A while back, I went into great detail about the Matrix Trilogy and with the new film looming, it seems a good time to ride that wave. The original post set out what I thought should be the logical continuation of the story after the second film. Go there for the background.
Matrix Evolutions
The film begins where The Matrix Reloaded ended. Bane and Neo are both unconscious, but Neo shows neural patterns suggesting he is in the Matrix. Morpheus decides to start a search for Neo within the Matrix.
Seraph contacts Morpheus on behalf of the Oracle. Explaining that the exile programs are attempting to leave the Matrix to a secure area controlled by the Merovingian, they must go there if they are to learn more about Neo and in order to meet with the Oracle. Seraph, Morpheus, and Trinity pursue the Trainman to Club Hel to confront the Merovingian. The Merovingian demands “the eyes of the Oracle” in exchange for information but with the warning that the information they desire will be their undoing. Trinity loses her patience and provokes a Mexican standoff, forcing the Merovingian to stand down – before information can be given, however, the Club is attacked by multiple Agent Smiths. The Merovingian and crew leave via their secret doors, Trinity manages to go with him as he is the only source of information on Neo. Morpheus goes with Seraph and escapes to meet with the Oracle.
The Oracle, with a changed appearance, informs Morpheus of Neo’s confinement in a place beyond the Matrix, the Merovingian controls the way there but Neo is beyond anyones knowledge. She explains that since Neo chose to save Trinity everything is different and even she is having trouble seeing where events will take them. She informs him that as the One, Neo has developed a wireless connection with the Source. All of Neo’s abilities – inside and outside the Matrix – exist because of this connection. She characterizes Smith as Neo’s exact “opposite” and “negative”, who threatens to destroy the Matrix and eventually the Machine City. She states that “everything that has a beginning has an end”, and that the war is about to end “one way or another.”After Morpheusleaves the Oracle, a large group of “Smiths,” after assimilating Sati and Seraph, arrive to assimilate the unresisting Oracle, gaining her powers of precognition.
Trinity finds herself trapped in a subway station; a transition zone between the Matrix and the machine world, where the Merovingian wil be riding out the virus of Agent Smith. At this station, Trinity is imprisoned with a ‘family’ of programs, including a girl named Sati, whose father tells Trinity that the station is controlled by a program called The Trainman, an exile loyal only to the Merovingian who exerts complete control over the subway. Sati tells Trinity that to persue Neo will be bad for everyone, Trinity refuses to remain trapped and attempts an escape.The dramatic escape fails and the Merovingian elects to kill her – at which point Neo appears and with greater powers, destroys all opposition and rescues Trinity. Neo does not seem to be bound by the control of the Merovingian or Trainman and is able to remove both himself and Trinity back to the ‘real world’.
In the ‘real world’, the remaining crew of the Nebuchadnezzar and the Hammer encounter Niobe’s deactivated ship, the Logos, and its crew. They successfully reactivate the ship and begin to interrogate the now awakened Bane, who claims he has no memory of the events of the earlier battle. As the ship captains plan to return to defend Zion, Neo announces that he needs a ship to travel to the Machine City. The captain of the Hammer refuses to allow it, citing his rights as ship’s captain. However, Niobe provides him the Logos, rebuking the captain of the Hammer when he attempts to prevent her from exercising the rights he just extolled.
Niobe pilots the Hammer through a series of service tunnels, which are nearly impossible to navigate in order to avoid the Sentinel army. Shortly after departure, they discover that Bane has murdered a crew member and has hidden aboard the Logos.
They also come to realize that it was Bane who fired the EMP which disabled the human fleet after it had engaged the Sentinel army. Despite this discovery, they are unable to warn Trinity and Neo. Before the Logos can depart, Bane ambushes Trinity and takes her hostage. Neo fights Bane, who reveals that he is Smith. During the struggle, Bane blinds Neo by cauterizing his eyes with a severed power cable. In spite of his blindness, Neo can see the glowing form of Smith and kills him. Trinity pilots them towards the Machine City.
In Zion, the defenders deploy infantry armed with rocket launchers and Armored Personnel Units. The docks are invaded by a massive horde of Sentinels and two giant drilling machines. Outnumbered and overwhelmed by the attackers, the APUs are unable to hold the Dock, and their leader Captain Mifune is fatally wounded. With his last breath, Mifune tells the Kid, who has been rearming his APU, to open the gate for the Hammer. Encouraged by Mifune, Kid pilots the APU and opens the gate with the help of Link’s wife Zee who kills a Sentinel and saves him. The Sentinels are on the verge of overwhelming the remaining humans when the Hammer, with more Sentinels in pursuit, arrives at Zion and sets off its EMP, disabling the Sentinels, but also the remaining defenses. Although they have bought a temporary reprieve, the humans are forced to retreat to the temple’s entrance and wait for the next attack, preparing for what they believe will be their last stand.
