Uneven landmark

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 2003)

Ok, it would be impossible to please everyone, specially given the level of hype that grew with this movie. Everyone was baffled by the first one - only because it was such a stealth hit. The first movie grabbed everyone by the nuts and whispered in their ear: "Movies have changed". And the sight of Neo dodging a bullet became movie history almost immediately. After bullet-time became a regular target for millions of copycat products, it was obvious that the Wachowski boys couldn't just stick to what they know - and they were given the greenlight to do exactly the opposite. Unlocking 300 million dollars from Warner Brothers, they would finally have he opportunity to create the gaudy and epic saga they longed for since they first pitched their creation to the studios, almost 10 years ago. But how would the founders of a new era live up to the rivers of internet speculation, salivating geeks and millions of instant cult fanatics? Easy, you just go one step up. And that is the problem with "Reloaded": the line between quantity and quality becomes very, very thin, and reminds us even briefly that the same trouble made "The Phantom Menace" tank among most people. And indeed, there a few moments that feel utterly superfluous. But one important thing to notice: this is the Wachowskis, not Lucas. And what you have here is a movie that, like the first one, makes us think what the direction of movies is these days, and even if they don't create a new filmmaking era, they surely make their point clear: there is nothing that can't be done when there's imagination and money. Boasting some of the most spectacular special effects of the last 10 years, their most important detail is that you never can really tell what's FX or not, because their impact on the viewer is so incredibly electrifying. Okay, so it's no longer a question of storytelling like the first one, and okay, what matters is the filmmaking verve and the way the boundaries of the concept of ass-kicking are pushed. But you won't really care, even if some point of you will be a bit let down because that sheer "Matrix" feeling the first one gave you is not there. So, the key to really enjoying this movie is never thinking of it like a sequel of compulsory ass-kicking, and instead try to see it as the Matrix times 100. And your jaw will drop with a little more conviction. Even with its flaws, this is serious landmark filmmaking, even if in a simple technical level, and is a case of must-see. Some of the things in here will require years to be surpassed, and "the thing that will bake our noodle later on" is trying to imagine what on earth can surpass this.