LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA- The Internet ground to a halt on Wednesday just prior the release of Matrix Revolutions, the third and final installment in the popular sci fi film franchise. Eager to be the first to point out the films flaws, industrious fans began complaining on message boards and chat rooms hours before the movie actually hit theater screens. Several posters picked out continuity errors in the yet-to-be-viewed film while others bemoaned the lack of satisfying ending to the trilogy.

Revolutions promises fans more of what made them fall in love in the first place: more explosions, more slow-motion sissy-kicking, more whispered pseudo-Buddhism, but for some reason they are repulsed by the unseen epic. "I know I'm going to hate it eventually," explained IRC chatter Neo5811. "So, why not start now?"

Most ardent fans of the series moved on shortly after the release of Matrix Reloaded this past summer. "Only newbies watch the second and third movies," posted R3dP1ll. "It's so commercial now, mainstream. I like my Hollywood blockbusters with a little more subtlety. Besides, the original Japanese version with French subtitles is much better. Matrixu, it's called. There's really no comparison."

According to film historians, the third installment of any film series is bound to be derided by hardcore fans. However, the filmmakers hope to overcome this hurdle and perhaps achieve the success of other third films such as Home Alone III, Police Academy 3: Back in Training or even the much-loved third installment of the Meatballs series.

Co-producer Larry Wachowski is fully aware of this potential problem and says the studio has taken measures to deal with it. In a history-making event in the field of theatrical distribution, the film will open everywhere around the world at exactly the same time. "This way, we figure we've got at least one shot at getting people to see this before the word of mouth gets too bad."

When news of the poor pre-response broke, George Lucas reportedly made a consolation call to the Wachowski brothers. By way of advice, Lucas suggested inserting a kid-friendly CGI character to add mass-market appeal and releasing a string of revisionist versions to stymie collectors.

Some of the criticisms appear to be based on a leaked script that has made the rounds on various Matrix fan sites. Earlier this week, the filmmakers debunked the forgery, tracing its origin back to an obscure corner of fanfiction.net.

"I can't see how people think it's real," said Wachowski. "It's filled with Smith/Neo slash for crying out loud. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

According to the producers, some of the fans may be reacting to less-than-reliable information. "IMO, the musical number with all the Agent Smiths dancing in a chorus line was too over the top for me," wrote Caduceus109. "I know it sets up the Busby Berkley finale in Zion, but I just wasn't feeling it."

An anonymous poster on the Film Threat boards specifically recalled several scenes that producers claim were never part of the film. "When the three-foot tall furry things came out of the alleyway to kick Smith's ass, I cheered at first. Then I felt ashamed and empty inside."

In spite of his bad pre-review, Neo5811 says that he still plans on seeing the film- as soon as his mom gets back with the car.