Although science fiction throughout its history
generally deals with such marvelous subjects as robots, space travel, time
travel, the future, and our beloved old friends, the bug-eyed monsters (BEMs to
the cognoscenti) of the pulp
magazines, it also often toys with deeper, darker issues.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Investigations
of physics often lead to metaphysics; journeys to distant planets, solar
systems, or galaxies in the four-dimensional space-time continuum of Einstein’s
universe necessarily invite theological speculation; the possibility of
intelligent life in the universe inspires inquiry into human identity; and
narratives of time travel open up the golden doors of paradox. No wonder
science fiction films so often attract followers who resemble cultists, camping
out for days in anticipation of special openings, attending gatherings with
others of their persuasion, collecting artifacts, dressing in peculiar
vestments in imitation of mythological figures, and endlessly debating fine
points of meaning and implication.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Many
of the spiritual implications of science fiction date back to a distant past,
but for contemporary film, the practice of the higher pretension begins with
Stanley Kubrick’s immensely long and immensely dull 2001: A Space Odyssey. After that film, the form acquired its
present reputation as a means of philosophical inquiry. Aside from the remake
of Solaris, which flopped miserably,
the most recent and obvious examples of Deep Thinking in science fiction film
occur in the Wachowski brothers’ Matrix trilogy, now thankfully concluding with the third chapter, Matrix Revolutions.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
gigantic box office success of the first two pictures pretty much guarantees
equally large profits for this one, which may explain the reasons for the last
effort’s abject artistic failure. The franchise needs nothing new to draw its
millions, so the filmmakers merely repeat themselves. After establishing the
transcendental possibilities of the original, the Wachowski brothers simply
perpetuate the series, repeating all the characters without in any way
advancing either the logic or meaning of what began as an interesting concept.
They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In Matrix Revolutions once again, that
curious municipality known as Zion City faces imminent attack from all those
mechanical spiders and octopuses generated from the Matrix, the giant mechanism
that threatens to destroy humankind. On the other hand, in terms of the bizarre
reasoning of the movie, perhaps all the characters and all their enemies exist
merely as computer chips and programs, in which case, nothing really means
anything after all, and nobody should give a damn anyway. The movie, however,
desperately and obviously wants everyone to care, a most questionable desire in
the context of an absolute absence of anything like logic or simple common
sense.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
familiar crew of dull characters with allusive but essentially meaningless
names returns — Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, Persephone, Niobe, Seraph, Oracle,
Merovingian, etc. — uttering all the familiar nonsense that the writers
obviously regard as Deep Thoughts about Big Ideas. Without the previous
picture’s endless automobile chase down a freeway, Matrix Revolutions relies on a simple dialectic, alternating
between the folks in Zion discussing their plight and Neo (Keanu Reeves)
wandering confused within the Matrix itself, encountering a number of
strangers, and battling the endlessly self-replicating Mr. Smith (Hugo
Weaving). After a number of the usual balletic confrontations, Neo apparently
defeats Smitty, though it’s difficult to know exactly how and why, and attains
the inevitable apotheosis, which neither solves nor resolves anything, though
by then most people are unlikely to care very much either way.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
trilogy’s inexplicable design remains as puzzling as everything else. In Zion,
a huge, rusty industrial wasteland, the characters wear ratty sweaters of
various dull hues, while in the Matrix, for unexplained reasons, they dress in
the snazzy black leather, sunglasses, and in Neo’s case, the clerical cassock
of the previous movies. The performances continue the resolutely deadpan
expression and monotone delivery of the previous flicks, a style perhaps
derived from the sadly familiar acting style of the protagonist, who has
demonstrated a steadfast dullness in virtually all of his other movies.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Finally,
the absorption with pseudo-religious themes and imagery summarizes the whole
enterprise. In addition to all that ministerial attire, the mythological and
Biblical names, the various plangent pronouncements of stale ideas, and the
vaguely Buddhist echoes, the movie concludes with a sort of apocalyptic
crucifixion. After all that, the trilogy should end in a blaze of glory, but
the anticlimax that follows what should be the final moments returns to a sort
of saccharine prattle that, alas, suggests that the Wachowskis may resume their
explorations of profundity in additional movies. This is a prospect infinitely
more distressing than the destruction of Zion, the end of civilization, or the
return of Keanu Reeves.
The Matrix Revolutions, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne,
Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Collin Chou, Mary Alice,
Tanveer K. Atwal, Nona Gaye, Helmut Bakaitis, Monica Bellucci, Bruce Spence,
Bernard White, Lambert Wilson, Anthony Zerbe, Clayton Watson; written and
directed by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Cinemark Imax, Cinemark
Tinseltown, Hoyts Greece Ridge, Loews Webster, Pittsford Plaza Cinema, Regal
Culver Ridge, Regal Eastview, Regal Henrietta.
You can hear George and his movie reviews on WXXI-FM
91.5 Fridays at 7:20 a.m., rerun on Saturdays at 8:50 a.m.
This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2003.
