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MATRIX REVOLUTIONS By Rachel Deahl Review Film Critic Click for the Official Site Convoluted and overambitious as it was, the sequel to "The Matrix," still felt fresh and, on some level, even a little important. Of course, hanging in the cinematic air of "The Matrix Reloaded" was the whiff of repetition - it was veering into chartered waters. In the disappointing and unimpressive third installment in the trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions," that whiff has grown into a stench. Without anywhere else to take their fascinating, mind-bending reality trip, directors Larry and Andy Wachowski push their philosophical and financial limits only to find they've been here before, and did it better the first time around. Beginning like a soap opera recovering from its previous day's cliffhanger, "Matrix Revolutions" opens in the dank confines of one of the rebel ships, as Trinity hangs over Neo's comatose body. Lost somewhere between the Matrix and the Machine World, Neo is off the map, so to speak, and in a state of limbo. When he comes to, he slips off to see the Oracle (now played by Mary Alice after the untimely death of Gloria Foster who played the character in the first two films). With word from the Oracle about the imminent and fast-approaching end of the revolution, Neo announces he must make a treacherous and supposedly suicidal trip to the surface, Machine City, for reasons even he himself does not fully understand. As Neo and Trinity set off on one ship, the rest of the crew, including Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Naiobe (Jada Piknett Smith), head for Zion on another ship. The remaining inhabitants of Zion, which is under siege, are attempting to hold off an indomitable barrage of predatory machines. Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is still attempting to take control of the Matrix and the world at large.
For all of the fascinating questions the Wachowski Brothers posed over the course of their two previous "Matrix" films - questions about the precariousness of being in a world layered with hyper-realities - "The Matrix Revolutions" is devoid of that provocative wonder. Where "The Matrix Reloaded" was weighed down by its repetitive philosophizing, "The Matrix Revolutions" is too devoid of it. In an effort to culminate a series based on open-ended and unanswerable questions, the Wachowskis wrap up their trilogy with a disappointingly simple answer. Finally "The Matrix Revolutions" taps the same vein as George Lucas's obligatory "Star Wars" prequels. The story has been diluted to one about good vs. evil and the ride is all about the battle. Like Lucas, the Wachowskis have some good toys to show off - and a spine-tinglingly cool-looking final showdown - but it's sad to see the last chapter in their mind-blowing series diluted to such trivial achievements. GRADE: C More than twenty years after its initial release, Ridley Scott's cerebral sci-fi masterpiece still looks and feels like something that could have just rolled into theaters. Refurbished and re-released, "Alien: The Director's Cut" puts the landmark horror flick back in theaters across the country. And, although short on bells and whistles, the Fox re-release allows viewers the rare opportunity to see this genre-defining flick on the big screen. The tagline for Scott's beautifully shot space odyssey cannily reads, "No one can hear you scream in space." And "Alien" brilliantly captures the forboding and nothingness of the final frontier. The film begins with a series of shots of the cavernous empty spaceship that will serve as the cramped quarters for Scott's haunted house. All flashing lights, padded walls and dank engine-room dungeons, the film is wonderfully defined by this foreign, cold and impersonal space. Of course, when the ship is occupied by human beings, is not much warmer. When the crew of the Nostromo is awoken from their deep slumber, they're given the order to answer a rescue signal coming from a nearby planet. As their sleeping pods open the crew rises from their beds in cloth-like diapers to answer the command coming from their main computer, "Mother." Among the crew of 7 on board, the desire to skip performing a search and rescue is immediately voiced by the two money-grubbing mechanics on board (played by Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto). Of course their tun changes when the captain, Dallas (Tom Skerritt), reminds them that payment is withheld if they don't answer the call. While exploring the desolate and seemingly uninhabitable planet one of crewmembers, Kane (John Hurt), is inexplicably attacked by some foreign creature or substance. After being brought back on board against the wishes of the defiant second-in-command, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Kane's mysterious condition - a leech-like creature has suctioned itself to his face -- draws concern and fear among the crew. Then, in what was to become one of the more memorable scenes in horror movie history, Kane miraculously recovers only to have a tiny creature bust its way through his stomach in gory dramatic fashion. Although "Alien" featured some of the most effective and cutting edge special effects of its day, the effectiveness of the film is rooted in a much older tradition of moviemaking - allowing the audience to hear more than they can see. As each crewmember is picked off by the wily invader, Scott offers only glimpses of the titular monster. And, as the deaths signaled by a scream or trails of blood, the director craftily employs the power of suggestion. On the surface "Alien" is an allegory about the evils of big business - the crew is sacrificed by the nameless corporation that employs them - but it's actually a much more interesting meditation on notions of otherness. A duplicitously Hitchcockian fable, rife with anxiety about defying "mother" (note the wonderful scene when Ripley screams at the Hal-like central computer, "You bitch!") and how to deal with the outsider who is not readily apparent (the real villain is not finally the grotesque monster but Ian Holms's drone, Ash), "Alien" is a as exciting to watch as it to pick apart. And, most importantly, its relevance and sheen haven't faded a bit since 1979. GRADE: A
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