The best and worst of the Hollywood mainstream

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 2003)

This is a very unusual film. If you pinned me down and forced me to say one way or the the other, I guess I'd have to say I enjoyed it, because I did. However, I also have *serious* problems with this movie, which, oddly enough, are completely different from my problems with the first one.
The good:

The philosophy of the film is no longer stupid. The first was amateur at best and was often so grating I felt like the script had been written by 18 year olds overly stimulated by their first philosophy class. Problem solved here. This is a much more intelligent film than the first one, with some fairly deep meditations on free will and the social/personal nature of love (although the latter was thrown in almost at the last moment and didn't get the coverage it deserved). Well done.

Special effects. Well, poop. It's _The Matrix_. They're awesome. What did you expect?

The acting. Generally better all around, except for our friend Keanu. Fortunately he's either wearing sunglasses or generally not speaking most of the time. We are spared the unintentional hilarity of another "I know Kung Fu" moment. Thank God.

The bad (and this is BAD):

What the film says about us as a society. Am I the only one who noticed that this film is telling us there are only two bases for a relationship between human beings: sex and violence. Think about it! The only time Neo and Trinity (the "love story" of the film) are EVER examined with any depth is when a) they're having sex or b) one of them is about to die.

No, wait. It gets worse.
Naiobi is not merely a friendly and concerned individual; she's Morpheus' old lover. Again with sex. As if that's the only reason you'd help someone.
Link, walking into his home after a long deployment, is expecting to see his wife. The first words out of his mouth, which I won't repeat here, should be offensive to all women and any men who don't like to think of themselves as disgusting sexual stereotypes.
Not to mention the nearly 10 minute long Zion dance sequence, which is probably the closest thing to pornography you're going to see in a mainstream film (and I saw this having seen _Irreversible_ earlier this year). All the cool kids are having sex. Why? Because they're cool.
*Sound of head banging against keyboard.*
Go see it. You're probably going to anyway. And it's good. Just remember what this film is trying to tell you about yourself, and make up your own mind.