A decent sequel with quite a few flaws

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2003)

*Caution: Minor Spoilers*
Of course, after a movie like the Matrix, it either better be a very good sequel, or they just shouldn't bother. Here, we pick up around 6 months after the final telephone call of the first movie and attempt to wage a final battle against the machines. You expect smart filmmaking and a really great script, along with the stylization that made the first movie feel slick and stylish. I expected something equally as profound as the first movie, if not more so.
What you get instead is simply an extension of the first movie, although clearly a lot of changes are expected with our first trip to Xion. It definitely feels like a different movie.
Like the first, there's always some mystery just around the corner, but unlike the first, every time we start to get intrigued, another 15 minute battle sequence begins. Insulting. Yes, the Matrix is supposed to be about a battle, but every battle seemed poorly placed, interrupting the flow of the movie.
The best acting, as before, comes from Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne, although Moss was given less to work with this time around. However, the entire cast of main characters is shown up by near-flawless performances from the supporting actors: most notably, Monica Bellucci (For more excellent work by her, check out Brotherhood of the Wolf or Irréversible), as well as Robyn Nevin, Jada Pinkett Smith, and the late Gloria Foster.
Casting directors Mali Finn and Shauna Wolifson did quite an amazing job, especially on the female side of things, but the actors failed to live up to all they could be. In addition a better script was needed.
In addition, multiplying Agent Smith and removing him from the Agent pool could have been a good idea if it didn't, of course, result in the most senseless battle scene of the movie.