Rating: 
Summary: The Definition of Adrenaline
Review: When I saw THE MATRIX back in the spring of 1999, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard good things about it so I gave it a shot. Needless to say, I was blown away by the innovative special effects, top-notch action scenes, and the surprisingly intelligent, deeply philosophical storyline, not to mention some solid acting (especially from Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus). When I heard that the Wachowski Brothers, the writing/directing masterminds behind this epic, were filming not one but TWO sequels to form a trilogy, I couldn't wait. Well, the wait was over on May 15th, when THE MATRIX RELOADED was finally released in theaters with almost too much anticipation (I saw it on that Saturday - May 17th). Since sequels are usually never as good, up to par, or just plain worse than the original, I had my doubts about how the filmmakers would be able to pull it off. To my surprise, RELOADED not only met my expectations, but also surpassed them.It's everything I hoped - a sequel that's more intense and thought-provoking than the first movie while still staying true to the original's roots. One reviewer actually said that this was the best sequel he's seen since THE GODFATHER PART II. I would definitely agree with him on that one. Even though both films are different, like GODFATHER II, RELOADED takes everything from the first film and makes it better, grander, and more mature than ever. It's a shame nobody else makes movies like this anymore, but thank God THE MATRIX came along to show us that you can still make an intelligent action movie in Hollywood. I'll try to explain the story the best I can. Don't expect me to reveal any important plot points, because I won't so people who haven't seen the film yet can be surprised. RELOADED beings much like the first film did with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) making a grand entrance on her motorcycle and being pursued by those ever menacing Agents. Her sequence has a fatal ending, and suddenly Neo (Keanu Reeves) wakes up and realizes it was a dream - or was it a prophecy? He's not so sure. Neo has been having the same reoccuring nightmare and hasn't had sleep in days. Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and the new member Link return to the gloomy city of Zion, the last place on Earth with civilized humans living in it. It turns out the Sentinels, those octopus-like machines, have grown to over 250,000 and are digging into Zion to kill the humans. With impending war on the horizon, the tension beings to mount. To make matters worse, the dispicable Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) has returned and is now free from the control of the Matrix, meaning he can now make a hundred copies of himself and do anything else he wants that the other Agents cannot do. That's about as much of the story that I will reveal. There's a lot of twists and turns in the film I don't want to give away. In a way, I like the story of RELOADED better because it explains the theories raised in the first film with such ease and complexity and also raises some new questions that are wisely left unanswered at the end (I'm guessing they'll be explained in the upcoming third film REVOLUTIONS). I love the host of new characters that are introduced including the very funny yet mischeveous Frenchman (I forgot his name), the sexy and mysterious Persephone, the teleporting white-on-white Twins, and the humble Keymaker who can make keys from anything in the blink of an eye. The performances from the main players are also great. Keanu Reeves isn't the greatest actor in the world, but I can't imagine anyone else playing Neo. His performance is actually quite poignant in this movie, except when he's kicking the bad guys' azzes. Laurence Fishburne is terrific as always, and Carrie-Anne Moss combines toughness and feminimity into a cohesive whole. The late Gloria Foster is also very good in her role as the wise and sweet Oracle. As much as I love the story and characters, the action is the main highlight. There's about half a dozen action sequences in the film, but two of them stand out greatly over the others. The first is the now famous scene where Neo battles Agent Smith and his army of rampaging clones. A lot of people complained that since Neo can fly away like Superman, why didn't he just leave? Simple: Neo proves to Smith that he isn't as weak as he thought he was. This is a ferocious and quite humorous scene and it got my blood pumping. Even better is the spectacular and slightly excessive 15-minute freeway sequence, which is a car chase, a gunfight, and a hand-to-hand duel rolled into one. The directors take every action cliche in the book and turn them on their ears. This scene never lets up for its 15 minutes and you'll be white-knuckled the whole time. There's not much else to say. THE MATRIX RELOADED is one of the rare sequels that tends to be more ambitious and challenging than the original and succeeds on every level. If the third and final film REVOLUTIONS is anywhere near as great as the first two chapters, than the Wachowskis have created a landmark in science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: All this critcism? Why and what were they expecting???
