2 1/2 out of 4 stars kind of movie. Ebert and Roper both gave it a thumbs up.

[Tex Schramm]

Wbonnell what did you find stimulating?. IMHO, there is little if anything at all in Reloaded that is intellectually stimulating.

Most of the "philosophical" dialogue in the movie struck me as overly verbose psychobabble the screenwriters felt was necessary to explain the movie's rather simple basic premise. The whole idea was ludicrous to begin with anyway, so why complicate it with wordy dialogue that may or may not have no effect on the story or the audience's enjoyment? I just have issues taking all of it seriously when the "great struggle" involves fighting computer software with kung fu and machine guns--obviously it makes things a little more interesting, but I get the distinct impression that the Wachowskis are trying too hard to make what began as a simple action sci-fi flick into something as magnanimous and epic as its hype. The only thing I felt was stimulating was my pure confusion as to what was really going on, and letting my imagination run wild as to possible scenarios for the final installment of the trilogy.

Wow reading this I must sound like a real Matrix-hater. Honestly I loved the first one, and I was disappointed by the second. The more times I saw it, the less I liked it (minus the awesome car chase--isn't that what these movies are all about anyway?)

I also might not end up seeing this one, at least in theaters, because people can probably approach it in a similar fashion to the third Star Wars movie. There is enough bad in the first two movies to make critics' negative reviews about the new installment much more believable.

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by Tex Schramm
The only thing I felt was stimulating was my pure confusion as to what was really going on, and letting my imagination run wild as to possible scenarios for the final installment of the trilogy. .

That's it; that's exactly why it stimulated my intellect; my mind was pregnant with possibilities. Of course, I had to ignore the problem that the universe's "existence" was contrived in the mind of other men- The Wachowski bros.- who could modify its laws to suit their needs as well as their audience's. Nonetheless, I enjoy speculating.

And I must admit, I enjoyed the Architect scene.

[Bee]

I guess I am one of the few who actually enjoyed the 2nd one. I went in having heard how bad it was and was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the horrid pile I was led to believe. Guess I'll have the same approach to the 3rd one according to the early reviews.

[FrogMan]

Originally posted by Bee
I guess I am one of the few who actually enjoyed the 2nd one. I went in having heard how bad it was and was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the horrid pile I was led to believe. Guess I'll have the same approach to the 3rd one according to the early reviews.

NO! NO! ME TOO!!... :waves childishly: :) I did like the second movie, found it quite enjoyable, but then maybe I'm not very tough to please...

FM

[JeeberD]

I enjoyed the second one too, but not as much as the first. One of my favorite scenes ever is the shootout scene with Neo and Trinity in the hallway when they're one their way to save Morpheus. Great effects, stunts done by the actors, just a great look to it. My problem with the second one is that too many of the effects are too "video gamey". Both the scene where Neo is fighting the hundreds of Smiths and parts of the highway scene look totally animated. It just kind of killed the mood for me. I'm hoping that in this third installment they've done a better job of coverig up the animation...

[Wasabiak]

Originally posted by Francis_Cole
Just seen it now at the cinema. Imagine a film with quite good special effects, but no story line and terrible acting and you've got it

So it's a porno?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by Wasabiak
So it's a porno?

Word to the wise, Wasab... Avoid porn with special effects. It's bound to suck (both figuratively and literally).

[Alan T]

I am usually easy to please movie wise too.. I didn't mind the 2nd one at all. Went and bought it on DVD too.. since we got it on dvd, we probably have watched it 4 or 5 more times. :)

[Maple Leafs]

Just got back from it. Not having seen the first two... um, I have no idea what just happened. Some cool effects, wooden acting by guess who, and reasonably nice battle scenes. Other than that, I couldn't tell you. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. It just was.

On the other hand, the people who had seen the first two seemed to really dislike this one. They hated the ending.

[Franklin]

There is no spoon.

[korme]

franklinnoble

[sabotai]

FWIW, Ebert and Roper both gave it a thumbs up. They compared the Matrix series to the Alien series. How it went towards action instead of "sci-fi". But they both said it was, I think their word was, a "worthy" end to the trilogy.

From what they said, it almost sounds like if you liked the 2nd, you'll probably like 3rd.

Also, it's trendy to bash something that is very popular (see new Star Wars movies), so I wouldn't bank too much on reviews.

