Should have been appropriately renamed "The Matrix Overloaded"

Rating: Null/10 (18 May 2003)

Beware: Possible Spoilers
(if you wish to just read my main comments on the film, scroll down to the last paragraph)
P/S: Note that I have used "The Matrix" and "The Matrix Reloaded" to mean two distinct movies and not interchangeable.
The Matrix Reloaded is jam packed with loads of breathtaking action sequences laden with special effects that fans have now come to associate with The Matrix. However, compared to the first instalment, many of the action sequences seem unnecessary. In The Matrix, the action sequences often came at just the right time to wow the audience and further the storyline. In The Matrix Reloaded however, it seemed like the action sequences were often there just for the sake of being there. They had become eye candy, just like many no-brainer action thrillers where explosions have seemingly been planned to fit into a one-in-every-ten-minute formula. My take on this could be that the filmmakers probably felt they shouldn't let their 300 million budget (for two films) go to waste so they'd might as well make as much out of it as possible. The result is that the Wachowki brothers have, true to their word, produced a movie with action sequences that have never been seen before, but in the course of it, turned the movie into a film exclusively for those seeking an adrenaline rush, leaving little chance for the audience to think and absorb what's going on. To paraphrase what the character Link said about Neo's whereabouts, "He's doing the superman thing again,", halfway into the movie, I was becoming a little jaded from the action sequences.
Apart from all the action, the story was what made The Matrix stood out from countless other movies. The Matrix focused on a comfortable ensemble of characters, namely Morpheus and his gang, Neo and Agent Smith, all of who in The Matrix Reloaded still remain the core of the story. But in The Matrix Reloaded, the number of characters have more than doubled, adding the 'Zionites' (Commander Locke, Councillor Dillard, Captain Niobe), the Keymaker, Merovingian and his wife, Persephone, the Twins etc. As all viewers should naturally expect, the core characters of the story would still occupy the bulk of the screen time. What happens is that almost all of the new characters see themselves mildly painted over in the movie - many have been shallowly portrayed- The Twins as plain villains, the Keymaker as the resourceful but helpless guy, Persephone as the lonely, jealous wife. One striking example is when the character of Persephone (played by Monica Belucci) asks to be kissed by Neo with the same passion he would have had with Trinity in exchange for agreeing to leading them to the Keymaker. If the Wachowski brothers had intended this scene to highlight the love between Neo and Trinity I definitely did not see a justified purpose behind it, especially not behind the shades and the cold expression the two characters were wearing on their face. And this brings me to the topic of love between Neo and Trinity, supposedly a major highlight of this 2nd instalment. Maybe it's just me, but I really didn't feel that strong love coming from the two of them. The fact that Neo eventually chose to save his lover over resetting the Matrix did not make me feel any stronger about them. Conveying emotional depth doesn't seem to be The Wachowski's forte.
Philosophical issues were probed into in the movie, and for me, this is my greatest draw to watch the Matrix movies. In The Matrix Reloaded, apart from the character of Oracle acting as a philosophical voice, the Architect also plays such a role. Issues of Hope, Choice and Power/Control are brought out in the film, though not in great depth. And before viewers have the time to digest them, action sequences take over again and it resets viewers' new awakening from the movie back to zero. The result is, I leave the cinema with nothing new in my head but regrets of what could have been a more mind-blowing movie.
Whereas in many movies, the filmmaker has not done enough to make a good movie, the people behind The Matrix Reloaded have done too much to mess up an otherwise marvellous movie had they practised more discretion and control. Hence I think it would have been more appropriate to name this movie "The Matrix Overloaded". Many people would probably argue with me that stuffing oneself with as much good food as possible is a good thing. I believe eating too much good food renders everything tasteless and leaves you with an upset stomach.
It is not difficult to realise by now that most of my criticisms of this movie is based on a comparison with its predecessor, The Matrix. If you haven't watched The Matrix, then most of the criticisms might not strike a chord with you and you'd probably still be marvelling over how wonderful this movie is, but then again, you probably wouldn't be able to fully comprehend what's going on in this movie at all and what it was about The Matrix that made so many of us pledge our allegiance to it.

Overall, The Matrix Reloaded is definitely a lot more superior to most average thrillers. Viewers who love eye candy and the heart-thumping adrenaline rush should watch this movie, once, twice, and buy the DVD when it comes out. Serious movie watchers should still watch it, but be more aware of what's good and what's bad in the movie and like me, pray that the Matrix people don't mess up The Matrix Revolutions come November.

My rating: 7.5/10