---
title: "The Matrix Revolutions"
year: 2003
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-matrix-revolutions"
fi1m_id: "the-matrix-revolutions"
imdb_id: "tt0242653"
tmdb_id: 605
wikidata_id: "Q207536"
fi1m_score: 46
critics_score: 46
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-10-05T02:53:51.890701+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T02:53:52.464084+00:00"
region: "RS"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Directed by Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski · 2h 09m · Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction

## Identity

The Matrix Revolutions

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-matrix-revolutions
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-matrix-revolutions
- **IMDb ID:** tt0242653
- **TMDB ID:** 605
- **Wikidata ID:** Q207536
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242653/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/605, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207536

**Fi1m score: 46** · Critics 46 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* The train platform is intriguing; the trouble starts when everyone explains themselves

> Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski retain a gift for strange places and large-scale action, but their finale struggles to make either matter. Hugo Weaving supplies the personality that the solemn dialogue keeps suppressing.

## Synopsis

Neo (Keanu Reeves) struggles to understand his situation on a strange train platform. His relationship with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) continues amid the human struggle centred on Zion, with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) among those involved. Neo needs answers, but remains bewildered by the conflict around him. Beyond the platform, a nightclub becomes a battleground, while Zion faces an attack by Sentinels. Neo and Trinity’s personal loyalties sit alongside the effort to defend the city, whose people must confront a threat that extends beyond the pair.

## Review

With *The Matrix Revolutions*, Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski try to give a trilogy the weight of a last stand. The result is a disappointing science-fiction finale, inventive in isolated passages and laborious across much of its 129 minutes. There is a worthwhile change of emphasis in the attention paid to the people of Zion, whose shared danger ought to broaden the story beyond Neo. But the writing makes understanding what is happening hard work, then expects solemn dialogue to supply the emotion.

The train-platform sequence is the clearest reminder that these directors can make an unfamiliar place immediately interesting. Owen Paterson’s production design gives that setting a stronger hold on our attention than the film’s explanations, and Bill Pope’s cinematography helps the nightclub fight recover some sharpness. We were briefly excited by the platform, because we wanted to understand how this peculiar place worked. For a while, we wanted to know what would happen next. Too much of the rest encourages us to wait for somebody to explain what has already happened.

Keanu Reeves is left with too much bewilderment to play, and it makes Neo a difficult companion for a film already struggling to explain itself. Carrie-Anne Moss cannot make Trinity’s romance with Neo carry the emotional weight assigned to it. The relationship is asked to support so much solemn feeling that the people involved become difficult to recognise beneath it. We get too little sense of what these two people enjoy about each other, even allowing for the desperate circumstances. The spiritual language leaves little room for ordinary affection.

Hugo Weaving, as Agent Smith, is the welcome exception. He seems to enjoy the grandiosity, which is a considerable relief when almost everyone else treats it as a duty. His performance has enough bite to make the dialogue briefly entertaining. The contrast is damaging to the rest of the cast: once somebody makes this language sound playable, all the surrounding reverence becomes harder to excuse. A little more of that freedom might have helped the film’s humourless stretches.

The siege of Zion at least gives the film a clear practical problem: a city faces an attack. Its appeal is understandable, and the staging suggests real thought about how collective resistance might become the centre of an action film. Yet the attention lavished on secondary characters does not automatically make them compelling, and the battle keeps going after its immediate force has worn off. Zach Staenberg’s editing does not solve that problem; the action needs more changes of pace to sustain our interest through such a prolonged assault.

Don Davis’s music presses for a sense of momentous consequence that the script has not earned. That insistence compounds the heavy spiritual language, leaving too few scenes free to establish their importance without announcement. The directors plainly want a science-fiction adventure to accommodate belief, responsibility and love, and that ambition deserves some respect. The problem is how often those concerns arrive as declarations, while the plotting remains too weak to make them convincing.

A concluding chapter need not settle every philosophical question, but it should make the time spent with its characters feel worthwhile. This one devotes so much attention to the size and seriousness of its conflict that it neglects that simpler task. If finishing the trilogy matters, there are flashes of invention to reward the commitment. Do not expect the explanations to be as persuasive as the machinery.

*Fi1m score 46, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The consensus leans towards disappointment, with the reviews divided between mixed and negative assessments rather than outright enthusiasm. Praise clusters around the visual effects and the staging of the siege of Zion, which several critics find exciting even when the surrounding story fails to engage them. The more receptive reviews see a stronger second half after a tedious opening, while Hugo Weaving’s performance earns a favourable mention from Total Film.

The main reservations concern confusing or weak plotting, drawn-out action and a conclusion that offers too little dramatic satisfaction. The sharpest disagreement concerns whether the spectacle supplies enough emotional involvement: Slant Magazine finds affecting collective human drama in Zion’s defence, whereas The Guardian finds the battles dull and the ideas exhausted. Even the warmer assessments retain substantial caveats, particularly about the spiritual allegory and the romance; the divide is over how much the film salvages, not whether it fully succeeds.

## Straight answers

**Is The Matrix Revolutions worth watching?**

*The Matrix Revolutions* offers enough invention for those committed to finishing the trilogy, but we find it disappointing and score it 46/100. The strange train platform and Hugo Weaving’s performance provide welcome interest; the prolonged action, solemn speeches and unconvincing romance make it difficult to recommend more widely.

**How long is The Matrix Revolutions, and what is it rated?**

*The Matrix Revolutions* runs 2h 09m. It is an adventure and action film.

**Where can I watch The Matrix Revolutions in Serbia?**

*The Matrix Revolutions* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from din 2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Matrix Revolutions, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Matrix Revolutions* has a UK 15 certificate and contains a nightclub fight and a prolonged attack on Zion, making it unsuitable for children under 15. The review describes sustained combat rather than specific gore or scares; we would chiefly flag the length of the assault for viewers who find extended action overwhelming.

