ETH Ultimatium #1 - Matrix

[ElfTheHunter]

Ok, I am making another poll and my first venture into Film Reviews. I decided to review all three Matrixes, but since we all know reviews are merely an individual's opinion, I decided the poll would be a way to gain your opinion. Once there's 10 votes, I'll collect a Community Rating by average. Then again after the next 10 votes and so on. If you want to rate the other two movies, feel free.

The Matrxi Revolutions

-= Community Rating - [6.2] =-

Anyway, let me explain my rating rules:

Watch Ability - How much fun was it? Can you watch it again? Will it still be cool?

Genre Quality - If it's an action movie, how good was the action?

Originality - Is it just the same things or is it a cool new not-tried before idea?

Acting - How is the acting, the human driven aspect? Not just Actors, but the very characters as well.

Plot/Story - Is the story good, twists or consisntency?

Very well, those are the catagories I finally decided on. The rating itself is 1-10 for each catagory, then I averaged the final score. Keep in mind that all the following are my opinions alone.

The Matrix

Written and Directed by the Wachowski Brothers

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving

Watch Ability – 9

The Matrix is extremely fun to watch. I know very few people who have seen it and did not want to see it again. It is not the most enjoyable movie in the world, for, it is deep and not a ‘light’ movie even though it feels so at first glance. This was extremely tough for me; I wanted to score it a 10 but just couldn’t.

Genre Quality – 10

The Matrix is a multi-genre film. It could be classified most easily as Action, and it exceeds in that area above almost all others. It can be classified as Drama, and it fairs well there too, though not as much. I have decided that I will simply qualify it as Sci-Fi and there it exceeds beyond any expectation. The idea is unique and represented better than in any other of its kind. As a Sci-Fi Action movie, The Matrix gets a 10 without a doubt.

Originality – 10

Sure, the idea was not original. But no movie to date has represented the idea in a more amazing and intriguing way. It can not be doubted, what the Wachowski brothers did was a peace of popular and intellectual genius. This category gets a 10, again without a doubt.

Acting – 9

This was hard to decide, but this category does not just mean the individual acting of the actors but the overall actor driven performances which the movie and it’s situation allow the actor to give and I must say, that while it stands above average it just cannot receive a perfect 10, but there is no question this category is of high quality and to most, even to me, it performs smoothly and in the most amazing ways. It gets a 9 with the wish of a 10.

Plot/Story – 10

This is perhaps one of the strongest aspects of The Matrix. The story is so complex and brilliantly told that it captivates and satisfies you upon the first viewing, yet it still amazes and draws you in on following viewings. The Matrix is one of the few films that has enough story in its plot to still show you things after the first viewing. This is rare, and much appreciated and deserves a 10!

Overall – 9.6

Some may think I was too harsh, and they may be right. It has been out for 4 years, and to still (without a fresh viewing) get this score from me is an accomplishment few can boats about, The Matrix can and does. This is not a good movie, it’s a great one. Actually, it’s one of the Greatest!

The Matrix Reloaded

Written and Directed by the Wachowski Brothers

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving

Watch Ability – 10

This movie excels in this area above The Matrix. The movie had more coolness to it than most, even most of the greatest. I think this is a very possible contender (in my books) for the most re-watch able movie ever. Great job, deserves a 10!

Genre Quality – 9

This is hard, it definitely is one of the best Action movies of all time. But it pays almost too much attention to Action and slightly less to Sci-Fi and other areas. True, it does not fail those areas, but it does not exceed. Again, I hate giving this category a 9 but I just don’t think it can carry a 10.

Originality – 8

This, to me, is no question. The Matrix Reloaded gave the public what they wanted at the time, more of the Matrix, but even though I think that helped the movie, I won’t bend the rules. It lacked the originality and unique feeling of the first, and I can’t give it anything above 8.

Acting – 9

This, again, offers great acting on part of the actors, but the characters feel bland. They carry less human emotion than I would like, to benefit the movie or not is not my concern. But it does give the actors more chance to perform even if it gives the characters less to perform with. This is a hard area to judge, the movie gives acting a great potential but also limits it with constricted characters. It serves the movie, but there’s room for improvement.

Plot/Story – 10

Again, while at first it feels less capable than The Matrix, it allows you to find new things in the story with each viewing. This is hard to judge, especially because it is not confined to one story. But by itself, the plot stands strong, consistent and the story runs deep enough to please most. But it is dense and hard to understand, but the very fact that it remains so long in your mind as it did in mine, deserves nothing less than a 10.

