»This is WHY Revolutions was disappointing«

For the past couple of years, since The Matrix had me enveloped in its considerably strong grasp, I have been wondering how it was possible that two of the greatest films that I had ever seen could be followed by such a letdown of a cinematic experience. The Matrix Revolutions did not feel like the other two at all. Somehow, I (and many Matrix fans - and fanatics) felt disappointed.

Perhaps this was the W Bros. plan all along - to simply ask the questions and not answer them. To open the door to discussion and to "free minds". I can most definitely admire that. But, there was also a feeling that the solution was there, somehow, it really was there "like a splinter in my mind".

The problem was stumbled upon just before I graduated from art school while studying screenwriting and intensely reading the works of Joseph Campbell. The problem with the last film in the Matrix Trilogy was that in splitting up Reloaded and Revolutions, M3 simply did not follow classic mythological story structure. This would not have been that big a deal - except that M1 and (most of) M2 followed it VERY STRONGLY. The "Hero's Journey" was completely adhered to - from Meeting the Mentor to Death and Resurrection to The Supreme Ordeal and finally Returning with the Elixir. In addtion to its supreme innovation in visual method of storytelling, one of the strengths of The Matrix is that it did in fact rely so heavily on the timeless nature of classic mythical story.

Yet, the solution was there, and it is this - The Architect firmly BELONGS in Revolutions. In the beginning. In fact, the entire "Power Plant" sequence would have served as the perfect starting point to Revolutions. You see, for almost the whole of two films, we had been led to either believe or disbelieve the central "Prime Mover" of the Matrix Saga - which was of course "The Prophecy". Right or wrong, this was the end of the road.

For it to come near the end of the second film ended the adventure that had been set up so brilliantly. When Neo meets the Architect, THAT is the end, THAT is the "answer" to THE question that DROVE THE ENTIRE MYTHOS of The Matrix universe, which of course was "What is the Matrix?" Neo reaches the door "made of light"to the source. The "blinding light of truth" to put it in Platonic terms.

So then, everything that follows seems unnecessary, forced, made up, or unnatural - or all of the above.

To that point, everything HAD seemed so very necessary, from a purely "storytelling" perspective. It would have been far better to end M2 after Neo saves Morpheus and the Keymaster (concluding the would-be climactic 'freeway sequence'), followed by the scene of Cmmder. Lock in the Real World seeing the approaching machines. We see them digging, then the wide shot of the MASSIVE hordes of squiddies and CUT TO BLACK - Cue "Calm Like a Bomb" by RATM. This is saying "It's not over", and "The Machines are still coming". So then, M3 opens with the best coordinated attack involving the most characters yet (The Power Plant sequence), and then The Architect scene happens. We feel blown away - as much as Morpheus blew our minds in M1, and the Merovingian blew our minds in M2, The Architect takes the cake in the M3. Everything that then follows would have been just icing on the cake and complimentary to what the audience experienced between The Architect and Neo.

Besides, didn't most fans feel like the first time you saw M2, that it went on a bit longer than it should have? Between Smith's return, Merv's philosophies about "the only true nature to the universe", and everything that was heard by the Oracle (and Seraph) there was already more than enough to chew on.

The Architect sequence, without a doubt, belonged in M3. It would have given it finality, heightened the stakes, and framed the final conflicts between The Machines/Zion and Neo/Smith. It would have given M3 legs to stand on, and not caused the audience and core fan base to feel "cheated". We expected something big, but it had already happened in Reloaded - The "Neo meets the Maker of the Matrix" scene. THIS was Dorothy meeting The Wizard, THIS was Alice confronting the Queen of Hearts. As it stands, M3 felt empty, the ending already explained in M2, and we are not grounded in anything when the final conflicts commence.

Revolutions fit the Joseph Campbell mold of hero myth pretty darn well. Our hero starts the adventure far from his homeland. We and he have little idea of how he has wound up where he is. He is freed from this state, and must return to his homeland over a long and difficult journey filled with peril. When he arrives he finds that though he is the rightful king, another (usually father or brother) is ruling in his place and will not give up the thrown. The hero challenges this false king, and in the process of fighting him is killed. But in death he somehow wins and is resurrected. He then lives out an immortal life and reclaims his rightful place as ruler of his land.

