[yepthatsreality]

Disagree, the trilogy is one of the best Sci-Fi trilogies available and utilizes ideas about people and computing in unique ways. I always heard that the sequels didn’t live up to the hype and avoided them during release. It was only later that I rented them and found out I was taking advice from lowest common denominator action movie fans. I only label those fans like that because their criticism only makes sense if you treat and view the films as blockbusters (which I think they’re pretty good at too).

[JakeTheAndroid]

I wouldn't consider myself part of the lower denominator of action movie fans. I like a wide range of movies and I look for positive things in even the worst movies. I am generally along for the ride no matter the premise or film quality or even acting depending on the situation. I just like stories.

The last two movies just aren't that great. They aren't terrible, but they leave a lot to be desired. The second movie is fine, it gives us a lot of cool ideas, but the pacing is a bit off. It tries hard to manage being a cool sci-fi movie all about the concepts and an action movie. They just don't nail the balance, but it's not a complete miss as a blockbuster movie.

The third movie is where things really fall off. Everything setup in the second movie is ruined with this movie. They are balancing too many things; The Matrix world and the real world all with multiple subplots, and the concepts with the characters and action. They try to force in new characters that don't have any time to really develop, so we don't really care. And the last fight scene is just a bit dumb and the CGI is pretty bad. It's really just a lazy ending and fan pandering trying to capture the fight scene from the first movie. And because this is tying up the stuff we get in the second movie, it just makes all the cool stuff of that one sort of lackluster.

I won't flame you for liking all three, that's the joy of art. But I think people also have reasonable criticisms of the trilogy overall.

[Apocryphon]

I think they were too cryptic and the Wachowskis were consumed by the grandiosity of their own mythos, but they were still impressive for what they attempted to do: build a sci-fi epic.

[thinkmassive]

This is why the Animatrix is great. It's divided into 9 episodes across various points in the timeline. Each episode was created by a different group, so you get 9 perspectives on the overall story.

[odessacubbage]

having re-watched the original recently, one of the most striking things was how successfully they managed to create a setting that excuses practically every single convention of bad screenwriting and still works as a film.

[Apocryphon]

I'd read an article about what those conventions were.

[me_me_me]

well for one, superman trope.

Neo is a 'god' in the matrix and yet movie avoids 'I'll just punch everyone, so why bother doing something clever'.

The scenes with key-maker escaping are really tense, and neo was cleverly outsmarted to be removed from the chase.

[skytreader]

I think it would help if Reloaded and Revolutions are viewed as one film; maybe chop off a few parts here and there too.

Reloaded, the cerebral philosophical expository arc. And then Revolutions, just guns and fists a-blazin'.

[leephillips]

I agree to the extent that the Architect in Matrix 2 [?] had some interesting things to say, and his explanation about why the machine needed humans almost redeemed the idiotic rationale of the first movie (electrical generators???). But, that and few other interesting ideas aside, I found them tedious and not well constructed.

[croddin]

Apparently the original plot was that humans were used for compute, which would make more sense, but the studio didn't think audiences would understand that as well.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/19817/was-executiv...

[zhengyi13]

Humans used for compute is also central to the Hyperion Cantos, IIRC.

[adamauckland]

Is that right? All I can remember is the Shrike. Terrifying.

[quickthrower2]

I’m going to assume they meant compute from now on as the body heat thing is too annoying

[sixstringtheory]

I read on here a long time ago that it wasn't just supposed to be humans as batteries, but as CPUs/algorithms (some good further discussion too, about the Architect): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12508832

I thought I'd seen an earlier discussion on a mailing list or something but can't find it now.

I remember coming up with an idea, which I thought was original, of us being in a simulation where all our life choices are just training an AI advertising engine that then targets "real" humans, and then later came across this revelation about The Matrix, and of course it'd already been thought of.

[leephillips]

Still a promising idea, though.

[sumtechguy]

I say there are 2 good matrix movies what we got though was one good one and 2 mediocre ones. 2 and 3 were really one story, but it needed a serious amount of editing. There was a lot of fluff in there that really detracted from the story. They could have released that movie and then special editioned it for DVD release... The last 2 also suffered from a problem once you make someone superman. The stakes are just not there. They tried to make that with zion. But story wise they just did not make the audience really care about them. The first one you felt like you were right there along for the ride. 2 and 3 you were merely an observer and did not feel terribly invested. They are 'ok' movies but just do not go into them expecting more of matrix 1.

[sam_bristow]

Has anyone done a fan-edit of the last two films into a single, tighter version?

It worked really well taking the Hobbit trilogy down to a single watchable movie.

[adamrezich]

I haven't played it since (and I know it's generally considered Not Very Good) but I remember greatly enjoying the Enter The Matrix video game, largely because the concept of tying the plot of the game into Reloaded directly was such a cool idea. it wasn't just your typical video-game-of-the-movie, instead it follows the story of two minor characters from the films that runs parallel to the second film. it's kind of a bummer that basically nobody else used this idea for anything else.

[omnimus]

This was super groundbreaking it was wild. Also Animatrix - set of animated short movies each discribing some part of the world. Super nice pack.

[evv555]

At the least animatrix was as good as the original Matrix movie.

[geoffrobinson]

No, 2 & 3 weren't good. The original Matrix set up a story about getting people on the Matrix. The film was successful and they probably realized that was unworkable. So they shifted to whatever philosophical mumbo jumbo they had. I actually majored in philosophy, so I'm not against philosophy for the record.