Matrix Revolutions Decoded, The

SPOILERS
**************************************** (edited for clarity)
I don't actually mind the original Matrix sequels. They have their moments. The philosophy gets confusing, especially in Reloaded, but for the most part they're at the very least GOOD movies. At approx. 2hrs15mins, this edit does some things right and overdoes others. In my opinion, this new ending is the **MEHEM** of fan-edit endings - a fan-made Mass Effect 3 mod that uses existing assets to invent an overly positive happy ending to satisfy those who rejected the original. This one does away with...the deaths of both Trinity and Neo? Why? I've gotta admit - I burst out laughing watching that, being reminded of that hilariously overdone Mass Effect mod. This was much better than that but still wholly unnecessary. The Trinity visions in Reloaded and the resolution of that plot were entirely cut. This gives the audience less to think about during the Architect conversation so it's easier to follow, while taking away any investment in Neo's intentions when he makes his choice. The removal of Neo's revival, Bane and the Revolutions' Merovingian section were a bit disappointing but hey, at least there's the awesome Smith battle at the end seemingly uncut for the most part. I loved this fight while watching the edit but something felt off. I really can't place what was cut but it was certainly cut down towards the end.
It's not as epic as the originals despite their flaws, but it's a great effort. I won't replace them with this cut but it was worth the watch.

There was one visual editing mistake in the final battle (a couple frames from a cut scene or something), several jumpy audio breaks throughout, and the video game rips at the beginning were noticably worse quality than the rest of the film but given the 135-minute runtime, they're no big deal.

Combining the two sequels into one movie is what should have originally happened. In Jerick's edit, there were a few scenes i missed, and a few petty qualms, but ultimately it was amazing how much clearer and fast-paced everything became. It showed how bogged down those movies really were with unnecessary filler. Re: the different ending- I could go either way on- and can see how it makes sense both ways. However, this was the only time I really noticed the editing (a little choppy)- which is actually a testament to how professionally Jerick's editing was overall. However, the splicing at the end brought me out of the film, and that alone was probably worth keeping it as a simpler and unreinvsioned edit. but- any way you look at it- from the over 2 hours of original footage cut to the changed ending- a bold finished product that i will put on DVD and place right next to my copy of The Matrix as my go to sequel.

Edits Loved:
* editing out boring, unnecessary dialogue- especially all the detailed explanations of things
* editing out Bane
* changing the focus of Neo's motive from Trinity to Zion
* the underdeveloped Zion characters
* so much more that doesn't immediately come to mind.

Minor Editing Quibbles fwiw:
* would have axed a bit more of the awkward opening dialogue in the captain's meeting
* would have axed the part where the "kid" says "i won't let you down!"
* first Agent Smith fight scene- I was hoping not to see so much of "video game" Neo and was also hoping to replace the metal music.
* the cut at the end where Neo "gets blinded" with arms open is jumpy, would have cut that out, and just let the audience assume neo got blinded in the crash of the ship.

OK! So, I absolutely love the first Matrix. A great tale that merges eastern religion (zen Buddhism, mostly, but a little Hinduism for good measure), philosophy (what is real and how can we tell), and cyberpunk mentality (conspiracies and those in power trying to keep the truth hidden) into a really fun action movie that actually gave you more to talk about than some dramas... even with Kenau Reeves' cardboard performance.

Then enter the second and *shudder* third movies and all that was gone... I never understood how to utterly craptastic movies could follow such gold. Well, that's a lie. I actually never saw the abortion that was Revolutions... Reloaded was so bad I swore off the entire atrocity. After a friend told me it was the worst, I never felt compelled to try again.

Well, this edit upends ....some... of that criticism. In fact, cutting down Reloaded actually let me see the serious philosophy that had gotten hidden beneath the crap (free will vs determinism) and I found I really liked the first half of this edit. Everything moved smoothly, and I didn't feel like I was missing anything (even though I kinda remembered scenes that weren't there, I didn't miss them). I was totally pumped at this point and seriously thinking that this may be the best fanedit I had seen.

Then we got to the Revolutions half, and everything fell apart. Suddenly there was just a lot of action, and I was lost. When Trinity and co get picked up by the other ship, I thought that was the only ship left and Zion had already fallen (remember I hadn't seen the original of this one) especially because of the captain's description of things. Then the two groups split and I find out they are going to Zion because its almost time for the final battle? And then Neo is blind? There was so much WTF going on I actually backed the movie up and watched about 30 minutes of it again and was still confused. Again, I felt like this was the original movie's fault as much as the editor, as I was still kinda confused as to what was happening after reading the Wikipedia summaries later.

