After the surprisingly massive success of the Wachowskis’ unique sci-fi actioner The Matrix, Warner Bros. gave the directing duo the opportunity to complete the trilogy with back-to-back sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Unfortunately, these sequels failed to live up to their groundbreaking predecessor. They didn’t set the zeitgeist on fire like the first one and they didn’t continue or conclude Neo’s story in a satisfying way.

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But while the sequels pale in comparison to the original Matrix movie, they’re not out-and-out disasters of the cinematic form. There are a few glimmers of greatness in both Reloaded and Revolutions.

Right: The Wachowskis’ Vision

Keanu Reeves stops bullets midair in The Matrix Reloaded

There’s merit in seeing any directorial vision getting realized on the big screen if that vision is singular and creative. The vision seen in The Matrix carried through to the sequels as the Wachowskis remained true to their story.

They didn’t let pressures from the fanbase change how they were going to shape their movies; they simply told the story they set out to tell, and there’s something artistically rewarding about that.

Wrong: Neo’s Coma In Revolutions

Neo and Trinity in The Matrix Revolutions

Neo is the hero of The Matrix franchise. As the fabled “The One,” Neo is the Matrix-verse’s answer to Luke Skywalker or Katniss Everdeen. That’s why it’s so disappointing when, right after displaying his incredible ability to shut down the machines with his mind at the end of Reloaded, he slips into a coma that lasts for most of Revolutions.

As the machines threaten to wipe out the world and the trilogy builds to its action-packed finale, Neo is lying completely still with his eyes closed. Batman’s broken back in The Dark Knight Rises was effective where Neo’s coma was ineffective.

Right: Reloaded’s Cliffhanger Ending

Neo in The Matrix Reloaded

The cliffhanger ending of The Matrix Reloaded was criticized in many reviews when the movie was released, which makes sense, because “To be continued...” endings can feel like frustrating copouts. But Revolutions was just six months away and the ending of Reloaded is a tantalizing teaser for the next chapter of the story.

Cliffhanger endings can be extremely effective in back-to-back movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame or Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2, and The Matrix Reloaded exemplifies this.

Wrong: Ridiculous Amounts Of Exposition

The Architect in The Matrix Reloaded

A huge chunk of the dialogue in The Matrix sequels is dedicated to pure, unadulterated exposition — the kind of exposition where characters explain MacGuffins and backstories in long, perfectly prepared paragraphs that might as well be delivered directly to the camera.

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In the first Matrix movie, the exposition was conveyed masterfully through actions, or clueless Neo asking valid questions to hardened Matrix veterans. The first Matrix film is a prime example of exposition done right, while the second and third are prime examples of exposition done wrong.

Right: Expanding The Worldbuilding

Zion in The Matrix Reloaded

The first Matrix movie has some of the most fascinating and well-crafted worldbuilding of any original sci-fi blockbuster. Kudos to the sequels for expanding that worldbuilding.

The sequels introduced fans to all-new facets of this curious universe, like the city of Zion, in order to keep things fresh and prevent the follow-ups from rehashing the original.

Wrong: Lots Of Bad CGI

Neo fights dozens of Agents Smith in The Matrix Reloaded

There’s a ton of terrible, primitive, early-days CGI in the Matrix sequels. Just like George Lucas with the Star Wars prequels, the Wachowskis got carried away with all the brand-new CGI technology that was being pioneered at the time and crammed as many computer-generated effects as possible into their movies.

A few sequences stand out more egregiously than others. Neo’s fight with all the Agent Smith clones in The Matrix Reloaded looks like gameplay from a PS2 game.

Right: The Freeway Chase In Reloaded

The freeway chase in The Matrix Reloaded

While the overuse of CGI ruins a lot of the action scenes in The Matrix sequels, the freeway chase in The Matrix Reloaded is their diamond in the rough. The Wachowskis spent $2.5 million of Warner Bros.’ money building a freeway from scratch on an old naval base in California.

This sequence is one of the most riveting set pieces in all of blockbuster cinema. The stakes are established from the beginning and the Wachowskis brilliantly build suspense.

Wrong: Neo And Agent Smith’s Final Fight

Neo battles Agent Smith in the rain in The Matrix Revolutions

The final fight between Neo and Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions is a shameful letdown. Three movies built up an intense rivalry between these two characters that left the whole universe hanging in the balance.

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But tragically, the final showdown between the iconic hero and villain is just a lame smash-'em-up with no connection to the duo’s prior relationship.

Right: Giving The Story A Definitive Conclusion

The ending of The Matrix Revolutions

Although The Matrix saga is being reopened for a fourth installment that could either be a return to form or an unmitigated disaster, The Matrix Revolutions did provide fans with a conclusive ending to the story.

While the Star Wars saga might be better off without the sequel trilogy, The Matrix sequels do give fans of the franchise closure on the story that began with the Wachowskis’ original masterpiece.

Wrong: Anticlimactic Ending

Deus Ex Machina in The Matrix Revolutions

Every trilogy needs an epic conclusion because it has to pay off three whole movies instead of just one. From Revenge of the Sith to The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapters of trilogies tend to go bigger and bolder than ever before to make the eight-hour build-up worth it.

Unfortunately, the finale of The Matrix Revolutions is disappointingly anticlimactic. Throughout the movie, both the Matrix and the real world are at stake. But it all gets resolved when Neo cuts a deal with the leader of the machines, who’s literally called “Deus Ex Machina.”

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