An Exercise In Franchise Annihilation...

Rating: 3/10 (21 March 2007)

The action sequences are the only reason I rated this film 3 stars. "Reloaded" turns out to be a whopping disappointment. I caught the midnight preview of this movie and was expecting a satisfying sequel building from the strengths of the first Matrix film, which was an instant sci-fi/action classic. Instead, we were treated to a terribly botched effort. Apparently, the first film was a fluke for the Wachowskis, whose writing and character building skills simply evaporated after the smash success of the first film. Alongside the likewise awful "Matrix: Revolutions", the once promising team proceeded to demolish the legacy of what could have been the next "Star Wars Trilogy". Hence, a potential all-time classic series of Matrix films was not to be. What went wrong?
Plenty.
For starters, the original characters were not refreshed or developed adequately. We fully expect to see Neo's awesome powers on full display, and here the Wachowskis do not disappoint. However, the Neo character remains virtually the same, his realization that the Oracle's prediction was correct and that he truly is "The One" failed to boost his confidence or convince him to truly lead his comrades towards victory against the machines ( Imagine Luke Skywalker in "Return Of The Jedi" still behaving like a whining farm boy). Instead, Neo takes a back seat to Morpheus again. The relationship between Neo and Trinity is still flat, I sensed no on-screen chemistry between the two at any time.
The supporting cast have a small degree of development, but it is too little, too late as the movie plods along between killer (if not cliché) action sequences. Central character Agent Smith is altered into a more powerful "Smith", OK. This classic villain has been ruined by an awful script long on existential rhetoric but short on captivation. The CGI "Squidies" are badly overdone here as well as in "Revolutions". We expect to see more sophisticated and diverse machines introduced, especially in a world of machines such as this. Instead, the squidies are the only muscle the machine empire can produce to combat the Zionites. The program-run-amok characters such as the Merovingian are silly and lame.
This movie was a financial blockbuster due mainly to the action sequences, which were superb. It's a shame that the excellent storyline introduced in the first movie was thoroughly trashed beginning with this sequel and continuing into the third and (thankfully) final installment.