The point.

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2003)

I have been reading reviews of this film, mostly negative, but I don't think I saw the same film that those other people did. They saw a flawed, failed work, lacking in passion or visceral impact as one reviewer implied. They saw a film that failed to live up to the promise in the original film. I did not see that failure. What I saw was a direct continuation of the philosophy, of the world view introduced in the original The Matrix. Critics and viewers focus on the action and the adventure, but in my opinion those viewers have missed the point utterly. In the world presented in The Matrix Reloaded, action is at best secondary. The fight is not the end but the means. The technology used in the filmic world as well as to produce the film are only tools. What I saw in the film was a war where none of the combatants recognized their own futility. Both sides are fighting for control that neither can have. I saw tonight a brilliant film. It was not perfect, but it is beautiful. The sex was overdone, the comedy was over the top. These are minor complaints though. The moments of cheesy sentimentality were a minority. On the whole, I think the film is breathtaking. I am awed by a filmmaker's courage to refuse to declare a truly "bad guy." I do not feel I can form a more coherent opinion about this film right now. I think its impact must settle in upon me before I can really know or express what I think about this movie. And for that reason, I apologize for my rather disjointed and alinear commentary.