Matrix Revolutions Decoded, The

This probably isn't going to be my strongerst review as I haven't seen Matrix Revolutions since it was released on DVD. I however re-watched Reloaded some couple years ago.

This fanedit is such a double-edged sword. The first part was surprisingly good. The story was pretty easy to follow and it was very enjoyable to watch, especially those awesome yet somewhat cheesy action scenes. Then something happens, the movie takes a deep dive into absulute garbage. It's possible or even likely that Revolutions just is so inferior in all areas compared to Reloaded but I wonder if it could have been salvaged by cutting (a lot) or in some other ways.

I was left with a bad taste. Now we got an enjoyable over the top cool action movie to be followed by a very confusing and boring second half. This is the reason I can't recommend this fanedit much... only diehard Matrix fans probably like this. According to the other reviews, there are/were plenty of those around :)

Audio/Video quality was excellent and Visual/Audio editing was good but suffered a bit from scene changes. Many of them seemed quite obvious and weren't that seamless.

Overall not very enjoyable experience due to deep dive in enjoyment in the latter part of the film due to Revolutions being what it is. Enjoyment gets 6 only because the first part was cool.

Over and out.

This is the Matrix sequel that I've always wanted. I doubt I will ever bother to watch Reloaded or Revolutions again. What an achievement!

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!

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.