very disappointing (spoilers)

Rating: 3/10 (19 May 2003)

_The Matrix_ is one of my favorite movies, but _The Matrix Reloaded_ disappointed me. There were some good plot ideas, but way, way too many characters and too much complication.
*SPOILERS THROUGHOUT*
The Morpheus-Naiobi-commander love triangle was pointless. The dialogue (especially within this love triangle: What are you doing? What I have to. Why? Because some things change...and some things don't. Arrgh!) was dumb.
I have to admit that it is not the Wachowskis' fault that people in love (Trinity & Neo in _Matrix Reloaded_) are less entertaining than people on the verge of falling in love (same in _The Matrix_). However, it must be somebody's fault that there is zero chemistry between Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves. Somehow, they're more sexy fighting side by side than lying side by side.
The fight scenes were interesting but too long. When Neo fights the many, many Smiths, it's obvious from the beginning that the only way he's going to get out of this situation is to fly away. On the brighter side, his launch method is both cool and groovy and a really good use of special effects.
I could have used about half as much technobabble from the Architect. They should have called him the Impressive Architect, a la the Impressive Clergyman from _The Princess Bride_. Come to think of it, maybe what this movie lacked was a sense of humor.
And Morpheus's non-speech to the teeming mass of that--dance hall, or whatever it was in Zion was just embarrassing. I hope that Laurence Fishburne gets some better material to work with in _Matrix Revolutions_.

_The Matrix_ was so good in so many ways that it was almost inevitable that its sequel would not measure up. Still, I expected better than this.