A very poor sequel

Rating: Null/10 (3 October 2004)

I was extremely disappointed in this movie. My review for the original gave 9 out of 10. This sequel would not even get 5.
The plot is the problem. What happened to the matrix? It was all but forgotten in the sequel and very well could have been any other action movie. What made the original movie unique was pretty much ignored in the sequel. There was a standard chase sequence which went on way, way too long and had no place in a matrix movie, as far as I'm concerned. And why did they feel the need to throw a romance into it? Not every action movie needs to have a romantic relationship just because there are two single available people in it.
I can't complain about the acting - they did the best they could with poor material.
The special effects were a little too much for my taste. It fell into the trap other sequels, like "The Mummy Returns", have fallen into before - because the first movie is a success, they open up the purse strings and end up putting in a bunch of unnecessary special effects just because they can afford to.
I disliked this movie so much, I haven't even bothered to see the third one. I suppose I will sooner or later just to see how the whole things ends, but I'm in no hurry to.