Aesthetic bliss met my philisophical expectations

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2003)

Upon finishing Reloaded and discussing the film's content with
my girlfriend, I realized what my "pre-screening" anxieties were all
about: Is this really going to be as mind-bending as the first?
Everyone loves to see slick characters in well-choreographed fight
scenes, but the basic foundation of any film relies on its scripting.
The story of the second Matrix remained as impressive to me as
the first. I believe it was after Neo met a character by the name of
The Architect that my brain faultered once or twice; that climactic
scene held more weight for me than the rest combined. And in
fact, the theological and philisophical overtones might keep me
reading up for weeks.
My only real problem with the film was the score. At times it
seemed out of place: for example, in the "Burly Man Fight," I felt as
though somehow the soundtrack for the fourth installment of
Indiana Jones had been slipped in in place of what I was
supposed to hear--it just did not fit. As for the dance/love scene, it
is questionable; but if you remember the club scene from the
original it might just make sense.
The film's form and sequence pushed past the first as well, with
flash forwards and foreshadowing mimicking each other to create
an interesting narrative flow. The intricacies in the mis en scene
might have me going back to see it a few more times, though there
were significantly fewer than the first.
Heavy cynics may have a hard time swallowing it whole, but the
rest might be in for a good ride; on the other hand, if your
expectations place this film to be the pinnacle of human
achievement, you might be in for disappointment.