The machine army is hours away from breaching Zion, leaving the human resistance on the brink of total annihilation. Neo, trapped in a limbo between the Matrix and the real world, must find a way back to confront the rogue program Smith, whose growing power now threatens to destroy not only the human world but the machine world as well.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States Australia |
Premiere date |
November 5, 2003 |
Running time |
129 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi Action |
Budget |
$150,000,000 |
Box Office |
$427,344,325 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
The Wachowskis |
Produced by |
Joel Silver |
Written by |
The Wachowskis |
Music by |
Don Davis |
Cinematography |
Bill Pope |
Edited by |
Zach Staenberg |
Production Co. |
Warner Bros. Village Roadshow Pictures Silver Pictures |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #03 in The Matrix Collection
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The Plot
Limbo in Mobil Avenue
Following the events of the previous film, Bane—possessed by Smith—and Neo lie unconscious in the medical bay of the ship Hammer. While Bane is merely asleep, medical scans reveal that Neo’s neural patterns are identical to those of individuals jacked into the Matrix, despite him not being physically connected to the system. Morpheus, deeply dispirited by the destruction of the Nebuchadnezzar and the shattering revelation regarding the true nature of the Prophecy, rallies to search for Neo within the Matrix. Unknown to his friends, Neo is trapped in a transition zone between the Matrix and the Machine mainframe (the Source), manifested as a stark, subway station named "Mobil Avenue."
In this limbo, Neo encounters a "family" of programs attempting to smuggle their daughter, an Exile named Sati, into the Matrix to save her from deletion. They explain that Mobil Avenue is the domain of The Trainman, a program loyal strictly to The Merovingian. When The Trainman arrives, he refuses Neo passage. When Neo attempts to force his way onto the train with the family, The Trainman easily overpowers him, knocking him back onto the platform and stranding him as the train departs.
The Standoff at Club Hel
Seraph contacts Morpheus on behalf of The Oracle, who has changed her appearance due to the destruction of her previous "shell." She informs Morpheus and Trinity that Neo is trapped in the Trainman's netherworld. Determined to free him, Seraph leads Morpheus and Trinity in a pursuit of The Trainman through the subway system, but the exile manages to escape. Realizing they must cut off the head of the snake, the trio infiltrates Club Hel to confront The Merovingian directly.
Amidst the debauchery of the club, The Merovingian holds court. He demands "the eyes of The Oracle" as payment for Neo's release. Rejecting this price, Trinity instigates a violent standoff. She fights her way to the Merovingian's table and puts a gun to his head, creating a stalemate: either Neo is released, or they all die. Faced with the certainty of his own deletion, The Merovingian capitulates and releases Neo from Mobil Avenue.
The Oracle's Final Prophecy
Troubled by terrifying visions of the Machine City, Neo decides to visit The Oracle one last time before returning to the real world. She reveals the nature of his existence: as The One, his visit to the Architect granted him a connection to the Source, which is the origin of all machine consciousness. This connection explains his ability to influence machines outside the simulation. She characterizes Smith as Neo's exact "opposite" or "negative," the result of the equation trying to balance itself. She warns that Smith is growing beyond control, threatening not just the Matrix, but the Source and the Machine City itself. Before he leaves, she imparts a cryptic piece of wisdom: "Everything that has a beginning has an end," noting that the war is drawing to a close.
shortly after Neo departs, an army of Smiths descends upon The Oracle’s home. Having already assimilated Seraph and Sati, the rogue program confronts The Oracle. She does not resist. Smith assimilates her, transforming her into another copy of himself. Upon completing the process, the new Smith cackles maniacally, having gained her powers of precognition and seeing a future that seemingly guarantees his victory.
Betrayal and Blindness
In the real world, the crews of the Nebuchadnezzar and the Mjolnir (known as the Hammer) discover Niobe’s ship, the Logos, powered down in a service tunnel. They reactivate the ship and question the now-awake Bane, who claims to have no memory of the earlier carnage. Neo, driven by his visions, announces he must take a ship to the Machine City. Captain Roland refuses, but Niobe, recalling The Oracle's advice that she would face a critical choice, offers Neo the Logos. Trinity insists on accompanying him.
As the main crews prepare to pilot the Hammer back to Zion through treacherous service tunnels, they discover too late that Bane has murdered a crew member and stowed away on the Logos. Before Neo and Trinity can depart, Bane ambushes Trinity, taking her hostage. Neo confronts him, and Bane reveals his true nature as a manifestation of Smith in the physical world. A brutal fight ensues. Bane seizes a severed electric cable and cauterizes Neo's eyes, permanently blinding him. However, Neo realizes his connection to the Source allows him to perceive machine energy; he sees Smith’s essence within Bane as a fiery, golden form. Using this new sight, Neo dodges Bane's attacks and kills him by smashing his head with a jackhandle. Distraught but determined, Neo releases Trinity, and together they pilot the Logos toward the Machine City.
