BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Neo. Trinity. Morpheus. They and other heroes stand on the brink of victory or annihilation in the epic war against the Machines in the stunning final chapter of the Matrix trilogy. For Neo, that means going where no human has dared - into the heart of the Machine City and into a cataclysmic showdown with the exponentially more powerful renegade program Smith. For writer-directors the Wachowski Brothers and producer Joel Silver, that means soaring beyond the amazing visual inventiveness of the first two films. The revolution is now: The Matrix Revolutions.

FILM REVIEW: 'The Matrix Revolutions' continues where Reloaded left off and somehow manages to be even more confusing and convulted than that film while not having as much plot to go through! The film is a visual feast with some spectacular images and sequences which are probably the best in the entire series, but there doesn't seem to be much story in this final chapter. It really just comes down to Neo confronting his destiny with the Machines and in turn the Machines unleashing an all-out assault on the last human city of Zion. The film doesn't attempt to convey any conclusions or answers for the myriad of questions posed in the second film and as a result you walk out feeling what the hell was all that about? The answer seems to lie in the idea that one side is not meant to beat the other, rather that humans and machines are meant to co-exist in harmony. But the film doesn't convey that in any clear way which makes it even more frustrating to watch than the previous entry in the series, especially since there are no pay-offs for the story as set up in the second film.

We open to see Neo has somehow zapped himself in between the real world and the Matrix world. He's trapped and has to rely on an evil program who controls the only train leaving this in-between world. In the mean time, Morpheus and Trinity set about rescuing Neo by tracking down the Merovingian. After saving him, Neo knows that he must go to Machine City to face the machines and tackle once and for all the ever growing power of Agent Smith. While Neo leaves to face them with Trinity, Zion and the rest of humanity prepare themselves for the coming battle with the Machines.

Unlike the high concept ideas floating around in the first two films, Revolutions doesn't really have anything to offer in this department. Perhaps they ran out of ideas or maybe they wanted to do something different but in the case of this film, the characters are just going through the motions to their destiny. They know the score, they know what they have to do. This is a bit of a let-down because at least even the second film managed to get you thinking just as the first film did.

One has to wonder why the Wachowskis bothered to create the Merovingian character in the first place - he had a good setup in the second film but there's no pay-off in this film as he disappears after the first Act without resolution. Agent Smith has the best story, growing with ego and power. And the other characters, even Neo, seem more like an afterthought this time around. Poor Morpheus, after being such an enigmatic, interesting character in the first film, he's a shadow of his former self in this film.

Like the first two films, Revolutions has some spectacular imagery and rivteing action sequences. And like the second film, they are overblown and serve more as eye-candy rather than being dramatic and tied in to the plot. We get a re-run of the first film's sequence of Neo and Trinity storming a heavy security facility but this time Trinity and Morpheus do it. And again we get a major confrontation between Neo and Smith which climaxes the film but enough already! We've seen them fight in two films and seeing them slug it out again, although spectacular, is not dramatically interesting any more. If you're willing to see past all of this then Revolutions is actually quite entertaining as these sequences are breathtaking. But if you came in expecting more, you will be disappointed.

Two highlights are the Machine City and the battle for Zion between humans and machines, both of which are gloriously rendered on screen. When the sentinels break through the outer wall of Zion and swarm in like locusts, wiping out any human who stands in their path is a jaw-dropping visual. Much of the action in this sequence is stunning to watch. Likewise, Neo's confrontation at the Machine City is spectacular, especially with the sentinels forming the face of a child to communicate with Neo.

Revolutions is the weakest entry in the series, but it still manages to portray some vivid images and spectacular action sequences, despite the fact that the story is ultimately a big let-down.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: This disc is nothing short of perfection and is on par with the second film in the transfer department. The picture is crystal clear perfect without a film scratch or mpeg artefact to be found, and the audio is a real delight, especially with the amount of detail with each individual sound during every scene in the film. Make sure you turn up the volume because it will shake the walls of your house to the ground, particularly in the final confrontation between Neo and Smith. A brilliant job in every department.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras on this disc are probably of the same quality as the second film. A lot of promotional fluff and some rather dull technical featurettes that explore the action sequences and CGI evolution in the films. Unfortunately, there seems to be even less insight in to this film than the last, leaving you with an extras package that doesn't really amount to much as an excuse to say that there's an extras package. This could have been better given the stature of this film.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.