A thrilling and mind-blowing ride through the mind *and* the heart

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2003)

First, it should be known that I am a die-hard Matrix fan and absolutely loved this movie, however, there are some things they could've improved upon.
The most obvious discrepancy is that there is too much pace contrast, and by that I mean an action-packed martial arts scene immediately followed by a slow-paced scene where either Neo is learning something new about himself or the Matrix or someone is explaining the function of something in the Matrix. The slow-paced discussion scenes in and of themselves are entirely too drawn out, and insult the audiences' intelligence to a certain extent. So while the film feels balanced, the flow and development of suspense are disrupted.
One thing I loved about the first Matrix so much was the fact that everything was put into actions and you figured it out for yourself, but this one was like a plethora of information being served to us on a silver platter, excluding the last twenty minutes or so, but I'll get to that later. The constant tug-of-war between awesome special effects action sequences and the slow, lingering discussion scenes gave the movie a sort of seesaw effect that was a little disorienting, especially to the casual viewer.
While I fully acknowledge that the fight scenes were absolutely remarkable, I was somewhat surprised at how incredibly obvious the CGI was. I realize it wasn't used half as much in the first one, but it was seamless. I wasn't expecting anything approaching perfection, but the obviousness of it surprised me.
However, these discrepancies are slight and can be easily overlooked. The thing that bothered me the most was that I feel the Wachowski brothers cheapened Neo and Trinity's relationship. While they maintained the true love theme, I found their relationship to be way too sexual. It was as if they were one of those barely-been-dating-can't-keep- their-hands- off-each-other couples, which was so completely out of character for them.
I also feel that the Zion scene was completely unnecessary. Granted, that was something that I think most of us fans were looking forward to seeing, but all we got was that drawn-out, techno club scene paralleled with the Neo/Trinity love-making scene. It was understandable to a certain extent, but they took it just past that toleration point that made it drag. It was just too much. And to that end, when Neo brings Trinity back to life after catching her from her 30-story fall, they grab each other and kiss as if their mouths were magnets for each other, and I was briefly dissuaded into thinking I was watching a soap opera! I realize that that's a bit extreme, but it was so melodramatic, it was ridiculous! It completely ruined the moment for me.
One more thing that's not really of great importance but more of an observation is the fact that it doesn't seem to me that Trinity is as kick-ass (for lack of a better description) as she was in the first one. She seems to get hit a few times or sent to the ground every time she fights, and not to mention the fact that an agent takes her out. It may seem irrelevant, but I just feel her character is stronger than that.
Furthermore, I feel that there was too much new information introduced at once. Think about it--the Oracle is not the Oracle, but a program created as yet another means of control, the prophecy's not true, there is no 'The One', Neo not only didn't kill Agent Smith, but a part of Neo was imprinted on him so that he can duplicate himself, there are back doors to all the programs in the Matrix that can only be locked and unlocked by the key maker, and Neo is an anomaly that is currently recurring for the 6th time.
Not only that, but there was too much dialog contained within the parameters of too long a slow-paced explanation. For example, the parallel editing between Morpheus going over the plan with the other two captains and their crews and the actual action of the plan ruined the suspense. It's appreciable to a certain extent as it does begin building suspense, but once again, they take it one step too far and pass the point of toleration. It's more frustrating than anything else.
Now don't misunderstand me; I love the Matrix series for its aspects and levels--the inherent complexities, the deep provacativeness of it, the fact that it reaches so many people on so many different levels. The Wachowski Brothers are eloquent in incorporating their views on society, government, politics, humanity, and the world in general into one movie series. It's the absolute best of everything--action, adventure, suspense, romance, science fiction, special effects, martial arts, witty but smart dialog, strong characters, as well as a mind- bending revolutionary concept.
I love how Neo is so genuinely terrified of losing Trinity every time he so much as looks at her. I not only love Neo's 'superman thing', as Link so eloquently put it, but the fact he caught Trinity as she was plummeting to her death--that was so indescribably awesome!! But what I really love more than anything is that Neo's love for Trinity runs so deep, it fuels his power a million times over.
And while I am greatly compelled to argue that it was a bit too cliché to have it all come down to a choice between saving all of humanity and saving Trinity, you can't really put that bounds on the Matrix because of the superb uniqueness of it, and because of the way that it was built up. It's very ingenious, because when you would normally call it predictable, it becomes poetic in its own way.
VERDICT: Powerful and thrilling film. Visually mastered, action-packed...a perfect blending of many genres and themes. My hats off to the Wachowski Brothers...I can't say enough. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL.
9.5 out of 10.0