The Matrix - Reused (somewhat)

Rating: 4/10 (15 May 2003)

First of all, I'd like to say I liked the first Matrix (henceforth referred to as "M1") quite a lot. Second, if you haven't seen M1, you will have no idea what this movie is about. Conversely, if you have seen M1, you have pretty much already seen "Reloaded". The story and background is designed to confuse the viewer so much, he decides that logic is futile, and simply gives in to accepting what is going on. Much of the sort of dark, surreal, mysteriousness of M1 is lost in this movie, as we know all the tricks, and there is nothing new (anything somewhat original is already shown in the trailers). As well, the characters seem like walking, talking, flat, clichés. My final disappointment was the sort of detachment I felt seeing the movie, it was kind of like "hmm, so that was the matrix reloaded... well... what do you suppose the weather is like outside / d'you know any good restaurants around here?...". It seemed almost like a video game. Anyways, by now you think I did not like this movie one bit. Well, you're wrong: as far as awesome action, cool music, and pure entertainment goes, this movie gets 10/10 from me. I'd definitely say its worth the inflated prices movie cinemas charge these days. I have not been this entertained for two and a half hours since, probably, the original Matrix. For the sake of fun, I highly recommend this movie. However my final evaluation, looking at both quality and entertainment value, rests at 7/10. Thumbs up. (Oh and by the way [CAUTION - ahead lies a quasi-spoiler, and if you can count your IQ on your fingers, you may not have already figured this out], if you see Matrix Reloaded, expect to go see Matrix Revolutions this November or whenever, because this movie literally has a "To Be Continued" ending).