*** Official "THE MATRIX RELOADED" Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[ThomasC]

I've seen all the previews multiple times, I just watched the movie a second time, and I still can't see the bad CG some people are talking about.

The movie still holds up, and I don't think Revolutions will change that. Revolutions just has a lot of explaining to do.

Reloaded remains a welcome addition to the trilogy.

 

[Brian Puntney]

I saw it last night and have to say I thought it was pretty bad. The story overall was fine, I didn't have any problems with it (I am not a huge fan of the first one but did enjoy it). But the CGI just ruined it for me. Man, I just cannot get over how bad it looked in scenes such as the 100+ Smith fight once Neo pulled the pole out of the ground. Totally distracting. I have a hard time believing that the people who made those effects thought they created something that looked like an actual human. I probably would have liked the movie if it wasn't for that, but it just made me feel like Hollywood is getting too lazy for its own good.

My $.02...

 

[Pete-D]

** 1/2 out of *****


Well, let me say, no matter how cool or bad-ass a movie is, it generally can't escape the fundamental rules of good storytelling.

While in some ways, The Matrix Reloaded is a more ambitious film than the first, it misses some beats. There are several scenes in the movie which could've been trimmed or cut out entirely I suppose.

A lot of important elements of the story are communicated in dialouge rather than through action, which sucks a lot of the life out of the proceedings (there should be a law against "council speech" scenes in sci-fi movies).

The fight scenes lack tension and the sense of wonderment from the first one. Neo seems to be going through the motions at some points, although the Burly Brawl brings a new sense of kinetic movement that previously would only be possibly in anime.

The first Matrix is a far better film with a better executed story, a better score, better editing, and a much more memorable climax. It's also a more human story.

All that said (phew!) the Matrix Reloaded is not without it's strong points. As I said before, I really enjoyed the Burly Brawl sequence.

I didn't even mind the rave sequence, although this movie has a lot of scenes that simply go on for way too long. There are also a lot of scenes that really don't do much to add to the film (the scene with Monica Bellucci in the men's room... although she's extremely sexy so that makes up for it).

The car chase sequence is of course a high-end spectacle that will no doubt leave many slobbering for more. Again though I just didn't feel much of a sense of tension during these scenes. Slo-motion is overused here, wheras in the first film they had a smaller budget and could likely only use it to really puncuate specific moments. I'm afraid the old saying, "the lack of restrictions is the enemey of creativity", rings true here.

The themes and idea of control and choice are explored here, unfourtunately it's more dialouge than it is presented through action. The first movie, which dealt more with existence and transcendence executed its core themes better.

The "balls out" action finale of the original Matrix blew the roof off the theater, in the sequel it's more of a tangled, complicated mess of an action sequence.

I did like the character of the "Merigovian" even though he and his band of goons came across a bit over-the-top, almost like a Bond villian.

The Matrix Reloaded is a different kind of film. I think the Wachowski's wanted to expand and deal with deeper themes, but the execution here is dry whereas the first one teemed with a giddy inventiveness. It's definitely more "Back to the Future 2" than "Empire Strikes Back" as far as middle acts go.

Still, like the first Matrix, Reloaded manages to touch upon enough cool themes and is more a "puzzle" of a film than the first one that it's definitely worth seeing. Where other summer blockbusters play it safe, the Wachowski's show they're not afraid to take some risks. In the process, however, a lot of the "juice" that made the first movie an iconic moment in pop-culture gets lost.

The Matrix was a slam dunk. The Matrix Reloaded is a lay up that nervously rattles its way through the hoop.

 

[Brian Harnish]

Joseph wrote:

I personally can't wait for the DVD and after seeing the Revolutions preview trailer after the end credits, I'm ready to see it right now.

For me, seeing The Matrix: reloaded brought back the same awe and wonder that I had when I saw the first film. However, I think in this case, the awe and wonder escalated a bit as the Matrix world expanded before my very eyes.

