Matrix Revolutions Reloaded, The

Every ones in a while there is a new fanedit for the Matrix sequels and I have almost every time thought that the work put in trying to fix these movies have seemed waisted since I didn't believe the source material could be fixed. It was beyond saving. Doctor M did some interesting things with his HACKED edits but it wasn't enough. Anyone heard of the expression "you can't polish a turd"? Okay I shut up now.....

Wow! just....Wow! This is the one. The cover art brags that this is "The Ultimate Matrix Fan-Edit" and it's not far from the truth.

If you are a matrix fan and was/is disappointed with the sequels YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS FANEDIT!

The pacing is perfect! The final scene is perfect. And the final fight with agent Smith when Neo are going after Trinity I was pumped. So good! But as some other reviewer have said, one thing doesn't makes sense. After the key-maker have died and Neo goes through the door and then it is the final fight between Neo and Smith.

It feels like a workprint sometimes (that are on the right track of perfection) like some footage are missing, some scene feels a little rough. I'm guessing that it was a pain in the butt to make some of these new sequences happen, footage not existing that was needed, so this is something I guess we have to live with.

I think that this should just have been a edit of the sequels since the first movie is perfect. That is my one big complaint.

Also I don't now about the new score in some scenes, but that might be because I'm so used to the original score. It will probably grow on me.

But all that aside (nitpicking because it isn't 100%) the negative doesn't stop this from being very very good. I never thought that the sequels could be edited into something this good honestly. Thank you Wraith.

Overview - Intending to overhaul the Matrix trilogy, Wraith follows the road less traveled and merges the three films into one. Reloaded and Revolutions was where the original series went off the rails, then off the cliff. This edit does much to fix the disappointing stupidity and redirect the narrative into a more coherent structure.

Video - Solid work here. Couple of early sections where the blacks were not as solid as I would have liked. Altering the sequences was cleverly done, just as were the mixing in of deleted scenes. One transition held black too long, but that was in the original.

Audio - Robust 2 channel audio mix. I cranked up quiet dialogue, only to jump for the volume knob during explosions. Viewers who watch in a room with non-viewers, consider yourself warned. The editing was flawless, though. Crisp, free from noticeable miscues.

Narrative - I was on autopilot during the first part of the film. Where this edit soars is after entering the Reloaded world. Inventive and creative editorial choices were made and flawlessly executed. Cannot tell you how many times I was pleasantly surprised when the plot veered into an unexpected direction.

Enjoyment - Let me get this gripe off my chest: One chapter? Really? I like chapter breaks, especially in a three hour movie. Come on, please.

The less Zion I see in Matrix world, the better the edit. This was brilliant. No sweaty Zionistas here. Now, I wasn't really sure what the diggers were doing. I don't want to spoil the plot jumps, but the keymaker finale woke me up. The film ending, however, meandered.

Wraith cut a lot - I never missed a scene. Matrix fans, even jaded ones (count me in), be sure you check this one out.

This was an interesting re-telling of The Matrix saga. (This is what a "reimagined" Matrix feels like.)

A/V Quality - Watched the HD MP4 and there was a fair amount of artifacting and compression. Not the worst I've seen but could have been better.

Editing - Solid. The audio editing was very impressive, what with how much micro-cutting was involved. There were a handful of shots that felt too short due to removed dialogue, but nothing too terrible.

Narrative - I am not a hardcore Matrix fan by any means. I've seen the flicks a few times and (I think) I understand them. I was able to follow this new version but there were certain aspects that, like an earlier reviewer mentioned, you need to just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Wraith changes things up quite dramatically in the second half, and I'm not fully certain whether this story is better than the theatricals or not. Ok well, it's definitely better, but it feels a little incomplete somehow. Some of his major changes rely on faith, such as [SPOILER!] the Keymaker leading Neo to the final Agent Smith fight instead of the Architect. I kind of said to myself, "Wait, how that lead to that? Eh whatever, these movies make no sense anyway."

Enjoyment - I quite liked it, definitely better than Reloaded and Revolutions.

Recommend? Hard to say how diehard Matrix fanatics will like this. But I think the casual Matrix fans will get a kick out of it.

I'm learning that some fanedits require something similar to "suspension of disbelief" to really work and to allow the viewer to go along for the ride. This take on the whole Matrix trilogy requires a little of this. The movie starts off great, goes through the first film, with some new tweaks (loved seeing a little bit of Zion when Tank was telling Neo about it; that, to me, was a perfect use of the footage), but when the 2nd Matrix movie starts, it is abrupt. This is where, if you just accept the speed bumps and go along, you are rewarded, because the Matrix does feel more complete now. I generally thought Reloaded and Revolutions worked fine in this edit. It's just that one very tough edit between Matrix 1 and Matrixes 2/3.
Plotwise, things flow well and mostly make sense. I think I understood Smith as a self replicating virus/program better in this edit than I did in the originals. I wish it weren't 3 hours long. To me, personally, that's a little long. Other than trimming some fight scenes, I'm not sure how I would suggest tightening it though.
Overall, I enjoyed this and def recommend it.