Kudos to the editor for keeping Trinity alive... I almost bought it, but something about the sequence felt weird enough that I had to pause the movie and look up a synopsis on Wikipedia to learn that she was supposed to die. Armed with that knowledge, the rest of the movie was well done with respect to her, and it all felt plausible. Jerrick, you are a great editor, because it all seemed very believable that she survived the crash, and the footage you used for her at the end (even cheering for him during the final fight!) was epic. Loved it. A little weird right at the crash, but that could have been my general confusion at this point.

My final point is also probably with the original material, not the edit, as the plot summaries are confusing on this plot point. I have no idea why the baby-faced machine god needed Neo's help with Smith to begin with. If you get a computer virus in the real world (which is exactly what Smith was behaving like), you disconnect the infected computer from the network so it can't spread and re-install a clean OS, not have a DBZ style fight in the rain. I mean crap. You were about to rewrite the Matrix anyway! He is software. Turn off the computer he inhabits and he's done! In what way does flying around in the rain punching faces fix it? And what makes it different when Neo is absorbed that kills them all? What a crappy finish.

The one bit of editing that I really disliked (and not knowing the original material, it may still be better than it originally was :D) was the scene with the Oracle and Smith? WTF? How did they find her? Why was that sequence so obviously copy-pasted together? Where was that bodyguard of hers? It felt like something was obviously trying to be smoothed over or fixed, but I actually didn't see the relevance of the scene anyway.

All in all, this edit was about as good as could be hoped for given the source material, but some things can't be taken away. Jerrick does an amazing job of fixing what can be fixed, unfortunately glitter on poo doesn't actually make poo any better to look at. And despite all the failings of the story, I have to say that I still recommend this edit, because it is light years better than what we had before, and if you have to acknowledge that the trilogy exists, this is probably still the best way to watch it.

Edit: I realized that I must have moused over the ratings at some point before I submitted the review. I Also reworded a few things to make it clearer that it was the source material and not the editor that I took objection to. Thanks!

Jerick combines Reloaded and Revolutions into a better narrative then we were given by their makers. For me it's made Revolutions part of something really good. Before it was a film I could not watch through after seeing it first in the cinema.

Thanks for what must have been a huge job. Hope many get to see it.

I think the Matrix franchise is one I will forever be intrigued by. Having watched the original as a kid and being absolutely enthralled by it's imaginative vision, ever since I've been disappointed by how the sequels effectively killed off any chance of revisiting the unique universe they inhabit. I'm often interested in exploring those sequels and what made them go wrong via these fanedits, and the number of times I've now seen the sequels because of fanedits easily makes them one of the most watched films I've seen.

And now, I think Jerick has made the definitive edit for most people. The Matrix Revolutions Decoded is by far the most professionally edited version of the sequels I've seen, and it dramatically retools the story in a way that simply works. All of the shoehorned philosophy is removed, the development of secondary characters you don't care about is gone, and the terribly pointless subplots from The Matrix: Revolutions are cut. The result is an exiting, sharply paced battle for survival that gives the series the send-off it deserves, with a new narrative that is surprisingly sturdy, and edited so flawlessly that regular viewers wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

It's just that for me, personally, this edit has all the right ideas, but it goes a little *too* far in it's execution. I LOVE what jerrick has done here, and how excellently he executed it, but by completely removing the side characters and philosophy, there's less build-up to the dramatic battle for Zion, and to me it makes it feel like less of the epic conclusion it was designed to be. You're not as emotionally invested in if Zion survives since there's barely any characters we know there. The shortened mech fighting similarly makes it feel like another battle scene rather than a climactic one (though once again Jerick edits it in beautifully unnoticeable fashion), and the way that Neo's visions and motivations are modified so it seems like he cares for Zion's fate rather than Trinity's doesn't ring true to me. I also thought, like his last edit of the sequels, Jerrick's decision to remove the replacement Oracle seems like an unnecessary attempt to save time (the new scene where the old Oracle seems to be killed by the Agents is a particularly awkward one to me), and I personally thought the ending is kind of sudden compared to the original one.

But other than that, this is a brilliant edit of some mediocre sequels, now my second favourite edit of them, and undoubtedly the most well executed one. Well done, man! Great job!