I give this sequel:

:star: :star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

The Matrix Reloaded

:star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

This movie is neither as good as its fans say nor as bad as its detractors claim. It had all of the flaws I expected it would have, but none as badly as I thought it would.

Truly, this film can't be judged on its own any more than The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, or Back to the Future II could; these are films made in bunches as parts of a unified story. What it can be compared to is the original film, and in the comparison it falls well short.

Consider this: The Matrix may have been the most revolutionary and significant sci-fi film since Star Wars because of the innovations it brought to the genre: the concept, the superhuman kung-fu, and the use of new effects to represent the characters' manipulation of the rules. It brilliantly sets up a concept and slowly reveals it to the audience in one of the most effective uses of exposition in film history--over 40 minutes of it. The storytelling is great, even though the characters leave me cold, and the effects serve the story brilliantly. The look and feel of the film is slick, clean, and wholly original.

The Matrix Reloaded adds nothing to the above except some weak high-falutin' philosophy and a disturbingly uninteresting surprise ending. The Wachowski brothers appear to my eyes to be coasting, and if The Matrix Revolutions doesn't pay off I'm going to be pretty darn disappointed.

Let's start with the effects: They serve nothing but themselves here. Where the slow-motion and bullet-time effects were parsed sparingly throughout the first film, showing only moments when the characters were somehow manipulating the reality of the Matrix, here there are so many slow-mo and BT moments that they become static. They seem to have been put in where they would look the coolest. So flush that innovation down the toilet.

Moving on to the kung-fu: How much is too much? THIS MUCH. How long did Neo fight that army of Smiths? About twice as long as I was able to pay attention to it. I found myself cheering when he pulled the pole out of the ground just because it was something different. It got boring incredibly quickly. Sure, the choreography was excellent, but it all ran together. I've been studying with one of America's greatest fight masters, David Leong, and he has convinced me that less is always, ALWAYS, more where stage violence is concerned. Make it matter. OK: Neo is amazing and Smith can duplicate himself. WE GOT THE MESSAGE.

As for the concept: The number of high-minded speeches about the nature of the Matrix and new details of its design were so, so, SO multitudinous that they, like the effects and the combat, all blended together. Sure, I can probably figure it out in further viewings, but should I have to? Shouldn't the fundamental story elements of a movie be clear to its target viewer in a single viewing?

And the characters: Is there a moment in this film where we get any kind of development to these people and their relationships? Sure, I suppose Neo and Trinity love each other because they kiss and have sex, but WHY? Is there anything in either one of these films that shows why two people might be in love with each other? A joke, a smile, a spark of some kind? I submit that there is not, aside from the fact that the filmmakers have them say the words "I love you" to each other and show them rolling around naked during the most pointless music-video passage I have ever seen in a film. The first movie began to show Neo as a human of some kind, confused and lost and a little funny ("How about I give you the finger and you give me my phone call?"), but it didn't last. These aren't characters, they're drawings on the pages of a really exciting, but ultimately shallow, comic book.

Now, the movie's fans will probably not have read this far because of my fountain of negativity, but just in case you're still with me, let me say that I really enjoyed this film, and I'm looking forward to the next one. This is a good franchise, certainly on par with the current trilogy of Star Wars films. The freeway scene is fantastic, and a couple of the plot twists are fabulous. The action is great if you don't care for dynamics as much as I do. But I was hoping beyond hope that the Wachowski brothers would transcend the limitations of their own success and keep on innovating. Instead, we have a movie made by filmmakers who are very impressed with the success of what they've done and who are badly in need of an idea editor, someone to say, "Yeah, that would look cool, but does it help move the story forward efficiently?"

The big disappointment, in a nutshell, is that the sequel to a movie that has spawned so much copying should be so derivative. The number of Empire Strikes Back parallels alone is huge. ("I'm your 'father,' Neo." "If you rescue Trinity, you will destroy everything she fought for.") Throw in several dozen images straight out of the Sci-Fi Channel's Dune (such as the Fremen orgy after Jessica drinks the Water of Life) and you get the picture.