The Battle of Zion
The machine army arrives at Zion. The city's defenders deploy Armored Personnel Units (APUs) and infantry armed with rockets to hold the dock. A massive swarm of Sentinels breaches the dome, followed by two gigantic drilling machines, initiating a chaotic slaughter. The human defenses eventually crumble, forcing the survivors to retreat toward the temple entrance. Captain Mifune, fighting to the last breath, fails to open the gate for the returning Hammer. Dying, he passes the responsibility to the Kid, a young recruit, telling him to finish the job.
Inspired by Mifune, the Kid braves the battlefield and manages to manually trigger the gate mechanism. The Hammer hurtles into the dock, pursued by a swarm of Sentinels. The ship crashes through the gate and immediately detonates its EMP weapon. The blast disables every Sentinel in the dock, saving the remaining humans but also neutralizing Zion's entire defensive grid. The survivors retreat inside the temple, knowing that a second, larger wave of machines is approaching to finish them off.
Above the Sky
Approaching the Machine City (01), Neo and Trinity face a horrific defensive barrage. The city’s defenses hurl thousands of mobile bombs and Sentinels at the Logos. Neo uses his power over the Source to detonate the incoming bombs mid-air, clearing a path. However, the sheer number of Sentinels threatens to overwhelm the ship. In a desperate maneuver, Trinity flies the Logos straight up into the permanent storm clouds that scorch the sky. The electromagnetic intensity disables the pursuing Sentinels but also kills the ship's engines.
Momentum carries the ship through the cloud layer, and for a fleeting moment, the Logos breaks into the clear atmosphere. Trinity gasps in awe as she sees the real sun and blue sky for the first time. Gravity takes hold, and the ship stalls, plummeting back into the storm. Trinity attempts to reignite the engines, but it is too late. The Logos crashes violently into a Machine tower. The impact is catastrophic; Trinity is impaled by wreckage. She dies in Neo's arms, urging him to continue.
The Truce
Grief-stricken, Neo emerges from the wreckage into the heart of the Machine City. He confronts the Deus Ex Machina, the massive machine interface that governs the hive mind. Neo warns the Machines that Smith has grown beyond their control and will soon consume the Source itself. He offers a bargain: he will destroy Smith in exchange for peace with Zion. The Deus Ex Machina accepts. The Sentinels poised to slaughter the humans in Zion suddenly stand down. The Machines provide a connection port, and Neo jacks into the Matrix one last time.
The Final Battle
Neo manifests in a rain-slicked version of the Matrix, now populated entirely by millions of Smith copies. The primary Smith—the one who assimilated The Oracle—steps forward, telling his clones to stand back because he has foreseen that this is "his" victory. The two engage in a cataclysmic battle, fighting on the streets, smashing through buildings, and taking the brawl into the sky. They eventually crash into a flooded crater, hitting the ground with nuclear force.
The fight wears Neo down. Smith, dominating the combat, pauses to gloat. He recalls his vision of the future, standing over a defeated Neo, and realizes he is supposed to say something specific. To both his and Neo's surprise, Smith recites The Oracle's words: "Everything that has a beginning has an end." Hearing this, Neo realizes that Smith is caught in a cycle of causality. Neo stops fighting and baits Smith into assimilating him, repeating Smith's own line: "It was inevitable."
It Is Done
Fearful but driven by his programming to conquer, Smith plunges his hand into Neo's chest, assimilating him. The process completes, and the Neo-Smith stands up. He asks the Oracle-Smith, "Is it over?" The Oracle-Smith nods and smiles. Suddenly, in the real world, the Deus Ex Machina sends a massive surge of energy through Neo’s physical body. Inside the Matrix, light begins to fracture the Neo-Smith from the inside out. The energy surge chains through the network, causing every copy of Smith to explode in a burst of white light. The Smith program is deleted.
With the virus purged, the programs and humans assimilated by Smith are restored, including The Oracle, who lies in the mud of the crater. The Deus Ex Machina declares, "It is done." Neo's body, lifeless after the massive energy surge, is respectfully carried away by the Machines. In Zion, the Sentinels withdraw completely. The humans realize the war is over and erupt in celebration, while Link and Zee embrace.
A New Dawn
The Matrix is rebooted. The Architect approaches The Oracle in a park, bathed in the light of a beautiful sunrise created by Sati. The Architect tells The Oracle she played a "very dangerous game" by altering the system's stability. She responds that the risk was worth it. When asked what will become of the humans who wish to be unplugged, The Architect promises they will be freed, assuring her he is not human and thus will keep his word.
Sati asks The Oracle if they will ever see Neo again. The Oracle smiles and says she suspects they will, someday. The film concludes with a shot of the new dawn, the first time the Matrix has been shown with a vibrant, natural color palette rather than its signature green tint, signifying a new era of peace.
