Matrix Revolutions Decoded, The

This edit is AWESOME!!! For a while, the "Hacked" edits and "2.0" were both satisfying enough for my Matrix sequel needs, but this one is definitely the best one. The genius way shots and scenes were moved around to fit this new take on the same narrative work beautifully. It was so much fun to see new shots appear at different parts of the film after previously asking myself "Wait, why would this be cut?", then later on say "Oh!! So it could be used here. Wow!! This works perfectly!!".

As others have said, even at over 2 hours it doesn't drag. Gotta be honest, after the big highway chase, I began to think "Welp, this is where the movie's gonna slow down since there isn't really any inside the matrix action left". But to my surprise, I found myself enjoying the real world war battle and Niobe chase sequence just as much as the rest. I think adding in the other Niobe/Locke scenes was a great idea because I like how it fleshes them out so much more. It makes the characters feel more "complete". Something we don't get in the theatrical versions. Now some may say that it's odd to spend so much of the opening focusing on these new characters instead of Neo and co. but the way I see it, these characters are already established.

There are little nitpicks that've already been mentioned, so no point in repeating them. Me personally I enjoy this edit so much that I completely look past them. TBH, I haven't even watched the theatrical versions of either films in about 10 years, so whenever I watch a new edit of these films (and at this point I've seen nearly all of them), it really is like getting a new experience. Like I'm watching these movies for the first time again, since I've forgotten most of the boring fluff anyway.

My only nitpick is the trimming of the fight scenes. For me they're the highlights of these movies. I understand pacing, and it DOES work, but for me, I'll never forget seeing "Reloaded" in the theater with my friends at the midnight showing the night before the release and barely being able to stay in my seat during the burly brawl. So yeah seeing the fight scenes get trimmed even if just slightly is my only real nitpick.

Great job dude. You're a real talent. Like the editors on the other 2, you've also saved this franchise (for me). I hope someday the cast and crew hear about it (assuming they're good sports about what we do here, of course lol).

This edits put all the players in their roles without being distracted. For the first time I have felt an actual consistent theme to arise from the films. Mainly from the editors original ideas to dramatically change what Neo and Trinity do and where they end up. It felt exciting to get a sense at the end that the Matrix finally has a real sequel.


First Matrix:

Humans should be free vs Humans should be controlled.

But what do you do after you remove the wool from your eyes? You try to figure out your purpose, this is what the sequels tried to do but failed.

Matrix Sequels:

The sequels reveal that humans can't just be constantly forced to act, so two levels of controls were created to maintain the Matrix.

1. Humans make choices - Morpheus and the Oracle. If people feel they have a degree of choice, most just go along.

2. Just do your duty - Locke and the Architect. For those that the first level wasn't enough (the One's), their duty to save their race is presented as overpowering enough to get even them to go along.

These two levels proved insufficient for three main characters: Merovingian, Agent Smith, and Neo.

There is no purpose - Merovingian and Agent Smith

While the Merovingian wasn't a threat because he kept himself distracted enough with games and pleasure. Smith has angry enough to want to destroy everything, which the Machines' levels of controls couldn't handle.

What is Trinity's role? Beauty. In the Platonic sense of "insight into the greatest transcendent good."

By putting her in less direct danger, Neo's motive seems to be more about Trinity as an ideal. It was less "I love YOU so much, so I will save YOU" and more "I have known what it means to love, therefore I will fight for everyone". That insight was enough to spread to the Machines and create peace, having the first shared value.

The theme of the Matrix films: It is wrong to start by valuing people as a faceless crowd and just caring about the "common good", instead start by seeing the objective worth of each individual and expound that to everyone.

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The original films just kept repeating:
Neo - "Don't do anything dangerous Trinity because I have to protect you, I'm so worried, hurr."
Trinity - "Looks like I have to put myself in danger again because I want to help out, durr."

And then tried to backpedal and make Neo a messiah in the last 15 minutes.

This fanedit keeps Neo's journey to truth going from the end of the first film without derailing like the original films did.

