Average at first - Gets better the more you think about it

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2003)

I think this film was a bit out of place; most movies released around this time are no-brainers (2Fast 2Furious...) and I was expecting Reloaded to be the same, an effects-driven filler until Revolutions. I think many people were put off by the introduction of new and complex elements of the story (the true, more sinister nature of the Matrix is revealed) and the overlong fight scenes.
However, having now watched it twice, I've realised that this is not your average summer blockbuster. It is a very intelligent film, incorporating many different philosophies and religions. Nothing in here is a coincidence; during the freeway scene (one of the best car chase scenes ever in a film) one of the cars' license plate is DA0203. Looking up Daniel (DA) chapter 2 verse 3, we see the story of Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king. This story is just one of the many religious texts that is referred to in the Matrix; Morpheus (in fact also the name of the Greek god of dreams) says "I have dreamed a dream", which is also what King Nebuchadnezzar said in the text. This along with Descartes, Christianity, Buddhism, Godel's Incompleteness Theory, classical mythology, oriental mythology and other influences show Reloaded's vast scope.