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by sabotai

Also, it's trendy to bash something that is very popular (see new Star Wars movies), so I wouldn't bank too much on reviews.

I don't know about trendy. The new movies, especially the second, were terrible. There a number of egregious scenes that make me cringe with an embarrasment for the actor.

[ice4277]

I just got back from seeing it, and the best way I can describe it is, better than the second, not as good as the first. I must say I was a little disappointed in the ending; it was ok, but, without giving up any spoilers, didn't really take it in the direction I thought it would. Overall though, not bad.

[sabotai]

Originally posted by wbonnell
I don't know about trendy. The new movies, especially the second, were terrible. There a number of egregious scenes that make me cringe with an embarrasment for the actor.

But apparently enough people liked them for both to make tons of money. But if you were to just listen to the reviews, you'd think they would have been flops.

The new Stars Wars movies are very popular, but they get bashed a lot. That's why I used it as an example.

(And your trendiness forced you to even bash it here. ;) )

[tucker342]

I actually really liked the 2nd one. Maybe I'm just easy to please.

[Sharpieman]

I may just being too hopeful, but I don't base movies on reviews, for example, all the reviews I read about half-baked were bashing the movie, but it's one of my favorite movies of all time, but if this movie sucks as much as reloaded, then I would not be surprised. Now the real question is this, I keep hearing different arguments about whether the bro's wrote all three movies before the first on came out, or did they write the 2nd and third after the first was a success?

[cornbreaD]

Am I the only person in the world who hated the first film?

[Draft Dodger]

I would see the 2nd one again in the theater just for that car chase - but the rest of the movie was rather mediocre. I do like the first one, but I also think it's a tad overrated. I may wait for DVD on the 3rd one.

[IMetLyleAlzado]

I reaaly was hoping to play around with FOF2k4 this weekend (it being my birthday and all, what better way to reward me for living so long than locking myself up in a room with a computer, a TV, and ignore the girlfriend all weekend) Now we have tickets to see the latest Matrix up in SanFran on IMAX! 30 bucks!!

All in all, I' rather plan to play 2k4.

[Glengoyne]

This just in from the theatre.

"It's Over!, It's Over!, It's Over" and thank god for that.

[sabotai]

Originally posted by cornbreaD
Am I the only person in the world who hated the first film?

Yes.

Sharpie, I think they probably had a general idea for the plot for 2 and 3 before the 1st came out, but they wouldn't have written them until after the success of the 1st one.

To make a Star Wars example again, Lucas had an idea for Episodes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 but didn't actually write them until Episode 4 was a hit.

[tucker342]

Little did Lucas know that Episodes 1 and 2 would suck so badly:D

[sabotai]

I like them. :p

[Pumpy Tudors]

I've never seen the first two (nor do I ever plan to), but I'm being dragged by the little woman to the new one. I'm not looking forward to it, as I generally despise the movie-going experience. Couple that with the fact that I know practically nothing about the story, and I'll be in for a long evening whenever we go see it.

If I have to see a Keanu Reeves movie (I know that the "Matrix" series is much more than Keanu, but bear with me), give me "Point Break" or "Hardball."

I love it when you call me Big Poppa.

[sabotai]

"I generally despise the movie-going experience. "

That's why I'm waiting until Saturday afternoon to go see it.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Well, it's not just the opening night experience or the weekend evening experience. It's the whole thing, really. I'm just plain uncomfortable in a movie theater. Maybe if there were only 3 other people in the place, I might feel a little more comfortable, but I have a feeling that this film will draw a pretty nice crowd at many showings for a while.

[Easy Mac]

No story-line? Have you even seen the first two? I think the story-line is pretty evident in this movie alone. There are 2 different story arcs in the movie, which I won't get into at this moment. THey start together, move apart, then finish together.

'll agree with opinions I've read elsewhere that there's not enough of the Merovingian, the Twins and Persephone (grrrrowl). The little indian girl was a tad annoying, and a lot of new characters were thrown at you. I think they made it work well.

Anyone who says the acting is wooden... did you see the first 2? Thats half of what makes the movie what it is. Its the fact that the people are so stoic. Sure, there there are points where I'd prefer Neo to show some bewtter emoting, but I thought it fit with what the Matrix is.

