It will be impossible for someone who has not seen the first two installments of "The Matrix" to understand "The Matrix: Revolutions," which opens on Wednesday. For those who missed "The Matrix" and "The Matrix: Reloaded," and those who just need to be reminded of their plots, here is a summary of the first two films and preview summary of the third.
"The Matrix"
Neo (Keanu Reeves), a computer software designer by day and a hacker by night, discovers that all life on Earth may be nothing more than an elaborate facade controlled by machines. Neo is sought out by Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) and Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburn), the leaders of a rebel group that wants to break down the Matrix and free humanity. Morpheus believes that Neo is "The One" who will be able to infiltrate the system and ultimately free the minds of humans from the machines.
The rebels live in fear of "agents," instruments of the Matrix who seek to destroy the rebel force. When the agents abduct Morpheus in hopes of learning the codes to the rebel base, Zion, Neo and Trinity must come to his rescue before it is too late.
In the end, Neo and Trinity fall in and love and Neo learns that he is indeed The One.
The film features several fight seq-uences that were considered groundbreaking when the film was releasedin 1999 and is generally considered by fans to be the best film in the trilogy thus far.
"The Matrix: Reloaded"
Neo and his fellow rebels continue the fight for freedom in the second installment of the trilogy. The rebels gather in Zion, the center of rebel resistance, where they begin to devise a plan to destroy the Matrix. The agents send machines to destroy Zion as Neo races against the clock to stop the Matrix before Zion is destroyed.
Neo is sent by the Oracle to find the Source, the architect of the Matrix who will allow him to break down the machines' control. Neo battles hoards of agents and prophetic dreams about Trinity's death along the way.
The film climaxes with an extreme cliffhanger in which the viewer is left wondering whether the rebels will succeed in their quest to destroy the Matrix.
The film contains several impressive fight and chase scenes, but many viewers felt that this second part left much to be desired.
"The Matrix: Reloaded" was released on DVD Oct. 14.
"The Matrix: Revolutions"
The film opens where the second film eft off, with Neo in an unexplained coma and hundreds of machines headed for Zion. The trilogy prepares for conclusion with the final battle between man and machine.
An explosive war wages in Zion as the rebels mount an aggressive defense against the army of machines that is about to invade the city. The rebels face total annihilation as they fight for the future of humanity.
"The Matrix: Revolutions" will open in D.C. Wednesday, Nov. 5.
