I went in there after hearing of the bad reviews, and knowing that I'd still be awed by the special effects. But what this movie does best is to remind you of how good the first two movies were by forgetting to do more of what we had liked in the previous installments, instead slipping into a massive, egotistical, almost Attack of the Clone-ish and definitely austentacious attempt to tie up all the loose ends of the movie.

We believe he's the one, so shut up already. No more pills or doors or more choices. Give us your version of the Attack on Helms Deep.

Not since reading Milan Kundera's Immortality have I seen such self-absorption from an extremely talented creator suddenly turned into a chest-beating nacissist who think they can do no wrong. (Why am I comparing Kundera with The Matrix?)

Well, the film readily reminds you of all the lapses and the embarassing moments (CG) of the most recent movie by filling this one with really stupid lines (Trinity: Six hours ago I told the French guy that I would die for you. And you know what's changed in the last six hours? Neo: What? Trinity: Nothing) and a battle between Agent Smith and Neo so blownout of proportion that you feel like you just watched an episode of Dragonball Z.

Besides, who left Morpheus in the kitchen? He must have taken out his faith issues on the burritos.

And Neo really isn't the smartest tool in the shed, he couldn't recognize Agent Smith holding Trinity hostage. Who else would call him "Mr. Anderson" while gritting his teeth?

Still, I was awed by the special effects, not by the bullet time fight sequences, which were boring, really, but by the best damn actors in the entire movie: the sentinels. Their attack on Zion was to this movie as the freeway chase scene was to the previous one: glorious and breathtaking.

There were some obvious questions thrown back and forth, making it appear that this wasn't much of a closure. Did Neo die? Was this an end to the war or just a cease fire? What about all those other human beings left unliberated? Why the hell didn't they have some sort of EMP defense system in place in Zion to thwart off such an attack?

It also appeared that Neo didn't really defeat Agent Smith. It was Agent Smith's assimilation (to paraphrase Star Trek's Borgs) of Neo and the Oracle that did him in. At that point, I had just wished they had brought the Twins back.

All in all, it was obvious that The Matrix, sold to millions as a trilogy, was never meant to be one. Otherwise, it would have such an ending worthy of its beginning, not some lovestruck schtick and an Architect who looks like Colonel Sanders. At least I can get the wallpaper for free.

Hence, all beginnings come to an end. I'm just looking forward to The Return of the King, which can only be a better trilogy-ending sequel than this one.