Uneven is the best word to describe the film.

Rating: 8/10 (8 June 2003)

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn't exactly what I expected and in a way it did not meet my expectations. Instead it turned out to be a diluted version of the trailers I had previously downloaded from the internet a month before the theatrical release.
The first thirty minutes of the movie are quite boring and contrived, and are designed to add some semblance of plot to the film. There is some use of computer animation early on and it fails miserably, easily souring your expectations for the movie early on (fortunately this is redeemed later on however, if you have not yet chosen to leave the theatre). For example, they attempt to show you what Zion (the last sanctuary for the human species) would look like, but instead it comes of looking cheap and cartoon-like. The large turning cog wheels that controlled the main door to Zion were reminiscent of the CG work in 'The Lord of the Rings' which is definitely not a positive aspect considering this is meant to be futuristic rather than medieval.
Uneven is the best word to describe the film. I would classify the various scenes into two categories. One third of the entire movie features no action, and instead contains long expositions about uninteresting, nonsensical topics. Unfortunately many childish attributes litter these scenes, such as the 'key maker' who is integral to the quest, but is actually a small Chinese man who quite literally looks like a 'Home Depot' employee who would duplicate keys for you. This third of the movie is quite a turnoff and could possibly cause an impatient person to leave the theatre during the film.
However, the actions scenes, which seemingly make up the other two-thirds of the film (although in retrospect it is likely that these scenes are just more memorable and seem to last longer) are usually very good, with two that I would consider brilliant, seeing as they improved upon the first film. These scenes feature a motorcycle chase, in reverse traffic no less, and a fight vs. nearly a hundred cloned 'Smith' agents in the park. If you enjoy motorcycling or car-chases, the thrills achieved here would probably be worth the price of admission alone. However, I must note that I was watching the film on an IMAX size screen, so this may have helped in making the experience more immersive and engrossing. Overall the action-oriented portion of the film successfully offset the boring parts as discussed in the previous paragraph.
I would recommend seeing this film only if you can accept its numerous faults such as the embarrassingly contrived plot and dialogue, and also give it a fair chance to redeem itself. If you do enjoy actions scenes and computer graphics, then I suggest you see this film at a matinee and preferably on a big screen.
7.5/10