John Spartan

With all of the hype over the relatively tame car chase & multi-fights in Matrix Reloaded, does anybody else think that it's Revolutions which sports the truly revolutionary action scenes and effects work?

The Smith/Neo confrontation is the first truly, all stops out SUPERHERO battle ever put on film. Despite all of the superhero flicks out there, precious few of them have ever captured two super-strength guys going at each other in a comic book way. Particularly the crazy physics that might be involved when forces that strong are set against each other. Like when they punch and there's a bubble of rain pushed away or when Neo is slammed down so hard that all the buildings around him EXPLODE, it's just jaw-dropping and so beautifully captured.

And the mecha battle (APU power suits vs the sentinels). Just another huge, incredible battle that gives you all of the effects you want while still being exciting and well-shot/edited. It goes without saying that no one has done a live-action/photo-real mech battle scene on that scale before, but even compared to heavy metal war scenes in other movies, this one is way, way up there.

I feel it's these scenes that will be copied by future movies (if they have the budgets), not the car chase. Maybe the reason I like them more is that they are breaking new ground this time instead of trying to top what came before. Revolutions should win the Oscar for special effects this year. The first Matrix may have stolen it during its year, but this time they actually deserve it IMHO. Return of the King looked a bit sloppy in comparison.

Anyone else agree with me? Or is everyone still pissed that the story wasn't clear enough?

Rypro 525

i dont think they are on the ballot this year. I'll agree with you on them as well.

Me007gold

idont think there is any way matrix can compete with lotr: ROTK for special effects, granted i was impressed with the effects in revolutions but ROTK blew me away

beefjerky

I liked both movies, but the special effects in Revolutions were superior to ROTK's.

Jackskeleton

Didn't care to much for the final battle between smith and neo. (not a fan of dbz and felt too much like it) and the mech battle was alright, but I didn't like the editing in it. they stayed way to long on that scene when they could have easily combined it with others.

as for films in the future copying it.. Well I really don't see the point in copying it unless it fits the film they are making.

LivingINClip

I enjoyed the final battle bewteen Smith / Neo. It is how I picture a new Superman movie, if the main villian was Zod.

Kal-El

I think you should ask Pixy.

jekbrown

yeah, the final fight scene in revo makes me really really really wanna see the Death of Superman comic series made into a film. Superman vs Doomsday would rock with that level of special effects.

j

El-Kabong

No, I think that Matrix III's action scenes are a load of crap. A half hour goes by, focusing on the Zion fight. That's great - but what the hell happened to The Chosen One. You know, the whole freaking POINT of the movie? For your main MacGuffin to fall off the radar for a large portion of the movie like that is bad, boring story telling. The Matrix guys should have been jumping back and forth amongst the 3 storylines instead of doing each one all in one lump at a time.

Say what you will about Lucas and his storytelling/directing abilities, you gotta admit that the man knows how to edit a climax.

fumanstan

I agree with you on the Neo/Smith fight. THIS is what comic book movie fights should be. X-Men and Spider-Man did a good job making super powers fit into the real world, and Hulk did an even better job in Hulk's battle with the army, but the end of Matrix Revolutions is the over the top, all out slugfest that i've always wanted to see on screen. Unlike other films, it finally felt like the next step in comic book battles since Superman. Watching it in IMAX had me at the edge my seat.

As for the Zion battle, i didnt really think too much of it doing anything particularly special. Although i did enjoy it as well.

Oh, and i still believe that Reloaded or Revolutions was snubbed of an oscar nomination.

DealMan

yeah the APU's were OK, but they still didn't look as real as the power loaders from Aliens, and that movie was made almost 20 years ago.

And the neo/smith fight at the end was just corny. There's nothing revolutionary about Revolutions at all.

Jackskeleton

WORD

I whole heartly agree. I couldn't care less what happened to zion, I wanted to know what was going on with the one.

