Review Detail

8.9 23 10
FanFix June 28, 2012 6224
(Updated: March 26, 2014)
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I first watched and reviewed this fanedit about a year ago, but upon re-watching it today having not visited the Matrix franchise again since - or fanedits in general - I thought it'd be nice to re-review this edit with a relatively fresh perspective. And this time around, I enjoyed the edit a LOT more and developed a whole new appreciation for it. So I thought I'd re-write an earlier review I wrote for it on the Fanedit Forums, which unfairly focused on criticizing geminigod's relatively great editing skills despite giving a very positive score overall.

So firstly, here are the main major changes to the films themselves in slightly more detail *OBVIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD*: Throughout the entire movie, there is so sub-plot about Agent Smith possessing Bane and entering the real world. By doing this, the whole sub-plot of Neo/Bane being stuck in a coma can be exercised, and additionally there is no footage or mention of the Caduceus crew. Additionally, Neo has no powers carrying across into the real world, only in The Matrix. But the most dramatic change is towards the end of the first half of the film. Instead of Neo meeting the Architect when he enters the door of light, it cuts straight to Neo entering the Machine City and having a peace deal with the Machines if he destroys Agent Smith. Trinity and Neo do not go to the Machine City, instead asking for a ship to borrow to go into The Matrix with, and the edit then goes straight into the battle for Zion and the final battle between Neo and Smith.

How well does this work? Pretty much flawlessly in the first 100 minutes. The pacing is expertly done, with the story still making a heck of a lot of sense and being easy to follow as one stylish, enjoyable action scene after another is thrown your way with a side of universe mythology and a touch of philosophy. The editing is barely noticeable, save for a split-second frame glitch and slowed down shot that happens in the Zion rave scene, and everything just goes into such a cohesive whole that you'd assume this is how the original Matrix sequel was made in the first place.

However, things unfortunately get a little shakier after that. The edit relies heavily on a new scene constructed from existing footage to set up a new narrative, and while the scene isn't awful and lasts for less than 1 minute, it's a scene that is *clearly* edited and feels a little disjointed. The plot threads introduced immediately following the scene feel a little rushed too, with the pacing being simply not as tight as before, and the drama/battle within Zion is simply not as engaging as the action sequences that filled the first half of the edit. The editing in general becomes more noticeable too, with a few smash cuts that feel sudden or fades to white/black that feel unnatural. However, even with that being the case it only mildly distracts from the story at hand rather than derailing it, and thankfully the narrative finds it's footing again in the last half hour, becoming a gripping, suitably epic and hugely satisfying wrap-up to everything we've seen in the rest of the film.

In terms of the quality of the edit itself, the video quality is fantastic for an AVCHD and so is the sound, although it suffers a bit mix-wise since the dialogue always seems a bit too quiet compared to the action scenes. The DVD features are simplistic, but the addition of two shorts from the Animatrix as optional intros really helps set that "epic" feel for the movie, and the commentary from geminigod is a nice addition too.

If I'd give the original sequels a 7, and the Dezionized edit an 8 for trimming the fat, I give The Epic Edition a 9 for doing the same thing but packing a bigger emotional wallop. The score would've been higher if the editing was consistently flawless as it was in the first half, but nonetheless, well done to geminigod for turning the sequels into the true successor the original film deserved!

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AVCHD
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