Technically astounding, weak on plot

Rating: 3/10 (18 May 2003)

Being a big fan of the Matrix, and also of Sci-Fi in general, I was excited to be heading to the theater to catch the latest in the Matrix series: The Matrix Reloaded.
The Matrix was first, and foremost, an action movie, but The Matrix also had a rich and coherent plot with strong character development. It seems that, in a rush to the box office to collect on The Matrix hype, Reloaded seems to have left much of the substance of plot behind in favor of astounding effects and sex.
After watching Reloaded, my involvement with the characters was less than it was at the end of The Matrix. I felt especially disassociated to the newer supporting characters to the point where I didn't care if any one lived to be in the third Matrix movie.
The effects in Reloaded were an order of magnitude better than The Matrix. The choreography in the many fight scenes was astounding and sometimes left my eyes behind in the dust, trying to keep up. The fights also took on more of a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon feel as Neo's fighting style has matured since The Matrix.
Sex takes up a much larger role in Reloaded than in the previous movie, although that role was probably much larger than necessary. For about a 5 minute stretch, we are "treated" to a fairly steamy sexual encounter that seems completely unnecessary, given the relationship between the characters involved. The time would have been better spent beefing up the story with some more interesting interactions between the characters.
Although fans of The Matrix realize that Reloaded is only the second movie in a series of three, the movie's end left me with the feeling that maybe the movie reel had broken up in the projection room and the projectionist decided that was as good a stopping point as any.
Overall, Reloaded is very much a let down, considering the stellar success of its predecessor. We can only hope for a return to the story in the final installment of The Matrix franchise.