Spoiler Alert: Please read the review after seeing the movie. This review discusses the movie in thread-bare details
When finally the music stopped playing... all that was left were memories...
The Matrix Journey
The journey began with the shocker cult-movie 'The Matrix', which showed the world that we believe true... is in fact unreal. A machine generated illusion! Where as the truth is humanity has been enslaved by machines, the very tools humanity had created to serve the purpose of pleasure. The vision of humanity being used as mere batteries came as a shocker... add to that the innovative bullet-time sequences never seen before. The pioneer movie against which all future Matrix movies would be compared against.Which in my humble opinion is pointless & futile.
How much novelty could be injected into a sequel, without breaking away from the spirit & traditions of the original. That is obviously the reason that even seasoned veteran directors like Steven Spielberg & James Cameroon shy away from making sequels. Given this back-grounder Wachowski brothers have (IMHO) done a decent job with M2 & M3.
To enjoy M2/M3... watch them as movies standing on their own merits, a continuation of the saga & desist comparisons to the original & you'll like them (well... almost).
M2 - Matrix Reloaded was a continuation of the journey. It ended with another shocking revelation. What we believed as the real world... the nuclear devastated world where humans fight the machines is as unreal as the world of machine generated illusions of 21st century!! The machines & humans are made up of same 0s & 1s as the illusions. There is NO REAL WORLD!!!
Architect: When you strip away one level of false virtual reality, you find another level beneath.
This was a shock to fans still sticking on to the dogma of M1 - real v/s unreal worlds. If the so-called real world is unreal where lies the real world? If there is no real world what is the point of existence of Neo & his fight? The same question that haunts every believer of Hindu philosophy of Advaitha (Monism) or Buddhist philosophy of Mayavada (Illusionism).
M3 - Saga Continues...
Neo wakes up in the Middle-world that lies between the Zion/Machine world & the world of Machine induced illusions. The world of inaction in which a human finds himself after having realized the Truth. The world of desolation... The World of Frenchman Merovingian ( Maya?)... where 'Everything that begins must end' (so what's the point of existence?!) The state of limbo/in-action.
The force that pulls back Neo into the Machine/Zion world is Trinity (Love)... The same force that prevented the Destruction of the World ( return of Neo to the source). The same force which makes Neo ready to enter the 'Machine City' (heart of Machine World) alone!!
Faith & belief are the only weapons of the humans against the onslaught of countless marauding sentinels (octopus shaped war machines) about to turn Zion into rubble. The matching of in-elegant human war machinery against the sophisticated Sentinel army.
Neo gets blinded by Human-Smith (detachment of human senses)... leaving him with only the inner-eye to fight the war. The only guiding factors being Belief of Oracle/Niobe, The Love of Trinity & most importantly the human-choice of Neo.
So what triumphs in the end... the Love, Faith, Belief, Human Choice... the plethora of human emotions... or the balancing of action/reaction... the equations... the inaction?
Highs of the Sequel
Like M2... M3 is a celebration of human spirit. Faith/Belief - Morpheus/Oracle, Love -Trinity/Neo & human-choice - Neo fight & triumph against the greatest odds the likes of Architect, Merovingian & all-mighty Smith.... which define the future.
What is after all the future? The consequence of the collection of choices we make today. There is a Future... because we believe there is a better future. Otherwise this world would come to an end.
Fantastic SFX of M3 has yet again raised the bar on Special effects, which would be hard task for the upcoming Sci-Fi movies to match & exceed.
# Niobe's entry into the Zion Port through Mechanical line
# Epic Man V/s Machine fight in Zion Port
# Man meets the Maker (Architect) scene with Octopi forming a Human face
# Neo's Entry into 'Machine City'
# Climactic battle between Neo & Smith. Neo's pounding of shocked & shaken (but not stirred!) Smith
Lows of the Sequel
Like in M2... too much Melodrama slackens the pace of the movie. The audiences in the theatre were laughing when they should be feeling sorry! The scenes were being compared to soap opera.
I presume this probably has to do with Watchowski brothers probably having a background in Russian or European theatre, or their attempts to picturise 'Matrix' as a Greek Tragedy!
The floating rumours (even before it was released) that M3 deals with 'Death' takes away most of the surprise element as you get to see what you expected to see... instead of being shocked by yet another 'relevation'. Broad hints to the ending keep getting dropped by every Character you know...
Morpheus: Neo will fight till his last breath...
Oracle: You were not ready to die... (on his entry into state of limbo)
So don't blame me for being the lone spoiler
Questions Answered/Unanswered
The doubts raised by M2 about Oracle & Architect working at cross-purposes stands vindicated. The in-fallible Architect finally does make a bargain with Neo. The message being 'THERE IS NO FATE' ( Did I remind you of T2?). Human-choice moves the world forward...
Neo finally makes his final choice. The choice of sacrifice for the sake of Love (to humanity, human emotions) which brings an end to his nemesis... whose sole purpose of existence was to counter-balance & eliminate Neo. In making this choice Neo brings peace to both man & machine worlds ( A Messiah?!)
Seraph:(to Oracle) Did you know... it would end like this?
Oracle: I Believed.
Those waiting for the revelation of THE REAL WORLD - will no doubt be disappointed. But isn't that what Eastern Philosophies teach? Everything is a myth...Jagan Mithya, Brahma Sathya (The world is unreal, only the God/Source is real).
The people expecting an all-knowing, all-powerful THE ONE will be disappointed. Neo doesn't become great because of what he is or what he knows... but what choice he finally makes... that makes him THE ONE
Morpheus (to Niobe): I thought... you didn't believe in THE ONE?
Niobe: I still don't. But I believe in him (Neo as a human being)
The End?
I doubt it, that this would be the end of Matrix saga. Don't be surprised if you read after a year or two that Wachowski brothers would be making 'Matrix Resurrections'. The hints are there...
Sati: (to Oracle) Do you think he will return?
Oracle: May be one day he will
Architect: (to Oracle): You are playing a dangerous game. This peace between man & machine... do you think it will last?
If they decide to make it... it is their choice. I am no Oracle, but I believe
... And then it started playing again!
