By David Blackwell

2 disc DVD (available in widescreen and full screen versions)

Movie- 129 minutes

Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith

Produced by Joel Silver

Written and Directed by the Wachowski Brothers

PLOT: Morpheus and Trinity go into the Matrix to retrieve Neo from a place that is between the Matrix and the real world. After they do that, Neo visits the Oracle for one last time before taking a trip (with Trinity) to the Machine City. Meanwhile, Zion prepares for the final battle against the machines as Morpheus and Niobe pilot a ship to come to the defense of Zion. Smith continues his takeover of The Matrix. Who is the bigger threat? The Machines or Agent Smith?

ANALYSIS: I think this movie doesnt stand up by itself, but it makes more sense once you realize this is the second half of a four and a half hour movie started by THE MATRIX RELOADED. It all makes more sense as a whole and not as a part of the whole. Still THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS is a disappointing end to the series. The only things that really entertained me was the battle of Zion and the final battle (between neo and Smith), but they dont come close to the action scenes in the first two movies (like the Freeway sequence or the rescue of Orpheus scenes).

The ending left me a little disappointed. THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS was better paced than THE MATRIX RELOADED, but they could have edited the last scene between Trinity and Neo more tightly.

THE MATRIX is still the best film out of the trilogy and the bigger budgets of the sequels dont match up to the first movie. The sequels do flesh out the world of THE MATRIX more, but they arent written as well as the movie that started it all. I do hope there is a sequel to THE ANIMATRIX because there are stories and aspects not covered in THE ANIMATRIX, THE MATRIX videogame, and THE MATRIX trilogy.

VIDEO: The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture is perfect. It is sharp, vivid, bright, warm, and full of detail. The skin tones are right and the colors are good.

AUDIO: The audio is as good as the audio on THE MATRIX RELOADED DVD. The music, effects, and dialogue are part of a great audio mix.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

DISC one- There are web links to THE MATRIX website and some trailers for THE MATRIX movies (teaser trailers for THE MATRIX, THE MATRIX RELOADED, and THE ANIMATRIX, and the theater trailer for THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS.

DISC two- REVOLUTIONS RECALIBRATED is a very good featurette on the making of the movie. There are lots of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew. You learn the 17 minute battle of Zion had 350 effect shots, the climatic battle in the rain between Smith and Neo was difficult to do, see production art by Geoff Darrow, and lots of previs was done for this movie. If you press the white rabbit that appears, it will take you to a featurette on virtual cinematography that is achieved with motion capture and CGI. You see the faces of the actors being motion captured.

CG REVOLUTION looks into the CG effects that were done in the movie and features interviews with Joel Silver and the effects crew. The white rabbit will take you to a short featurette on models and model effects.

Also there is a multi-angle featurette (SUPER BURLY BRAWL) that compares the blue screen footage of the climatic battle, storyboards of that battle, and how the finished product.

DVD-ROM: Basically you have a video game, links to some sites including the online MATRIX game, and a preview of THE MATRIX comic book stories.

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS is a better DVD than THE MATRIX RELOADED. The extras raise well above the extras of THE MATRIX RELOADED DVD. However, THE MATRIX DVDS are going to be improved on with the Special editions of THE MATRIX TRILOGY being worked on with more extras. The DVD is good for a rental. Buy used if you want to own it because the Special Editions may blow this DVD and the other MATRIX DVDs out of the water.