Rehashed, rather than reloaded

Rating: 5/10 (9 June 2003)

Sequels often struggle to meet the quality of the original, and MR is no exception: in Matrix, Neo completed his journey as a hero, and now he basically has nothing more to achieve: he has mastered both worlds. It is axiomatic that Hollywood will persistently "cash in" on the success of an original by throwing out a sequel and then driving it to success with a huge marketing machine. MR is a prime example of such marketing cynicism.
There is a subplot - the love between Trinity and Neo - but this is underdone and written so clumsily, it only detracts from the main plot, such as it is.
Within the first half hour, the martial arts sequences had well and truly worn out their welcome and Lawrence Fishburn was looking more and more like a schoolchild in a playground emulating Bruce Lee. To increase the insult, the slow-motion clips so beloved of Hollywood (but apparently nowhere else) and done to ridiculous effect in Mission Impossible 2, detract from the apparent skill and inherent excitement of a fight scene. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon offered lessons in how to do such scenes that nobody on MR seemed capable of learning.
The one redeeming aspect of the movie was the chase scene early on, which was exciting, but ultimately unrewarding as the remainder of the movie served up more blandness and cliche.
With interest waning, there was little else to do but pick at the credibility holes in the plot, and since these have probably been done to death by other reviewers, it aids nobody if they're repeated here.
So, without originality, acting that is standard at best, action sequences that are monotonous for the most part, and a plot with gaping holes, it is only the special effects that make the movie worth seeing. But that is not enough to make it worthwhile.