**How does The Matrix Revolutions compare to The Matrix Reloaded?**

*The Matrix Revolutions* is the less satisfying action choice beside [*The Matrix Reloaded*](https://film.one/film/the-matrix-reloaded), whose two standout sequences earn clearer praise from us. Both struggle with speeches, but the finale puts more weight on Zion’s collective defence and sustains its main battle beyond our interest; its strange train platform offers a more engaging change of pace.

**Do you need to have seen the other The Matrix films before The Matrix Revolutions?**

*The Matrix Revolutions* concludes the trilogy, and we recommend seeing the preceding films rather than starting here. It continues Neo and Trinity’s relationship and the struggle centred on Zion, while its explanations are already hard work; we do not find it a satisfying standalone introduction.

**What should I watch after The Matrix Revolutions?**

After *The Matrix Revolutions*, try [*Dark City*](https://film.one/film/dark-city) (1998, Fi1m 76): Another enclosed reality to question, with a mystery that keeps moving. Then [*Ghost in the Shell*](https://film.one/film/ghost-in-the-shell) (1995, Fi1m 83): Machine bodies and questions of identity, given more room for quiet; and [*Metropolis*](https://film.one/film/metropolis) (1927, Fi1m 87): A divided city and mechanised spectacle, with people caught between the gears.

**What order should I watch the The Matrix films in?**

Release order is the safe choice for The Matrix, and it is the order [our collection page](https://film.one/collections/the-matrix) lists them in. *The Matrix Revolutions* is the most recent of the 3 The Matrix titles on Fi1m; before it comes [*The Matrix Reloaded*](https://film.one/film/the-matrix-reloaded). [The full order.](https://film.one/collections/the-matrix.md)

### Reviews we read (11)

- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the available text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-matrix-revolutions-2003)
- **Screen Daily**, Mike Goodridge (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as Mike Goodridge’s review, but the paywall conceals his verdict. No specific element praised or criticized is visible. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-matrix-revolutions/4015822.article)
- **The New York Times**, A. O. Scott (64/100, inferred): The URL identifies a review of the film, but the page content is inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/movies/film-review-the-game-concludes-with-light-and-noise.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (2.5/4): Gonzalez finds the first half rough but says the film becomes an exciting, emotionally engaging spectacle. He praises the collective human drama beneath Zion’s battle, while criticizing the heavy-handed spiritual allegory and the unconvincing romance between Neo and Trinity. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-matrix-revolutions/)
- **Radio Times**, Jason Caro (3/5): Caro finds the first half tedious but says the film gets the trilogy back on track in its second half. He especially praises the technically and artistically impressive siege of Zion. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-g48pej/the-matrix-revolutions/)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (3/5): The review finds the finale an average sci-fi film that falls short of its promised revelations and spectacle. It praises Hugo Weaving’s performance, while faulting the drawn-out action and weak plotting. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-matrix-revolutions-review/)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (30/100, inferred): Thomas finds the finale a solid but disappointing genre offering that narrows the original’s broad appeal. He praises the exciting Sentinel attack on Zion, while faulting its focus on secondary characters and the story’s dependence on outside material. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/matrix-revolutions-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (25/100, inferred): Bradshaw considers the film a disappointing, lumbering conclusion to the trilogy. He praises flashes of the directors’ old flair, especially the surreal train-platform sequence and nightclub fight, but says the battle scenes are dull and the film runs out of ideas. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_Film_of_the_week/0,4267,1079198,00.html)
- **Time Out**, NB (25/100, inferred): The review is sharply negative, finding the film glib and self-reflexive. It singles out Keanu Reeves’s continued befuddlement as part of the problem. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-matrix-revolutions-1)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (25/100, inferred): McCarthy judges the finale a deflating and dramatically unsatisfying end to the trilogy. He praises its visual imagination and spectacular effects, while faulting its plotting, dialogue, and lack of meaningful resolution. [Read](https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/the-matrix-revolutions-1200538204/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the story incoherent and the film a disappointing, overblown conclusion to the trilogy. They praise the Zion battle sequence as magnificently staged, while criticizing the lack of humor and the film’s confusing plot. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-matrix-revolutions-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
- **Director:** Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
- **Writer:** Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
- **Cinematography:** Bill Pope
- **Editor:** Zach Staenberg
- **Music:** Don Davis
- **Production design:** Owen Paterson
- **Costume design:** Kym Barrett
- **Producer:** Joel Silver
- **Cast:** Keanu Reeves as Neo; Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus; Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity; Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith; Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe; Mary Alice as The Oracle; Harold Perrineau as Link; Collin Chou as Seraph
- **Runtime:** 2h 09m
- **First release (the US):** 27 October 2003
- **Genres:** Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
- **Part of:** [The Matrix](https://film.one/collections/the-matrix.md) · 3 of 3
- **Budget:** $150 million
- **Box office:** $425 million

## Where to watch in Serbia

- Amazon Prime Video: rent din 2.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy din 7.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Dark City* (1998), Fi1m 76: Another enclosed reality to question, with a mystery that keeps moving. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dark-city.md)
- *Ghost in the Shell* (1995), Fi1m 83: Machine bodies and questions of identity, given more room for quiet. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ghost-in-the-shell.md)
- *Metropolis* (1927), Fi1m 87: A divided city and mechanised spectacle, with people caught between the gears. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md)
- *Dredd* (2012): For a siege film that keeps its geography clear and its ambitions manageable.
- *eXistenZ* (1999): Unstable realities and bodily unease, with a welcome streak of grubby humour.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-matrix-revolutions