Matrix Reloaded Disappoints

Rating: 5/10 (29 March 2004)

It has been quite some time since I saw The Matrix, the stunning sci-fi film that featured ground breaking special effects and an intriguing (albeit complicated) plot. What I recall is that it was a far better film than this sequel. The Matrix: Reloaded seems to have been pieced together for no other reason than to cash in on the first film and it lost its soul in the process.
Many of the elements that made the first film such a delightful treat are missing from this installment. The Matrix: Reloaded loses some of the plausibility of the first film and it seems to have been dumbed down to the point that it loses its edge and becomes a somewhat mediocre action hero flick. Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity take themselves so seriously that they become uninteresting caricatures of themselves. What redeem the film for me are the action sequences. The special effects team continues to blow me away with fight scenes that are amazingly choreographed and brilliantly rendered. The battle between Neo and the Mr. Smiths is incredible, as is the protracted fight/chase scene on the freeway.
The Matrix: Reloaded is disappointing in its failure to live up to the reputation of the original.