This film is about 20 minutes too long and 20 pounds too lightweight. Take out some action, take out the rave, take out some philosophy, and add some actual character development and we may have something worthy of the first film's promise. Then again, it's not really meant to stand on its own... Maybe the rave scene is somehow very important in the context of the third film. But I doubt it.

 

[Bryant Trew]

I agree with you point by point Ron, but I don't understand how you could still call this a good movie. I thought it was utter crap for the exact reasons you mentioned (especially the craptacular CG and dumping of the classic Matrix soundtrack). There was just no way for me to appreciate the architect scene, because the earlier 80% of the film bombards you with such amazing stupidity - there was just no way I was going to give the movie any brain power at that point in the film. I just didn't care... cool review.

 

[Dennis Pagoulatos]

The Matrix Reloaded

I saw this at the first screening on Wednesday night at 10pm, but I figured I'd better let it simmer in my brain for a little while before writing any reaction. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, with some minor quibbles which have already been stated ad nausem (so I'll add to the nausea!)

1. The first third of film moves a little too slowly, and as others have pointed out, contains several unecessary scenes which could have been trimmed/ deleted altogether).

2. I personally disliked the setting of Zion as it was realized for the film; it was too close to a thousand other bad wannabe post-apocalyptic Costner flicks such as "Waterworld" and the nightmarish "Postman". Obviously, YMMV.

I loved that the story expanded the universe of the Matrix, made it more complicated than we all thought, and added many new elements of "good" and "evil" and many shades in between; to be concluded, indeed.

Really, I just about ate it all up, and smiled several times in the middle of the action scenes at the sheer cool factor of them. I will definitely be watching Reloaded a couple more times in the theater, because so much of it deserves to be seen on a big screen with big sound (thankfully my area theater delivers with some of the best bass I've ever heard in a commercial theater) if you really want it to deliver that visceral rush. Sure you can sorta replicate it in your home theater (as all of us will once these DVD's are released), but it's not the same effect as the big screen of a movie theater! And if there ever was a series of films that was meant to be seen in a movie theater, this is it!


:star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of 5

-Dennis

 

[Stephen Orr]

My wife and I, in our mid 40's, saw Matrix Reloaded as part of our anniversary weekend last night (22 years - woo-hoo!)

We are both HUGE fans of the original, and were dismayed when we began reading all of the negative reviews and comments in the days before release. We almost cancelled our plans to see it, then decided that we needed to decide for ourselves. After all, the choice was already made, we just needed to understand why it was made .

To make a long story short, we absolutely loved the picture, and almost bought the PS2 Enter The Matrix to see the bridging story between the films.

The opening hour that spent most of its time in Zion? Maybe some people were impatient with it, but we enjoyed seeing the politics of how humanity was running things underground. It added a much needed dimension to counter-point the action action action of the Matrix stuff. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between the counselor and Neo in the engineering level as they discussed the fact that although they had control over those machines, it was those same machines that kept them alive, same as the machines of the Matrix keeping its human batteries alive.


The controversial ending, in my mind, was perfect.Neo, unlike the previous six versions of the one, had somehow affected this version of the Matrix, and it him, as we find out between his interaction with Smith and how that agent was changed. Even the Architect admitted that there were unforeseen flaws and effects going on in the previous versions, that was the reason for the eventual "reloads" or reboots. And when Neo actually had unforeseen power in the "real" world, this is something that does show that something else is going on.


I was especially intrigued by the idea of all those.autonomous programs living and controlling things from within the Matrix. It was a great explanation for the Oracle
.

Biggest problem - we thought the love-making scene was gratuitous and unnecessary, simply because it added nothing to what we already knew about their relationship. Believe me, we are not prudes, but felt it was a waste of time, and would have liked to have seen more of the "Neo as mankind's messiah" that is touched on in a couple of very effective scenes.