John Spartan

Must disagree. It sounds good on paper, but in an action movie it's HATEFUL to watch. The super-elaborate action scenes in modern movies have a rhythm to them and need a steady build up. Every time you cut away, it just destroys this flow and excitement. One of the bigger complaints about Ep1 was that they kept cutting away from the cool sabre fight to the lame Padme or Anakin crap. It just ended up taking away from the power of the good scene.

Worse happened to Cradle to the Grave, where they cut between a Jet Li cage fight and a DMX chase. In that case, both were actually good scenes individually, but intercut together it was fustrating instead of doubly exciting. Every time one scene started getting good, they would cut away.

Also, I tend to think that the fate of Zion was a HUGE thread in the series and they devoted a lot of time to it (ugh, 10 minute rave and endless council sessions), so it deserved its own sequence. Plus, the scene already had to juggle its own internal threads with the Commander, the APUs, the rocket launcher infantry, and Niobe coming to the rescue. The way it plays now, you get a great contained scene, then Neo gets his own great scene with the proper attention paid to it.

Put another way: As you mentioned, Neo is important, so why would you dilute his big scenes by intercutting with lesser ones?

John Spartan

By the way, are you guys saying that Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions weren't even submitted for consideration this year? Crazy.

Original Desmond

Matrix revolutions set a new standard for overhyped dog's poo

TREX1993

There are seven films that will be considered for the three Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects. Neither Matrix movie is on that list of seven.

For those interested, the seven are:
The Hulk
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Peter Pan
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
X-Men 2

And IMO, I'm glad NEITHER Matrix movie is in that list...

beefjerky

To say things like "I'm glad the Matrix movies aren't nominated" and the special effects were stupid is letting your childish bias get in the way. Say what you want about the plot and story, but to deny the technical complexity and achievement of the Matrix movies is stupid.

grifter

I enjoyed Reloaded's action a lot more. The fights were fun and the car chase sequence is one of the reasons I love cinema. That crazy final Neo/Smith fight was a lot of fun, tho.

zero

Im getting sick of every other person saying the Smith/Neo fight was out of DBZ. Hell Im a DBZ fan but that wasnt my thought watching that fight, it felt more like something I'd see in a Superman movie and that was ok by me. I do find it sad that Reloaded and Revolutions wont be nominated, but I do think that is a grave injustice because there was a lot of hard work put into those movies. I do wish though the Neo/Smith fight was about oooohhh....15 minutes longer.

TREX1993

Actually, it is my professional bias as well as my childish bias. And considering the fact that the selection committee of the Visual Effects Branch of the Academy (all VFX veterans) didn't see fit to even make Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions one of the seven films even competing for just a nomination must mean there are a lot of stupid folks in the effects community.

zero

So you do get where he is coming from?

IC_Freeze

Matrix went downhill pretty fast.

QuiGonJosh

Revolutions had the most flawless and beautiful Visual Effects I've seen since Star Wars Attack of the Clones...my jaw was completely on the floor at the Zion attack and the Superbrawl...after the Superbrawl I said "The Wachowski's NEED to make the Superman movie!"

The LOTR films have great FX...but they dont always look that great...some shots just dont look that good...but I give them props for just the sheer size of the project...and I was in awe of the battle of Pelennor Fields...

It simply shows the absolute idiocy of the Academy to not at least nominate Revolutions for FX and Sound awards...in other words f**k the academy...for anyone who can spot good FX and knows...Revolutions had the best of the year...heres how I would rank the FX of 2003...from best to worst:

Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions
The Hulk
Return of the King
Peter Pan
Terminator 3
Pirates of the Caribbean
Master and Commander
X2

Best Ever:
Star Wars Saga
Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions
2001
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Metropolis

DealMan

Uh dude, they weren't even submitted for consideration!!

QuiGonJosh

Yeah they were...but I think that they submitted both films which in turned cancelled themselves out...still idiotic of the Academy to not acknowledge their amazing achievements in FX...