Typical Sequel!

Rating: 4/10 (21 February 2008)

Opening exactly like the 1st movie and throwing us right into the action we get yet another Trinity action scene which is revealed to be Neo having a dream.
Replacing some of the crew killed in the 1st film we get to meet Link (who will go on to be famous in LOST), this is also our 1st mention of and chance to actually see Zion.
A lot of scenes in Zion go on far too long and are not needed at all, the huge dance rave being the worst offender by far. Likewise a lot if not ALL of the fight scenes go on far too long as well.
Neo's 1st fight with the Smith's, Neo's fight after meeting The Keymaker are both far too long. Do the Directors not know how to cut a scene for pacing reasons? Yes, it looks cool. Yes, it's exciting but also sadly yes it detracts you away from what little plot there actually is at this point in the film.
Basically all the stuff inside The Matrix this time is Neo trying to find The Architect who claims to be the creator of The Matrix (obviously this is impossible as The Matrix itself has clearly been in existence for hundreds of years and no human can live that long).
Of course Neo is told this Matrix is not the original but the 6th version and the same cycle of creation and destruction has been going on since the original Matrix was made. Neo is then offered a choice, save Trinity and allow all humanity to die or to save Zion.
Obviously he chooses Trinity (as this is the dream he has been having, seeing what looks like her impending death) and of course he catches her but she dies from her bullet wound and of course he brings her back to life in The Matrix just like she did for him in the 1st movie.
We are told the squids have attacked Zion and that surely there must be a traitor and they had found a survivor (who turns out to be someone Agent Smith had taken over earlier in the movie).
This is the very weak ending (even weaker than the 1st film!) and this is the trouble with being the 2nd in a trilogy, nothing is resolved and the plot has not progressed much.