It keeps the orgasmo cake (still a stupid explosion effect IMO) and the Architect speech which many don't like but with the improved pacing, I wasn't as annoyed. The cake gives the Merovingian more time to make his point about causality, shows that he ended up a hedonist, and shows that his wife is more upset.

Without cutting away to Trinity falling and making the choice about saving Trinity 'right NOW', the pacing in the Architect room is better. Also Neo makes the choice to leave and fight to save Trinity and everyone else who he thinks would just die in Zion being purged and reset.

This edit also made Niobe and her crew a much more memorable part of the story. The transmission, Locke, and calling a meeting in the Matrix all made more sense in this edit as well as where all the ships were in relation to each other. 1. Machine army is found. 2. Ships are ordered to withdraw and defend choke points except Morpheus disobeys. 3. Two ships sent to look for him. 4. Two out of three are destroyed. 5. Hammer is only surviving ship from defense and is trying to get back to Zion.

The fight sound volume is low in many areas to help with the editing. I get that it is needed but it was distracting, especially in the very first Neo vs Agents fight. I watched the streaming version but other than that the editing felt fine.

The added scenes from Enter the Matrix didn't feel out of place.

No Bane - thank God.

The edits for the Fight for Zion are seamless and really change it into a tense situation.

This has replaced the sequels for me and anyone I introduce the films to in the future.

This was SUCH an incredible cut of these movies.

RELOADED / FIRST 90 MINS
It felt like so many things were just sped along perfectly: no cave orgy sex scene (until the credits), no making out with Persephone in the bathroom, no ticking clock at the nuclear plant, no prophecy about Trinity dying and Neo giving her the Lazarus treatment, and best of all no Agent Smith inside Bane. It's just a badass story about machines drilling and wall-to-wall kickass action. And there are the many small improvements (no bowling pin sound effects during the Burly Brawl for one).

REVOLUTIONS / LAST HOUR
This hour is the Dock Battle, Niobi's Flight, Neo in the Machine City, and the Smith battle, and that's it. It's the perfect cap to everything the movie has been building toward. The plot sliding from Neo's conversation with The Architect to deciding to fly to The Machine City came rather abruptly, but overall the transition between movies went well. Removing Bane was very well done! Having the machine flying into him do the blinding was inexplicable in the narrative sense but was so goddamn clever that I didn't care. My only issue is that Trinity should have died as well, and the very last shot of the edit, the crane coming down, was a bit awkward (but I love the narrative implications of beginnings and endings).

Overall a TRULY superb watch!! It was really so good. I'm very impressed. Also loved the Architect getting what he deserved :)

Wow.! I'm left just amazed at what the editor managed to accomplish with this one. I loved the original film but other than specific scenes here and there, generally disliked the sequels, and particularly the ending. Though many go "well, Resurrections fixed it", I actually dislike the way it handled things, and would rather just fix the ending to Revolutions in the first place. But I didn't think it would actually be possible to do with the video clips, so I was astonished to find that not only did this edit cut out a lot of the pointless plotlines (Bane, Sati, a lot of the excess stuff around Persephone and the Merovingian, etc.), but it actually fixed things with Neo and Trinity.

I will admit, the editing and narrative were a little weaker in the final scenes (not counting the rave stuff), but I'm reasonably sure there wasn't any other material to work with, and I had no trouble following exactly what was happening. I'm also impressed at how the rave was included. If I stop to think about it, there are a few "where'd that character go?" questions, but honestly, I don't tend to mind those as much. What I *did* see towards the end made perfect sense and I liked this ending for Neo and Trinity SO much better.

Frankly, this is, in my opinion, a far superior sequel to the original film than the two we actually got. Now I'm wishing someone wrote fanfic for THIS version of the films...

Bane is gone, and good riddance; his character arch was the most annoying and nonsensical of the original film. Without him, the main story is pretty much the same.

The change of the rave scene is a great idea, it works better this way. And the ending is quite ingenious; although some of the video edits were obvious, there’s likely no way around it considering the original source. I was skeptical about this one, but the new ending is an interesting variation, it even changes the thematic meaning of Neo’s arch.