The Matrix Dezionized

Just as a warning, this review contains SPOILERS about both The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions.

This gem is a little something I stumbled across thanks to the godly powers of the stumble button. It's a re-edit of Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions put together. The funny thing about it is they cut out every scene in Zion, so everything focuses on what happens in the Matrix (basically Neo's story). There are some other cuts throughout, such as the terrible resurrection of Trinity at the end of Reloaded, instead just showing Neo catching her and leaving out the whole part where she gets shot.

So is it effective? Does it actually save what were pretty darn crappy movies? Yes and no.

The first bad part about the edit is that it does mix both Reloaded and Revolutions together, with no clear delineation between the two, making it run about 2 hours and 45 minutes long (though shortening it to that is very impressive). And trying to stomach both movies for that long is a trial, even with a lot of the crap cut out.

However, I did finish it with a more positive feeling towards the movie than I did with the originals. It truly was surprising how just by taking out the scenes in Zion and doing little else, the movie(s) improved tremendously. It made things focus more on the bread and butter of the first Matrix: Neo, and the prophecy. No rave orgy, no war planning nonsense, no mechs. I honestly found the battle in Zion more interesting only hearing about it through the snippets that Neo hears.

Of course, it still carries the AWFUL CGI fights between Neo and Smith (especially the OOH THIS EFFECT WHERE THEY HIT EACH OTHER SO HARD THE RAIN IS FORCED OUT IN THIS SPHERE AND THEN DISAPPATES IS SO AWESOME LET'S USE IT 5 TIMES!!!), the terribly convoluted situations with the Merovingian, and the sappy and crappy ending, but there's only so much a re-edit can do. So while it's not perfect, it takes a pile of crap and at least scoops some of it away to make it not as bad.

The Matrix Dezionized gets a 6.5/10.