It is definitely a more action based movie than the other 2 combined. Its as if they decided to philosophize in the 2nd and make the 3rd almost pure action.

THe best CG work (combined with human elements) I've ever seen in a movie, I'd say even better than the last LOTR. The Mechs were freaking amazing.

And I can't rationally discuss the Neo v. Smith fight scene. Quite possibly the greatest, most beautiful fight scene I have ever seen in my life. Whenever they make another Superman movie, they have to watch this over and over just to get an idea of the right way to do it.

Hugo Weaving should just get an overall Best actor after LOTR 3 comes out. He hammed it up a lot, but he did it in a great way. Agent Smith will be one of the top 10 villians of all time. Keanu was Keanu, not much you can say. He was born to play Neo, and I think he made it work as well as anybody could. Carrie Ann Moss, well, she always annoyed me.

Overall, it was better than the second, and over time it is better than the first (the first just looks old when looked at today). I'd give it around an 8.3. Everyone I talked to on the way out said it rocked, and almost everyone clapped at the end. There were also a lot of moments when people laughed, not really something I expected.

Not quite the way I wanted it to end, but if you pay attention to a lot of the info from the first 2 movies, the ending makes sense, and almost leaves it unresolved in a way.

But no spoilers for a few days.

[Chief Rum]

Originally posted by Easy Mac
No story-line? Have you even seen the first two? I think the story-line is pretty evident in this movie alone. There are 2 different story arcs in the movie, which I won't get into at this moment. THey start together, move apart, then finish together.

'll agree with opinions I've read elsewhere that there's not enough of the Merovingian, the Twins and Persephone (grrrrowl). The little indian girl was a tad annoying, and a lot of new characters were thrown at you. I think they made it work well.

Anyone who says the acting is wooden... did you see the first 2? Thats half of what makes the movie what it is. Its the fact that the people are so stoic. Sure, there there are points where I'd prefer Neo to show some bewtter emoting, but I thought it fit with what the Matrix is.

It is definitely a more action based movie than the other 2 combined. Its as if they decided to philosophize in the 2nd and make the 3rd almost pure action.

THe best CG work (combined with human elements) I've ever seen in a movie, I'd say even better than the last LOTR. The Mechs were freaking amazing.

And I can't rationally discuss the Neo v. Smith fight scene. Quite possibly the greatest, most beautiful fight scene I have ever seen in my life. Whenever they make another Superman movie, they have to watch this over and over just to get an idea of the right way to do it.

Hugo Weaving should just get an overall Best actor after LOTR 3 comes out. He hammed it up a lot, but he did it in a great way. Agent Smith will be one of the top 10 villians of all time. Keanu was Keanu, not much you can say. He was born to play Neo, and I think he made it work as well as anybody could. Carrie Ann Moss, well, she always annoyed me.

Overall, it was better than the second, and over time it is better than the first (the first just looks old when looked at today). I'd give it around an 8.3. Everyone I talked to on the way out said it rocked, and almost everyone clapped at the end. There were also a lot of moments when people laughed, not really something I expected.

Not quite the way I wanted it to end, but if you pay attention to a lot of the info from the first 2 movies, the ending makes sense, and almost leaves it unresolved in a way.

But no spoilers for a few days.

Thanks, Easy Mac. That sounds a lot like I expected it to be.

I figured I was going to see it anyway, but I was concerned about the bad reviews it was getting. I knew I would get a lot from the action sequences and the overall thrills, but I wasn't sure if that would be enough.

It sounds to me like you like a lot of the same kinds of things I do (in movies anyway), so the fact you enjoyed it probably bodes well for me. I'll probably try and catch it Friday.

Chief Rum

[cody8200]

I just went and saw it. Loved the first, liked the second, and really liked this one. I loved the fight scenes. Very realistic for CG. Now I cant wait for LOTR 3.

[tucker342]

Well it sounds like we like the same kind of things in movies, plus that's what I pretty much expected from it, so now it sounds a lot more promising

[VPI97]

Originally posted by Pumpy Tudors
Well, it's not just the opening night experience or the weekend evening experience. It's the whole thing, really. I'm just plain uncomfortable in a movie theater. Maybe if there were only 3 other people in the place, I might feel a little more comfortable, but I have a feeling that this film will draw a pretty nice crowd at many showings for a while. Aside from taking my daughter to a kid's matinee, I've been to a movie theatre four times in the last 8-9 years. I cannot stand the movie experience.

