Is there such a thing as too much Kung Fu

Rating: Null/10 (13 May 2003)

The idea of a movie trilogy isn't all that new of a concept as you may well know. In the late 70s and 80s it was Star Wars saga. From there it was back to the Future Parts one, two, and three. The Star wars saga again in the 90s, and now in 2003 we will see the completion of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and a double installment of the Matrix. . But for now let's just take a look at The Matrix Reloaded
Now freed from the computer generated world known as the Matrix, Neo played by Keanu Reeves, is now charged with fulfilling the prophecy that will free all of mankind from being used as a power source for the free thinking machines that currently rule the Earth. While Neo tries to figure out how to do that time is against the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar as the machines are planning an attack of their own by launching a huge assault against Zion, the last remaining human city buried deep in the Earth.
Without giving away the more interesting parts of Matrix Reloaded I will say it's a lot of Kung Fu. In the first Matrix movie there were two major fight scenes. in Matrix Reloaded it's about two thirds fight scene.
A question that was answered about the Matrix Trilogy itself is way release two in one year? My theory is because part two isn't a complete movie. If part one told you what the concept of the story was and who the good guys are, part two shows you a little more and tells you who the bad guys are. If part three wasn't due out only months after the release of Matrix Reloaded the series might have been in trouble. Honestly it felt more like I was watching an episode of the Matrix and not a sequel movie. The fact that they show the trailer for part three after the credits end adds to that.
The special effects in Matrix Reloaded are awesome and flawless on the big screen, and the look of the film could keep a room full of pretentious film students analyzing it for months. There is defendant symbolism between the controlled and conformed life style of western civilization and the matrix as well as the repressed yet more spiritual city of Zion and Eastern civilization. Along the same lines I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters. There's lots of gender, age, and color and every one of them strong.
Matrix Reloaded fulfills its duty as the middle of a trilogy, but doesn't quite fill up like Empire Strikes Back did. Because I don't feel Matrix Reloaded in a complete movie, but a two part movie I'm forced to mark it down.
I'm giving it four out of five stars Remember you'll have to see it anyway, so you can follow the story line in part three in November
for movie scene I'm Dan Hemme