The film literally picks up seconds upon the conclusion of "The Matrix Reloaded" where our hero Neo (Keanu Reeves) has exhausted all his powers to stop an approaching Sentinel. He saved his lady-love, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and ends up on a slab with a fellow injured crewmate. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), Neo's mentor, is concerned about his fallen prophet.

Neo awakens in a "rapid-transit" station where he learns he is trapped between the machine world and the human world. Morpheus and Trinity are forced to confront Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and Persephone (Monica Bellucci) in hopes of unlocking the secrets of the "Train-Man" (Bruce Spence) and retrieving Neo. Without Neo, the gang has very little chance of saving Zion from an all-out assault by the machines.

As the war wages, all the secrets will be revealed and an eventual conclusion is eminent. Who will live? Who will die? And more importantly is Neo really Zion's savior?

"The Matrix Revolutions" may be presented as a stand-alone film but you can tell from its beginning that this is just the second half of the previous film. For the first 20 or so minutes you scramble to recollect what happened in the celluloid-ridden "Reloaded". But quickly you are pulled back into the crazy world that harbors Neo.

The film has a lot of heart as it builds on the momentum of "Reloaded". Without seeing Reloaded, you would be utterly lost here. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but this picture is obviously the pay-off from having to sit through "Reloaded".

There are so many things that sci-fi fans and Matrix lovers will like. The war battles are utter eye-candy and will amaze any sci-fi geek. The final battle between Neo and Agent Smith is homage to Superman much like it was hinted at in "Reloaded". The strange hidden program societies are teaming with more strangeness.

Hidden beneath all the latex, rubber, leather and special effects are two talents that make the third entry a lot of fun. Lambert Wilson's return as the ruthless Merovingian is a riot and his scene with the always beautiful Monica Bellucci is one of the best of the film. But what fans and audiences should be recognizing is the untapped talent of Hugo Weaving whose Agent Smith is probably the best character of the whole series. Weaving's eye-brow lifting, over-pronunciation, smugness and quick wit are a welcomed addition to the environment that is the "Matrix". Weaving is a brilliant talent who blows Keanu off the map in every scene. It is a brilliant performance and a great villain.

One of my complaints about this 3rd film is the fact that there is no sum-up or throwback to what happened in the previous film. This could have acquainted audiences quicker with the momentum. Second, would be how much I want to see both films run back to back without interruption this could be something to consider with the DVD treatment of the films. Third, the series eventual conclusion is a little bit ambiguous. There are some still some unanswered questions.

"The Matrix Revolutions" is by far the better sequel and is sure to make all die-hard fans squeal with glee. (4 out of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.