Hype kills, though I didn't have huge expectations to begin with.

Rating: 3/10 (18 September 2003)

SPOILERS AHEAD
I keep asking myself if making my email address available is a good idea. I can just imagine a number of Matrix-junkies reading this and seeing red, then clicking on my email address with shaking fingers and preparing to unleash a barrage of insults. This is the Internet after all, a realm as far away from real life as possible, where movies like 'Fight Club', 'The Matrix' and the Lord of the Rings trilogy are hallowed, and anyone who dares question them had better prepare themselves.
In the real world, however, Reloaded has being playing to somewhat mixed reviews. Some people appreciate the more-of-the-same offerings of this much hyped sequel. Others have been disappointed by what they consider to be another victim of the cash-cow syndrome, a movie that is all style, and no substance. I tend towards the latter, though I wouldn't even say the style of the movie was that great.
So, what's the plot of the movie? Does it even matter? The writing is really more of an afterthought, a flaw that the first movie was guilty of to a lesser extent. The first movie, however, was worth watching for the mind-blowing special effects. This time around, the special effects are much less impressive, not because they're poorly done, but because they're much too abundant. The movie trudges forward in a visually synthetic sludge, a problem which movies like House on Haunted Hill and The Mummy Returns also suffered from, and this cheapens the experience somewhat. In fact, there are several points where one can easily spot the computer-generated Keanu Reeves that has been placed in there. I know this is meant to be escapism, but moments like this cause the movie to dip out of the escapist mode and become altogether fake.
The fight scenes feel equally pointless. While recent offerings like Charlie's Angels 2 and T3 offered fight scenes that advanced the plot, or at least provided good variety, countless scenes in Reloaded feel like they were thrown in, and held in, for good measure. "Held in?", I hear you ask. Well, the fight scenes are horribly overlong. This again tarnished what could have been impressive, such as the (infamous) battle between Neo and 10 Agent Smiths... no, 30... no, 60... this seems to be going on much too long... no, 100... it's getting dark outside... 150... how long must this keep going? The director's apparent obsession with slow-motion moments also grows tiresome, and soon any tension the action could have had is lost completely.
Sci-fi and video game clichès are equally rampant here, particularly in the city of Zion, where most of the action takes place. The predilection for 'coolness' also comes through, with the main characters spending an insane amount of time speaking coldly while dressed in black Versace leathers and dark sunglasses. Question: if the Matrix was supposed to represent everyone's idealised version of themselves, why does everyone who enters it dress the same? This is not a stab at conformity, it's actually a case of it. Neo, Trinity and Morpheus look indistinguishable from just about any other superheroes out there, and the glasses really hurt, too. Without being able to see the eyes of the characters half the time, any connection or empathy that could have been established with the characters is obliterated.
And the story? Like I said, it's almost pointless to discuss it. Like the first movie, nobody was going to watch this for the story, though what's there is almost insultingly bad. Reloaded becomes an exercise in trite narrative conventions, with terms like "The One" and "ending the war" thrown around. The scenes are dull and new characters receive little or no development. The hints at the inevitability of fate (through flashforwards of Trinity's death) are contradicted when Neo saves her, presumably because the writers couldn't bear not to have her in part three. There's a Rave scene which serves no apparent purpose. There's also a cliffhanger, which left me feeling somewhat gypped.
More notable, however, is the marketing. A video game launch to coincide with the movie. Posters. Memorabilia. Prospects of a trilogy, which should make for a nice DVD box-set. Radio and TV ads, billboards and even TV spots advertising other trailers for the movie, to be shown before certain feature films. Indeed, the advertising of Reloaded was A-grade material. And the movie? Well, you've probably got a rough idea by now.
Grade: C-