Review: This damn good movie probably wouldn't have so much criticism had there been a few less black people in it. This reminds me of the recent Star Wars prequels recently made, which I think have been heavily criticized because they had a black man up in there swinging a lightsaber. Some people can't stand to see black people in a movie doing wonderful things like in the Matrix. Let me say that this sequel lived up to all expectations and outdid the first one in nearly every area. Where the first Matrix set the tone and asked all the questions, Reloaded basically "reloads" the original with the same questions in mind and setting ground for new ones, very much like life. When we are close to putting our finger on a fine point that we think is the answer, we are always evaded by the other questions that pop up very much like consequences. So I don't know why there are such mixed reviews, and more negative ones than positive for Reloaded. When did the Matrix really even make all that much sense to begin with? It's very much like a computer program that is supposed to do wonderful things for the computer, but there are bugs that have to be worked out, and every attempt to introduce another edition introduces more bugs. The Matrix is, more than anything, a high-tech, dark story about the essence of power in our lives, and how those in power or capable of getting it want more and more of it to rule the fates of others. Everybody wants it but someone usually has something they think they need to get it, and even when they go after that thing, they discover someone else has done something or has something else beyond their reach, and so the fight goes on and on. The events leading to the climax of Reloaded were all significant even if they might be touched on in the third movie yet to come. Even though there were several points where Reloaded could have ended, it did not have as disappointing of a cliffhanger ending as I had thought it might have. And for those who thought the city of Zion wasn't what they expected need to sometimes stop anticipating so much of what they expect to see, because life is not about seeing what you want to see; it is what it is and what must be. I think some people just hated that there were a lot of black people in this movie and they were getting it on in the city of Zion as well as kicking butt.
Rating:
Summary: The simplicity of complexity
Review: I was afraid of the sequel. I was thinking that Reloaded was going to miss, or lack, the profound meaning of The Matrix, but I was wrong.
The Matrix, for me is a metaphor of a political argument that tells us about a social system that controls us by letting us make some choices, and with that choices we think we are free, but we are still cooperating with the system as long as we stay in the line. For example, we can be a surfer, a skater, a drug user, even a computer hacker, but we all make contributions to the social system, except if we critiziced it or try to really transform it.
Reloaded represents the way we crash againts the wall of reallity, it tells us that we contributed to the system, but tells us to that we have a chance to work against the machine by making the correct choices toward our freedom.
Are Matrix and Reloaded an anarchist statement? Many questions? Yes, and that is good. Ah!, I did not pay to see neither movies. :)
Rating:
Summary: The Purpose of Wachowsky Brothers
Review: This Film has Philosophy , divinity , Love , and Actions ...I saw this movie for 7 times till now .Most Of the Peopole didn't liked it because they don't Undestand It or maybe they don't like the scripts is the film because they are the TRUTH.
this film and the previuos one has answerd my many questions in life and philosophy.
In both Films Love is the key and they happend at the end of the film .
Holy Numbers are Recpected in this film Like 3 - 4 - 12 - 72 . you must see the film carefuly. In some placesAgent smith say devils word :"there are so many ME (Our inside me's ..."if you can't beat Us ,Join us"
Again from Smith " what happend ,happend for a reason "
and yes it is the purpose that created us ". Because, as we both know, without purpose...we would not exist.
It is purpose that created us."
we cant be free in this world in Smith Oponion :
"We're not here because we're free...We're here because we're not free"
and At last the Oracle : " Because you didn't come here to make the choice. You've already made it. You're here to try to understand WHY you made it." Yes We r here to undestand ...
and "We're all here to do what we're all here to do"
And Wachowski Brothers ARE here To do This I think and to "Show them a world Without You ".A world were anything is Possible.Where we go from there. and Yes We should Undestand Our Purpose and Reason before It is too late. Amin Sadeghy .Iran
Rating: 
Summary: Excruciating!!!
Review: The Matrix Reloaded has got to be one of the worst movies of the year. Terrible dialogue, horrendous acting, and annoying scenes of conversation that doesn't make any sense, going on for what seems like forever. I did not find myself caring for any of the characters or where the story was going to lead. It was a slow, boring, overlong mess with no redeeming qualities and nothing to recommend it. Steer clear, Reloaded is pure overrated garbage!