That sounds exactly like Revolutions to me.

:reads ghost22's post and claps, wildly:

thats pretty much how i've felt about the Reloaded/Revolutions situation... but you put it into words, perfectly

Have any of you read much science fiction?

CaptPostMod wrote:

Revolutions fit the Joseph Campbell mold of hero myth pretty darn well. Our hero starts the adventure far from his homeland. We and he have little idea of how he has wound up where he is. He is freed from this state, and must return to his homeland over a long and difficult journey filled with peril. When he arrives he finds that though he is the rightful king, another (usually father or brother) is ruling in his place and will not give up the thrown. The hero challenges this false king, and in the process of fighting him is killed. But in death he somehow wins and is resurrected. He then lives out an immortal life and reclaims his rightful place as ruler of his land. That sounds exactly like Revolutions to me.

The fact that the "hero starts far from his homeland" is already straying from a classic archetype of hero's journey. The first step (or start) is "The Ordinary World" before the refusal of the Call to Adventure. This is followed by the meeting of the Mentor.

To start "far from his homeland" already is straying from the structure that had been set into place since the first film.

Look at M1: Thomas Anderson starts in what appears to be the literal "Ordinary World". It is, unquestionably, at least his ordinary world. Then, he is asked to go to the rave. He refuses. The "Refusal of the Call" to adventure. But Morpheus is already affecting him (via the white rabbit allegory), and he goes. Once there, he meets the "Mentor", which takes the shape of Trinity, however it has truly been Morpheus all along. Trinity is an extension of Morpheus. Later, aboard the ship and in the "real world", Neo moves into the "Tests, Allies, and Enemies" phase....Trinity, Apoch, Switch, Mouse, Tank, Cypher, Agents, Machines, etc....the story follows CLASSIC hero mythology until the very end of the film.

Now, M2: Begins after a dream, finding Neo in his NEW "ordinary world", which is now the real world. We get to spend some time here, which helps ground the story. Neo feels called to "do" something, but is not sure what. This self-doubt is a form of the REFUSAL to the call to adventure. This is evident until the MENTOR figure takes two forms: first, Counselor Hammond, then, the Oracle. Hammond's musings on "What is control?" and the duality of man/machine truly is significant to the meaning of the overall story itself. The Oracle finishes it off, giving Neo his clear directives....to a point. Neo himself will have to function independent of directive, mentor, or guidance when that time comes. We have a NEW set of Tests, Allies, and Enemies now: Seraph, Merovingian, Persephone, The Keymaker, etc...

NOW, let's look at M3, and how it COULD have gone:

Imagine M2 ended with the rescue of Morpheus and the Keymaker, after the rigs collided. M3 would open INSIDE the Matrix, with the Keymaker, Morpheus, Neo, Trinity, and the crew inside, plotting their final push. THIS would again be "The Ordinary World"....we are familiar with this group, and it grounds the story in a place to launch from. It heightens the purpose of M2, because we see now that the Keymaster was definitely important. We remain in the "Ordinary World" stage until Neo meets the Architect, serving the architype of a HERALD, or foreshadowing things to come. He makes the choice that Neo "should" make quite obvious. But Neo refuses, the REFUSAL of the call. This lasts until Neo meets Sati and her family, who collectively, (and ironically, as they are programs...what Neo believed he was fighting against all along) are the MENTORS for this final installment. We are treated to a variety of Tests, Allies and Enemies: Sati, The Trainman, Merovingian (again), etc.

But this is all wasted...because as you stated, our Hero STARTS far from home...already. It felt uneven. This is not just "opinion", it's structurally unbalanced. Perhaps that's what they wanted, I don't know. The only solace I can take is to imagine M1 as a stand alone piece, and M2 and 3 as simply one BIG movie separated as simply two volumes.

I have to say that i was also dissapointed with revolutions. Compared to matrix 1 and reloaded, it did not really HIT us with this controversial ground-breaking revelation. I mean, look at this:

MATRIX 1: The world we live in is a virtual reality created by machines who have enslaved us in the real world and are keeping us in pods that connect to this virtual reality.
EESH.


