7 Films Banned In Foreign Countries For Ridiculous Reasons

3. The Matrix Reloaded €“ Egypt

the architect How much can a bad ending ruin a film? If you ever want to ask that question, The Matrix Reloaded would feature pretty highly in your argument. The infamous Architect ending is pretty much the Citizen Kane of films with outlandish final acts, and although I€™ve made my feelings on The Matrix€™s second instalment well known in the past, I can understand why people were furious at it. But usually, films only have to deal with the criticisms of angry keyboard warriors such as myself. Yet occasionally, that rare thing happens when an ending is so pants-on-head ridiculous that an entire country just straight-up decides to ban it. In the case of Matrix Reloaded, it was Egypt who brought out the censors. They had a problem with the Architect €“ namely that the most confusing Colonel Sanders impersonator ever was explaining a worldview completely at odds with the Islamic understanding of world creation. Frankly, when you look at it, it€™s not really surprising €“ by stating that the world was being built and rebuilt by machines as they try and hone an illusory computer world, I think you are eventually going to tread on some religious toes, especially in societies such as Egypt where religion features heavily at all levels. So while brows were undoubtedly furrowed after the first Matrix, really ramping up Neo's Messiah qualities in the sequel and going to town on the religious iconography proved to be just too much. Egypt actually felt their religious faith was threatened by Keanu Reeves in a kimono-coat, so pulled the movie. If anything, it€™s actually kind of impressive €“ in dropping the clunkiest exposition dump in movie history, the Wachowskis pulled off the rare feat of making an ending confusing and blasphemous. Surely there€™s a medal for that?
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Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.