Good story, great technique

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2003)

I saw THE MATRIX again recently. It was a much different experience when I saw it for the first time. The first time I saw it was on its opening weekend. It just looked like a somewhat cool movie and I was bored that day. It wasn't famous or anything yet. I walked out of the theater knowing I saw something special, but I didn't realize how special it was (largely because I didn't realize how intricate the special effects are).

Last week was at least the 5th time I saw it. I was aware of the cult status it had and how many movies copied it and how many of its lines and ideas are memorized by science fiction fans. I also had a better idea of what went into making it (I don't think I'll ever understand the true complexity of it).
I had more admiration this time for the technical stuff, but I felt basically the same about the story. It is excellent and has a lot of good philosophy, but it doesn't really have an ending. In place of an ending, it has a long violent action sequence and then the fight between Agent Smith and Neo. They are among the best action sequences and fights ever filmed, but compared to the richness of the story in the beginning, I always felt it could have been more.
What I'm trying to say is that I have no doubt that MATRIX RELOADED and MATRIX REVOLUTIONS are for sure going to be at least as good as the ending of THE MATRIX. I just hope it also has some of the stuff that made the beginning and middle of THE MATRIX great too.