Weak start, but overall excellent

Rating: 10/10 (21 May 2003)

I must say I'm not surprised by some of the negative mails, but I am a little disappointed. Obviously with any sequel it's tough to produce a quality next instalment that embodies the soul and style of the original without just copying it.
The original Matrix, IMO, was a masterpiece, not just for it's ground breaking effects or style, but more for the idea and depth of the story. No matter how many times I see the film, there is always some new little snippet of dialog or image, that re-enforces the theme of the film.
Now to capture that again, would be extremely difficult. We already know about the Matrix, it is no longer a surprise. We already know that Neo is the one' and now has less vulnerability than in the original. To just present Neo's struggle between the real world' and the Matrix again, would be pointless. Unfortunately this is where most of the criticism come from. Rather the same as Back to the Future, the film wasn't about time-travel, it was about the charm of the 50's. This was completely missed in the sequels.
Anyway I digress. For me this film was excellent, the pure vision and effort that had gone into the planning of every scene and every camera angle was simply breathe-taking. I would even go so far as saying a new milestone in action movies, the bar has been lifted once more. Even after a poor start to the film the story started to gain pace and actually become an excellent social comment about the world, people and our perception of ourselves. Countless references to history, human weakness and purpose.

The most important thing, was the fact I got caught up in the movie, by the end and as a cynical 32 year old, that's rare thing. The only downside to the film, was the rather pointless dance scene at the beginning, but I can forgive that. Vastly superior in every way to the very average LOTR films, just disappointed that the current rating doesn't reflect what a good film this really was.
Can't wait until November.