Overall – 9.2

The movie is very good, among the greatest, but only after lengthy consideration. So, as a film, it has potential but does not fully use it. But none-the-less, it gives the viewer what he wants but does not give much extra.

The Matrix Revolutions

Written and Directed by the Wachowski Brothers

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving

Watch Ability – 9

This movie, is without a doubt (in my mind) a great movie, it’s fun and really cool, but extremely heavy and not an easy load to watch multiple times. Of course, I have not yet had the chance to see it again so much of this category is speculation. But I do not think it will be as amazing the second time I see. Though I give thumbs up to the Zion battle. I give it a 9.

Genre Quality – 8

A weird jumble of romance, inspiration, emotion, action and despair all bundled in a nice Sci-Fi wrapper. It takes good, but does not settle down easy. This movie is one of the few that has left me feeling like I just left a roller-coaster. It satisfies, though during parts fails. I give it a 8.

Originality – 10

Well, the Wachowski brothers have managed to poke at the limits again. While the success of this new unique way may be debatable, it cannot be denied that there is a big change between this movie and the other two. I think it deserves a 10 with some minor suspicion.

Acting – 9

This time, Revolutions allow the characters more expressive performances but the effect is not as good. Indeed, it feels like the characters were meant to be constraint, and now that they are not it feels too weird to stick. At times, the characters seem really out of place, as if the door was opened too much. I think it still deserves a 9, though it does less well than the other two movies.

Plot/Story – 10

This is a weird part of the movie, the story is definitely intriguing. Things make some sense, but not enough for a single viewing to be enough. There are definitely secrets that will keep the mind turning the movie over to find answers. And the plot, manages to openly announce upcoming twists and yet not fail. I knew what was going to happen, but still wanted to know how it happened. I really enjoyed the experience! I give it a 10!

Overall – 9.2

This movie is a nice change of pace, even if it follows a shaky path. Overall, it’s good but mostly because it attempts to achieve through a newer route. It is a satisfying end, but not amazing beyond expectation.

[ElfTheHunter]

PS: It's supposed to be ETH Ultimatium #1, since there will be at least one other, when another certain movie comes out in december

[Sam]

The first Matrix was awesome because the effects were all new to me and the division between plot and action scenes were perfectly balanced.

Matrix reloaded was HORRIBLE becuase the fight scened dragged on tool long and the plot was rather predictable.

Same goes for Revolutions except i did like the ending to this one as opposed to the 2nd one which was rather dry.

I give revolutions a 4

[CodeOptimist]

Haven't seen any of them so I can't vote

[Wijitmaker]

Watched it tonight, I don't have time to write up a big comment... just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this one. I think its probably because I didn't let the 3rd be overhipped in my mind. I purposely didn't watch any trailers or spoilers. I think it really helped allot going into the theatre without all that baggage. Anyway, I think it was a great conclusion to the series. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because I reserve that for the best of the best, and there are 3 other movies that hold that spot in my mind

[Marcus Petrius]

I've only seen the first two, but the directors have accomplished something that no movie before them has accomplished:

I actually hated the way they were directed!

Normally I don't care about the way movies are directed, having an acclaimed director is for me just something that shows that it's a good story (especially spielberg), but the matrix I and II made me angry at the way it was directed.

I like the camera to not go through everything at 80 miles an hour, I actually want to be able to see a scene. I don't like slow motion, it just looks dumb.

Bah, I'll just return to watching Raiders of the Lost Ark on DVD.

[Cougar]

*** THERE WILL BE MINOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THIS POST ***

The Matrix

Watch Ability - 9

This movie is very engrossing. I am always ready to watch it again. This is my personal favorite movie of the trilogy.

Genre Quality - 9

Simply amazing, I remember watching the dojo scene and thinking "Wow, that's really Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburne fighting!" The lobby scene was just incredible and the special effects were astounding (bullet-time, helicopter crash, etc).

Originality - 9

A very unique idea. It has been touched in several B-movies (eXistenZ, The 13th Floor) but The Matrix developed the idea more fully.

Acting - 8

I'm not very good at critiquing this category, I thought the acting was just fine. Nothing stellar though.

Plot/Story - 10

This movie caught me completely off guard. When I saw it I had no idea what was going on for the first 30 minutes. The story has so much depth to it, especially once you see the whole trilogy.

Overall - 9

An amazing story with amazing visuals. I was completely blown away by this movie and it only got better the more I watched it.

