Rating: 
Summary: The Sci-Fi Juggernaut Rolls On...
Review: Ever since that green alphanumeric code flickered upon movie and television screens four years ago, "The Matrix" has fascinated and delighted people with its centripetal theme of metaphysics, modern technology and good old-fashioned superhero sentiment. And let's not forget the components of a great action movie: guns (LOTS of guns), explosions, chases and escapes and a hot chick sporting tight patent leather ensembles."The Matrix Reloaded" gives you all this and more, replete with new faces and breathtaking sequences (the motorcycle chase on an LA freeway, the battle with Agent Smith replicas) that you will keep at the edge of your seat, particularly when the words "To Be Concluded" swallow the screen prior to the closing credits. The story brings back the magnificent triad (Neo, Trinity, Morpheus) with a new mission - Neo (Reeves) must demonstrate his valor once more by saving Zion, the last free human city on Earth, from 250,000 probes bent on total annihilation of the human race. Trinity (Moss) is also imperiled, Neo privy to her grim fate in a series of frightening dreams. All this predicament needs is one more obstacle - and his name is Agent Smith. Smith (Weaving) has found a way to replicate his body and like a virus begins to spread himself far and wide throughout the Matrix, those infamous Ray-Bans and Secret Service attire emerging 'round every corner. With hundreds of agents on his tail, a beloved woman in jeopardy and thousands on Earth depending upon him for survival, what's a poor guy to do? Well, first off, kick ... - with style! For people who craved more of the kung fu and tae kwon do integrated in the first film, they will be happily saturated with massive amounts of hand-to-hand combat once again choreographed by the renowned Yuen Wo Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). "Bullet-time" is utilized again (frequently) and the stunts/visual effects will amaze. The film also sports another soundtrack full of pulsing, bass-ridden tracks from Rob Zombie, Rage Against The Machine, Linkin Park, P.O.D. and everyone's favorite cross-dressing kook, Marilyn Manson. The old favorites are back - Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne reprise their roles as Trinity, Neo and Morpheus and Hugo Weaving returns as icy villain Agent Smith. Reeves talents as an actor don't really register with audiences but he accomplishes the physical aspects of his role with gusto. Soaking in tubs of ice between takes to relieve muscle and joint aches, Reeves poured himself into his martial arts training and makes Neo look like the superman he is portrayed as on screen. Moss retains her ultra-feminist cool as Trinity, her patent leather wardrobe hugging a well-honed physique. Even more of a challenge this time around was Moss's pregnancy in the remaining weeks of principal photography, her body pushed to the limit even through bouts of morning sickness. Fishburne emanates the Zen-like calm he proffered in the first film and his character is lent some backstory thanks to the introduction of a former flame named Niobe (Pinkett-Smith). Weaving still retains the slow and calculated inflection as Smith (along with a classic smirk and a wry sense of humor) and Harold Perrineau, Jr., Monica Belucci and Nona Gaye round out the supporting cast. The set endured many setbacks, namely the untimely deaths of two supporting characters - late R&B singer Aaliyah Haughton was originally slated to play the role of Zee and halfway through principal photography, she and several friends perished in a plane crash over the Bahamas in August of 2001 after shooting her music video "Rock the Boat" (actress Nona Gaye assumed the role of Zee after much deliberation). Another tragedy befell the crew when Gloria Foster, known in the film as "The Oracle", died suddenly only a few months later. Three of the main actors sustained injuries during the first few weeks, Moss breaking her leg, Fishburne fracturing an arm and Weaving slipping a disc in his neck all during training sessions for complicated stunt work. The Wachowskis also did not anticipate financial troubles, the economic crash as a result of 9/11 plaguing several of the CGI firms hired to create the movie's special effects sequences (many went bankrupt during production, pushing back the release date by several months). Since both "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were filmed simultaneously, the budget skyrocketed and with impending circumstances, took four years to complete. Despite numerous hindrances, the film opened on May 15, 2003 and raked in $42.5 million, topping last year's action hit "Spider-Man" by $3.1 million. Its copious ticket sales were no doubt due to not only heavy doses of hype provided by numerous TV trailers and several sponsors (Powerade, etc.) but the procurement of over 8500 screens in 3500+ theaters nationwide. And there you have it. Love it or hate it, "The Matrix Reloaded" is a bona fide hit and fans will be rushing the box office when "The Matrix Revolutions" opens in November of this year. For those skeptical of sci-fi and of the opulent amount of press surrounding all three films, I have only this to say: Free your mind.
