Best of the Trilogy and one of the best films ever made!

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2004)

My tag line may seem....over the top....to some. However, I don't make this claim idly. Reloaded did what any great sequel does- it expanded the idea of the original with a radical, truly fantastic twist. I will admit, the twist is buried in some rather high level vocabulary- many didn't get it- but for those who do.....wow!
I admit that the "cave/dance/sex scene" is a little bit weak, but I can't find a single fault in the rest of the movie. The entire screenplay holds a ton of depth that many surface viewers miss.
First, Reloaded is far and away the most philosophical of the 3 movies. It tackles the issues of free will versus determinism and man's dependence on machine. SPOILER- The parts that deal with the latter are clear foreshadowing to the conclusion of the third movie-END SPOILER. And Morpheus, in my opinion, is at his best in this movie- I love the "tonight may hold the very meaning of our lives" soliloquy.
Beyond the philosophy, Reloaded does a fantastic job of expanding the how's and why's of the matrix and the war. Again, this framework becomes VERY important in understanding Revolutions.
The action in Reloaded is also fantastic. While the Smith fight is less than perfect (I like it, though), the highway scene among several others MORE than makes up for it. This, to me, is the definitive action sequence of the trilogy. I also particularly like the short-but-sweet Neo-agent battle at the very beginning.
I also find the acting (for the main characters) to be quite enjoyable. Keanu IS a bad actor, he can only play one role....but guess what- this IS that role, for some reason, he fits perfectly. Moss plays a very good pissed lover, and Fishburne (my favorite) is always great. Weaving (as Smith) probably should have been nominated for some kind of acting award in one of the 3 movies.
Finally, this one has the best soundtrack of the three. Both the score and the mixes from juno reactor are plain awesome- I listen to the soundtrack quite often. I never really listen to the soundtracks from the other two.
Many people hate this movie, but I would argue that they probably weren't doing enough thinking when they watched it. Sequels CAN surpass originals- and this is one that does (even Roeper said so, if a critic says so, it must be true, right :) )