The end has come for Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and all the other unplugged people fighting machine domination in "The Matrix Revolutions." The sad thing is, they go out more with a whimper than a bang. Faithful fans of the original "Matrix" have held their breath for five months to see if the Wachowski brothers could untangle the narrative knots and leaden dialogue of "The Matrix Reloaded," finishing the trilogy with something as smart, sharp and exciting as the first flick. Well, those fans are likely to be breathing sighs of disappointment, not satisfaction. "Revolutions" picks up where "Reloaded" ended, with Neo in a coma after demonstrating the mental ability to disable the evil sentinel machines in the real world. His sick-bay roomie is none other than Bane (Ian Bliss), a crewmate who secretly harbors the consciousness of nefarious, self-replicating Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). Meanwhile, the underground city of Zion is set to be invaded by the machines' killer sentinels in 20 hours. While the humans arm themselves for a massive defense, Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) pilots Morpheus and crew back to Zion in the hopes of helping out. To tell more would be to give away the surprisingly few surprises or developments the movie contains. Despite the many different routes fans have speculated the filmmakers might take their mythology, the Wachowskis choose a curiously simple path. "Revolutions" isn't as convoluted as "Reloaded," but it's also less compelling, and the through-the-looking-glass pleasures of the 1999 original are long gone. Also gone are the abundant martial arts duels that slowed down "Reloaded," but were always spectacular. Instead, the big action showcase is the sentinels' invasion of Zion, a half-hour display of computer-generated effects that's about as exciting as a video game. It can't top "Reloaded's" huge highway chase, which, despite ample CGI effects, delivered a sense of real danger in a recognizable setting. It doesn't help that the Zionists engaged in the fight -- Zee (Nona Gaye), Mifune (Nathaniel Lees) and the Kid (Clayton Watson) -- are little more than stick figures. The movie wastes time following them long after we're anxious to rejoin Neo and Trinity as they take a risky flight to the machines' city. (Reeves and Moss are sidelined for damagingly long chunks of the movie.) Some old faces return just long enough to puzzle or annoy. The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) does his smug routine, his companion Persephone (Monica Bellucci) speaks one line and manages not to spill out of her skintight dress. And the Oracle returns in the form of Mary Alice (replacing the late Gloria Foster), continuing to offer up fortune-cookie mysticisms about actions and choices. Then, of course, there's Agent Smith. Trying to top "Reloaded's" co-called burly brawl between Neo and dozens of Smiths, the finale sends our hero up against only one version of the agent. And Smith, like Neo, now has the power to fly, which results in a battle that's literally weightless, and as uninvolving as the special effects are elaborate. The film's conclusion is also oddly weightless, a compromised finish that sands off the first film's cyberpunk edge. The ending (and how it plays out) raises more questions than it answers, and seems to undermine everything we thought the movies were about. Even so, you have to give the filmmakers credit for giving us an end that really is unequivocally the end.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: By STEVE MURRAY