Totally Matrixized

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2003)

Now, this won't be your regular review. The movie's story and multiple sub-plot are beyond and explanations, and I wouldn't even try to describe them. The only thing that I'll mention is that despite the majority of expectations, the ideas are not presented in a processed and easy-to-swallow form, there are no cheap references to Alice, the Bible and Buddha, as in the first movie (there are references, but much more subtle). There is a great replay value, as our fellow gamers would say, I reckon I'd need at least 10 viewings to start to understand what exactly they meant.
Anyway, I can generalize my opinion about the movie in one line:
THE GREATEST ACTION MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!! Now, the film-makers have taken every action genre and have completely redefined it! In this movie you can see the following: 1) Best Fighting Scene - There are many of those, but after you watch the movie you'll know what I'm talking about 2) Best Car Chase - In this case not only car, but truck and motorbike as well 3) Best Building Assault - In the meaning of Die Hard-type flicks
4) Best Super-Hero Presentation - Everything that Superman ever wanted to be

Let me emphasize that I am not easy on giving such "best" definitions. But it is just unbelievable! Still, everything is presented in such a way, that I felt totally consumed by the movie, and never felt like "Ah, their using wires and CGI here" or "This is shot on a blue-screen and is all fake".
For the convincing experience, there were several major factors, which are beyond special effects and post-production (there goes another numbered list ): 1) Stunning performances by the lead cast - The Holy Trinity, i.e. Neo, Morpheus and, ahem, Trinity, were truly believing in what they were doing and saying, it wasn't shallow or hollow, and their behaviour was really inspiring. 2) The love story between Neo and Trinity is now in flesh - while in the first movie it was somewhat remote and cold, this time the feelings between them are flowing like lava and you can sense the heat and desire that floats around them like halo. There was a truely amazing love scene, quite unexpected in such movie, and their romance was touching on every level. 3) Kung-Fu! In the previous episode while seeming impressive, one could actually tell that the actors are not real experts and are just made to look as they fight good. I have practiced different martial arts myself, and I am sure that all of them deserve some advance black belts. Especially Neo, who fights with the speed and grace of Jet Li or Jackie Chan. In the "Making Of" feature they stated that they've practiced 24/7 for over 8 months, and it is quite obvious what they've achieved. Yes, there are wires and effects; yes, there are choreography and stunts; but still, they all fight like bad-ass 17th Century Ninjas, mixing different styles and techniques, various weapons (in Neo's case, some rather unusual ones), and just the right amount of one-liners and classic kung-fu references. 4) And last, but not least - impressive sets and visuals. The inside of Zion, the hover-crafts and the sentinels were everything Gorge Lucas can ever dream of creating. The city of The Matrix, the custom build highway, the dramatic scenery and the weather effects are amazing, and add to a perfectly recreated universe, in which everything has its own place and reason.
The only "flaw", if it could be considered as such, was some Star Wars-like council meetings and discussions, with heroic volunteering and moving, if not pathetic speeches - but again, that was part of the movie.
There will be people, who would say that there's way too much philosophy, boring religious parallels and moral dilemmas, and the movie is trying to look deeper that it really is. I think that the hardest to read authors are Yugo, Dickens and Tolstoi, and yet they have written timeless classics, and I think that the multitude of ideas and analogies in this movie will make everyone think at least for a moment.
In conclusion - this is the most visually impressive, technically perfect jaw-dropping cinematographic creation of all-time! A must see movie for everyone, who calls himself a sci-fi fan or even just a movie enthusiast.