O irony

Rating: 3/10 (16 May 2003)

"The Matrix" quickly became the movie by which all others shall be judged.
An original and fertile story, refreshing effects, and high-fashion photography so potent that two students in Colorado had to grab guns and mimic the Matrix long-coat swagger to impress their high school friends.
In short, "The Matrix" became another "Star Wars": a movie landmark. The pressure was on for a bigger-louder-deeper sequel.
Forgetting that they were an antidote to Hollywood,, the Wachowski Bros decided to steal from Hollywood.
Loads of B-grade actors forming some sort of "senate" or "council" or some-such. (Casting academe's No. 1 jive turkey, Cornel West, is apt.)

Loads of ponderous star-trekkie pronouncements.
Loads of bromides that sound philosophically profound if you're, well, loaded.
And if a movie about a mathematical genius has to have a car chase (the inexcusably ignorant "A Beautiful Mind"), it makes perfect sense that a movie that mostly takes place in the binary world of 1s and 0s, where cars do not exist, would feature The Most Expensive Car Chase Ever.
So George Lucas swallowed the silly fan faction that he was some sort of mind-bending genius. The Wachowski Bros have fallen into the same trap. They show the same desperation to be meaningful while selling popcorn.
Little wonder that "The Matrix Reloaded" is about as useful as "The Phantom Menace."