4. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The original and best
Matrix movie straddled the line between pulp and seriousness perfectly: though the movie clearly clings to a high and occasionally baffling concept, there's no sense of pretentiousness about the experience. You don't ever feel patronised by the filmmakers - you get the feeling that they're just there to, ultimately, make a badass kung-fu movie with some sci-fi scenes thrown in for good measure.
The Matrix Reloaded straddled the line to a less-perfect extent, but there was still an element of fun to the proceedings - we got some pretty awesome fight sequences, not to mention a car chase on a packed freeway that ranks up there as one of the all-time best. When it came time to finish the story, though, the Wachowskis forgot why people liked the
Matrix in the first place:
Revolutions felt like a weird kid at school trying to push his philosophical ideas onto you via some convoluted movie script crammed with boring fight scenes. Though they try to ramp up the fun, we can't accept it... it's been spoiled by the intoxicating stench of pretentiousness. Yawn.