The Matrix Revolutions

The third installment of the Matrix series, *The Matrix Revolutions*, hit theaters in 2003. Written and directed by the Wachowskis, it was filmed at the same time as its predecessor, *The Matrix Reloaded*. The cast includes Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The story centers on Neo and his companions trying to permanently settle the conflict between humanity and the machines, all while dealing with the rogue Agent Smith. This movie made history as the first live-action film to premiere simultaneously in standard theaters and IMAX.

Released worldwide on November 5, 2003, by Warner Bros., the film had a budget estimated between $110 million and $150 million. Its narrative was supported by the video game *Enter the Matrix* and the animated collection *The Animatrix*. While it earned $427.3 million globally, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2003, that figure was a drop from the earlier movies. Critics gave it mixed reviews, praising the visual effects but finding the story lacking in fresh ideas and character development, and they were especially critical of the final battle. Though it ended the original trilogy, the story continued in the now-defunct video game *The Matrix Online* (2005). A fourth film, *The Matrix Resurrections*, came out in 2021.

The plot begins with Neo unconscious in the real world, his mind stuck in a subway station called Mobil Ave, a middle ground between the Matrix and the machine world. There, he meets a family of programs, including a girl named Sati. Her father explains that the Trainman, a program working for the Merovingian, controls the station. When Neo tries to leave with the family, the Trainman refuses and overpowers him. Back in the Matrix, Seraph, Morpheus, and Trinity force the Merovingian to release Neo’s consciousness. Neo then visits the Oracle, who tells him that Smith is his opposite, created by the Matrix to balance itself, and that “everything that has a beginning has an end.” Soon after, a swarm of Smiths assimilates the Oracle, giving Smith her precognitive abilities.

Neo returns to his body, and the crews of the Nebuchadnezzar and Mjolnir find and reactivate Niobe’s ship, the Logos. While the captains plan to defend Zion, Neo asks for a ship to go to the Machine City. Niobe offers him the Logos, and he leaves with Trinity.