I don’t remember what was going on in my life when I saw this film, but something possessed me to give “The Matrix Revolutions” four stars. My editors scratched their heads and printed it; after three years of writing for the Guardian, I had garnered my share of respect.
Those were good times.
Now most of my reviews are adjusted by what the Guardian calls “the Bynum correction.” It’s a complicated formula that I don’t understand, but the ceiling is three-and-a-half stars and the floor is two-and-a-half. The pride-jolt isn’t the worst part. The hardest part is trying to sleep at night knowing that 10, maybe even 20, of you saw the “Revolutions” on my recommendation. That’s the tough part of being a critic. That’s the tough part of walking down the street.
God, I’m sorry.