MATRIX 2: The One was not meant to free humans and lead them out of the enslavement of the machines. The One was created by the machines as a source of hope that the humans crave. It was all one big system of control created by the machines.

MATRIX 3: Neo is killed by Smith....and Neo can still see while he is blind.

You see, revolutions did not have that huge revelation to leave all of us gob-smacked. Referring to what ghost said, matrix 1 does follow the classic mythological story. But i however do not agree that reloaded follows this trend. After the architect meeting, reloaded completely does away with the classic hero story of this great messiah coming to save the day with his powers.
I do not think that revolutions really had the same spice and guile that the other two had. reloaded expanded on matrix 1 in an extraordinary fashion never before seen in a follow-up film. But revolutions did not go deep enough and did not really answer the all importan question: 'What is real?'

ghost22 wrote:

The fact that the "hero starts far from his homeland" is already straying from a classic archetype of hero's journey. The first step (or start) is "The Ordinary World" before the refusal of the Call to Adventure. This is followed by the meeting of the Mentor. To start "far from his homeland" already is straying from the structure that had been set into place since the first film.

Actually, the "Ordinary World" in the Campbellian hero myth structure is often far from the hero's homeland. The entire Mobil Ave sequence is itself a little hero myth. Neo wakes up in an ordinary train station. A mentor appears and guides him (Rama Kandra). Neo is left for dead. But he is miracoulosly resurrected and overcomes his obstacles.

Personally, I wouldn't consider Revolutions and Reloaded as two separate myths anyway. Those two films (to me) seem as one myth. The Campbellian structure fits better if you apply across both. Watch them back to back sometime and you might like Revolutions a little better.

quote]

Actually, the "Ordinary World" in the Campbellian hero myth structure is often far from the hero's homeland. [/quote]

I can't think of when this is the case...please provide an example if one comes to mind.

To my understanding, the function of The Ordinary World is one of grounding, as I had stated, a sort of "launching point" to differentiate from the "Special World" that the hero will encounter that will challenge and test the resolve and character of the Hero. It does not need to be "home" necessarily, but a familiar or "home-like" state of mind. When Neo began in state of metaphorical "labyrinth", or mystery, it strays from traditional hero myth structure.

But, of course, I DO enjoy it much, much more when Revolution is viewed alongside Reloaded.

ghost22 wrote:

I can't think of when this is the case...please provide an example if one comes to mind.

Just quickly off the top of my head: Perzival, Oedipus, Odysseus, Achilles...

Achilles was disguised at a young age, and grew up in an "adopted" home. This was nevertheless his "home", whether it was his birthplace or not.

Before the adventures truly began, stories adhering to classic mythical hero structure will root in an "ordinary world" and NOT in the labyrinth, the unknown, the mystery. It is not structurally as sound as beginning in the ordinary world, because the reference is absent.

The examples you cited all follow this. Revolutions does not.

ghost22 wrote:

Achilles was disguised at a young age, and grew up in an "adopted" home. This was nevertheless his "home", whether it was his birthplace or not.

That's actually true of every single one of those heroes except Odysseus.

ghost22 wrote:

Before the adventures truly began, stories adhering to classic mythical hero structure will root in an "ordinary world" and NOT in the labyrinth, the unknown, the mystery.

That's your opinion, but certainly not Campbell's. Campbell's hero is always so deep in the mystery or labyrinth in the beginning that he is unaware that there is a mystery or labyrinth to be in. The Campbellian hero myth is about a journey a quest to reclaim one's rightful kingship.

And yes, Revolutions starts just like this, and the journey is more manifestly physical than in any of the other films. Neo actually gets in a ship to fly to where his crown will be claimed.

It also bears mentioning that Campbell himself postulated something around 30 steps along the path of the hero, and warned that not every hero would make every step.

ghost22 wrote:

