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The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition)

The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.96
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Matrix: Overloaded-- review from preview
Review: One word to summarize the new "Matrix: Reloaded": "Overload". Everything that was so memorable and well executed in the first "Matrix" was shoved down the audience's throat in the second. Imagine eating your favorite dessert, then imagine being forced to eat four more servings. What you get is not bliss but indigestion.

In the first "Matrix", the story was compelling and tightly told. You could not cut a scene without taking away from it. Exciting fight scenes and effects (like bullet time and time-freeze rotations) added dramatic impact by showing the heightened awareness of the characters. And the philosophical questions (what is real, what are our true limitations) were provocative and shook the viewer's conception of reality.

In "Reloaded", we get more of all of that-- more and longer fight scenes, more time-freeze shots, more and better special effects, more subplots, more philosophical dialogue. They even added sex. But like eating too much dessert, you end up feeling bloated rather than satisfied. "Reloaded" is a bigger spectacle, but a spectacle that sometimes lacks drama, as if the directors simply added stuff because they could afford to, not because it added impact to the underlying story.

On the plus side: Yes, the effects are stunning. Yes, Neo does great as "The One". And yes, the ending will probably surprise you and shake your conception of the Matrix itself. The "Burly Brawl" (Neo against 100 Agent Smiths) and the freeway chase scene will keep you on the edge of your seat. The ghosts are eerie and visually dramatic. And Monica Bellucci... well, need I say more?

So is it worth going to see in the theater? Absolutely. Be prepared to be dazzled. But for true fans of the first "Matrix", don't get your hopes up too high. The storytelling is not as tight and compelling, and one is left wondering if the Wachowski Brothers need a tighter budget to rein in their desire for spectacle over substance.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Matrix: Overloaded-- review from preview
Review: Two words to summarize the new "Matrix: Reloaded" which previewed last night (May 14): "Too much". Everything that was so memorable and well executed in the first "Matrix" was shoved down the audience's throat in the second. Imagine eating your favorite dessert, then imagine being forced to eat four more servings. What do you get? Indigestion.

In the first "Matrix", the story was compelling and tightly told. You could not cut a scene without detracting from the story. Exciting fight scenes and effects (like bullet time and time-freeze rotations) added to the story because they showed the heightened awareness of the characters. The philosophical questions (what is real, what are our true limitations) were provocative and shook the viewer's conception of reality.

In "Reloaded", we get more-- more and longer fight scenes, more time-freeze shots, more special effects, subplots, more philosophical dialogue. They even added sex. But just like dessert, more is not better. By making "Reloaded" into a bigger spectacle, the directors lost sight of the fact that what made all of these elements so effective in the first movie was that they added to the storytelling, to the dramatic impact of the story.

On the plus side: Yes, the effects are stunning. Yes, Neo kicks ... as "The One". And yes, the ending will probably surprise you and shake your conception of the Matrix itself. The "Burly Brawl" (Neo against 100 Agent Smiths) and the freeway chase scene will keep you on the edge of your seat. The ghosts are eerie and visually dramatic. And Monica Bellucci... well, go see for yourself.

So is it worth going to see in the theater? Absolutely. Be prepared to be dazzled. But for true fans of the first "Matrix", don't get your hopes up too high. The storytelling is not as tight and compelling, and one is left wondering if the Wachowski Brothers need a tighter budget to rein in their desire for spectacle of substance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow WHAT a movie
Review: This is for sure the BEST action film I have ever seen. If The first one blew your mind apart, this one vaporizes the leftover scraps. Neo is essentially Jesus Christ in this film, the difference being that Neo would DESTROY Jesus in a fight. Anyway, the film really, like The Empire Strikes Back, sets up the final climax, but it's a great ride getting there. The fight with hundreds of Agent Smiths is as good as hyped if not exceeding it, the chase on the freeway is absolutely mind-boggling, and the ending...whew. I won't give anything away, but...well it certainly doesn't end where you either want it to OR where you expect it to. Some people might complain that the movie jumps around in terms of time frame too much. I personally like this, otherwise we could have had four or five different movies waiting to get to the point, but we get the summary of "Meanwhile, back at the ranch" instead of having to see it. I prefer that because the meanwhile stuff is utterly pointless to the central characters and their struggles. The Wachowskis know the audience wants fights, fights, and fights. That's what they get here, and this is one man who is not disappointed in the least by this flick. I adored it and can't wait for November to roll around So I can experience this all over again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Theatrical Release of Matrix Reloaded
Review: I was lucky enough to be at the first screening of this movie the night before its offical release. This review will be short, a bit scatter brained (as this movie is still "sinking" in) and free of spoilers.

Matrix Reloaded is a fantastic movie but when watching it you must remember that this is not the end of the story and it is a story that is still developing. I think some reviewers I have read elsewhere have either forgotten or chosen to ignore this fact. This is the middle chapter and all is not revealed yet.

