Good-bye, Mr. Anderson
It took me the entire movie to realize what I was seeing. The hero gets up, covered in dust, wiping the blood off his mouth. The villain stands over him, sneering with contempt. This was the last time I would see Neo fight Smith. This is the ultimate showdown, the one I've been waiting for. As I watched them locked in their last kung-fu stand-off, I found myself pulling for Neo, not the Agent Smith I've always claimed to love. Here in their last moments, were two classic characters that finally came to life. Here was Agent Smith, the hate pouring from his words, and here was Neo, that same desparate look in his eyes when they first fought. Here were two classic characters making their farewell bows. And what bows they were. So come on Neo. Kick his ass.
At the end of Reloaded, we were left with a cliffhanger. An EMP had gone off, knocking out a fleet of hoverships. Agent Smith had taken control of a human inside of the real world. Neo stopped a swarm of Sentinels with his mind, and then fell into a coma. Revolutions picks up exactly where Reloaded left off. The machines are literally hours from the city. I'm not going to spoil the story for you, especially when the action is the true star.
In my mind, the movie is composed of four major action sequences. The first is a shoot-out at a sort of S&M club where its defenders fight on the ceiling. Like the sword fight in Reloaded, the skill in which it is shot is almost ballet-like. The second, and longest, sequence is the Battle for Zion. This is simply spectacular, and one of the most captivating battles in recent memory. It features the Sentinels pouring in through the top of the city, all the while these gun-machines controlled by men blast them to bits. As the battle ensues, the air becomes filled with smoke, fire and bullets. Shell casings literally rain down as the guns hammer away. During the battle, a hovership is racing towards the city, armed with a weapon that could end the battle. The third sequence is a hovership racing over the surface of the real world, as Sentinels explode all around it. The climax, of course, is Smith vs. Neo.
Even though he has limited screen time, Hugo Weaving steals the show for the third and final time. Every line he speaks just oozes with hate, making him one of the greatest villains of all-time. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are as rigid as ever, making it impossible for me to believe they're actually in love. But that doesn't matter, anymore at least. The Wachoski Bros. have abandoned their characters for action scenes and a philosophical story. The characters, save the final Smith/Neo scene, merely exist to drive the story.
I'm going to be honest, I didn't completely understand the ending. Sure, I got the basic details, but I wasn't sure what exactly had happened. This is a good action movie, and an excellent one in that, but it's not much else. It's too confusing for its own good. That said, I enjoyed this movie. The final duel between Neo and Smith is nothing short of apocalyptic, and should please any fan.