[Havok]

Originally posted by Easy Mac
No story-line? Have you even seen the first two? I think the story-line is pretty evident in this movie alone. There are 2 different story arcs in the movie, which I won't get into at this moment. THey start together, move apart, then finish together.

'll agree with opinions I've read elsewhere that there's not enough of the Merovingian, the Twins and Persephone (grrrrowl). The little indian girl was a tad annoying, and a lot of new characters were thrown at you. I think they made it work well.

Anyone who says the acting is wooden... did you see the first 2? Thats half of what makes the movie what it is. Its the fact that the people are so stoic. Sure, there there are points where I'd prefer Neo to show some bewtter emoting, but I thought it fit with what the Matrix is.

It is definitely a more action based movie than the other 2 combined. Its as if they decided to philosophize in the 2nd and make the 3rd almost pure action.

THe best CG work (combined with human elements) I've ever seen in a movie, I'd say even better than the last LOTR. The Mechs were freaking amazing.

And I can't rationally discuss the Neo v. Smith fight scene. Quite possibly the greatest, most beautiful fight scene I have ever seen in my life. Whenever they make another Superman movie, they have to watch this over and over just to get an idea of the right way to do it.

Hugo Weaving should just get an overall Best actor after LOTR 3 comes out. He hammed it up a lot, but he did it in a great way. Agent Smith will be one of the top 10 villians of all time. Keanu was Keanu, not much you can say. He was born to play Neo, and I think he made it work as well as anybody could. Carrie Ann Moss, well, she always annoyed me.

Overall, it was better than the second, and over time it is better than the first (the first just looks old when looked at today). I'd give it around an 8.3. Everyone I talked to on the way out said it rocked, and almost everyone clapped at the end. There were also a lot of moments when people laughed, not really something I expected.

Not quite the way I wanted it to end, but if you pay attention to a lot of the info from the first 2 movies, the ending makes sense, and almost leaves it unresolved in a way.

But no spoilers for a few days.

Amen Easy Mac.... i saw it tonight and i liked it alot. I swear half the people bashing the Matrix movies on this thread haven't even seen the dam movies it would seem.

[astralhaze]

I loved the first film. Felt very disappointed with the second, but it wasn't a bad movie. This movie...just bad. It was painful to watch at times. The special effects and fight scenes were cool I guess, but I didn't really care enough about what was happening. I guess that was a carry over from the second film. I would give it ** out of ****.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by Havok
Amen Easy Mac.... i saw it tonight and i liked it alot. I swear half the people bashing the Matrix movies on this thread haven't even seen the dam movies it would seem.

I dunno. I think only that weirdo canuck, Maple Leafs, was the only who hadn't seen the movies. But he's from Canada (they aren't like you and me...) and a Maple Leafs fan (they are all weird...). I saw the first one four times in the theater. Only saw the second one once. I wanted to see it again, but it really did suck so badly, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't doubt that I'll like it more whenever I see it again.

[tauter]

I really like the 1st one, enjoyed Reloaded but not as much as the original, and liked Revolutions more than Reloaded.

With a few exceptions, isn't the 1st movie in a series usually the best????

[Bonegavel]

I could be that they should have just left it at Matrix I with no follow ups. I think we are being Matriced to death and we keep expecting something fabulous to come out and they are simply pumping out the Trilogy.

[cody8200]

Bonevegal, would you leave a movie that made 465 million dollars (first matrix) without a sequel (which btw must have been liked since it made like 780 million)...not if your a good businessman.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Note to Honolulu_Blue: I also haven't seen any of these movies. I'm not a Canuck, but I do tend to wear a Canadian Football League t-shirt from time to time.

[Bonegavel]

Originally posted by cody8200
Bonevegal, would you leave a movie that made 465 million dollars (first matrix) without a sequel (which btw must have been liked since it made like 780 million)...not if your a good businessman.

My argument wasn't based upon financials. My argument was based upon the product. I'm a purebred capitalist and am happy to see libs making Gobs of Dough (sorry, couldn't resist).

