Not bad but not great either

Rating: 6/10 (15 May 2003)

With great expectation for Matrix 2 I bought tickets to the preview on May 14. The action sequences expected for The Matrix are fulfilled but at mostly a speed slower and longer than my expectations. I wanted to hit fast forward during the film to solve this. The story, while at times compelling, does little to endear us to the main characters fighting for freedom. In fact, Neo and others seem downright two dimensional when they encounter the decidedly more vivid enemy. (The actor from the restaurant was amazing!) Finally, I felt the writing was too geeky and dependent on the cult of The Matrix. This film has a hard time standing on its own unless you know the original story well and are willing to wait for Matrix 3 to have some questions answered. I gave it a 6 out of 10 but will see it again to make sure my observations are not hypercritical.