I didn't hate it, but it wasn't Gods gift to cinema either.

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2003)

Do I think it's worth seeing? an enthusiastic Yes! Do I think it is equal to the first? no.
The special effects in the first one helped explain the Matrix, drive the story and the character development, they also were seamless. at no point in the first film did I look at Keanu and think I wasn't seeing him, because the wire work and the compositing was second to none. In Reloaded, while I enjoyed the ride, there were plenty of times during the fights that it was obvious that I was looking at a 3D model of Keanu and not the actor. and while they were excellent models....they were models none the less.
Suddenly instead of buying the reality of the Matrix I was standing outside of it. If you are watching a movie about a false reality that is too perfect to distinguish from reality, then the effects should be indistinguishable from reality as well, and sometimes they were not. In the Matrix they were, in Reloaded the scene of Keanu flying in the clouds was obviously 3D...some wire work by The actor and a cheaper compositing process would have kept me in the reality of that shot better. (the original super man did that in the seventies) my long winded point is this. no one special effect type is the best for every situation and it never will be. 3D is a tool just like wire work and compositing are. judicious use of each yields the best results and in the original film, that is what was done, though most likely because of money constraints. Simplicity of effects is what made those scenes in the first so ground breaking and rock solidly mind blowing. not simplicity in choreography mind you.
The best parts of the fight between Neo and the Smiths in Reloaded were the ones where they used live actors for the fights and judiciously used 3D compositing to put Agent Smiths face on all of the players. Believe me, I want to watch the "One" battle the smiths again and again and when I buy the dvd when it comes out on the first day of it's release I will, but that doesn't change the fact that the fight in the train station in the first film never made me think for a second that I wasn't actually watching them fight. it was hyper reality, not animated fantasy. ...and Hyper-reality confounds the noodle more than fantasy ever will, so in short, I loved it and hated it all at the same time, I paid for the ticket I'm allowed.
Will I see Revolutions on the first day it opens in November....you bet I will.
Sam Scum