Reloaded has no story? What?

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2003)

For everyone that is saying that Reloaded is nothing but special effects and has very little story, I think you need to go back and see the movie again. But this time, don't expect to see the first Matrix movie... expect to see something new. I'm not going to spoil anything, but there is an underlying theme to this movie that seems to have eluded most people. The last 20-30 minutes are very profound and totally change the way you have to think about the Matrix and what Neo has to do.
This is not to say that the movie is perfect. I think there was a drastic overuse of bullet-time effects and alot of the kung-fu was pretty anti-climactic. Some of the dialogue was poorly written too (I'm not talking Star Wars Ep1 or 2 poor, but more like really confusing and long-winded poor). The movie still managed to captivate me, however. Learning more about the humans' current dependence on machines and seeing how Neo begins to deal with the philosophical ramifications of that fact and his place in the Matrix is a necessary addition to the movie. If it bores you that much, well then you don't really care about the meaning of the movie and just wanted to see special effects. But those of you with that line of thinking should more than satisfied by the AMAZING freeway chase.
Bottom line, Reloaded is not like the first movie. People say there is too much dialogue, but I think that's the point... to make you think more about what the Matrix really is. There are plenty of clues throughout the movie--especially toward the end--to stimulate you into thinking about what will need to happen in the 3rd movie. So don't just tune out until an action scene comes up, like all the people who say the movie was awful obviously did. Like the Matrix itself, there is more to it than meets the eye... believe it or not, you have to think about some action movies. Pay attention to this one and you'll thank yourself when Revolutions comes around. I, for one, can't wait for it now.
8/10