Matrix Revolutions Decoded, The

Unlike the majority of audiences, I've personally never hated the Matrix sequels. I dug the hell out of Reloaded, and while Revolutions was a disappointing conclusion, it's more of a mixed bag than it is an outright bad movie. This edit, which combines the two films while also adding in elements from Enter the Matrix and making necessary changes, is phenomenally impressive. Everything's incredibly engaging and focused, the editing's off-the-charts, and the end result not only makes for a wonderful Matrix sequel that's on par with the first but also a much more satisfying conclusion to the overall story. Really, really great stuff.

Outstanding.

I too, long ignored the Matrix sequels for their infinite bloat, so opposite to the timeless and abundant first iteration - which I still esteem as a personal all-time movie favorite. Jerick's Decoded, however, expands so gloriously on everything the first one set in motion on action and worldbuilding, that in most merits it could be considered not only the greatest sequel ever but maybe even better than the original.

Its beyond amazing how the narrative from the back-to-back sequels is tied neatly into a single story rather than a two-part, a direct follow-up of The One's path that takes us along from the hidden doors in the Matrix to the steel-cold reality of Zion. The war with the machines is now the same personal conflict Neo faces in his epiphany, his journey for enlightenment is the choice in which the fate of humankind depends upon. There are no sideplots, no detours, no distractions. No frame or second is wasted, and all the characters have their place and role made crystal clear to move the story forwards. They do what they were made to do, and they know what they must know. It's so thematically fulfilling now, that the movie (edit) follows the mantra of purpose with the same devotion as its system inhabitants do. People are not having rave parties, crafting ammo, making love or getting stranded in train station limbo. The generous runtime of the edit actually spans a mere few hours to life or death of the human race. The stakes are high and there's a gripping sense of urgency throughout, and yet the pace is just perfect and the rush of events is only determined by their natural resolution.

The increased stakes, like so, inject a high-octane dose of adrenaline to keep one on the edge of the seat. The battle for Zion, particularly, has always been the most redeemable spectacle in Revolutions, but seeing it again by Jerick's point of view, its just breathtaking. I usually loathe the now widespread use of swarming drones CGI as a cheap trick to fake a sense of scale, but in the form of the relentless Sentinels against the whole of Zion's military might is truly a sight to behold. It remains a SciFi powerhouse hallmark that really shines in Decoded. The overall shift in focus when compared to the first movie is a clear narrative direction that sidelines the encounters inside the Matrix to highlight what is at stake in the real world. That unfortunately, is proportional to how good the sequences in these different realms look. Don't get me wrong, the practical and choreographed Reloaded sequences of the Burly Brawl and the Highway Chase are still stunt paradise, but honestly I expected them to be completely excised of the cringeworhty digi-doubles (ie. brawl Neo and Highway Agents). Whereas the Zion pieces remain impressive, the digital FX in the Matrix are still very fake-looking and could have been further trimmed.

It goes without saying by now that the editing is masterful, and while I have no gripes with seamlessness, there are some few bits that do feel contrived. Specifically when Smith confronts the Oracle and she barely reacts (to avoid changing actresses, I understand), and by the ending when Neo and Trinity travel to the Machine City. I thought Neo's lost sight was nicely handled, but there's an unsettling feeling that Trinity does not belong in the scenes that follow (rightfully so).

Lastly, I think the implied retrieval of Neo is a nice touch, but that last shot of the ship's winch should linger a bit longer before the credits roll, or... it should end with some scenes inside the Matrix explaining what actually changed there after Smith. We know that Zion is still standing but what does it mean for the machines? What is next for the humanity still plugged in the system? That's something that worked in the first movie before anyone imagined of watching a sequel, and I think it would do wonders for the edit instead of it ending so abruptly in the real world. There are, of course, some unused shots shown during the credits, including one with Sati, but since she plays no part on the edit, it makes no sense to show her whatsoever (or other scenes cut, for that merit). Also, the rave footage would be really badass if it kicked in along with Juno Reactor's beat during Navras, instead of making the whole of the end titles. Talking about titles, I'd love to have called it just "The Matrix Revolution" (in singular, yes).

I didn't think I needed Decoded before, but it lives up to its legendary status amongst fanedits.

Decoded by Jerick is the best of the edits I've seen. It keeps enough of the Zion footage to keep the story coherent. It makes some fairly radical story changes at the end. I liked them, but everyone may not. I loved the idea of moving the Zion rave/orgy scene from the first act of the first sequel to the credits scene! That was brilliant and felt very organic. I thought some of the edits and changes in the very end (to hide Neo's blindness, to change Trinity's fate, etc) felt a tiny bit clunky. But still, it ended up much, much tighter than the source material.
I just really enjoyed this edit and think that every Matrix fan should give it a watch.

With the New Matrix Resurrection trailer coming out I thought I would go back and watch the matrix movies but once I got to the sequels, I really did not want to go through them again. Drawn out run time with exposition not needed, I was hoping to find a fanedit that could fix those movies up. Enter this edit.

Overall, I would say this does the best job of cutting out so much fat and condensing it into a 2 and a half hour run time that feels much more faster paced but also not overly philosophical that drags on and makes the experience boring. It gets to the point real quickly. I love how the Rave scene was spliced in the end credits for it to be a celebration of Zion being saved instead of it being this random scene in the second film. Great job of having the credits roll on top of the scenes. Only complaint I would really have is towards the end, Trinity being cut to be alive feels a tad jarring. Some of the shots used to keep showing her alive feel a bit weird if that makes any sense. Otherwise, this is a great edit of the sequels that I would highly recommend to watch over the original two sequels.

I consider this to be a pretty brave fan edit, making major narrative changes to the Matrix sequels in the construction of this narrative. Gone are some of the obvious scenes, like the Persephone kiss, but other significant elements are missing. Gloria Foster does not appear as The Oracle. Neo doesn't fight Smith in the hallway to the Architect. There's no Bane. The way that Jerick handles Trinity and Neo's conclusion is curious, and at times I miss their ending in the theatrical cut, but at others I can buy Jerick's intent. The deciding factor that makes this edit my go-to follow-up to the original Matrix, amongst all its other accomplishments, is its implementation of the rave scene.