After having rewatched The Matrix Trilogy last week, I got to thinking about why the sequels were less successful than the first movie. I can say I enjoyed the cinematography of The Matrix more than its sequels, but the sequels aren't SERIOUSLY flawed in that department. I had no major complaints in that area. My only real thought about it is the originality of the first movie was awe-inspiring to the audience. The reveal of the Real World is shocking and kind of terrifying. The whole concept was so fresh that the movie was more enjoyable for some, whereas a similar movie without the benefit of the awesome story reveal wouldn't be as attractive to those people. And then to go on to another movie, without any more MAJOR revelations, a lot of people lost interest in the bread and butter of the trilogy; deep meaning hidden under some kung fu, bullet time, and killer robots lol (massive oversimplification but you get my point). A complaint I have heard from people is that the action sequences were much too long. Losing interest in the story line could explain why these fights fell flat to some people. But I find it hard to watch those sequences, suppressing my love for the story, and not at least think "wow, this is some awesome shit". Idk this is basically some rambling from a confused fan, but I thought I'd pose it as a rant/question to some fellow Matrix fans.
Am I missing some flaws in the sequels that might change my mind? Some people had a problem with where the story went, I personally didn't. I loved the whole story start to finish.
Were the fight sequences less satisfying in the sequels? Too long? Too over the top? Didn't serve the plot in the sequels as much as in the first (ie action for the sake of action)?
Any input would be appreciated
I liked all of them equally.
The more real-world zion parts were in the movie, the more i hated it.
That could be it. Revolutions had the most Real World stuff, and it was the least successful. People could have just been turned off by the events in the Real.
The Matrix 3! Now with 40% MORE FIGHT SCENE. Oh yeah and like 30 minutes straight of battle scenes. It's like an impractically large sandwich roll with a wheel of cheese on it and a bucket of mayo, but only a couple of slices of roast beef. Sure I dig it ok, but it's not exactly gourmet. Or nutritious.
The music was absolutely awful in the sequels. Not the ambient stuff but the fight music. The burly Brawl scene sums those movies up. CHEESEBALL music, and too much fighting. And the hamhanded music cues on EVERYTHING. Every single time someone jumped or like looked or picked up a cheeseburger the music had to be right there to MAKE IT DRAMATIC. Anyway. The Matrix is undoubtedly among the greats in film history. It took so much influence from so many fantastic works with so much respect for the original, and created something really new. Big ups.
2 and 3 only had enough substance for 1 movie. I would LOVE to see that. Trim the fat, carefully chop the fight scenes down so you no longer get sick of them halfway through, gloss over that ridiculous rave scene (it would have been excusable in the '80s), etc. etc. etc, just get down to business. The meat, with a tasteful amount of fluff. That would be a mammoth project, if I do it some day I'll let you (who the fuck are you?) know.
Im gonna have to rewatch it and pay more attention to the music. And i do see what you mean about the fluff.
''hey! You thought the last one was good, check out the sequel! Watch these guys punch each other for 10 minutes!"
Just doesnt have the same impact as the fights of the first movie.
Im with Rajko - the more real world stuff, the less I liked it, although hate is too strong a word for me.
But lets face it, it was his hero's journey to developing and realizing his role as THE ONE, and subsequent awesome abilities in the simulation that made that story/movie the masterpiece it was.
I think for me its was also the fact that we saw Neo become a badass in the first movie - only to become unsure and... weak? in the following movies. Lame
The second movie should have been about the 6 months in between The Matrix and Reloaded. It would have been cool to see Neo becoming a hero, using superpowers and freeing people etc. So many possible cool story lines in there.....
The 3rd movie could have combined Reloaded and Revolutions with all the edits suggested by Bitbomb. But again, Im not interested so much in the real world stuff. Although I suppose without that there is no story arc.
If you havent seen this, its worth watching the Wachowskis justify the story arc:
http://www.matrixfans.net/the-wachowskis...x-trilogy/
Good topic. I've been thinking about this for the longest while. Probably didn't get everything that came to mind.
-Pacing. 10 minute philosophy session in Zion that doesn't move the plot forward. 20 second pointless fight in Chinatown that I liked. 5 minutes of pointless philo babble. 5 minutes pointless Burley Brawl. Another 10 minute philo lesson. 20 minute action sequence. Then it got better from there until Revolutions. The first film was great because they didn't spoon fed the audience and re-watches were more enjoyable because of it.
- Everybody hated the Zion rave and that's an understatement. If you're going to make Zion a believable place, then don't put a rave filled with half naked 20/30 year olds dancing days before the apocalypse. For the last human city, I never cared for it much. It's worse in Revloutions because you don't know why the need to cheer them on when Neo was obvoiusly going to save the day.
- Music. Most of it was okay really. The Burley Brawl and Mona Lisa Overdrive felt out of place though.
-Costumes. The first film everybody has a suit for every occasion and they looked great doing it. From Neo's shirt, jeans, and hoodie to his black dress suit to his iconic trench coat getup. In the sequels virtually everybody wears the same damn thing. Neo's, Morpheus' and Trinity's attire looked fine during the captains meetings, but looked ridiculous when they're at the Le Vrai restaurant.
-Camera and lightfixture reflected off of Smith's glasses.
-Bowling/domino sfx in the Vrurley Brawl
-Go away Kid.
-Merovingian was an interesting character that continously got in the way while not contributing to the plot.
-Never got the point of Persephone.
-Niobe so sirius. Lock so sirus. Morpheus so sirius. Uninteresting love triangle that never got anywhere.
-Roland's a pain in the ass.
-Diologue. "Bomb? Did he say bomb?" "27 blocks?" "Nada. The big bumpkis."
-Neo and Trinity's love story. Yes they are in love. We're aware of it. So much that their relationship is NEVER strained.
-Matrix reloaded: Don't die trinity.
-Matrix revolutions: Hurry up and die trinity. (I felt more sad that the Keymaker died ironically.)
-The final Neo vs Smith battle by far needed to be longer.
The fucking bowling pins sound. I 'ughed' out loud in the theater. Oh and yes, that's my biggest complaint of all, the final Neo vs Smith, they should have had Matrix 3 end with Neo walking through the rows of smiths, and the fourth movie would open with the first punch and they'd fly around and punch and kick and smash through buildings and beat each other up and make power moves and fight it out for a whole movie. That fight was excruciatingly boring after 4 minuites, they should have made an entire movie just about that. I always had the feeling that 2 and 3 is when that fat fuck Joel Silver really had his pull here. It has tons of his fat fuck trademarks, like shit he added into Die Hard for no reason, and bunches of other dumb movies. Yes the Joel Silver who, after The Matrix revolutionized his career went on to make the masterpiece we know as Swordfish.
I'll have to stand by myself in disagreeing with 99% of the critiques the trilogy had from various fans. I found the movies to be absolutely "just". The ONLY think that bothered me out of all the sequels was the end of Revolutions where Trinity dies, and Neo is hauled off. Lame, but I enjoyed the entirety of the trilogy.