Revolutions picks up where Reloaded left off with Neo (Keanu Reeves) lying comatose opposite of Bane (Ian Bliss), an equally unconscious human whose mind has been overrun by the renegade program Agent Smith. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) keeps a watchful eye over the sleeping Neo, whose mind is waiting at a train stop somewhere between the Matrix and the real world.

The machines have found Zion, the last refuge of humans in a machine-run world, and are digging their way down to destroy the city. Smith (Hugo Weaving) is busy taking over the Matrix through self-replication while Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) struggles to maintain his faith in Neo despite knowing the existence of the One was just another level of control over humans by machines. As Neo and Trinity make an unheard of trip to the Machine City in a bid for peace, Morpheus, Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) and their crew race to reach Zion before the machines. Meanwhile, the city's residents prepare to make their own last stand with some lovely mechanical exoskeletons and energy guns.

Unlike the films of other serials, Revolutions wouldn't mean much unless you've seen -- and understood -- its two prequels. Written and directed by Wachowski brothers Larry and Andy, the Matrix films broke new ground with their blend of special effects and fight sequences (choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping). The Kung Fu grip of the first two Matrix films takes a back seat to Revolutions' lavish visual effects, which threaten to envelope viewers into the devastated landscape of the real surface world or the subterranean battle royale between humans and machines. That the movie is a rollercoaster ride for the senses is a given. But so much of the movie revolves around special effects and action that the philosophical foundation of the Matrix trilogy nearly falls by the wayside, a pity since its what made The Matrix so great. The action does, however, stop short of video game absurdity (unlike Reloaded) and there is still some injected philosophy. The concepts of love and choice, for example, are central themes in Revolutions, although the word "choose" seems to pop up more often than "Matrix" appears in this review.

Unfortunately, the Wachowski brothers also play Neo's messianic role to hilt, hitting the viewers over the head with the importance of his great love for Trinity and his great choice to save the human race against Smith and the machines. In case you miss it the first time, they go back to it again and again. The scenes are bearable - but just - within the context of Revolutions, since we know Neo must eventually face the evil, mighty Smith if all is to be resolved.

Stellar performances from Weaving and Mary Alice as the new shell of the Oracle (Gloria Foster, who originally held the role, died shortly after filming Reloaded) solidify Revolutions' good movie status. Weaving continues to define Smith as the consummate bad guy and his laugh, I'm sure, will haunt nightmares to come. Alice, meanwhile, breathes new life into the Oracle while maintaining the nonchalance that made Foster's portrayal stand out in the earlier films. It's a shame that Fishburne has little to do in Revolutions as Morpheus other than keep the Neo faith and support the cool as a cucumber Niobe.

The Wachowskis also elicit some fantastic performances from their other characters. They seem to have finally eked out a modicum of chemistry from Reeves and Moss, for the love story between Neo and Trinity. The pair appears more comfortable and organic than in the forced exchanges in Reloaded. Lambert Wilson again shines in his wonderfully seedy role as the Merovingian and supporting characters like Zion's Mifune (Nathaniel Lees), the Kid (Clayton Watson), Zee (Nona Gaye) and Sati (Tanveer Atwal) add more perspective to both sides of the machine-human conflict. And cult movie buffs may recognize Bruce Spence (as the Trainman) from his roles in The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Despite Revolutions' high points, and there are more than few -- including the jaw-dropping battle between machines and humans in a desperate defense of the last city of Zion and the creepy Smith-like portrayal of Bane by actor Ian Bliss -- the inevitable battle between Smith and Neo meant to serve as the film's climax ultimately fails.

The sequence, while dripping with style (and water -- it's raining), falls short of previous confrontation between the two Matrix juggernauts. After all, we've seen Neo crush Smith in the trilogy's first installment, only to stand tall in a battle against hundreds of Smiths in Reloaded. But the final showdown is devoid of the grace and power that punctuated previous encounters, and comes off more like a slugfest between comic book characters rather than the big battle for the fate of mankind.

In the end, the Wachowski brothers refrain from answering all the questions of their trilogy posits as Revolutions winds down, including that of Morpheus -- "Is it real?" If they did, though, it would solidify the Matrix films solidly in the realm of fiction and stop us all from looking around and asking the same question about the finale.