Matrix: Revolutions is the 2003 3rd installment in the Matrix franchise released only 6 months after Reloaded. Released simultaneously in 108 territories, it is the first live action feature film to be released in both regular and IMAX theatres at the same time. Despite having mixed reactions from critics and audiences, it grossed $427.3 million at the worldwide box office. A fourth installment began productions back in February and is set to see the return of Reeves as Neo.
Fun Facts:
Written and directed by The Wachowskis and distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures.
Released on November 5, 2003 it has a runtime of 129 minutes.
It's budget was between $110 and $150 million dollars.
Filming occurred concurrently with is predecessor, Reloaded, and other live action sequences for the game Enter the Matrix. This took place primarily at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia. Most notably, the subway scenes were filmed at the disused tunnels of St James railway station, and the end sequences with The Oracle and The Architect was filmed in Royal Botanic Garden.
Carrie Anne Moss broke her leg during the filming in Australia.
Some critics criticized the film for being anticlimactic while others said it was definitely not as philosophically ambiguous as its two predecessors. Others felt difficulty finding closure with this film after the events leading up to it.
The temporary name for the movie was "Burly Man" and was not given a title until after everything was finished.
A custom telescoping rig called the "Tuning Fork" was created just for this film to enable one or two stuntmen to twirl multiple times in mid air while fighting.
Gloria Foster, the actress who played the Oracle in the first two movies passed away while shooting the third movie. She was replaced by actress Mary Alice and the physical change was added as a plot point in the script.
The design to The Machine City was based on corral reefs.
The God Machine or Deus Ex Machina's face was modeled after The Wachowskis own Nephew and was actually filmed making several different expressions.
New Additions: There are not as many new additions to this one as there was in the 2nd installment, and some of them actually showed up in Reloaded, but they are bigger characters in this one so I felt like discussing them some.
Bane: portrayed by Ian Bliss. He is a crew member of The Caduceus. He is possessed by Smith at the end of Reloaded and begins to work against the humans in the real world. He tries to kill Neo and Trinity on their mission during this installment only to be defeated by Neo. He was cast after The Wachowskis thought he resembled Weaving and they overheard him doing an impression of Agent Smith.
The New Oracle: Due to the death of the actress behind the original Oracle, Gloria Foster, a new actress was cast. Mary Alice was cast in her place. However, a change in the plot was made to address the change in actress. It seems that as an effect to siding and aiding Neo, she had to change her physical form because The Merovingian terminated her outer shell.
Captain Mifune: Even though we saw a glimpse of him in the sequel, he plays a much bigger character in this one as commander of the APU corps during the machines assault on Zion. As he is dying, he instructs Kid to open the door for the hovercraft Mjolnir to get through and blow their EMP. HE is portrayed by Nataniel Lees, who many LoTR fans know as Ugluk in the franchise.
Sati: is an exiled human created without a purpose by programs Rama-Kandra and Kamala. The Oracle, who protects the girl, believes that she is important for the future of both humans and machine kind. Sati refers to many different Hindu beliefs of awareness and remembering. She is portrayed by Tanveer K. Atwai.
The Trainman: He is the protector and operator of Mobil Avenue Station. He is a human employed by Th Merovingian in charge of bringing people in and out of The Matrix secretly. He is portrayed by Bruce Spence, who was recently seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales. He also plays the Black Lieutenant in Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King.
Deus Ex Machina: Known as The God Machine, it is the central interface of Machine City. It creates a humanoid face similar to that of a human baby from a swarm of flying insect like droids it uses to communicate. After Neo allows Smith to assimilate him, a direct line is made to Deus Ex and with that connection, The God Machine sends a deletion protocol to Smith thus ending the battle. Due to Neo's sacrifice, peace is restored between humans and machines. Deus Ex Machina is visually portrayed by then infant nephew of The Wachowskis and voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
Rama Kandra: is the father of Sati and husband to Kamala. He is portrayed by Bernard White. Rama Kandra is a program created by The Matrix. He made a deal with the Merovingian so his daughter could be free to live in The Matrix.
Kamala: Mother to Sati and wife to Rama Kandra, Kamala is a program and also interactive software programmer. We see her with Sati and her husband in Mobil Train Station meeting Neo.
Zee: Though we see her in the second installment, she is a much bigger role in this one as she deals a lot of big blows to the machines in the battle alongside her friend and fellow soldier Charra. She is portrayed by Nona Gaye, daughter of Marvin Gaye. Zee was a key component as bazooka operator in the battle. She even saves Kid as he is trying to open the door for Link and the others to aid them.
Kid: Kid is first seen in Reloaded as the obsessive fan of Neo. He praises Neo for rescuing him, but as The Animatrix shows us, he saves himself. In this installment, he assists the rebels as a reloader for Commander Mifune. He follows Mifune's orders and opens the gates to save the dock. Kid is played by Clayton Watson.
Maggie: Portrayed by Essie Davis, little is known about Maggie other than she is the medical expert and human for the ship Hammer otherwise known as Mjolnir. Maggie was a redpill and taking care of Neo and Bane after the events of Matrix Reloaded where we see a small glimpse of her. In this installment though, we see more of her as she tends to Bane when he wakes up. However, as she starts to get the idea that Bane is to blame for a lot of the bad luck coming their way, she attacks only to be killed by him.
Well I hope that some of these fun facts and intro to the new characters we meet has given some new info and insight into Matrix: Revolutions. I have enjoyed talking Matrix during this month of May. It has been eye opening and philosophical for sure. I hope that through this month, you have learned some new things that you can use in conversation, but I hope that when you do, you will tell them…30&Nerdy Podcast is where you heard it first.