I loved the first Matrix film, but this one was awful.

Rating: Null/10 (30 May 2003)

It would've been impossible to replicate the incredible impact of the first film as that one was something no-one had seen before, but it should have been possible to do better than this IMHO. Yes, the action sequences were great (particularly the motorcycle scene), and the kung-fu had spectacular choreography, but that is just not enough to sustain a 2+ hour film - especially when nothing much happens for the first hour or more! The special effects were adequate though nothing that we haven't seen before, and to be honest were very comic book/computer-gamey. For example, several times during the slo-mo kung-fu it was quite obvious that Neo is a digital duplicate rather than a real person. As for the plot, it did throw up a few interesting concepts but took far too long to do so - people were simply standing around talking or holding council meetings etc for the vast majority of the film. It also contains the singlemost pointless sex scene on celluloid, adding nothing to character or plot development it's seemingly put in for the sole purpose of showing a bit of flesh. Oh yes, and let's not forget the totally juvenile crotch zoom shot (though I guess some will enjoy it for just that reason). All the new characters might have been intriguing, but instead served only to confuse the issue as many won't get to fully realize their roles until the third installment. That's a shame though, because I probably won't be bothering with that film as this one bored me rigid. And though I did 'get it', it was just very badly done - it might have been salvageable if this film had had a half-way decent dialogue writer or an editor who wasn't afraid to make some harsh cuts (about an hours worth!). As it is though, it's really only enjoyable if you are someone who enjoys action rather than acting, and style rather than substance.