To be honest, the first movie, while I enjoyed it immensely, had issues of its own. But, we let it slide because it was the first of its kind. Now, we expect more.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by Pumpy Tudors
Note to Honolulu_Blue: I also haven't seen any of these movies. I'm not a Canuck, but I do tend to wear a Canadian Football League t-shirt from time to time.

That last part is sufficient.

[Samdari]

Originally posted by wbonnell
There's nothing like a seat spring sticking in your back while watching a movie...

Its posts like these that make me really glad QoTM is gone.

[CamEdwards]

well, since astralhaze didn't like it, I'm sure I'll think this is the greatest movie since Citizen Kane. :)

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
I dunno. I think only that weirdo canuck, Maple Leafs, was the only who hadn't seen the movies. But he's from Canada (they aren't like you and me...) and a Maple Leafs fan (they are all weird...). Leaf fans are weird? You'd be weird too if you'd seen what we've seen... lived through what we've lived through... (rocks himself back and forth, wimpering)

And for the record, I wasn't bashing the movie. You're right, not having seen the first two I can't really judge #3. I was relaying the thoughts of the Matrix fans I saw it with, who did not like it.

[cornbreaD]

Originally posted by cody8200
Bonevegal, would you leave a movie that made 465 million dollars (first matrix) without a sequel (which btw must have been liked since it made like 780 million)...not if your a good businessman.

See, this right here is one of the major reasons movies today suck. Just because a movie does well (actually, I thought the first film didn't do too hot when it first came out) doesn't mean that sequels have to be made.

Although I hated the first film (and haven’t seen any of the others), I have no idea why they made any of the sequels (aside from the money aspect). They should have left it with the first one.

Question: What makes these movies intellectual? I keep hearing about how deep they are, but are they really? What am I missing?

[Bonegavel]

Originally posted by cornbreaD
See, this right here is one of the major reasons movies today suck. Just because a movie does well (actually, I thought the first film didn't do too hot when it first came out) doesn't mean that sequels have to be made.

Although I hated the first film (and haven’t seen any of the others), I have no idea why they made any of the sequels (aside from the money aspect). They should have left it with the first one.

Question: What makes these movies intellectual? I keep hearing about how deep they are, but are they really? What am I missing?

Agreed.

As to what makes them intellectual? Psuedo mysticism and the appearance of onion layers when it is, in reality, a simple potato. The whole concept of using humans as energy is the biggest bust for me. I understand how it makes a good story, but, it just doesn't work. They have the things that can burrow deep into the earth, why didn't they just tap the heat of the Earth?

Back to the intellectual. At first glance, it is an interesting mix and the concept brought forth in the second movie (regarding why Neo is allowed to do what he does) is interesting, but I think in their quest to wrap things up, they lost a bit of what made the first movie good: there was mystery and dangling threads, which left it up to you to figure out. I like that, and I think, in their quest to milk the series, the attempt at showing the mysteries of the first film squashes it.

[Bonegavel]

dola,

just think JAWS, Aliens, Star Wars (eps I, II) and you will understand why sequels are rarely good ideas for the story.

Good for their pocket books, bad for story.

[cody8200]

Guys if it wasnt good business movies wouldnt be made in the first place. Movies arent made for artistic creativity or to convey deep though anymore (not by major studios). I don't agree with it but that's how it goes. Just like everything else has went that way. I paid 11 dollars for 2 tickets to get in to the theatres (I went before 5 pm) and paid 7 dollars for nachos and a medium drink. That's the way big industry works. Making a coke and some tortillas costs 10 times their worth.

[cody8200]

I liked Die Hard 2. Also the terminator movies have stayed very good for all 3 IMHO. I would love to see a Governator 4.

[lytic]

I read half of your comments... got tired of the bashing of 2 classics.

My only disappointment with this last one is that I could have written that script. It was very predictable... no surprises, but how can you end a movie of that stature? I'm sure people complained with Episode 6's ending originally. The actually action and the ending fight scene was great.

I will look back on the Matrix trilogies as one of the best of all time. I will admit, they could have ended the Matrix at 1... but I'm sure they made a lot more money making the 3.

