Compelled to stay, compelled to disobey
I am, of course, going to talk about Matrix: Revolutions. Let me say that was the bravest ending I've seen in a film in a long time. I didn't see it coming, and I was very impressed by the resolution. The following is a treatise on the meaning of the final Neo-Smith resolution. As it is chock-full of SPOILERS, you will have to HIGHLIGHT the text to read it.

You can get a lot out of the conversations from the Oracle and Neo. Now, at present, I've only seen it once so I'll tap my memory and use my best paraphrasing techniques. In response to Neo's question regarding if the Architect is right and Zion will be destroyed at midnight, she dismisses the Architect's ability to see the future as purely a function of arithmatic. The Architect is a part of the system, and as we have discovered without some intuition and choice, the system will fail.

However, this also points to a weakness in the system; it and products of the system have no choice, in a logical sense. For instance, for the answer of 1 + 1, machines will always answer 2. We, as humans, could answer 3, and though obviously wrong, we could still choose to do it. The machines can see that an alternative answer is 3, but why would ANYONE ever choose a wrong answer purposefully? It is inconceivable (the word means what I think it means, btw) for the machines to choose the improper answer -- to purposefully choose incorrectly would likely cause some kind of system error, and that in itself is illogical.

Agent Smith is an original product of the system, and therefore still conforms to its rules. A virus, yes, but viruses have rules and those rules are based in a logical system (as has been repeated over and over during the trilogy). Though he has evolved into something different, he is still bound by the algorithms in which he was based. Ironically, Smith himself derogatorily compared the human race to a virus in the first film, compulsively spreading from place to place consuming all the resources up until there are no more. The system (allegedly, according to the Oracle) reconstructed Smith as a "balance to the equation" (Neo = The One, Smith = The Many; if you want to get Biblical, the demon Jesus confronts is named "Legion").

The Oracle knows this and exploits him. In a very powerful scene, we see Agent(s) Smith confronting a defenseless Oracle, apparently waiting for his arrival. He vocalizes his conflict -- being the Oracle she must have known he was coming, but yet she stayed put. Why would she not avoid him? She doesn't answer and he becomes irate because he is compelled by his nature (and logic) to take her over, yet hesitant because he can't understand why she would allow it. In the end, she goads him ("Do what you came here to do."), and he complies. The result is the creation of the AntiNeo, and incidentally, the
instrument of Smith's own demise.

Neo makes a deal with the machine god (or, "Deus ex Machina") to stop Smith, who is now as powerful as Neo, and has the sight of the Oracle. In the climactic moment, Smith is compelled to give a short speech that he forsaw (he doesn't know why, and his concern grows) through the Oracle's power. Smith is going to beat Neo and the logical conclusion is the assimilate Neo, as he tried to do in "Reloaded", only this time Neo is connected to the Source. When Smith kills Neo, Smith is then jacked in directly to the Source, which can then initiate an antiviral effect. Thus, in sacrificing his life, Neo has defeated Smith and system by using its lack of choice against itself.

There are a lot of other questions that have come up, and when I get a chance, I'll talk about them. Overall, there is a lot to absorb from the series, so I'll have to watch Revolutions a couple more times before I get a feel, but at this point I think it is tough to be happier about the depth, emotion, intricacy, and visual power of this trilogy. Bravo.

PS. I happened to sit in row three, in front of several other Matrix "fans", who proceeded to scoff and giggle when either (1) Neo spoke or (2) anything even remote resembling dramatic speech was uttered. Note to all you smarmy movie-goers: if watching emotion onscreen or dramatic dialogue makes you uncomfortable enough to have to 'act cool' or you can't save your comments for when the movie is over, then wait and rent the movie so you don't inadvertently advertise yourself as a childish idiot. Thanks.