Spectacular but flawed and ultimately profoundly disappointing.

Rating: 4/10 (28 May 2003)

The Matrix Reloaded is a spectacular action film and if you see it expecting only breathtaking action and amazing stunts you will not be disappointed as it more than delivers these. However as a follow-up to the original Matrix film it is a profound disappointment in so many ways. I have many problems with the film both in comparison with the original Matrix film and as a movie in its own right.
The first Matrix film for me was not especially about the action  it was about the intriguing idea of the Matrix and in fact a large proportion of the first movie was devoted to Neo's quest to discover the nature of the Matrix, and his self-doubt about whether or not he was `The One'. The first time I saw the Matrix was on a tiny screen on a plane, not ideal for a big budget action movie you would think, and yet it still worked. Other interesting points about it included Morpheus' unshakeable belief in Neo, the doubts of the other crewmates of the Nebukannesser, the betrayal of Morpheus by one crew member (played by Joe Pantoliani).
But the sequel has none of the intrigue, tension and intelligence displayed by the original. Sure it's got lots of state of the art action, although none of it matches the impact of the first movie, but the storyline was muddled and unclear.
One thing that grated especially for me included the extended love making scene with Neo and Trinity and the accompanying mass dance/orgy. The production and costume design for the city of Zion seemed poor  it was the type of thing that I would expect from a TV series not a bug budget film  the Zion costumes were a kind of grungy hippy style mixed up with some eastern influences. In fact the whole story line concerning Zion and its attempt to repel invaders was poorly handled and the eventual battle was not actually shown just discussed between characters.
The script was poor and the dialogue often cheesy.
The cast of the film were in general no more than acceptable, which is probably as much as you might expect in a movie like this. Of the main cast, the standout performance was given by Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith and in the supporting cast,
Finally, if you sit through all the credits at the end of the film (and believe me, there are a lot) then you also get to see a preview of the final film in the Matrix trilogy  Matrix Revolutions.
Overall, a spectacular, but also disappointing and in some places extremely poor follow up to a ground breaking original film. The Matrix Reloaded delivers the action that many will have been hoping for, but fails to provide a fully rounded cinema experience. It is absolutely no match for some of the other high quality blockbuster films we have seen over the past year, such as Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and X2. Unlike these three films, I have no particular desire to see The Matrix Reloaded again and I will not be buying a copy on DVD. Not recommended - however if you are going to see this film anyway, then by all means see it on a big screen with big sound where you can get the full impact of the action sequences, even if they are pretty meaningless.