Friday, November 18, 2005
Matrix 2, Batman 5, and Star Wars 3
One month, three films, all sequels. Had to get some films under my belt sometimes.
Matrix: Reloaded was nowhere near as bad as I had heard it was. It seemed to me to be a logical and solid outgrowth of the original story, expounded a bit on the philosophy of the first, and answered some questions I had after the end of the original (Why not place people in an idyllic fantasy world instead of the tedious urban society of the Matrix – the answer, they did, and it just did not work). Now, I have not seen the third, but those that have have shot down the promising theory I developed at the end of Reloaded. From suddenly out of nowhere, Neo possesses pisionic powers in the real world , knocking hunter/killer robots out of the sky with a wave of his hand. To me, this is pretty unrealistic, unless, Zion and the real world are simply another computer program, just like the Matrix. On the surface, this would explain such pesky questions of how the population of Zion eats given that the atmospheric shield blocks all sunlight, which in turn would have killed all plants and animals. It would have been pretty smart of the computer system to give Zion an illusion of being in control of the destiny when in fact they really are not. But that’s the world they want to live in, so that’s the world they get. Apparently Matrix Revolution tears down my little fantasy, but so be it.
Batman Begins was actually the first truly serious Batman film, ejecting all camp and going back to the core character’s motivation of revenge and redemption. It was a refreshing change, and surprisingly effective. The ending was a little anticlimactic, but I’d be interested in seeing a follow-up.
Which brings me to the third film, the one everyone and their brother has been asking me about since May. Well, I saw it. And now I can definitively say that Serenity was ten times a better film.Revenge of the Sith is the most visually complete Star Wars film. Lucas’ mastery of special effects has finally given us a universe that seems as diverse as his imagination can make it. Aliens, starships, cities, and planets of all descriptions fly past with breathtaking speed, and perhaps too fast. Visual impressiveness takes precedence, while plot and characterization become an afterthought. And it’s a shame. Everything moves too fast, and nobody is given enough screen time to interact, and become important enough to me to care. Instead, Lucas tries to instill that element by giving us brief glimpses of beloved characters from the original trilogy, thinking it will engender the same reactions they had during the originals. It doesn’t. Sadly, the one scene of all of the prequels that gave me that feeling of chemistry is included in the deleted scene of the film, and I find it to be sorely missing.
Still, one has to appreciate the ending of a film saga. John William’s score is amazing, and again the visuals are stunning. I just wish there was enough depth to make realize it was a tragedy and to make me care.
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