On the other hand, the burly brawl was incredible, as was Trinity's first appearance at the powerplant in the film, and the car chase was the absolute, hands down, no kidding show stopper. At our screening, when Neo swooped in at the last millisecond and rescued Morpheus and the Keymaker,
our entire theater burst into cheers and applause.

We continued to discussed the different layers of this film over dinner, and even at breakfast again this morning, was evidence to us of how much we enjoyed it. My wife feels it was a better picture overall, even if the effects were not "new". In fact, we feel all the talk about how "fake" some feel the CGI is, is really unfair to the imagination and thought that was put into the complicated plot. Be honest, so what if it's CGI? Stop motion stood in for men in suits and hand puppets 70 years ago, and no one complained about it. Move on!

We plan to see Matrix Reloaded again, perhaps after we've had a chance to see the remaining Animatrix shorts that have not appeared on the internet.

Four and a half out of five stars for us. (minus a half-star for that "love scene." NOT NEEDED!)

 

[Chris Tedesco]

I'm not sure what I just saw but I'll say this....It wasn't good.

Holy smokes! This has got to go down as one of the biggest let downs in movie making history. I'm not sure I'm gonna add what has already been said in previous posts, but I'm very much questioning how any Matrix fan from the original can honestly believe they like this.

Seriously, when the rave scene ended was there anybody ...ANYBODY in these forums who thought that was cool? I've never experienced a feeling I got when that was going on. Pathetic.

Pluses...few, fight scenes, car chases, and more fight scenes were good, but not great. There didn't seem to be any heart in the action scenes.

Overall I give it a 1 out of 10 stars. I've never gone to the Movie theatre and been that close to walking out.

Matrix Reloaded?? Should have been called Matrix Retarded!

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I guess after two showings, and much discussion (and a bit of video gaming), I am due to offer a second review. Reading my first review, I didn't say too much. I'll catch up here

I always couch this with my feelings on the first film. Most have heard that song, so I'll skip it. In short: liked, not loved. I really enjoyed the action and concepts, but I didn't fully get into it. I had been eagerly awaiting the sequels. I had hoped they would further explore the Matrix, the real world, and the ideas.

The best thing a film can do is surprise you. Surprise you by showing you something you didn't think of, but in retrospect, understand it couldn't have been any other way. We've all seen films and imagined what could MAKE (or destroy) the next scene. The best films take that further for us.

And The Matrix Reloaded does that for me. In spades. It quickly solved my first film quibble...lack of empathy. I immediately care for Neo and Trinity as the dream unfolds and upsets him. It further explores the very essence of that love, not with long speeches, but with glances and touches. So, right away, I care about their story. It takes us into the Matrix for a quick refresher, and shows just how far Neo has come. And it's right into the story. Then it goes to a new place, the heart of humanity, Zion. Some feel the film bogs here. I won't say it's my favorite material, but it serves the story, and better establishes the world order. And from there, we are off, chasing the dream of the second film. Everything is set up to go as we've imagined for the last 4 years. I admit to enjoying the Burly Brawl quite a bit the second time. The first time, I wanted to get back to the story. Once I knew where we were going, the Brawl was a visual treat, a beautiful dance. And from there, from sumptuous sets through action setpieces, the film was just spectacular. More critically, I haven't enjoyed pondering a film this much...ever.

Similar to the first film, Reloaded is very tightly crafted. There are some tremendous shots. The editing was excellent, as were all technical aspect so the film. Clearly, Joel Silver was wrong...there is a bar, but many shots in this film moved it. Not all, but enough. The performances are as expected. I didn't like all the dialogue, but I liked almost all of the deliveries. Some of the bit players weren't as hot, but they never took me out of the film, so mission accomplished. The leads were quite a bit better. The two actors I gave major kudos to in my first review still deserve them. Watching it, I am amazed at how much work Keanu had to do for the film. He won't win any Oscars, but his effort is appreciated. It made the film believable and better.

