Matrix Revolutions, The (DVD)

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I was willing to give "Reloaded" the benefit of the doubt because, as I said, I enjoyed its look. But "Revolutions" adds nothing fresh to the formula. The big battle sequence, which comprises maybe half the film with its conflict between squid-like machine Sentinels and Mech-Warrior human weaponry, is glorious for about ten minutes but then seems to go on forever. Moreover, while some of the CGI is terrific (the aforementioned Sentinels especially), too much of it appears disappointingly ordinary rather than approaching anything like fantasy realism. The laser fire, for instance, seems to me no better than the laser blasts in the original "Star Wars" over a quarter of a century before.

Then, after an admittedly clever confrontation with Smith, the movie ends. Sort of. Yet it doesn't really end. As any computer user knows, what can be deleted can be undeleted. The ending leaves open the possibility of further sequels. Heaven help us.

Video:
Since "Revolutions" and "Reloaded" were filmed at about the same time, we would expect them to look pretty much alike, and they do. For film as dark as these are, the colors and definition are quite good. The dominant colors are again shades of green, so there aren't a lot of opportunities for the most natural of hues except at the very end of the movie. But the image, for what it is, comes off well, with almost no grain in the background and almost no sign of other digital artifacts. The only minor annoyances are some few moiré effects, but they seemed less in evidence this time than in "Reloaded." The screen displays a wide, 2.17:1 ratio anamorphic image that is necessary to encompass as much as is going on in the story. In all, I'd say the picture is probably about as close to the original print as one could hope for. Fans of the series may be disappointed with the plot going nowhere, but I doubt that anybody would be disappointed with the video.

Audio:
The audio is again big, sweeping, dramatic, and rewarding in its way. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sonics provide all the frequency range, bass, dynamic response, and front-channel stereo spread we're used to in a modern, special-effects laden, science-fiction epic. But like its predecessor, it's in the surround channels that the audio proves itself, with carefully placed background noises all around us, sometimes hardly noticeable except subliminally, to make the overall environment more vivid and lifelike. As with "Reloaded," I enjoyed the crowd noises, the footsteps, the breathing, the creaks and moans of the machinery, as well as the more obvious action-scene accompaniment, which is even more dominant this time around.

Extras:
We get the same sort of extras in this two-disc set that we got in "Reloaded," meaning there's a ton of material but it doesn't amount to much. Disc one contains the widescreen presentation of the film; the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles. In addition, there are thirty-three scene selections and various trailers, but there are no audio commentaries to go with the film. Maybe it's for the best. I can't imagine much of this film needs to be explained any further.

Disc two begins with its major bonus item, a twenty-seven minute documentary, "Revolutions Recalibrated," which takes us behind the scenes of this (supposedly) final chapter in the "Matrix" saga. Next, there is "CG Revolution," a fifteen-minute exploration of how they made the CGI special effects, creatures, and environments. After that is "Super Burly Brawl," a multi-angle demonstration of the final Neo-Smith showdown with three video streams: storyboards, behind-the-scenes, and the final scene all running in sync. Then, there is "Future Gamer: The Matrix Online," a look at multiplayer game created by the Wachowski Brothers; and the item I found most useful, "Before the Revolution," a timeline of the development occurring in the Matrix story among the "Matrix" trilogy, the "Animatrix," and "Enter the Matrix." Following that is "3-D Evolution," which includes concept art, storyboards, pre-visualizations, and realizations for several elements in the movie.

Finally, disc two includes a section called "Operator" that contains four items: (1) "Neo Realism: The Evolution of Bullet Time," more on special effects; (2) "Super Big Mini Models," filming the world of models and miniatures; (3) "Double Agent Smith," a look at what it took to make the final scene, including the work to replicate Hugo Weaving with body doubles, lifelike mannequins, head casts, and costumes; and (4) "Mind Over Matter: The Physicality of The Matrix," a look the dramatic stunts of The Matrix. For promotional purposes, the disc also includes Web links to the official "Matrix" Web site and "The Matrix Online" test site.

Parting Shots:
It isn't that "Matrix Revolutions" is a bad movie; it isn't. It's that "Revolutions" is a disappointing movie, given all that has come before it and all that it could have been. I suspect many "Matrix" fans like me were looking forward to some kind of smart, startling, imaginative climax, something that would make us all say, "Wow! Cool! I never expected that!" But it doesn't happen. Instead, we get a wholly prosaic, commonplace ending, with the prospect of ever more chapters in the offing.

"Matrix Revolutions" may go out with a lot of loud bangs, but when it's over it seems more like a whimper.

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