Visual feast but a bit empty; clearly inferior to the first

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2003)

First the plaudits: this movie looks incredible. The cinematography, production values and CGI effects raise the bar previously set by the first Matrix. Fans of the eye bending wire-enhanced fight sequences from the first will not be disappointed as this movie features no less than three extended sequences which trump the first movie's already incredible fisticuffs.
Unfortunately, that's about all the movie has to offer. One of the biggest advantages of the first movie was that it had the Big Secret of the manufactured universe which was artfully mounted and logically explained and justified. The Matrix constantly messed with our expectations about the real and the unreal and found creative ways to interweave the two. The second movie adds a little bit to the first Big Secret and ponders the reality and motivations of some of the unreal characters (like the oracle and Agent Smith) but we spend most of the second movie feeling like we're already in on the joke.
MINOR SPOILERS AHOY
The Wachowskis have added some new characters and subplots to Reloaded, including the Morpheus - Jada Pinkett - Zion leader love triangle, the plotting Anthony Zerbe (very Star Wars Emporeresque), the ghostly twin albino Rastafarians, the mysterious Architect, the Locksmith and the posturing dealer and his lusty wife who leads Neo to the Locksmith. While I enjoyed the Locksmith, I found most of the other characters not only uninspiring but actually somewhat annoying. The subplots in Reloaded clearly seem designed to bring us to the third movie, but there is little plot development for us to see here, other than inroducting the characters. Whereas the first movie was economical in introducing characters and gave each an organic function in the story, in Reloaded we seem to be given a hodgepodge of new folk to watch, but little for them to do.
One of the stranger sequences is the extended and utterly non-sequitur bumping and grinding orgy where we get Neo and Trinity going at it as the entire Zion community also entwines and fornicates like they are in Milton's ninth circle of hell and being broadcast live on MTV After Dark. One suspects the Wachowski brothers may be acknowledging the asexuality of the first Matrix and decided to frontload the second one with an extended gratuitous orgy. No problem there, except it is entirely unrelated to the rest of the movie and this four minute sequence brings the proceedings to a halt in a movie which is already nearly two and a half hours.
Another complaint is the juxtaposition of extended dialogue sequences (and not just the ridiculously long dialogue between Neo and the architect, which many have already complained about) followed by extended fight sequences and then a repeat in the cycle. There is a lot of talk and a lot of fighting in this movie but they seem to exist in mutually exclusive universes, which is a bit jarring and stilted.
Matrix Reloaded is not a bad movie. It probably mainly suffers from comparisons to the first, which was a great movie. Reloaded is sumptuous and full of rich imagery but lacks the zap and shock of its predecessor and relies on many of the same tricks of the first, which is never a good sign. One can only hope that Reloaded is merely a bridge to the third installment, which will bring back surprises and original revelations. I know I'm rooting for #3 and will still see it, based on the first Matrix. But while Matrix Reloaded isn't awful, it was ultimately disappointing and even felt derivative, which is the first Wachowski brother movie to feel that way for me.