I had to laugh when leaving the theater as I heard one person complain to their friend that the fight scenes were fake because "there was no way a human can bend that way". Obviously this person has missed the point entirely. Neo and Co. are not bound by our earthly limitations and neither are their enemies, a point, which you must be mindful of when watching this movie.

In other words, try to watch this movie without letting the limitations of what you know or think you know cloud what you are seeing.

I had also read from several sources that this is a movie that is impossible to take all in with just one viewing. I found this to be true and look forward to seeing it again.

Finally, just sit and let yourself enjoy the ride. It's all about choices.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Highly recommended For The Matrix Fans
Review: What a great movie, one of the best movies i've ever seen in the theater.... Action: awasome, Visual effects: excellent , Stunts: amazing, Story: here we need to stop little bit, the big diff. between this one and the original one is that when the original released in 99, ppl were so intersting in Computers, hacking,Internet ..etc and also in the Y2K issue, so there were so many things made us to love and feel that story more... which means, the timeing was perfect.... unlike this one,,, though this one still great,, but does not have the same taste as the original. I dont want to spoil the movie for ya,, so just wanted to tell ya that,, watch this movie and try not to compare it to the original one,, becuz u dont have to,, dont u wanna go to the theater just to watch a great movie ?! so enjoy it becuz this one rocks... For me, if you wanna know my fav movies,,1- The Godfather, 2- Memento, 3-lord of the rings I,II. 4- Pulp Fiction, 5- Star Wars. I just listed these movies to tell ya that im not that kind who just likes action with special effects movies !! beleive me,,, the movie is soooo great,, and has so many tweasts,, Dont miss it,,,, i will go to see it again after 2 weeks,,, 9.5/10 movie ...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Action, Guns and shinny black leather
Review: Well I saw the Matrix: reloaded last night 5/14/03. I went to the 10:30pm Preview screening and lets just say that I was not alone in my desire to watch the Matrix: reloaded. The theater was packed although it was way to dark to make out the pocket protectors I assure you the geek demographic was well
represented.

If your liked the first Matrix film you probably liked it for a few key
reasons....

1) The coolness factor... can you get any cooler than black shinny
leather and raybans?

2) The action... Explosions, guns and black shinny leather...

3) The Matrix... Who wouldn't want a reality where you could exit and
reenter when needed plus you could have anything you needed

" I need guns, lots of guns" -Neo

Well the Matrix reloaded certainly has those and more.

1) The coolness, more black leather, more raybans and never
underestimate the coolness of the sound of breaking bone in a computer
generated fight sequence.

2) The action, Explosions, fights and chase scenes are in abundance.

3) The matrix, more background details and more nuances of the matrix
construct and its programs.

With all that said there are a few things that well are gnawing at the base
of my skull and well if your interested I'll let you into my opinions...
WARNING some Minor spoilers....

"So you can take the blue pill, the story ends...you wake up in your bed and
believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in
wonderland and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes". - Morpheus

BLUE PILL

Go see Matrix: reloaded its a great fun action film, with action and humor
for all. The new characters and the sub plots keep you interested and yes
there is a twist that explains a lot and man you probably wouldn't guess it
in a hundred years

Minor Spoilers below, you know you shouldn't but you can't resist

WARNING: RED PILL 10 skull gnawing aspects of Matrix: Reloaded

1) Certainly not a film that's going to get anyone nominated for best
actor

2) In the first film the 'real world' was all doom and gloom with only
burlap and hand knitted clothes to wear... Well between the two films things
must be a heck of a lot better.. They have time and effort to create cute
uniforms with screen-printed and embroidered designs...

3) New character Link (Harold Perrineau Jr) can we say Chris Rock
wannabe?

4) There is this religious / spirituality / rave party sub plot thing
going on nope not for me

5) Shock horror but maybe there are too many fights with Neo.. Just how
many times can you see some one punch and kick? Sort of reminds me of some
generic Kung fu movie from the 70's with a bad dub... you can almost imagine
the dialogue being "HI I'M NEO LETS FIGHT"

6) One of the most important parts of the film is one of the most
boring... A semi-monologue... It would be a dialogue but its up against
Keanu Reeves Acting ;0)

7) The special effects aren't anything new... seriously I saw similar
affects in Spiderman and Daredevil. Yawn look it's a CGI Neo flying through
the sky

8) Spends way too much time in the 'real world' for my linking

9) The ending... Its like someone ripped out the last chapter from the
book

Your probably looking for number 10 on my list well you'll have to wait till
November to read it ;0) Yeah its sort of like that...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Movie So Far Of 2003....
Review: The Matrix: Reloaded is the sequel to the 1999 box office hit The Matrix. Keanu Reeves once again does an amazing job as Neo or should I say, Mr. Anderson. In this sequel Neo and Trinity are now very close and Neo seems to be able to do whatever he wants. This is a very cool movie.In this Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and newcomer Link are fighting are trying to end the war, while Xion (Zion)the only city left in the "real world" is awaiting a battle with sentinels. If you liked the first one go out do yourself a favor and see this movie and The Matrix: Revolutions which will be released November 5, 2003.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: So much potential, such a waste
Review: They promised thunder, they promised lightning, there were some scenes which made the audience go ooh and aaah but a majority of the scenes were lost in cliches and laborious extravaganzas which didnt tickle anyones palate.

