What's up with the bad comments? For those that actually WATCHED it, it's a great piece of Sci-Fi action fun!

Rating: Null/10 (21 November 2003)

An amazing series of movies... this one is no exception, just as good.
I just don't get why some people are bashing the Matrix 2. If you contrast it against the first Matrix film, for which the "bullet time" effect was invented, then granted, this movie doesn't make another ground-breaking and revolutionary step in the area of special effects, but I don't imagine it was intended to either. (So, for the critics out there, if that's what you were expecting, perhaps that's why you feel so critical of it.) Don't get me wrong, the special effects are indeed AMAZING, every bit as good as the first movie.
Let's take a look at the story (no real spoilers, just general comments). Yes, the storyline was "incomplete", making the movie feel somehow incomplete, but that's because we're used to watching movies that are complete in and of themselves, even as sequels. The Matrix Reloaded depends very much on the first movie, AND also depends on the third and final movie. Without seeing the first movie, you will be lost; without seeing the third movie, you will feel like this movie has no resolution or finality. This is, of course, intentional, as the entire Matrix series are intended to be ONE story (even thought the first was pretty much complete in an of itself, which is to be expected). If you judge this movie as independant of the other two, then you're missing the point.
Rather, the Matrix SERIES is a unique, Sci-Fi action movie(s) with a GREAT overall storyline, fantastic effects, and eye-popping stunts that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I know some people have criticized it's alleged uniqueness by making comparisons such as Dark City, but this isn't at all like Dark City... ***POSSIBLE SPOILERS TO FOLLOW*** Dark City was about humans being captured by aliens in a spaceship that functioned as a sort of "zoo", where the aliens would rework the city every day (using psychic powers combined with a special machine) to study human behavior. The main character develops the psychic ability to control the machine, and in doing so finds his freedom. So, yes, there is a similarity, but the world of the Matrix and the world of Dark City are very different. The Matrix is virtual, and Dark City is physical. The main character in the Matrix is "the one", a prophesied "digital messiah" whose mind could control the virtual world, and whose destiny was to free all of mankind from the captivity of the machines, while the main character in Dark City was just an average guy that happened to be lucky enough to develop psychic powers and find freedom for a small group of people. Similar, yes, but not so similar to say it detracts in any way from the Matrix. To say so would be like saying that the Terminator is the same thing as the Matrix since they both involve a future Earth where machines dominate the planet. Hey, if we're going to do that, why don't we just lump all cop movies together, all space adventure movies together, etc. Of course, that's silly, since a genre and sub-genre only lays a basic framework, allowing the writer to create a much more intricate and interesting story.
The bottom line is that there is much more to the Matrix story than meets the eye, particularly under the surface, and in doing so, it becomes a unique and revolutionary story wonderfully and masterfully told in an exciting way that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting more and more.