The Matrix Reloaded

Watch Ability - 7

There are several scenes in this movie that I thought were completely pointless or very badly delivered. The trance/sex scene and the burly brawl are two that immediately come to mind.

Genre Quality - 9

Some of the best visuals I have ever seen (the freeway scene, the weapon battle), but there are parts where Neo just looks too fake.

Originality - 8

Obviously this must be lower than The Matrix as it is the sequel.

Acting - 8

Same as before.

Plot/Story - 10

*** MAJOR SPOILER ***

This is my favorite episode plot-wise. The discussion with the Architect and Neo's ability to stop the squideys made me question not only the entire movie, but the entire first movie as well. There are a lot of deep theological questions hidden throughout the entire film (i.e. "what is choice?").

Overall - 8.4

Amazing story, but some unnecessary scenes and poor delivery damaged the movie as a whole.

The Matrix Revolutions

Watch Ability - 9

The third film is very easy to watch. It is an intense ride all the way through. It was also a lot less intelligent than the previous two films.

Genre Quality - 10

Again, amazing visuals. The battle at the dock was an incredible experience. The CG characters were a lot more convincing in this one as opposed to Reloaded. The final battle between Neo and Smith was especially cool.

Originality - 7

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER ***

This movie was the most "standard sci-fi" of the three as most of it took place in the real world. It actually reminded me of "Return of the King" in the sense that the battle is raging and two people attempt to reach the heart of the enemy's realm.

Acting - 8

Same as before.

Plot/Story - 6

In my opinion, the ending of the trilogy ran out of steam. I was not really satisfied with the ending and I think they could have come up with a better solution.

Overall - 8.0

Great visuals and delivery, but a disappointing ending to an otherwise amazing trilogy. There was so much potential for this film and it all went untapped.

[ElfTheHunter]

Yes, I agree. The story is better in the first two movies, though there's something in the plot for the third movie that made me want to give it a 10, I can't really identify easily. But what shined in the third film was not the Matrix story, but the Revolutions plot (if that makes any sense )

[av_nefardec]

I was VERY dissappointed with the ending, and though I liked the rest of the movie, I think it ruins the entire trilogy.

I was really hoping the ending would be disturbing, dark, and thought-provoking, but it turned out to be rather disney-like in my opinion.

SPOILER:

I thought it would be really cool if when trinity and neo tore through the clouds they saw not a pleasant hopeful sky, but just an expansion of the machine empire.

I mean what's to say the machines would be content with just controlling a single planet if they aren't content to kill every single human being?

I just thought that the plot might be less predictable. I was able to call every major part of the thing before I saw it - trinity dies, smith and neo are equal and opposite, they have to go to the machine city, zion is saved, niobe and morpheus get together again, etc.

It was all very pleasant and a rollicking good time, but that's not what I expected from the second sequel of such a disturbing and wonderful movie. I like when things are kept ambiguous and thought-provoking, not when some personal belief is forced down one's throat, especially when dealing with philosophy.

[ElfTheHunter]

I agree also, not that the ending was bad, just that it could be a lot better... I think ending it was a mistake , I mean, we loved The Matrix and it had no definite end (though a fairly similar one), we like Reloaded (most of us) because it left us to speculate about the ending. Revolutions is like the final bullet to put a loving pet to rest (bad analogy)

[SUD]

IMHO Matrix sucks (see that I said IMHO)

[Klaas]

I base my opinions on the first movie. I've given it a 4.

Generally the idea is pretty good, but not new. Personally I like watching an action movie once and a while but I don't regard it as quality. And The Matrix is too much of an action movie with almost no interesting story.

I agree it was something different though, it's nice they make a movie with some philosophical background, but they vulgarised it a bit too much (which is of course natural if you want to sell the thing).

[DarkAngelBGE]

Changed topic title as requested by Elf.

[Nazgul11]

I have not seen the movie.

[ElfTheHunter]

Changed topic title as requested by Elf.

Feels the power of DA!!! (District Attorney or Dark Angel, u choose)

[av_nefardec]

Klaas, I agree.

The last two matrices were all about action.

But I want to explore philosophy, I want my mind bent in ways like the spoon was in the first Matrix

Revolutions and its ending just failed to do that.

[ElfTheHunter]

Community Rating for Revolutions - 6.2

[ElfTheHunter]

Ok, I have a question that maybe someone can solve: But why can't Neo control and bend the rules of the Training Area of the Maravigian? How different from the matrix code could it be that Neo could not learn it and manipulate it? Wouldn't he notice the difference in the code (if he noticed Smith's unqiue code)?