Rating:
Summary: Upgrade?
Review: To say that this movie has good special effects would be like saying that George Lucas is an okay director. The FX in this movie are state-of-the-art, spared no expense, without a doubt, the best money can buy. Bullet time, the fight with Neo against Agent Smith to the one hundredth power, and the twins are the most amazing visuals ever to grace the silver screen. The plot is a different story though (no pun intended). Yes, the story is good; it is much darker than the first movie, and it definitely makes you think more, however, there is just something missing in this movie that the first one had. I can't quite put my finger on it. Also, there are one or two scenes that I, and all of my friends, deem unnecessary, such as the rave in the Temple, and the sex scene with Neo and Trinity. But when it is all put together, it adds up to a good movie. If you liked the first Matrix, you must see this. I am currently awaiting Revolutions, which comes out in November, due to the cliffhanger ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing!
Review: I was very disappointed in Matrix Reloaded. The storyline was boring, the characters were flat and uninteresting, and as for the long-anticipated special effects--well, there was nothing new here. If you saw the first Matrix movie, you don't need to see the second one; it's just an uninspired repeat of the first. There are no revelations in plot, nothing new in special effects, and so there is no reason to see this film at all. I don't believe Matrix Reloaded advanced the storyline one inch. The film makers should have skipped this one and gone right to the third movie. They should also hire new script writers who know how to write an interesting story with compelling characters. And don't bother waiting through all the credits at the end of the movie to see the preview of the third Matrix (as I did). It lasts about six seconds and it doesn't give you a CLUE about the third movie. Altogether very disappointing!
Rating:
Summary: Worst movie of the year.
Review: The best short description of this movie is; "It's like watching someone else play a video game". And yet, I have seen a crowd of kids clustered around a player doing just that.
The action sequences go on forever (or longer), greatly reducing their punch (no pun intended). Initially interesting scenes of Kafkaesque dialog drone on and, in fact, shallow their own tail. The music scoring was mostly annoying, until the end, then at the being of the credits the volume swelled to actually painful volume (as if to scream, "GET OUT of the theater"). Hated it, hated it, hated it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Matrix Reloaded blew my mind
Review: This is the best movie I have seen this year, maybe ever!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nice!
Review: Hey, here's a good sequel! I must admit that I am not a fan of the original, but when my fiance dragged me to Reloaded, I enjoyed it. Excellent special effects and nonstop action with a bit of romance, shock, and suspense. Even The Smith had me on my toes. Fun, thoughtful, detailed, and well worth seeing again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: An OK Movie, But Too Much Hype
Review: This movie being one of the most expensive movies ever made and the most anticipated film since "Spider-Man", I expected more from it. I liked the first "Matrix" movie. It has that anime sci-fi feel with very interesting story developement and compelling ideas. It was very original and started a cult following. The only thing I wasn't a big fan of the first movie was some of the fight scenes with Keanu Reeves. I wasn't convinced by his fighting performances, but overall he made a great Neo. I give the first "Matrix" movie a 9.5/10. Now onto the "Matrix Reloaded". I thought that some aspects of this was better like the special affects and the fight choreography with Keanu Reeves. But I do have pet peeves about this film. First of all some of the over dragged scenes the movie had (ie the Zion celebration dance). I was saying to myself, "Alright already!" I didn't like the sex scene between Neo and Trinity. The fighting was cool, but those were too long. A lot of things didn't make much sense. It was a wierd story. Too much Superman stuff in this movie. Who where those albino dudes with the braids? They were cool, but the movie doesn't explain who, what or why they where in the movie. I absolutely hated the ending. Well, I will still see "Matrix Revolution", hopefully all the loose ends "Matrix Reloaded" had will be tied tight. I give this movie a 7/10. If you want to see a real winner, with less hype, "X2" was awesome. One more thing, stay until the very end of ths movie, after the credits are done, there is more stuff to see. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I was absolutely blown away by this sequel. I hadn't expected such an incredible cinematic work. I've already seen it twice and I plan on seeing it again. The plot development has more depth than the first one and the visuals are absolutely jaw-dropping. I haven't been this blown away by a movie in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the first one, but this one disappointed me - damn.