And in the end, I love thinking about it, and I can't wait for viewing number 3. I do not feel Reloaded is merely a set-up for Revolutions. It establishes many new players, many new rules, and closes out the cycle of the first film (maybe). Yes, it needs the first to set it up, and it'll need Revolutions to tie it up, but in-between it makes for a wonderful ride. I imagine I'd be content to watch it on it's own.

The film isn't perfect. After the first review, I would have given it a 9/10. But I'd rather spend time discussing the meat than the broccoli. I am quite comfortable after my second review of giving it:

10/10

Certainly, that's based on my massive enthusiasm for the film. It pushed all the right buttons, including some that had NEVER been pushed before by any film. It's a triumph that they pulled off a legit and worthy sequel to a phenomenon. It's not self-contained like the original, but it's just as marvelous to experience.

Take care,
Chuck

 

[Jon Sheedy]

First off, while I enjoyed (the original) The Matrix, I'm not a huge fan....nowhere near the level of some of my friends or many here at HTF. I'd rate The Matrix :star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: .

Took my son this afternoon and wasn't too excited because there seems to be many people complaining about the thing....wasn't expecting too much to begin with...figured I wouldn't like this one as much as the first.

I figured wrong...very wrong. Reloaded BLEW me away!!!! I LOVED everything about this film (and I'm not a big action film fan)....inf******credibly well made, explosions and car crashes and fighting have never been more exciting than those I witnessed in this film.

I cannot understand what (other than the admittedly emphasized dance/love scenes) people are complaining about with Reloaded? Bad CGI? I didn't see any...that's for damn sure.

I give The Matrix Reloaded :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

I'm still in awe of this film and cannot believe how much I enjoyed it! WOW!!!!!

 

[chris rick]

A good solid film: :star: :star: :star: out of 4. One thing though...as amazing as the visual effects were, man was the CG simply herrendous during the NEO fighting 100 agent Smiths sequence. Wow was that bad.

 

[Darcy Hunter]

After seeing Reloaded for the second time, I feel I can finally offer up my opinion on this film.

I've read all the posts in both the review and discussion threads, absorbed all the opinions on the film and it's meaning, and while I respect the points of those who did not enjoy this sequel (at least the points that went beyond "wow, that really sucked!"), none of it matters to me, this was the Matrix sequel I wanted to see.

After being introduced to the Asian action scene in 1993 thanks to John Woo's "The Killer", I was hooked. I watched everything I could get my hands on, from Jackie Chan to Jet Lee, and on and on. When the Matrix came along in 1999, I was very curious, I mean Keanu had done the futuristic, cyber-punk, virtual-reality thing before with the horrible Johnny Mnemonic, but the trailers and web promos offered a tantalizing glimpse at what could be something special. The mixture of sci-fi and Hong Kong style action was exciting, but what stayed with me after multiple viewings was what the film had to offer beyond the thrills. After the twist was reveled, it changed our perception of what had come before. We were Neo, discovering the truth for the first time, and it was exhilarating. when I re-watch the film now, it's the "slow parts" that I enjoy the most. I really like the slow-burn of the early scenes , the slow awakening of Neo, and us, the audience, then...POW!! All-out action-orgy! It took stylistic cues from Hong Kong and Japanese Animation, and added it's own twist. I fell in love with what was being shown to me.

Which brings us to Reloaded. I won't go into plot points, I just want to say that once again i was blown-away. I was worried about how this film could play out, I mean what could be left but resolution? After the first film, we know what the "real world" really is, and that Neo is now the "One", what could be left. I suppose the story could have involved the freeing of humanity, and the destruction of the machines, and it would've been a grand crowd-pleasing spectacle. Empty, but fun.

Thank god for the The Wachowski Brothers! Thank you for not only delivering the action, but for blowing my mind again! Are there some weak aspects? Sure, but I don't care, this is where I wanted to see The Matrix franchise go. Once again I was awed by the action, but what lingers are the ideas, and the implications of what it could all mean in the end.

