A must for action lovers (9/10), a let-go for Matrix-religionists (5/10)

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2003)

Well, a lot of lengthy comments have already been made here so I'll try to keep it short. (*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*)
I have to admit I rather disliked the first Matrix movie. I thought it was shallow, it's themes mostly stolen from the excellent anime Serial Experiments Lain and predecessors like "Dark City" or "13th Floor". The acting was bad (Keanu Reeves can't act. period.), and the SFX were not nearly as groundbreaking as some people want it to seem (I had seen the rotoscoping and bullet-time effects a couple times before in other films - I even have to admit that I had an "oh no, not that again"-moment when first seeing it). Over time, however, I came to appreciate it as a good "comic-book" type of movie, which it clearly was despite it not having a real comic book to be based upon. I started to like it, though I still cannot say it was great.
The second Matrix blew me away. From the opening scene to the cliffhanger end, I had payed ticket price for the whole seat but only needed the edge. This movie is not at all like the first Matrix, which is why so many fans of the original I know seem to dislike it so much. It is an action movie. Final stop. And a great one at that, probably the best you'll be seeing for the whole of the year. From the opening sequence over the fight with the agents Smith to the famous car chase it all blasts off of the screen with a kind of energy that simply leaves you breathless. Many of the stunts had a very XXX feel to them, as tongue-in-cheek as they were spectacular, which many people seem to have missed completely (come on... the explosions in the opening scene - the Keanu superman gig, the white-suit style of the spectres vs. the black suits of the agents - the fight with the traffic sign - the dozens of agents Smith saying "More, more..." : the camp factor was just high enough to be funny, but not too high to make it annoying). The quality of the action leaves XXX far behind though. Some of the action sequences are just a bit too over-digitized, making it is very clear that computer animation has been used. However, I did not find this to take away from the quality of the choreography or excitement value of the scenes in question.
And most importantly, the flaws of the first movie were fixed : less plot ripped off of other movies, less opportunities for Keanu to show he can't act and SFX that really move the limits this time, though perhaps they do sometimes push the envelope a bit too far as I mentioned in the above paragraph. There has been loads of discussion on the "talk-moments" in this film. I liked them, even if it were just because they gave you a much needed breather in between action scenes - for that alone, they were REALLY needed. And they do advance the story. A lot. Sometimes, the dialog and action seems a bit overly serious, but that's just part of the style of this movie, together with the black leather, dark sunglasses and Keanu-preacher cloth look of it all. It made me smile more than once, and I'm convinced that's exactly what the directors wanted - it's cheesy, but again, in a XXX kind of way, it just works.
The story takes a sharp turn away from the original, simplistic premise presented in the first Matrix and sets the stage for a grand finale in Revolutions. As a matter of fact, I'm a bit frightened about Revolutions : it can't nearly be as good as this. Hardly. I think. Though I didn't expect much of Reloaded either, and see what we got!
Conclusion :
If you love ground-breaking action, this movie gets you a full 9/10 (-1 point for over-digitized effects in some places). It's not just that they look cool : they're fast-paced, thrilling, exciting, very well choreographed as we are used from Lo Ping and they generally keep you on the edge. And there is enough intriguing story there to keep you going between all of the action - it's not just an action flick!
If you loved the first matrix because you thought it was an existential parable on the one true nature of reality, a deep philosophical treatise on the fate of men, you'll HATE this sequel - give it a 5/10 just for being like the first one. But that's exactly why *I* hated the first movie so much the first time I saw it.
So much for trying to keep it short :) - but at least, you'll know what you get!