Welcome, my dear readers, to CraveOnline‘s Trolling, the series devoted to the contrarian in all of us. We gather to dismantle the vaunted, and praise the loathed. This week, we shall be looking at a curious phenomenon in sci-fi history, the 2003 release of the two sequels to The Matrix.
When The Matrix hit theaters in 1999, it unexpectedly rattled genre cinema out of its complacency, instantly creating a massive swarm of loyal cultists. The film wasn’t expected to be the enormous hit that it was, and writer/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski quickly became household names. It wasn’t long before the newly formed gaggle of fans started demanding a sequel, and the Wachowskis were equal to the task. They revealed plans to make what was essentially a single giant mega-sequel to The Matrix, to be released as two movies, both over the course of 2003.
Check Out: Trolling: The Big Lebowski SUCKS!
When The Matrix Reloaded was released on 15th May, fans initially seems pleased. They praised the film’s action, and were happy to have their favorite characters back in action again, fighting an evil computer intelligence that had imprisoned humanity within a computer simulation. And the cliffhanger ending only whetted appetites for more. When The Matrix Revolutions was released on 5th November, fans flocked to see it, but it seemed as if the bloom was off the rose. Reaction was not as passionate, and critics response had taken a severe dive (Reloaded scales at 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Revolutions came in at a paltry 36%. Since then, fans have turned their backs on the movies, rejecting them openly as overblown and terrible follow-ups. These days, it takes a brave soul to step forward and defend the Matrix sequels.
Which is what we’re here to do, gentle readers. Here at Trolling, we stand in front of the encroaching tanks, blocking them from steamrolling over the unpopular. Strap in and do some reconsideration, my friends. Because the Matrix sequels do not suck. Indeed, the Matrix sequels RULE! Let’s run down why this is true.
Are the films too long? Yes they are. Are the convoluted? Absolutely. Indeed, the Matrix sequels are so complex and bizarre, you may find yourself lost in the forest of bonkers ideas and bizarre new notions (the orgasm-by-digital-cake sequence would be out-of-place in any movie). But all of the top-heavy, overblown stuff in the Matrix sequels seems to have a function, a purpose, and are certainly part of a larger tapestry of large-scale storytelling. They are fine, fine movies.
Until next week, let the hate mail flow.
Witney Seibold is the head film critic for Nerdist, and a contributor on the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly Trolling articles here on Crave, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
8 Reasons Why The Matrix Sequels RULE!
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The Action is Awesome
Something these films do not skimp on is the action, and the Wachowskis have only made their fluidic and dream-like superpowered in-computer battles more impressive and complex in the Matrix sequels. The famous freeway sequence (which required the construction of an actual length of freeway) is as impressive as you've heard, and the filmmakers have taken a look at their universe and found new ways of bending the rules within it. They have made some amazing fights and chases unlike anything you've seen before or since, really. This is not nothing.
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The Special Effects Are Even Better
When these films came out, CGI was still growing into the central force of all special effects. Sure, The Matrix and The Phantom Menace pushed the envelope, but it wasn't until The Matrix Reloaded that audiences began to realize that there were, perhaps, no longer any visuals that filmmakers could not create. Watch these films again, and you'll begin to re-appreciate the realism, the heft, and the wonderfully rich aesthetic that they set forth. These films really knocked some doors down technologically.
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There Are Stakes
You know an unfortunate thing about most action blockbusters? They're too safe. Since so many films are contingent on continuing franchises (especially in recent years), nothing too dramatic can happen. No one can die, most obviously. In the Matrix sequels, the Wachowskis know that things are going to wrap up over the course of the two films, and have the moxie to actually, y'know, put characters at risk. Some characters are horribly injured, and some even die. If something is destroyed, it stays destroyed. In a multimillion dollar blockbuster, you don't know how things are going to end up, or even if the heroes are going to be okay. How daring and refreshing that is.
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It Pushes Things to an Extreme
And not only do they lend some actual stakes to the proceedings, the Matrix sequels are also free to take things to their logical extreme. In The Matrix Reloaded, the thuggish in-computer villain, Agent Smith, finds he can duplicate himself by taking over human bodies. Wouldn't the logical end of this be that Smith take over the world by infecting all humans? Well, yes. And y'know what? That's what happens. Wouldn't the machine army eventually find where the humans were hiding? Sure they would. And that what happens. It allows itself to go the the logical end of all its own premises, not backing down for a second merely for plot convenience.
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They Expand the Universe
The Matrix titillated us with a few glimpses of the human society outside of the computer world, but it didn't have the time to explore future human society at large. The sequels take us to Zion, and show us how humans would live in a private enclave of tech-free freedom. They explore the technicals of travel, of socialization, and of communication in the underground. And here's the real kicker: They do so without losing any of the luster or the mystery of the original. The explanation is not dry, dull, or dismissive. It's an actual explanation of our questions. And the answers are awesome.
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They Reveal Diversity
I'm certainly not the first critic to note this, but it is still significant. The Matrix movies are, underneath their stories, about diversity. Just looking at the cast will reveal that. While the central character is a white man, the bulk of the supporting cast is black, Asian, or Indian. There are also numerous interesting and powerful females. This is not a movie about the heroism of the white man (too common an element of large-scale Hollywood films), but about the strength that comes from a rich tapestry of humanity. Humans are not just one race. We are all races, united against our computerized overlords. That's cool.
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They Tug at Big Questions
I like my sci-fi to have something of a philosophical edge, and the Matrix sequels are chock full of interesting questions, mostly about free will. The first film asked a fun existential question (implied by Descartes) about whether or not you are being deceived by your senses by a deceptive intelligence. The second one was about subverting the deceptive intelligence, but eventually revealed that the intelligence may have planned the subversion as part of the natural order. How free are these people, and how much are they being fooled? And, in a society where our tech is playing an ever-increasing role in our lives, maybe we should being to ask how much control we really have. Are we really free? This is meaty, smart, well thought-out stuff.
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They're Rich in Theological Symbolism
The Wachowskis have a theological bent to their better movies (Cloud Atlas especially) and the Matrix sequels are awash in God imagery. Need I point out the priest-like robes that Neo is dressed in, or the abundant Christ-like symbolism of his Messiah status? How about Neo's ultimate sacrifice – his ascension – wherein he bonds with all of human consciousness? Some futurists and prognosticators have posited that the ultimate goal of technology is to make humanity more like gods. Sci-fi films that bother to address this already have a leg up. If they do so in a gigantic action spectacular, then they've achieved something special. And if Christianity isn't your bag, there is Buddhism and Hindu symbolism mixed in as well. Coexist.
