Re-diculous

Rating: Null/10 (31 October 2004)

I recently watched Reloaded again, thinking that maybe I missed some important detail that would give the film a whole new meaning and expand upon the myth created in the original film - but no, it's still just a mess.
The film itself is devoid of what made the Matrix so much fun to see. Everything feels synthetic and artificial. The sets feel very much like sets, and the over-use of CGI doesn't help either. It's amazing that the effects actually can get worse with a bigger budget and better technology. The actors look tired and bored, the exception being Weaving's deliciously deranged Agent Smith, who is the only one that manages to liven up things in between the endless talk, talk, talk ... Why they felt the need to throw in about a dozen new characters not to care about, is a mystery to me.
The only redeeming features are the Burly Brawl (unrealistic, yet so spaced out I couldn't help liking it), and parts of the car chase sequence.
After the initial viewing, I checked the Internet for theories as to what was going on. Of course, there were a thousand different takes on the film, all claiming to have found a message somewhere in it. Well, I still think it's a pile of rubbish. Reloaded still doesn't make an iota of sense considering everything that happened in the first Matrix. Whether the Wachowskis just got lucky with the first part of their "trilogy", or if the studio wisely managed to delete the worst parts - I don't know. I do know that Reloaded is nothing more than a money-making machine, disguised as a movie with an important philosophical/religious message (read mumbo-jumbo).
By cleverly throwing in a barrage of existential references, the WB's make sure that people can have their own theory about what is happening. There is no right or wrong, simply because there is no real story here. The only evident message is see the film, watch the nine animated shorts, play the video game, visit our website, bow down in front of Mammon, and then you'll know what it is all about. [2/10]