Rating:
Summary: Anyone Remember "The Empire Strikes Back"?
Review: I won't repeat the things that have been said over and over. What I will do is marvel at the fact that when people don't understand a concept, they resent it. When a piece of entertainment is not what you have been expecting for three years, that doesn't mean that you should give it 1 out of 5 stars, people.
A lot of us fail to realize just HOW MUCH depth has been pumped into the Matrix story with this installment. Before, it was just the crew on the Nebuchanezzer, the Matrix, and Neo. But the camera has panned back to reveal an enormous amount of complexity that is part of the legacy, and I'm not talking about the cast. This is like an expansion to an already amazing video game. The fact that even the machines are not perfect, that the system of the Matrix always needs to be "rebooted" is very clever. The whole concept of "You have a choice, but you already made your decision; you're here to find out why you made that choice" is astounding. Let's not forget that the integrity of The Prophecy, along with that of the Oracle herself, is now in question... And that creates much doubt among our heroes. Add to that the issue concerning Smith, and his goals which are presently obscured, and you have a movie that is beyond a mere five stars. Unfortunately, most of the content floated over many heads, leading to confused faces and eventually shouts of "Get to the fight scenes!"
A word to those discouraged because of the fact that others dispise this movie: Don't worry. I seem to remember "The Empire Strikes Back" causing strife between StarWars fans. In a few years, people will respect this film for what it is: A masterpiece.
A word to those who hate this film because it "has no plot": Well, actually, I don't have anything to say to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Determinism vs. Free Will
Review: Since the movie is fairly long, and full of all sorts of philosophy, I think I'll probably have to see it another time (maybe twice more) to give a more thought out review of it. However, I can give some shallow and spoiler free thoughts on it now. Read more to read the long review, read this next sentence for the short review: I liked the first one better. I liked the movie...in fact, I liked it a lot. But, I liked the first movie better. There might be a few reasons for this...maybe the whole concept of the matrix and all the ideas were new and interesting then and this movie isn't as provocative on that level, but I think I also liked the first movie because it seemed more organic. The good and the bad were clearly..or at least more clearly, defined. This movie isn't quite that way. But...other than that, this movie was great. A word of caution, there is a sexually explicit scene in the movie...Neo and Trinity...umm...imitate bunnies for a short segment and the population of Zion imitates a rave hopped up on E. Other than that, there really isn't any sex...just lots and lots of violence. The movie is rated R...for the sexuality, violence and the language. So, if you're gonna be upset by those things and you can't look beyond them to see the great philosophic themes of the movie, then don't go see it. Another word of caution: if you're pregnant or have a history of heart problems, this movie probably isn't for you. It is an adrenaline rush from the first 20 seconds until the end. Special Effects: The special effects were amazing. The stunts, explosions, camera angles and everything are just incredible. If you're interested in finding out how they did some of the stuff (such as the "Burly Brawl" scene), you might want to search google for a wired.com article about it. The freeway car/truck/motorcycle chase scene is incredible...I've never seen anything like that before in any movie. The fighting, the choreography...everything is incredible. The movie is unsurpassed in visual goodness. I guess you have to see it to believe it...but it is simply amazing. Philosophy: If you thought the philosophic and messianic and theological themes in the first movie were excessive, this movie isn't for you. Reloaded is totally full of philosophy and theology. From a discussion of salvation between Neo and "the kid" to Neo's outright fight with the idea of determinism that seems to follow the course of the movie. This isn't man against the machines, this movie pits Neo himself against determinism. This movie is all about free will and determinism, and I think the ideas of ignorance in choice will play a major part in the next movie. If you like philosophy, the "boring parts" of the movie (boring according to the people sitting behind me) will be absolutely fascinating. I don't think I missed or zoned out for any of the dialogue...it was so key...even the corny one-liners which one person in particular that I talked to didn't like. Basically, the movie had a lot of stuff that I really liked, and if you like martial arts, fights, guns, cars, philosophy or computers, this is probably a movie you'll want to check out. If you don't like those things, but you do like Keanu Reeves..., you'll want to check this movie (unfortunately you see a lot of it). However, I should mention that there were some things I definitely didn't like about this movie. First of all, the whole zion speech and rave/party scene seemed sort of ridiculous and hedonistic. "If we can't do anything else, let's throw a weird party and dance provocatively" is basicaly what I understood from that scene. I also thought that the sexual relations between Neo and Trinity seemed a little gratuitous and poorly placed. Also, the entire movie seemed sort of inorganic to me. The parts of the first movie that I didn't like were the parts where they were in the "real world" which was the hovercraft flying in and out of weird sewers and stuff and the parts I liked were when they were in the matrix. Unfortunately for me, this movie has a lot of the "real world" scenes... However, other than those few detractions, I enjoyed the movie a whole lot, and I'd love to see it again...soon! Maybe in an IMAX!
