Rather pointless sequel.

Rating: 6/10 (15 October 2003)

This film really wasn't necessary from an artistic standpoint. The first Matrix film had a conclusion - Neo reached enlightenment and gained freedom from the matrix. You didn't know exactly how he was to break the matrix down, but you assumed it would happen.
But now we have this sequel, and there is to be a third installment, presumably the final one. It's understandable that the filmmakers want to make a few more bucks, but the sequel isn't as good as the original.
The computer graphics continue to be stunning, but nothing is new here, just a continuation of the technique developed before. The central characters return - Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) also returns but he's more caricature than character this time around.
Several new members of the crew and the city of Zion are introduced, but the actors portraying them are not very good and they detract from the main story. There is also some unnecessary melodrama - a jealous spat between Morpheus and the Zion commander over a woman, a wife angry that her husband spends too much time following Morpheus around. The romantic angle between Neo and Trinity also takes up much of the movie.
The original left some loose ends, but it was better that way. It dealt with the matrix in allegorical terms, whereas this sequel (and presumably the final chapter) seem determined to define everything for the viewer. Sometimes, it's better left to the imagination.