Bring on Revolutions!!

 

[Troy_M]

I am in the boat that loved this movie more than I ever thought I would. This movie is a masterpiece and is now my favorite action/sci-fi flick of all time. I am more excited to see it a second time than the first. It is not a movie...it is a mindbending roller coaster ride. There are so many cool scenes in this movie that I cannot get out of my head. When Neo pulled the pole out of the ground in preparation to whoop the agent Smiths, then broke the cement on the first agent and then spun the pole.....that has to be one of the coolest moments ever in movie making history. When Neo was flying to save Trinity and he left the huge trail of cars and wind behind him....whew!
There are so many subtle touches and tweaks in this movie..it is mindblowing. I really feel sorry for people who got let down by this movie; the complaints about the CG shouldn't even exist...Episode 1 & 2 had much cheesier CG than this...but I didn't hear people saying it ruined the experience. Spiderman had some super cheesy CG(rooftop run)but I didn't hear people complaining about that; let me guess...to those who complained about the 100 agent fight(which wasn't bad at all), would you rather that they just left it out? The first Matrix was great...but this one BLOWS it away in terms of scope and action.

(Admin note - Spoilers added. Please be more careful about revealing spoilers in this thread, and please use the Discussion thread for discussing scenes from the film to your heart's content.)

 

[Chris Atkins]

THE MATRIX RELOADED

:star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

When I hear people complain that they didn't "get" RELOADED or that they didn't "understand" it, I figured they were referring to the film's theological, philosophical, or spiritual issues.

To my horror, after my first viewing, I think what most people didn't "get" or "understand" was the PLOT.

Whearas the first movie told a straight forward narrative tale...we go from A, to B, to C....RELOADED tries to stuff so much narrative into a single film, that the viewer can often wonder where or what the characters in the film are doing or trying to accomplish.

Maybe this is because of the editing. Maybe this is because I just don't "get" it...I don't know. But whearas I can safely tell you that the first MATRIX was a tale about a man who woke up from a dream, to discover that he had the power to wake up others as well, I would be hard pressed to tell you what RELOADED was about at all. Maybe I need a few more viewings to "get" it, but I didn't need more than one to "get" the first movie, and it was a tale that was as rich and complex as any I have ever seen.

To strongly disagree with Chuck, I feel that RELOADED lags behind THE MATRIX in just about every technical area:

1. While a few actors turn in decent performances (Fishburne was light years ahead of his turn in the first movie), there are so many new characters and situations that no character gets enough screen time to make me care for them.

2. The cinematography didn't seem nearly as sharp or inventive as the first film. There was nothing in any frame of RELOADED that matched the brilliance of the shot in THE MATRIX when we view Neo on the security camera, then zoom into a live shot of him.

3. The visual effects were okay, but nothing earth shattering. They certainly didn't top THE MATRIX, and their use was so much more "in your face" and superfluous than the first film. Whearas the first film would often use bullet time to introduce a sequence, then back away and let the action reach a feverous pace, in RELOADED action scenes are often interrupted to showcase more bullet time effects, which gives each scene a very "herky jerky" pace.

Also, any effects scenes shown in the "real world" (usually Zion or Sentinels) are very crowded, visually muddy, and just not that pretty to look at.

4. The music: no where does RELOADED fail to reach the bar set by the first film than in the music. This is particularly in the action scenes. Most of the music lacked pep and delight and just seemed quite pedestrian...there was nothing in RELOADED that could come close to matching the great techno music that accompanied the scene in THE MATRIX where Neo and Morpheus spar.

5. I also thought the editing slipped from the first movie. While many of the individual scenes were skillfully edited together, I don't think the creators did a good job of editing together the scenes to create a movie with a strong, connective plot. We often had to guess what was going in, instead of it being made clear to us.

