The Matrix Reloaded is sometimes (unfairly, in my opinion) lumped in with The Matrix Revolutions as being a set of poor sequels. Reloaded is a fine film, and a worthy continuation of the original story, if not up to its cinematic standards.
Revolutions, however, is a mess. The story falls apart, the action sequences become banal, and the special-effects are ropey. A disappointment. So, for your, and my pleasure, I give you my harebrained idea for how the third Matrix film should have went.
Revolutions biggest problem is that from the outset they dropped the ball on one of the most potentially intriguing moments in the entire series. At the finale of Reloaded, the action takes place “in the real world” — that is outside the Matrix. The heroes ship, The Nebuchadnezzar, is attacked by Sentinels. The ship is destroyed, but just before the crew can be killed by a Sentinel, Neo displays hitherto unknown abilities outside The Matrix and is able to disable the robot with his mind. He then collapses into a coma having saved the day.
I remember leaving the cinema perplexed by this, but left with only one conclusion — Neo was not in “the real world” — he was still in the Matrix.
Revolutions, however, had other ideas. It is revealed that Neo can indeed manipulate “the real world”. Later he can also “see” in the real world, despite being blinded, in a manner similar to his vision at the end of The Matrix. Again, this suggests some kind of Matrix-like reality, but Revolutions never reveals this. The “real world” is still real, only Neo has God-like powers within.
Now, for my sequel, The Matrix Revelations.
In Revelations, Neo would recover from the coma, and in trying to come to terms with what had happened, soon deduce that they are not in the “real world” at all. That all along what they thought was reality, the scorched earth, Zion, etc. is just another simulation or “level” of the Matrix. This revelation has profound repercussions for the crew, who display various degrees of disbelief, despair and distress. Having come to terms with it, Neo resolves to try and escape THIS Matrix.
At some stage it would be revealed that Morpheus knew all along. He worked out some time ago that “the real world” was just another level of the simulation. He either couldn’t work out how to get out of it, or realised he couldn’t, so just resigned to fighting the Machines within it. This causes a confrontation between Neo/the crew and Morpheus.
Neo/Trinity et al. eventually work out the true nature of the Matrix. It is analogous to a sphere, with various levels of it like the skin of an onion. Neo then attempts to make his way to the centre of the sphere, by levelling up (or down) through various layers of the simulation. He eventually makes his way out of “the real world” through The Matrix of the first two films, then beyond this, to a deeper level. He finds himself in what appears to be the past of our world, a recreation of Earth some time ago. (This would be an excuse for a Shaolin Temple scene featuring Monks vs. Agents, you can fill in the gaps yourself, but it would be incredible).
After a sequence of regular Matrix-type action, Neo makes his way deeper into The Matrix. He is eventually pursued by Morpheus, who becomes somewhat of an antagonist. He is convinced there is no end, so is trying to stop Neo. Neo begins moving into more and more “unreal” simulations, which begin to lose much if not all reference to our world.
(Meanwhile, back in “the real world” the simulation begins to break down — this would be done via JPEG/MPEG type degradation of the scenery/audio)
As the film nears its conclusion, Morpheus, Agents, and The Machines are all out to try and stop Neo reaching “the truth” or Level 0 of the simulation, but eventually Neo begins moving into a trippy 2001 StarGate-eseque sequence, which moves beyond any kind of representation of forms as we know them….eventually the screen fades to white……
Fade in:
We are in a remote, dusty, town, probably America, and by the various signage, cars etc. it looks like the 50s. We are in a gas station. A man is working on a car. He eventually comes out from under the hood. It is Neo. The scene is slow, quiet. Eventually, he goes inside, cleans up, takes off his overalls and makes his way across the street to a bar.
He enters, sits at the bar and orders a beer. He slowly sips it while the bar-tender wipes a mug. He smiles. The camera slowly tracks back as he sits alone, drinking quietly.
“Wake Up” by Rage Against The Machine begins…