[Bonegavel]

Originally posted by cody8200
Guys if it wasnt good business movies wouldnt be made in the first place. Movies arent made for artistic creativity or to convey deep though anymore (not by major studios). I don't agree with it but that's how it goes. Just like everything else has went that way. I paid 11 dollars for 2 tickets to get in to the theatres (I went before 5 pm) and paid 7 dollars for nachos and a medium drink. That's the way big industry works. Making a coke and some tortillas costs 10 times their worth.

Again, my beef isn't with the money side. They can make Matrix XXIV, for all I care. I was commenting on the story side. We are talking red pills to blue pills.

[Blackadar]

Originally posted by Bonegavel
dola,

just think JAWS, Aliens, Star Wars (eps I, II) and you will understand why sequels are rarely good ideas for the story.

Good for their pocket books, bad for story.

Interesting that you listed "Aliens" when stating that sequels are rarely good. Alien was the original..."Aliens" WAS the sequel. :)

[Bonegavel]

Originally posted by Blackadar
Interesting that you listed "Aliens" when stating that sequels are rarely good. Alien was the original..."Aliens" WAS the sequel. :)

My bad (does anyone say this anymore?). I had just viewed an commercial (:)) for Aliens, and it was stuck in my brain. I was, of course, referring to Alien, the original. What a great flick. The others, especially the Winona Ryder one, BAD.

[moriarty]

Originally posted by Bonegavel
Agreed.

As to what makes them intellectual? Psuedo mysticism and the appearance of onion layers when it is, in reality, a simple potato.

That's my biggest complaint after seeing Revolutions. After the second one, I was left w/ all these thoughts, "is there a matrix in a matrix, is Neo a program/part machine, was the French guy a former Neo? how did Agent smith take over the guy's body in the real world, etc...". I was expecting the third installment to tie up all the questions from #2 and, unless i missed something ... it doesn't.

It makes me think #2 wasn't "intellectual", rather it was poorly written/edited. And #3 could have been so much better than the straightforward path it took.

Still, IMO, Revolutions is definitely no worse than Reloaded and at least there's no bizzare Orgy scenes in Revolutions (although we do get some goofy gay/bondage/S&M party).

[Bee]

Originally posted by Bonegavel
My bad (does anyone say this anymore?). I had just viewed an commercial (:)) for Aliens, and it was stuck in my brain. I was, of course, referring to Alien, the original. What a great flick. The others, especially the Winona Ryder one, BAD.

Once again, I guess I'm in the minority. I liked the Alien movies, especially Aliens.

[Glengoyne]

Originally posted by Bonegavel
My bad (does anyone say this anymore?). I had just viewed an commercial (:)) for Aliens, and it was stuck in my brain. I was, of course, referring to Alien, the original. What a great flick. The others, especially the Winona Ryder one, BAD.

Aliens is possibly better than the original. It belongs in a whole different genre, but really it stacks up against the original pretty well. I enjoy watching Aliens more than Alien, but still think they are both very good movies.

[Bonegavel]

yeah, when i was thinking about the series, I was more referring to the debacle film with Winona Ryder, but I probably should have left it out of my examples.

[Easy Mac]

Its interesting that one person says the problem is that unlike the first, they didn't leave anything dangling.

However, another person who points to the many of the same faults as the first person, comes to the complete opposite conclusion, that it didn't tie the loose ends.
Spoilers?*********************************************
























ANd answers:

no matrix in a matrix (unless you count the holding area of the trainman)

neo is a man, but a random code was imprinted on him in order for him to be the one. Thus, he was able to do things others could not.

No, French guy was just a power hungry program, designed to sample the differences of human emotions, and became corrupt by it (see Persephone and her quest to understand love). Imagine a character like SMith, but lacking the abilities to do what Smith could do.

Essentially, by going into the Matrix, the only actual thing that went was your brain waves/counsciousness. Agent Smith took over Bane's consciousness in the Matrix. Since these are essentially electric impulses and so is Smith, this allowed him to travel to Smith's brain and basically take him over. Neo could eventually see Smith (I think only after he became blind) because inside Bane was still just the machine Smith.

THis is how I understood these things. To me, the ending and the conclusions made complete sense, but I can see if you tried to hypothesize many things you may be disappointed. I tried to remember this is 2 people's vision, not actual fact.

Oh, and I can't understand people who have said this isn't sci-fi... what the fuck is it? I weird giant talking head, millions of machine, weird propulsion ship, fliying around? What more do you need to make it sci-fi (note: not people around here, just stuff I've heard around).

