Disappointing

Rating: Null/10 (21 May 2003)

The first Matrix film was successful; it was even good. The plot was interesting, though the on-screen events were focused. We heard of a place called Zion, though we never got to see it. Good. Great. We (guys) all wanted to see Neo dodge bullets inside the Matrix, and our girlfriends shed a warm tear at Trinity's (ho ho) life-saving kiss. What a delicate balance.
But now The Matrix is a trilogy, so a new formula needs to be followed: Take the first movie, identify important aspects of the plot (The oracle, Zion, the charismatic Agent Smith) and expand them. Now we have The Matrix meets Star Wars in film #2, as we get to see the unimaginatively-displayed Zion, which is capable of fending off diabolical machines and manning advanced ships. When it comes to providing running water and clothes-that-arent-tattered for its inhabitants, however, it seems that Zion is direly lacking in resources. Oh well, it's aesthetically intuitive right?
We also get an extremely uninteresting glimpse of a tangential character's (love) life. Since most of the Nebuchadnezzar crew in film one did not make it to the sequel, we have this new fellow who pilots the ship. His girlfriend/wife doesn't want him to die (strange), and so she cries on camera for us. I'm pretty sure we don't care. This is The Matrix 2, and it's difficult enough to deal with Neo and Trinity's contrived 'magnetism', yet now we are supposed to digest this unintroduced character's dealings with mortality in a post-apocalyptic world?
As I mentioned, there are some hideous Star Wars elements in The Matrix: Reloaded. For example, we are forced to learn that there are disagreements among the humans at Zion, and that the counsel folks wear robes and appear old and wise (though they can't pull jedi tricks on you... unless if you meet 'em in the Matrix). These politics are severely boring due to poor acting and dialogue. Even Morpheus is to blame, although his speechwriter for the rave scene deserves most of the corporal punishment.
Have I mentioned that the movie was a video game during most of the fight scenes? "Keanu Reeves" was inadequately represented by some computer model.
How many Agent Smiths does Neo fight in The Matrix? One. What is more than one? A lot. And that's how many Agent Smiths Neo fights in The Matrix: Reloaded.
Now, before I relax, allow me to note that the attempts at philosophical profundity in The Matrix: Reloaded are a slap in the face for any individual with a partially-functional brain. Determinism is a fine concept for a movie, yet it is severely out of place in this film (esp. in the Neo & Oracle conversation). The matter of Free Will is superficially addressed, and if you pay attention, and do not simply assume that the scriptwriters know what they're doing, then you may become sadly amused during this scene. Now, if the rest of the movie were any good (including the fight scenes), then I would shut my brain off during the Philosophy bubble-gum parts and the part where Neo shoves his arm into Trinity's chest to rip out a small bullet from her heart ("WHOA, what's this bullet doin here?", "I KNOW FIRST AID KUNG FU", etc.).
But, nah. The movie contains very few tolerable scenes.