Review: For all who saw, understood, and loved the first Matrix movie for its underlying meaning of reality and groundbreaking special effects - Matrix Reloaded lost much of the bang of both. It also including some items that really didn't need to be included. Perhaps I had set my expectations too high. The special effects were good (much like the first movie's), but I would not sell Reloaded on them alone. It's stuff we've already seen. Basically, it is. The underlying philosophy is confusing at first, until you work it out in your head and realize that what was just said in ten pages of script could have been stated in two sentences. It's like that. It rambles a bit. It rambles a lot. What the Matrix is, how it operates, why, etc., are all unnecessarily confused in complicated philosophical rhetoric, perhaps to clarify it all in the third installment, Matrix Revolutions. Many loose ends are left untied. What struck me as really odd for this kind of movie was what appeared to be a soft-core orgy-type gathering in the first quarter of the movie. I still can't make it fit into the general plot/theme. The scene really does nothing for the movie except to make it off limits to my children for a few years. Other than the remote possibility that every modern movie must include something of the fleshy-carnal stuff, I have no clue what the creators could possibly have been thinking when they wrote this scene in. Like a brief detour from the main story line for those who simply must have some sex to complete the experience. As you might have guessed, the detour, however brief, actually [made me mad], as in, "What the hell are we doing here, let's get on with the movie already!" Overall, I wouldn't see Reloaded twice. However, I will buy all three movies on DVD just to complete the collection.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy sequel
Review: Inviting a comparison the original Star Wars trilogy [and please don't expand this beyond story structure, I'm only inviting that comparison!], this movie is a fitting second chapter that has a dark and ominous ending that invites questions of whether or not the revelations that we have clung to in the first movie are true or not... I will not spoil that here, but the Wachowski's have certainly manage to shake the foundation of human faith and spirit with the logical precision of how The Matrix operates. It is also chilling to watch them systematically make the real world seem as if it were its own dream at the end...not sure what I'm talking about? See the movie and you will understand. And whether or not this movie's revelations are true I'm sure will certainly be revealed in this trilogy's conclusion. This movie manages to introduce several new elements to the Matrix world, the most fascinating of which includes the introduction of rogue, exile programs which disobey the system in general. It was particularly interesting to see how the Wachowski's utilize these rogue programs as the reasons why people see ghosts, UFOs, aliens, etc. The "ghost" twins are particularly cool in this film and it's intense to watch them fight both humans and agents in a freeway scene that made me grip the armchair rests harder than I recall in recent memory. The effects are superb and the story elements towards the end are astounding...so why 4 stars? Several problems with this film: 1. Over and over, I seem to recall being beat over the head with the Neb's current operator having issues with his wife (mate?) not approving of his dangerous assignment. I'm not sure this augmented the story much beyond the fact that we have a different operator on board.
2. The dance/trance scene in Zion seemed a little long and forced.
3. The exposition overall in the beginning seemed a tad long. Although it was interesting to see Zion, I feel that 15 minutes could have been cut out without loss in overall plot.
4. Agent Smith was extremely menacing, free, and "numerous", but his overall fit in the grand scheme of things seemed somewhat displaced. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I felt like his purpose was to throw in a road block at a junction in the film and not much more beyond that. Hopefully, the third film will place more emphasis on his purpose.
5. I felt that Niobe's presence was to add one more body into the mix than anything else. There is history between her, the Commander, and Morpheus...and??? That's precisely it...there's tension in the air, but it goes nowhere. Again, hopefully the 3rd film may shed some light on her purpose in the overall design.
6. The introduction of bringing a "physical" object back from the Matrix had me scratching my head a little. I'm hoping that the Wachowski's intended for that object to be somewhat more symbolic of programming code that was in turn saved on to a physical object in the real world. I know I'm being nitpicky, but come on. Still, despite some of its flaws, just be prepared to suspend your disbelief -- remember that the hallmark of some good storytelling is not to be too wrapped up in how "real" things are, although it helps if the ficitional aspects of that storytelling be consistent within its own framework. The Matrix Reloaded is one hell of a thrill ride that will not disappoint beyond its opening exposition.
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