tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post6903306106045927718..comments2023-11-05T02:01:53.847-06:00Comments on Antagony & Ecstasy: MATRIXIDE, PART 2: EX MACHINATimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-64449605528506233052012-06-03T10:50:16.253-05:002012-06-03T10:50:16.253-05:00Stephen, thank you.
Like T3 i saw this years later...Stephen, thank you.<br />Like T3 i saw this years later and expecting a wretched fiasco, and it kind of is but mostly as an action movie. As a 'reflection piece', it as confusing and unpredictable enough to be entertaining at times, and your explanation shows why, bringing me a bit of peace.<br />The war sequence was simply insufferable though.Vianneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10456600888652409290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-16515525074875551982012-06-02T12:04:57.283-05:002012-06-02T12:04:57.283-05:00Alright, I'll be the one to defend these. I w...Alright, I'll be the one to defend these. I won't go into lots of details or anything, and I don't consider myself a major fan, but I honestly find the way the sequels expand on and subvert the world and ideas of The Matrix quite fascinating and entertaining.<br /><br />I don't think any of the films are especially interesting as philosophical theses--I don't think they have that much to say about the real world--but as sci-fi scenarios they are rather remarkable, and as postmodern mash-ups and meta-commentaries on the nature of stories, I think they have quite a lot going on that's interesting to think about. In a way, the first Matrix does for 1999 what Star Wars did for 1977, creating a grand popular narrative out of mashing together a bunch of different elements from various genres, stories, religious ideas, and Joseph Cambell's monomyth, only updating the various elements for 20 years later. The various philosophical ideas referenced I take to be more intriguing what-ifs than any sort of coherent worldview, and I doubt the Wachowskis would consider them the latter either. What Reloaded and Revolutions do is take that narrative and turn it on its head, suggesting the machines know all about the monomyth and how much humans cling to it throughout history, and therefore Neo is a construct of the machines as well, another form of control, engineered to give the humans a release. But then, after pulling the rug out from under us and saying it's all just a story, the Wachowskis rebuild the structure again in the final film, suggesting that stories matter more than we think they do, that myths can define who we are, and that fulfilling such myths is possible.<br /><br />The latter two films certainly have structural issues, and their CGI fight scenes have aged considerably, but when I watch the first film now I can't help but feel the world it depicts is limited. The sequels expand and build on the first in imaginative, unexpected ways, and I for one enjoy that.StephenMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588260639227694557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-61625492835120481542012-06-01T23:40:16.766-05:002012-06-01T23:40:16.766-05:00Both the Matrix and Matrix reloaded have genuinely...Both the Matrix and Matrix reloaded have genuinely interesting philosophical ideas. I wouldn't even necessarily call them half-baked. I genuinely find the climax of reloaded to be a climax, because it is a really exquisite mindfuck that plays with important and genuine philosophical problems in an interesting way. If the matrix is mostly about knowledge, reloaded is mostly about free will, and revolutions is mostly about bullshit.<br /><br />I think if you find the ideas from those first two movies boring, then sure, you'll find the movies shallow. But I find it kind of amazing that breathing thinking humans find those questions boring. For me, the problem with reloaded was how up and down it was. I did not especially like either of the big action sequences.<br /><br />But wow, is revolutions awful. No ideas, stupid Zion full of self-important ciphers they assume we care about, awful dialogue... just nothing going on.Eugenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00903952413098080954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-73795066821864815062012-05-31T22:14:29.362-05:002012-05-31T22:14:29.362-05:00Matrix 2 & 3 are hands down the most disappoin...Matrix 2 & 3 are hands down the most disappointing and wretched sequels I have ever seen, with Star Wars 1, 2 and 3 being the most disappointing prequels.<br /><br />After the second movie ended, I was left feeling frustrated at how bad it was, but there was still that little glimmer of hope that Andy & Lana would fix it and explain everything away in the third one, but nope, just a cheap cop-out that left me fucking livid and hating the WACKowskis.The.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06746957245529915320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-6816471544790318002012-05-31T20:54:43.654-05:002012-05-31T20:54:43.654-05:00"Photogenic" is about the last word I..."Photogenic" is about the last word I'd use to describe Neo and Smith's final battle. There's nothing even remotely fluid or graceful about it, especially compared to the first movie and bits of the second.Thrash Til' Deathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01741491764040608276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-75742371063247128732012-05-31T18:42:07.071-05:002012-05-31T18:42:07.071-05:00Tim, I must say, having just rewatched Revolutions...Tim, I must say, having just rewatched Revolutions in preparation for your review, you weren't nearly hard enough on it. This has some of the most hokey, cliche-addled dialogue I've ever heard in a major motion picture, or any picture really outside of MST3k offerings. I find the final moments particularly egregious. Especially the cute little girls "do you every think we'll see Neo again?" and Oracle's response, which basically boils down to "I think we will." I was expecting her to wink at the camera and a giant 'THE END?' to pop up on the screen.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04634087887519608773noreply@blogger.com