I like my code green with no sugar

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2004)

WARNING! POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW:
There are a lot of things to like and dislike in this movie. A positive for every negative. Does this mean the movie is only so-so? Not really. I've been putting off writing a review for this movie for awhile now because since it's really half of one big movie (Revolutions being the other half), I felt like I needed to give this movie some time to sink in while balancing it with the worth of Revolutions. For some reason, I'm having difficulty deciding what to write about, so I'm just going to wing it a little bit. I'll break it down into three categories, starting with:
THINGS THAT REALLY SUCKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: - Gloria Foster. The only time that this movie really captures the magic that the first one had was when she finally appeared and due to her untimely death, we get very little of her. A negative that isn't anyone's fault but still takes away from the movie. - The Twins. Victims of the movie's prerelease hype. Who wasn't left disappointed with the treatment of what potentially could've been amazing characters in the trilogy? - Way too much "intellectual" babble. - A ridiculous rave/tribal dance scene. - Some seriously wooden acting. There are moments where I wanted to pull my hair out from how bad it was. I'll spare you the naming of names. - The whole Matrix thing losing its novelty to some extent because of this movie. - Product placement, but that sucks in almost every movie. - That overall sense of imbalance you get from watching a sequel that just doesn't live up to the original. Definitely frustrating when watching it for the first time.
THINGS THAT KINDA SUCKED BUT WERE ALSO KIND OF COOL: - The disappearance of Tank from the first Matrix but then again, his character was at least acknowledged. - Monica Bellucci or the lack of. This woman is unbelievably hot and it really is a shame that there wasn't more of her to be seen, at least in my selfish opinion. - The cliffhanger ending. It could've been done better but it somehow manages to whet your appetite for the next chapter. - Neo and Trinity. I didn't feel their connection in this one like I did in the first. In the first, I believed that these two could possibly love each other. I felt in this one that these were two people acting like they were desperately in love. But at least we do get more Neo and Trinity. -The special effects. Don't get me wrong, they are way above average but there are moments where it is just too obvious that you are watching CG, especially during the highway chase. - Morpheus/ Laurence Fishburne. I would've liked for his character to have more of a presence in this film but somehow I felt he was underused. - The score. I would've liked for the music in the film to be more orchestral like the first and less like something from a video game. Not that I dislike video games but you get what I mean. There are some good pieces in here ("Mona Lisa Overdrive" and "When the World Ends" by Dave Matthews are excellent) but the Burly Brawl music kinda bites in that manufactured, trying-to-get-your-adrenaline-pumping way.
THINGS THAT WERE REALLY COOL ABOUT THIS MOVIE: - The car chase on the highway. Not the best ever (I'd say that the realism of the Road Warrior tops this) but still damn exciting. - The Burly Brawl. While a little fake looking on more than a few occasions, this is still a great scene, even if you think Neo should've just flown away from all those Smiths. - The Architect's speech. While at first I thought that this was the most ridiculous moment in the film, it became apparent to me after watching the film a second time that what he was saying was pretty intense. One of the reasons to watch this movie more than once. - The Keymaker/ Randall Duk Kim. Another character that elevated the story just by his mere presence. - Neo/ Keanu Reeves. Though there is some flat acting on the part of Keanu, I have to say that the man deserves a lot of respect for his work here. None of the martial arts stunts he performed in the movie were easy to pull off, I'm sure. You have to give the guy kudos for the sheer amount of physical training he did for the film and while the fight choreography shows under the seams occasionally, watch the scene where Neo fights the Merovingian's henchmen. There are a lot of subtle little moves and counter moves that he pulls off that left me very surprised and impressed with his abilities. - Smith/ Hugo Weaving. Arguably the BEST thing about this movie and worth the price of admission alone. - The Merovingian/ Lambert Wilson. Awesome character. This is one guy I would like to know more about in terms of his previous history in the other incarnations of the Matrix.
CONCLUSION: In the end, you are left with a movie that is visually exciting, even if it really is a candy coating on an empty shell. Those looking for a movie that is just as good as the original will be left perplexed and rightfully disappointed. But how many sequels are better than the first? Alternately, I think the movie works better once you've gotten the initial disappointment out of your system after watching it a couple of times. Take this and Revolutions for what they are and you'll enjoy them for the most part. There is a lot more I can say about the movie but I think I covered the main details enough to give a decent overall view on the film and what to expect. Now, I'm off to start writing my review of Revolutions.
Rating: *** out of *****.