Rating:
Summary: It's philosophy taught on the F1 circuit w/a techno theme
Review: I loved the first movie but did not think that any planned sequels could really live up to the hype. I was WRONG. This film expands on the ideas raised and touched on in the first and then expands on them and even raises some new issues. I love the fact that while the movie answered some questions for me, it, like so often life itself, ended up leaving me with more questions than I came in with. Fortunately, we don't have to wait another 4 years to get those answers. The film is as riddled with stunts, action and goundbreaking motion visual effects as the Cadillac CTX is with bullets in the movies unbelievable 10 minute highway chase scene. The common theme I hear in most of the criticisms of this film are essentially that this movie was not more of the same. I say thank the "architect" it isn't. My fear for a sequel is that they would simply serve up some packaged pablum, ala, lets' just give the viewer more of the same. The brothers Wachowski are brighter than that. What they have chosed to do instead is put together a very slick, cool, action, sci-fi film and use it as a vehicle to explore some pretty serious philosophical issues. The film raises such issues as is all there is to life is cause and effect, or are we suppose to look for something deeper than that. I found this movie forcing me to ask questions about my own life; not in the sense of is the world real, but more like should I just be happy with going to work, paying my bills and zoning out in front of the TV, or computer screen. The movie actually inspired me to pick-up some books on philosophy and do some reading---take it from me when I tell you that that is no small feat. I say any movie that has the capacity to broaden one's horizons is great. I also say that any movie that has the power to make a viewer want to put forth the effort to broaden one's horizons on his or her own is excellent. This movie lived up to its' hype. Now, I only wonder if it is possible for the third film to live up to its' anticipated hype.
Rating:
Summary: Phantom Menace Part 2
Review: Rarely have I walked out of a theater as angry... You accept bad movies. You should not accept those that see the ticket buyer as a [mark].
Gone is the soul and conscience that made the Matrix so special. Gone is the story. Neo is just part of the crew. Why was it necessary to cast Jada Pinkett (marrying up is always a good career move) and Roy Jones, Jr(!?)? Endless, nondescript fight scenes that are less impressive when you consider so much is computer-generated. Why the need for the stock story of the member of the crew leaving his loved one? And what was with the French character?
Well, to take a lesson from the first film, don't accept this as something special and worthy of your [money].
Rating: 
Summary: CG aint all that....
Review: Throwing a ton of cash at the screen hoping it will stick, we are presented with Matrix Reloaded.... I had fun for the most part. But the CG completely left me feeling like there was so much that could have gone on instead.... The Matrix, while not my most favorite film by any means, at least dabbled in a couple of great ideas. Reloaded is so puffed up and turboized that it is incomprehensible. Not to mention Keanu's complete inability to grasp any form of acting depth. What is the deal with him? How does this dolt get cast in movies for Christs Sake!!! But I must of course step back...he makes more money than GOD so of course it must be through talent......NOT. I so wish he would get a grip and take a few classes. Elocution 101 would be a good start. Reloaded is fun to watch but that is all. Pretty much it flat out illustrates what I thought about the first film. Lots of simplisticly reduced Philosophy wrapped in a crispy Judo/Karate shell. The Wachowski's are looking to enthrall you with some sort of messianic William Gibsonized, Phillip K. Dickified bilblical uber-story. When in actuality it comes off as bad techno-S&M....with a clueless self important TOP!
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