Enjoyable, But doesn't stand up to the original

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2013)

I'm about to echo one of the most popular opinions in the history of amateur online film criticism: The Matrix Reloaded isn't as good as the original.
Yep.
Here are some reasons why: Reloaded won't redefine your personal relationship in terms of Neo & Trinities deep, predestined love. (Ok, the first movie probably didn't do that either.) It won't inspire you to question authority with the same attitude Neo does when he gives Agent Smith the finger. (Reloaded is a movie that contains WITHIN THE MOVIE billboard marketing ads from Samsung & Powerade). And it won't make you question your existence in the same profound way the original Matrix did. (Admit it, you freaked out.) But hey, sometimes you can appreciate a movie just for fun, right? (And not for its horrifying philosophical truths.)
That being said, I liked the Matrix Reloaded.The special effects are truly amazing, yes, and everyone's favorite characters are back: Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, Agent Smith. (Although all of the new characters suck, but I'll get to that later. (Why do I keep using parenthesis?)) There is a lot of 'food for thought' if you are hungry for A.I., futuristic technology, situations in the Matrix which expose the nature of man in the universe, and characters speaking their opinions on the problem of free will choice vs. scientific determinism, characters displaying the meaning of love, hope, resilience, etc.. And the fight scenes. Absolutely. amazing.
But despite keeping to the basics of the original The Matrix (Kung Fu gunfights spliced together with scenes from 'the real world' with the occasional conversation about fate vs. free will) Reloaded somehow has a different tone
There was something special about Neo's journey in the first Matrix that wasn't lived up to in the sequel. Instead, there are lots of new characters, and a techno-orgy-rave.
Introducing a new character every few minutes comes at the cost of developing the old ones, and developing their relationships to one another. The heavy contrast between humans and the machines is no longer there, which factors into the whole idea of peace/convergence that the movie promotes, but for whatever reason, I don't like that.
OK. I admit I was a bit disappointed when I saw Reloaded in theaters back in 2003, but thats only because I had such high expectations. But now I just enjoy it for what it is. Not a 10/10 movie. But definitely a 7 or an 8.