For the past couple of years, since The Matrix had me enveloped in its considerably strong grasp, I have been wondering how it was possible that two of the greatest films that I had ever seen could be followed by such a letdown of a cinematic experience. The Matrix Revolutions did not feel like the other two at all. Somehow, I (and many Matrix fans - and fanatics) felt disappointed. Perhaps this was the W Bros. plan all along - to simply ask the questions and not answer them. To open the door to discussion and to "free minds". I can most definitely admire that. But, there was also a feeling that the solution was there, somehow, it really was there "like a splinter in my mind". The problem was stumbled upon just before I graduated from art school while studying screenwriting and intensely reading the works of Joseph Campbell. The problem with the last film in the Matrix Trilogy was that in splitting up Reloaded and Revolutions, M3 simply did not follow classic mythological story structure. This would not have been that big a deal - except that M1 and (most of) M2 followed it VERY STRONGLY. The "Hero's Journey" was completely adhered to - from Meeting the Mentor to Death and Resurrection to The Supreme Ordeal and finally Returning with the Elixir. In addtion to its supreme innovation in visual method of storytelling, one of the strengths of The Matrix is that it did in fact rely so heavily on the timeless nature of classic mythical story. Yet, the solution was there, and it is this - The Architect firmly BELONGS in Revolutions. In the beginning. In fact, the entire "Power Plant" sequence would have served as the perfect starting point to Revolutions. You see, for almost the whole of two films, we had been led to either believe or disbelieve the central "Prime Mover" of the Matrix Saga - which was of course "The Prophecy". Right or wrong, this was the end of the road. For it to come near the end of the second film ended the adventure that had been set up so brilliantly. When Neo meets the Architect, THAT is the end, THAT is the "answer" to THE question that DROVE THE ENTIRE MYTHOS of The Matrix universe, which of course was "What is the Matrix?" Neo reaches the door "made of light"to the source. The "blinding light of truth" to put it in Platonic terms. So then, everything that follows seems unnecessary, forced, made up, or unnatural - or all of the above. To that point, everything HAD seemed so very necessary, from a purely "storytelling" perspective. It would have been far better to end M2 after Neo saves Morpheus and the Keymaster (concluding the would-be climactic 'freeway sequence'), followed by the scene of Cmmder. Lock in the Real World seeing the approaching machines. We see them digging, then the wide shot of the MASSIVE hordes of squiddies and CUT TO BLACK - Cue "Calm Like a Bomb" by RATM. This is saying "It's not over", and "The Machines are still coming". So then, M3 opens with the best coordinated attack involving the most characters yet (The Power Plant sequence), and then The Architect scene happens. We feel blown away - as much as Morpheus blew our minds in M1, and the Merovingian blew our minds in M2, The Architect takes the cake in the M3. Everything that then follows would have been just icing on the cake and complimentary to what the audience experienced between The Architect and Neo. Besides, didn't most fans feel like the first time you saw M2, that it went on a bit longer than it should have? Between Smith's return, Merv's philosophies about "the only true nature to the universe", and everything that was heard by the Oracle (and Seraph) there was already more than enough to chew on. The Architect sequence, without a doubt, belonged in M3. It would have given it finality, heightened the stakes, and framed the final conflicts between The Machines/Zion and Neo/Smith. It would have given M3 legs to stand on, and not caused the audience and core fan base to feel "cheated". We expected something big, but it had already happened in Reloaded - The "Neo meets the Maker of the Matrix" scene. THIS was Dorothy meeting The Wizard, THIS was Alice confronting the Queen of Hearts. As it stands, M3 felt empty, the ending already explained in M2, and we are not grounded in anything when the final conflicts commence.

Maybe some stuff wasn't mean't to be explained. They say "the best way to figure something out is to figure it out yourself." I think the peek of Revolutions should be none other than Neo and Smith. Everything is said(Although some Questions weren't answered) and the only thing left is the Final Battle that will judge the fate of not only mandkind but machinekind as well. It might as well be the battle of exsistince. So much rides on Neo's shoulders and seeing how the trilogy dosen't follow the same old hero saves the day theme,( Neo chose the left door instead of chosing the right and loosing his most loved) anything can happen. Not to mention Smith had the Oracles eyes. But I must admit, I really wish they would have gave a straight answer if Neo would return or not. The movie played out pretty damn good with little flaws in my opinion.

Reloaded and Revolutions were really meant to be just one film.
But then they didn't want to have an n-hpur long feature so they cut it haphazardly. They tried to make up for it by releasing revolutions immediately after reloaded. Revolutions was meant to be seen with reloaded still fresh in your mind.
But they're just sitcoms compared to the first movie, which only started to get real funny when superman was spoofed in the end.