Matrix Revolutions Decoded, The

Having just seen The Matrix Revolutions: Epic Edition, this edit actually does what I wished Epic Edition had done, for the most part. The narrative is streamlined and comprehensible, much more than the original films in some cases. The only thing that truly holds this edit back is the ending.

Spoilers Begin

The opening with Flight of the Osiris doesn't seem necessary, and I wonder if it would make sense to cut the expository scene entirely. There is very little here which isn't explained later, and it may be interesting to build up to a reveal in the cavern that the machines are digging to Zion. The cuts to the rest of Reloaded are good. Perhaps more could be excised from the burly brawl, but I was never a fan of Bowling Pin Smiths. I was skeptical of cutting Trinity from the Architect scenes, but you convinced me that it could be done, and remarkably little is lost.

Cutting just about everything from the beginning of Revolutions is a great move, of course. The movie slows down while everyone is changing ships and arguing about their plan of attack, so more cuts in that section would be good. I think that avoiding the reveal of a new Oracle could be done, but this edit doesn't quite sell the idea. Perhaps if you cut the scene more severely, showing only brief glimpses of the Smiths and then the Oracle's assimilation, it would be more effective. The attack on Zion is handled very well indeed. Back to Neo and Trinity, I think that the inclusion of Bane is an unfortunate necessity to explain Neo's burned eyes, despite your excellent and creative workaround. It's not that the Sentinel attack is insufficient explanation, it's that you're forced to cut too much from the journey to the Machine City, to the point that Neo's absence from shots is extremely noticeable. Similarly, Trinity's unexpected survival works against the edit since the repurposed footage is so noticeably recycled. Simply having her die after a brief dialogue with Neo would be sufficient.

Spoilers End

In summary, this is the best version of the Matrix Sequels I've seen, and with a few changes to the ending, would be my go-to version. Excellent work!

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.

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!

What a great job. I've watched and enjoyed a bunch of Matrix edits but for me, this is the best. The editor and I share a sense of what was great in the sequels and what is completely useless. This is my definitive version of the sequels. I have this and the first Matrix next to each other on my shelf, in my "real" movies section. This is perfectly paced and I loved the ending. Thank you for reading my mind and making it real, apparently.

Technically, this is incredibly proficient. Very clean, no noticable cuts or wonky stuff. Great job.