Two Years Later, I've Given This a Second Chance

Rating: 9/10 (15 April 2005)

During lunch at school today a few pals were talking about a Matrix parody called "The Matrix Has You" on Newgrounds.com. I watched it this afternoon and was suddenly entranced by the Matrix Trilogy all over again. (I previously called Reloaded as an elongated teaser trailer for Revolutions, which was not nearly as good, but still excellent). So I popped in my dusty Reloaded disc and suddenly realized the genius of Reloaded all over again. The cinematography is magnificent, the choreography amazing. The dialogue by some characters is great (Smith, The Merovingian, The Oracle) and bad (Trinity, some of Neo's lines). It makes you wonder why the Wachowski's couldn't give depth to all of their characters as they did to others, but it's forgivable.
Most of the good fight scenes have been overlooked (The Agent vs. Neo fight, The Château) in favor of the more obvious (The Burly Brawl, The Freeway). But even if they are of a smaller scale, they are given as much creativeness and attention as the bigger and more epic battles.
In the first film, Agent Smith was a villain because he was after the rebels. Only at the end of the movie, when he showed his true feelings about the human race ("It's the smell, if there is such a thing") did he become a true villain. After his "death" and resurrection, Smith (no longer an agent) becomes more a villain then he does just a tool.
The whole atmosphere of the Matrix has changed as well. In the first, everything was desolate and old and dusty. In this version, everything is sleek, shiny, and perfect. If the first Matrix was a beer, this is a glass of wine.
Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo are back, played effortlessly by Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne Moss, and Keanu Reeves. It's as if they have the characters down to a hilt, which can be good and bad. But overall, they serve their purpose well.
All the supporting characters are phenomenal. The Merovingian, his albino Twins, the Oracle, the Keymaker, Persephone. Even the Merovingian's men have a little personality. Fantastic costume design, even if there is a bit of a leather fest.
Overall, a good, solid sequel to a groundbreaking film. This amplifies the bar of visual effects and martial arts choreography. If you're interested in "finishing" the story, watch Revolutions. It not nearly as good as this or the first film, but it's worth it just for the "closure".