Lackluster - An original Matrix fan who is not pleased...

Rating: 2/10 (16 May 2003)

I was a big fan of the original Matrix because of its semblance of a story line, excellent character development and effective use of fight choreography/special effects. Matrix 2 is very disappointing. Why you might ask? Well, it doesn't build on the first movie at all nor does it take advantage of the millions of plot devices and rich character development that was available from the first movie. This is one of the first action movies I've truly been bored at. The sequences appear to take tens of minutes and there is no meaningful resolution or plot advancement after these sequences. The sheer "coolness" of the fight sequences are not as great as the first movie as all the technology we've seen before, there is nothing surprising at all. The director and script writer really fail to follow the basic rules to script writing / movie making, which leads to a movie with little discernible story, dialogue which may have been a 1000 words at best.., and the ineffective use of nearly all the story telling principles including the use of suspense. We are thrown into action sequence after action sequence, and although these hold some interest there is no suspension of belief at all.
Maybe my expectations were too great after the first movie, but I really didn't expect a movie like this, especially with the budget that was spent. The "hoorah-hoorah" bike sequence that the crew kept advertising really falls short of the investment put in, a cataclysmic failure in capturing any sort of urgency at all. The bike scene in T2 or the racing scene in Ronin were much better done.
The lack of urgency in the entire movie, the lack of plot development or dialogue in general, and the repetitive fight scenes makes for a better Honk Kong action movie than an American theatrical release. This is the first time I've seen a sequel which has in some way reduced the value of the original movie in my mind. I will probably not watch the next movie in the theaters. I recommend you go watch the movie once the crowds die down a bit, as no one person can really reflect everyone's notion of good film however X2 is definitely a better movie with a real story and an effective use of special effects and I expect T3 will also be much better.