10 Terrible Threequels That Ruined A GREAT Trilogy

The first Matrix film is of course one of the most iconic and beloved action films of all time - a virtually peerless achievement in visual effects that's aged like a fine wine an entire quarter-century later.

Expectations were sky-high for the two sequels, then, which the Wachowski sisters opted to shoot back-to-back.

And while the initial reception to The Matrix Reloaded was one of mild disappointment, that it failed to match the brilliance of its predecessor, its esteem has risen somewhat over the last two decades, largely due to its many memorably thrilling set-pieces.

The third and, for almost 20 years concluding Matrix movie, however, remains wildly polarising at absolute best.

Though hyped up as the finale that'd sew up every last dangling thread, The Matrix Revolutions really only left fans with more questions, as the Wachowskis piled ever more heady lore on top of the already substantial heap.

Couple this with underwhelming action sequences which fell far short of the prior two films - especially a deeply silly anime-inspired final battle - and by the time Revolutions reached its infuriatingly ambiguous non-ending, the consensus seemed to be, "Was that it!?"

Though Lana Wachowski did return to helm a belated fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, it's a sequel made with such blatant contempt for Warner Bros. and the very idea of continuing The Matrix franchise that, in the eyes of many, she probably shouldn't have bothered.