And I'd say about 95% of the people I've talked to in person liked it more than #2, 65% enjoyed it a lot, 20@ said so-so, and the rest hated it.

[Glengoyne]

I have seen all the movies.
I enjoyed the Matrix, but didn't quite get why everyone thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. It was above average or possibly just average for me. I understand that my opinion on the movie is not one held by most folks, but stand by my assessment.

The second was bad. The first half hour or 45 minutes was unbearable. When they got to the action, it got better. The philosophy of the second movie was of the store front variety. You would find yourself saying "was that profound?". Usually the answer was "Nope". I enjoyed the experience, sans the first half hour or so, but it was mainly because the effects were well done. I also enjoyed the introduciton of the "creator" at the end, it did give you something to think about.

The third, didn't have much to it aside from action. Lots of action. Yes the metal jellyfish were cool, the big machines were cool, the "mech" type things they used in the defense of Zion were pretty neat. Though they were the single most stupid military design I have ever seen proposed, the equivalent of "lets build a tank, and seat the crew outside". The acting of those involved in the defense of zion was bad, the script covering those scenes bad with a capital B.

--edited this in because I forgot. During the final fight with Smith, I found myself thinking...This is really not good, I am beginning to understand why superman had to die. I mean when both participants are invulnerable to physical attack, they should settle it by a battle of wits. I actually thought, Gee Smith ought to morph into the short fat dude from Princess Bride here. That would be better. That is not to say the effects weren't nice, they were.


I would say that the three movies are entertaining, but none of them are going to get anywhere near my Mount Rushmore of movies monument. They don't even belong in the same state as the Mount Rushmore of movies.

[JAG]

My fiancee and I liked Matrix and Reloaded, but felt like Revolutions was clearly the worst of the three and a bit of a disappointment. Please place me in whatever category I now fit.

BTW Glengoyne, my fiancee and I thought the same thing about those mech walker things. Exactly what attacking advantage did they give over just handing the people two big guns except for making movement more cumbersome and protection about 50% of the body with metal (albeit the back side)?

[moriarty]

Originally posted by Easy Mac


THis is how I understood these things. To me, the ending and the conclusions made complete sense, but I can see if you tried to hypothesize many things you may be disappointed. I tried to remember this is 2 people's vision, not actual fact.



Yeah, I understood them the same way (well, other than maybe the brain wave thing). I guess what I was trying to say was that they made the answers as straightforward as possible in #3 when they could have really developed them into something sweet.

I think that I was hoping after #2 they would make it intellectual and really flush some of these 'dangling' things out. Instead by taking the shortest path #3 actually made me dislike #2 more (if that makes sense). I mean, what was the point of the French guy's wife ... other than stare at her ... assets. I thought for sure she was going to have some big role in #3 and 2 was setting it up, but ... I thought (hoped) alot of 'problems' in #2 would be explained well in #3.

edited the BTW on further review

[Easy Mac]

As Far as I could tell, her sole purpose was to get them the Keymaker... but yeah, I would have "like to see more of her" (Just see irreversible) as well as some deeper shit. I just think that everything tied together the way it is supposed to. I think it would have worked as 1 long movie better than 2 shorter ones, because it felt like the 2nd was too dialogue heavy (which I enjoyed) for most, while the third was too action heavy (which I enjoyed) for most.

I'd really like to start discussing some shit to see where we might get some agreeances (to borrow Fred Durst's term) and discuss what we felt were the plot's good/bad points. I would at other boards, but its just a cat fight between a lot of pretentious fucks (kind of like our political debates.


edit: and I didn't mena my answers were right, I just meant they were my answers to the problems, I could be horribly wrong for all I know.










SPOILER*************************************************************************************************** (think about in the first one where Morpheus tells Neo, I think, that there was a man born inside the Matrix who could manipulate things, then look at the end dialogue b/t the girl and the Oracle).

[CamEdwards]

saw it this afternoon. I don't go to movies to ponder philosophy, especially from people as personally fucked up as the Wachowski (I know I butchered that spelling) Bros., so I watched it as the third part of an action flick. To that end, I thought it was pretty damn good.