Nearing the Machine City, Neo and Trinity are attacked by the city’s largest defense machines, which begin to propel incoming rolled up sentinels. Neo uses his powers to destroy the incoming bombs/sentinels, but the Sentinels soon overwhelm the ship.
To evade them Neo asks Trinity to fly the Logos into an electrical storm cloud. Their action disables the Sentinels, but also disables the ship’s engines. Above the cloud layer, Trinity sees a glimpse of sunlight and blue sky for the first time. The ship then free-falls directly toward the Machine City, falling Neo asks Trinity to trust him – he see’s the world around him as Matrix code and uses his powers to control the ship and crash land into a tower. The impact of the collision fatally wounds Trinity, and she dies in Neo’s embrace he is able to tell her the truth – this is not the real world He recreates her physical form, tells her he must go alone from here and that he will find her when it is safe – she is then transported away.
Neo enters into the Machine City to strike a bargain with the Machines, personified by the Deus Ex Machina. Neo confirms that the choice offered by the Architect was another form of control, allowing humans who rebelled against the Matrix to enter into a high, more believable version of the Matrix where they could have hope and the belief in their own choice. Neo recognises that he must maintain the Machines because all of humanity are still in the web of the Matrix. Neo warns that Smith is beyond the Machines’ control and will soon assault the Source, as he has already made a leap from the Matrix to the real world. He offers to help stop Smith in exchange for a ceasefire with Zion: the Machines agree, causing all the Sentinels attacking Zion to stand down and await orders. The Machines offer a connection for Neo to enter the Matrix and confront Smith but Neo says he is beyond their assistance and then self connects to the Matrix world.
In the Matrix, which is now wholly populated by Smith’s copies, the clone with the Oracle’s powers steps forth, claiming that he has already foreseen his own victory.The Smith clones stand by and watch while Neo and the primary Smith hold an epic final battle on the streets, destroying buildings, and in the sky, until they finally brawl in a flooded crater. Neo is outmatched by Smith but refuses to give up. A frustrated Smith continues to attack, but when he suddenly repeats the Oracle’s words, “Everything that has a beginning has an end,” Neo baits Smith into assimilating him. Once the connection is made Neo is able to reverse the flow and take over Smith.
This surge of power spreads through the Smith/Neo and the clones, who then burst with light which ripples through the whole matrix thus restoring The Matrix and its citizens to normal. In the crater full of water, we now see the Oracle lying on the ground. Neo is triumphant and returns to the Deus Ex Machina. It explains that the Matrix is restored but cannot allow the humans to remain ‘awake’. Neo states that humanity will no longer be held by the Machines illusion of choice. Neo transports away.
The waiting Sentinels return to attack Zion. Neo, appears and uses some truly god-like powers openly to destroy the Sentinel attack and free the remaining humans. The humans of Zion realise the full extent of what Neo has become, and the implication that they are in fact still within the Matrix is not lost on Morpheus. There is a brief conversation where Neo offers the choice to Morpheus in a reflection of the ‘red pill/blue pill’ conversation. They both understand that humanity may not be ready but must wake up together in order to survive. Neo adds that this would have to happen with the help of the Machines and that although he could now ‘wake’ everyone he will seek after a peaceful resolution.
The Matrix ‘reboots’, repairing the damage caused by Neo and Smith’s battle, and without its usual ‘green tint’ of letters and numbers. The cat is seen in the same fashion as in the first film, repeating itself, ‘which notes a major change in the system/matrix’ is picked up by Sati. The Architect and the Oracle meet, and agree to unplug all humans who want to be freed, and that peace will last ‘as long as it can.’ Sati, who has created a colourful dawn sky in memory of Neo, asks the Oracle if they will ever see him again to which she replies that she believes they will. Seraph asks the Oracle if she knew all along that this would happen, and she replies that she didn’t know, but she did believe.
A short epilogue shows Neo back in the Matrix, making a telephone call promising that he will demonstrate to the Machines that a way forward can be achieved together, whether they choose it or not. He hangs up the phone and joins a figure which could be Trinity, together they fly into the sky.