Ugh - The Case Against Sequels

Rating: 1/10 (18 December 2004)

Having written a three part novel, it is my firm belief that before the writer begins the first novel, he or she should have a firm idea of how the third novel will end, as well as the connective tissue that holds the three together. I don't care what the Warschawsky's Press Agent would have you believe, but when the first Matrix was completed and awaiting release, nobody was thinking sequels - and it shows. There are some movies that deserve to stand up as one time only. The first Matrix was a ground breaker in look and f/x. The next two were boring high budget films which require a cheat sheet to keep track of the plot.
The best that one can say, is if given the choice of producing large scale crowd effects, the job should go to WEDA. Their software is positively awesome. As for the Reloaded and Revolutions, they are clinkers, pure and simple. A good rule of thumb: if a movie relies on special effects more than cinematic story telling, it means there is no story, and the movie isn't worth your valuable time.