[astralhaze]

Originally posted by Bonegavel
My bad (does anyone say this anymore?). I had just viewed an commercial (:)) for Aliens, and it was stuck in my brain. I was, of course, referring to Alien, the original. What a great flick. The others, especially the Winona Ryder one, BAD.

Wuh????

Alien and Aliens are two of the best movies of all time IMO, and I would give Alien 3 *** out of ****. Resurrection I agree. That movie was a piece of shit.

[PilotMan]

Saw it yesterday and I found it to be an acceptable sequal for the series. I agree with Easy Mac that the Mr. Smith character will go down as one of the great villians of all time.

Also as someone with absolutly no Computer Programming backround at all I found this plotline to be much easier to follow than the first two. Even if I had help from the forum.

At one point in the Neo-Smith scene I thought "is this ever going to end?" But the way it ended was very cool.

The Mechs were amazing, as were most of the special effects.

The movie did have its moments where it seemed to drag, and others where my heart was racing.

If you did not see the first two there would be absolutly no reason to see this one. You would be lost. The philosophy was much less than the 2nd movie. Action was around every corner and there were some predictable plot sequences.

But, in the end it was enjoyable, I saw it yesterday for a matinee in Buffalo and there were about 15 people in the theater. Don't go to the movie with the preconceptions of what you want. Just go to be entertained and I think you will come out ok.

[SuburbanPimp]

I enjoyed the Revolutions a lot, all the way up until the ending. I even liked the part that went way too long (DIE ALREADY!), but the Skittles ending ("I made it for Neo!") just really brought it down. I'll get it on DVD, but I'll just stop it before the final 3 minutes.

Although a lot of the audiences would have hated it, I would have liked Smith to destroy Neo, then have the Architect come to the decision to recreate a new Matrix, leading to a new trilogy with new actors (and maybe incorporating some of the old characters in flashback sequences).

Addition: I sat down and watched the first two movies Sunday night, and I have to admit that I enjoyed the second movie more than the first. The first one is great in its own right, and the story in the second is a well-told bridge. Throw in Neo vs 1,000 Smiths & the Freeway Scene, and I love it.

[JeeberD]

I juat got back from the movies and I'm not quite sure what to think. It had its good points and its bad points. I'm afraid I might be one of those people who's trying to look to hard into the movie and find some of the hidden meanings. I think I need to go see it again, but this time just enjoy it as an action flick...

[KWhit]

I just got back from seeing it. I was really disappointed. I enjoyed 1 and 2, but this one is barely mediocre.


SPOILERS:



What the Hell was up with the train crap in the beginning? I thought that was superfluous and just plain silly.

I still don't think they explained the fact that Neo can manipulate real world items with just his mind. That kind of makes the coolness he does while IN the Matrix seem less important.

The best parts of the first 2 movies were while they were actually in the Matrix. There just wasn't enough of that in this movie.

The Neo Smith fight was a let-down. I just re-watched the Neo Smiths fight from #2 on DVD this morning and compared to that one, the scene in #3 paled in comparison. There is only so much you can do in a fight between two people (even if they can fly). I would have liked it to be more creative. Basically, it was: they puch each other in the rain. They fly and punch each other in the rain. The fly in a wareghouse and punch each other. Boring.

I liked the battle scenes inside Zion. Seeing the Sentinals flying around was pretty cool.

I also liked the fact that they took the chance they did by killing off one of the main characters. That was unexpected.


But still, overall, I thought it was "not good". That's the phrase I keep using because I won't call it bad, and average doesn't work either, because it is not your average movie. But it was not good.

[wbonnell]

Early in this discussion, I admitted that I was intellectually stimulated by Reloaded. Well, my wife and I watched it again last night, but this time it failed to pique my interest. In fact, about 1/3 of the way into the movie, I fired up the laptop and divided my attention equally between the two. My wife pointed out something that is obvious to me now: of the two and a half hours of movie, nearly 2 hours were devoted to action sequences. They relegated plot advancement to a mere half hour.

The first movie offered so much more intrigue and mystery, but looking back on it now, I think its success was an accident. After last night's disappointing experience, I will wait until Revolutions is released on DVD.

Here's hoping that I can find happiness in the The Return of the King. As a long term Tolkien fan, I was disgusted with The Two Towers (I did, however, enjoy The Fellowship of the Ring).