Nothing like the original, doesn't live up to it

Rating: Null/10 (22 June 2003)

This comes as a challenge to me as I am an immense fan and follower of the first, I've seen it 115 times to date and I can recite any line from it. Not because I'm obsessed or deeply moved, as older people might think because I have a young, impressionable mind. I'd rather think it intangible for anyone but me to understand how I really felt about the first. It symbolized everything that I wanted in cinema and felt was lacking: style, substance, a tiny but a strong dose of humor, and a view on philosophy that actually meant more than a couple of sentences uttered by an actor. It shared the same inane sense of intimidation as did Pi and it felt so enjoyable that all I could do was see it again.
The original did nothing like this. As the first logo showed up I chuckled and muttered "this is what I've been waiting for for four years." Apparently the logos were the best part of the movie, because as the opening scene appeared, I found nothing particularly familiar. We were in a power plant and it meant nothing other than the implied connotation to the power plants of The Matrix. Then the whole Trinity-kicking-people-around scene seemed lethargic and pathetic. In fact, much of the movie was lethargic and pathetic. Even the car chase, though having ONE good shot of the trucks exploding (ruined by Neo's unnatural entry and getaway) was just shot after shot of cars driving and motorcycles riding in different directions. It had no real flying, none of the cars spun out of control and exploded, there was little meaning to that sequence. Knowing the animator who almost single-handedly did the Burly Brawl, I have to pay my respects, but truly what a waste that is. Unnatural, long, boring, drawn out. The dialogue is pulled out of an orifice we all like to mention sometimes and the "music" that keeps playing is a total wreck. I am an electronica/hip-hop fan and I actually enjoyed the rock in the first movie though I hated the genre. This collection of tin cans beaten together and somehow mixed with drums would sound better on a cell phone. Oh and all the advertisement and propaganda went straight down the drain. Really dumb and really gullible people will find this intellectual and deep. This is a summer movie, nothing else. And a terrible sequel at that.