An Over the Top Disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (15 May 2003)

Unfortunately not many great films can be succeeded by sequels of equal stature. Some have, but most simply turn out to be Hollywood's answer to generating a big pile of money. Matrix Reloaded is no different. I wanted to be surprised and engaged by this film but all it really amounted to was a snazzy action flick (can there be too much action folks?) that attempts to wrap up neatly with a four minute explanation by "the source" at the end. A very unengaged plot as far as what one may expect from the stellar script of the original. On it's own it is probably a competent action film, but it simply tries, but cannot reach the complexity and originality of the first. Example: In the original "Deja-Vu is simply a glitch in the system" (very cool). Reloaded: "people's stories of Vampires and Werewolves are computer programs that have gone bad". Kinda lame. The character development was obviously not as important as the over-the-top freeway scene, and it shows. I thought the Wachowski bros. (sp?) had complete control of this project, but it has all the markings of a film that has been disciplined by greedy producers and studio heads. The only thing Re-loaded about this film is Keanu and companies bank accounts.