To sum up the technical aspects: no where near the level of the first film, from my view.

I had other problems with the film too....many of them have been adequately addressed above (the rave scene in particular irked me: I understand what they were trying to do...show the importance of life and all...just don't agree with how they showed it).

Again: my main problem is just that the film is too darn confusing. Maybe I am too dull to get it, but if that's the case, then they should rename it THE GNOSTIC: RELOADED.

Looking forward to REVOLUTIONS...I remain confident that the Brothers can get the franchise back on track.

Your mileage may vary....

 

[Richard Kim]

While I can appreciate that the filmmakers tried to expand on the philosophical issues from the first film, it's not perfect by any means.
The editing was pretty haphazard and made the film more confusing than it should have been.
Second, many of the secondary characters are not given a enough to do, and thus do not make an impression on the audience as they did in the first film.
Also, I got the impression that they included major plot points which required the viewer to watch the Animatrix to fully understand (especially on whythe sentinels are attacking Zion) that should have been included on the film proper.
Finally, the love story between Neo and Trinity wasn't very convincing to me. The action scenes were pretty cool (I liked the burly brawl), but I thought the freeway chase dragged on too long.

I give it :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Holadem]

:star::star::star:1/2 / 4 - Excellent movie.

Like many here, I found it much better than expected after the mixed reviews. I am really confused by many of those earlier reviews, there is no less action in this one than in the first, no more philosophy or expository dialog either!

Eh, you know what, I think I will add a list

Pros:

- A sequel that DOES significantly expand on the original story. The Matrix is far more complex than we all thought.

- I like that the fights were done on a larger scale. The Burly brawl was fun.

- No formulas, no preditable, cringe inducing scenes. Sometimes I think we tend to forget how easy it is for directors to fall in to that trap for sequels. Even the nay-sayers should be able to appreciate that.


Cons:

- Half of the actions scenes serve absolutely no purpose, while every single fight had a purpose in the original. In the Matrix, they fought to learn to fight, to get to something they need, to save Morpheus, or because they don't have a choice. Here, they often fight because... they can?

- While the story got deeper, the characters didn't, but it's OK, you just have to understand that characters are not what this saga is about. The first movie didn't have any real characters either. Minor point.

- The music was average at best. I bought the Matrix CD immediately after I saw the first movie. Litterally stormed out to a HMV accross the street. Ain't happening this time. I did like the new version of Clubbed to Death.

--
Holadem

 

[AnikaLC*S]

bad guy, bad guy, whatcha gonna do....whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?

Someone please give me your thoughts on this bad guy that is obviously into some sort of self-mutilation (cutting his own hand) and also... is immortal in combat? PLEASE!

 

[AnikaLC*S]

I will have to admit that I was not an entirely die-hard Matrix fan until I met my current boyfriend. The previews as they came out, for Matrix Reloaded, were also a big incentive to become more educated about the entire story.

I believe this sequel was justifiable to the first movie. Sequels are, after all, supposed to be a second and follow-up to the prevailing movie, are they not? I believe this movie did a fine job at running along most of the same lines as the first. It is just when you start mixing those lines up that you can get yourself into trouble.

For those of you who are extremely upset with the outcome of this movie, The Matrix Reloaded... sit back and think real hard... is it because you were expecting far too much?

This movie is extravagant, both aesthetically and mentally. It keeps your eyes open and your mind racing. What more can you ask for on a Saturday Night for $7.50?

 

[FredK]

I just wanted to mention something about reviewing the VFX... I think it's very fair for someone to complain about them because never before have the parties involved in a movie trumpeted their own work like everyone on Reloaded. The consensus here may be that photorealism doesn't matter as long as it gets the point across, but in the industry these days when you boast like Gaeta or Silver I expect the work to match. In some cases it did and in many it didn't. Of course this is more a discussion for a CG forum, but I just wanted to put a word in for those reviewers who felt the VFX work wasn't perfect...