Dazzling, but Disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (22 May 2003)

The history of brilliant sequels is not long and illustrious, and unfortunately the Matrix Reloaded fails to buck that trend. First the good bits. This movie contains some of the most jaw-droppingly amazing action sequences I have ever seen. Gladiator showed what live action and computer generation could do if you respect the laws of physics. The Matrix Reloaded shows what you can do if you don't - and in the process it takes George Lucas' Star Wars' prequels outside and gives them a good kicking. My two favourites are the scene when Neo fights a hundred clones of Smith (formerly Agent Smith), and the scene when Neo flies into rescue his friends following a spectacular head-on collision between two trucks.
So what's wrong with it? First, the superficial stuff. The Matrix was cool. The blue hue, the soundtrack, the cellphones, the outfits - all just screamed coolness. Reloaded does not live up to that.
Second, the characters. In the first film, we barely get to know our characters and we don't care - their superficial but they kick ass. By the end of the second film, we're sorry we have got to know them better, because there ain't much to know. Trinity's only redeeming feature seems to be looking good in pvc; if Neo is the One then he does a damn good job of permanently looking lost and/or dumb; and Morpheus, so promising in the first film, seems just increasingly pompous.
Third, the beauty of the first film was the elegant simplicity of its plot. Reloaded has none of that. It is confused and rather pedestrian, brought together partially at the very end but too late to save it. And the final cliffhanger looks like a cop-out for failing to come up with something more dramatic.
Finally, Reloaded illustrates the classic film-makers dilemma that necessity is the mother of invention. There was no limit to what the directors could do with this film, and that feels like part of the problem. Zion, for example, such a powerful idea when it is left to the viewers' imagination, is horribly disappointing when depicted in such a cliched fashion (candles and dancing to house music in caves - give me a break).

So viewers have a dilemma. You've gotta watch it, for the action sequences alone. But overall, you'll be disappointed.