The dialogues were weak, and the ponderous ones were masked in parahernalia, making them difficult to sieve from the overpowering husk. Acting had a lot to be desired for, and the focus on a few characters was bodering on ennui, especially since they are'nt strong enough to carry the concept and the movie. Time wasted elsewhere meant the director had to forego continuity and just string a bunch of action sequences together. The starting of the movie almost loses the audience and makes everyone wonder why why. The hallmark of the Matrix was its simplicity, and thats where the presence movie falls out.

In being pushed to answer too many questions and yet live upto the expectations of the action seeking public the movie makers tried to do too much and ended up with too little, its as if someone went "woudnt it be cool to have this" and added them all together without any thought towards continuity.

Some effects were good, the highway was totally worth its cost and effort, the kungu was good but something needs to be said about a lack of diversity in the fighting. For a movie of this stature the number of exclamations was lacking. The movie tries to earn a R rating for no rhyme or reason, thus in the end the sum total of distractions overpowers the good aspects of the movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Could it have been better?
Review: I am a fan of The Matrix. That was an amazing film. Great story, great characters, best special effects I've ever seen. So I was pretty stoked to see The Matrix Reloaded. I even told a friend that based on the clips, this might be one of a very few movies that was better than the first.

Well, I was wrong. This movie is not as good as the first. This won't disappoint a lot of people (after all, very few sequels can rival the first movie). However, I can't help feeling that this could have been done better. First the good points:

1) The characters were all very interesting. Their individual behaviours and costumes make for a very interesting visual treat. The characters also become the setting for the movie. Very interesting.

2) The special effects are amazing (at times). The special effects to start out with were a little underwhelming, but when Keanu gets going, the fight scenes become incredible. Which leads to:

3) The choreography. The fight scenes look much less mechanical, and the fighters much more comfortable with the fighting in this movie. That was one of the very few weaknesses in the first film, and they have more than fixed it in this one.

The bad parts of the movie? The dialogue mostly stinks. There are a few interesting parts in the dialogue, but largely, it is tripe. The storyline is nearly meaningless, and seems more like a video game than a story (Go find this guy, who knows where this guy is, who has a key, blah blah blah). There is a hint of promise in the story towards the end, but that seems more like a leadin for The Matrix Revolutions (due out in December). And the most interesting part of the first movie (i.e. we're all just brains in vats) is mostly used up in this movie. Everything is less eerie, less interesting. We know Keanu is going to kick butt. We have no worries for his future. It's all too easy.

So, to sum up, here are my ratings: characters 4 stars, visual effects 5 stars, choreography 4 stars, dialogue 1 star, storyline 0 stars.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony..
Review: How about *watching* the movie, and then writing a review?

Having said that, I was really impressed with the first installment's visual effects, philosophy, etc--easily my favorite movie of all time. Naturally, I was excited to go to an early screening of the first half of the sequel, Reloaded, even if it meant a 10:30 viewing on a worknight! I have the game and have the Animatrix on pre-order, and I shuddered every time commercials and other movies stole the Brothers' revolutionary way of telling a story on film. I am a fan, to say the least.

But what can I say, the evil corporations have won: Reloaded has a lot of stunning visual effects, but as a whole the film reminds me of the Star Wars prequels: the production company stepped in and said "Let's put in a bunch of love story ..., needless dialogue, totally unnecessary scenes, and throw more $$ at the visual effects department and see what profits stick". And then they decided that they could even make the sequel into two parts instead of combining it into one movie..ugh.

In the first Matrix, the commentary suggests that visual effects were used as necessary, in order to carry the story. Conversely, Reloaded seems, in fact, "loaded"; while the visual effects *are* spectacular, they didn't seem to have as much basis--like the story was written around the effects, instead of the other way around. The more I watched (the non-action scenes, that is), the more I found myself twiddling my thumbs and wondering why it seemed as if the story was made up as it went along. I suppose some fun was taken away from the fight sequences, because everyone already knows what the outcome will be--it's like playing a game in God-mode: yeah, it will get you to the end, but it's not entirely fun, either.

As far as the Matrix philosophy goes, Reloaded really maintains it, sometimes with painfully descriptive dialogue scenes. I was lucky enough to understand everything, but if you had any trouble understanding The Matrix the first time you saw it, you can count on being thoroughly confused in Reloaded. The commentary for the first film mentions that Morpheus's 'Desert of the Real' speech is what drove people to go see the movie 2-3x, so they can understand what the heck he was talking about. With this in mind, I have a difficult time thinking that the dialogue in the end of Reloaded didn't have this as the intent.

I hope Revolutions is better, but I definitely won't see it when it first comes out. I guess I'll go play 'Enter the Matrix' and hope it isn't equally disappointing!


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