Neo isn't God, and neither are the Wachowskis...get over it.

Rating: Null/10 (21 May 2003)

There are few things sadder than watching the overblown expectations of rabid fanboys crashing and burning.
Reloaded is flawed, no question. The W. brothers were given FAR too much money (for which the fans can blame only themselves--in Hollywood, revenue is all that talks, and all those repeat viewings and DVD purchases bought us *this* movie), and they have far too many ideas that they are not skilled enough to express well. There are too many characters, too many subplots, and just generally too much overall. This is the way of the sequel, it ever has been and ever will be. Bigger, louder, more--that's Hollywood's motto.
Reloaded at least *attempts* to be about something deeper than "boom crash boom slap boom smack pow pow pow fifth-grade joke." It doesn't succeed all that well for a good part of its run time, but I for one appreciate the attempt. There are constant endless complaints that Hollywood only makes stupid movies and never takes SF seriously--and now here's a movie that takes its SF seriously and tries to not be stupid, yet everyone's still complaining.
I enjoyed the film, more on second viewing (and would like to see it on the big screen at least once more). I'm annoyed by the "more" factor (the movie's way too loud and busy), and frustrated by how no single storyline can get the attention it needs because there are too many, and quite well aware that most of the philosophy is pretentious gobbledygook. But I'm able to take it as what it is: an expansion of a world particular to the brothers' viewpoint that has a lot of pretty eye-candy and 'splosions to tart it up. And I'm having a grand time geeking out with friends who also enjoyed it and playing the "what do you think this means?" game. That's what a good action/SF film should achieve, and if people could shove aside their crushed expectations for fangeek orgasm and look at what the movie *is*, they'd see that Reloaded is a good action/SF film. Not a great one, most definitely not...but a good one all in all. (Unless, of course, one thinks such delights as Extreme Ops and 2Fast 2Furious are what we should be aspiring to in our action films.)
And speaking of orgasms, I'm absolutely *fascinated* by the widespread revulsion for the sex (and suggestions of sex) in the film. Was the sex necessary? Probably not. But I didn't find it particularly out of place or poorly done (there is less flesh on display than in an average teen comedy). As for the Zion Dirty Dancing Party, apparently the notion of connection and celebration in defiance of fear is an alien notion to a lot of people. A life well lived will inevitably include the pleasures of physical and emotional connection with other human beings, and the crux of the conflict in the Matrix universe is that of "real" human experience vs. artificial. It would seem that a whole lot of people are deeply disturbed by this thought, which makes me wonder how many people are truly living their lives well.
I have seen better action and SF films than The Matrix: Reloaded. I have also seen far, far worse ones. I appreciate being given the chance to share this vision the Wachowski brothers have, jumbled and poorly-formed as it is. And that was all I ever expected from this movie. I don't go looking for God in movie theaters, and no one else should either.