Rating: 
Summary: It's gotten too far-fetched
Review: As most will agree, the first movie was the better of the two. The fight scenes here happen simply for the ability to show off the effects.
Rating: 
Summary: All Style, No Substance
Review: All Style, No Substance. You couldn't pay me to sit through the third one.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed yet still worthy sequel to a classic
Review: I loved this movie (as well as its sequel) I felt that a lot of the criticisms for the film are unjustufied (moreso for Revolutions, whose critical failure is an absolute joke). But anyways moving on the film. The first hour of the film may seem to drag for some (Rave scene, shouldve been edited down at the least, most notably), but after that its a nonstop thrill ride (sorry for the clished description) Neos fight against the merovingians denizens was incredibly well done, surpassing every fight in the original, in my opinion, the highway chase was such a visceral pulse pounding experience I will be never be bored of this scene, Neos meeting with the architect (which seemingly left a lot of people perplexed) was definately an interesting twist in the story, even the burly brawl despite its flawed CGi was an incredible action piece, which indeed did serve a purpose I might add. Overall this film will definately get repeat viewing until Revolutions gets the DVD treatment and the rumored Trilogy boxset is released! With this trilogy, the Wachowski brothers have tried to make a different kind of cinema, in most ways they have succeeded, and I do believe that in the long run (like most classic science fiction) this series will seen in a very positive light. If youve been put off seing this movie because of some of the negative response, do youreself a favor and check it out, if you dont pay attention to the hype and undeserving backlash, you may end up pleasantly surprised.
Rating: 
Summary: Well done
Review: This movie definately wasn't a remake of the first Matrix, and definately sets the stage for a wonderful final episode. The sense of hopelessness and darkness is well maintained and developed over the length of the movie, with the only hope coming at the very end. This is a movie I will watch many times, so owning the DVD was well worth the cash.
Rating:
Summary: Dull sequel made up of more filler than intellectual story.
Review: This was not one of the better movies of the year. The storyline seemed forced and gimmicky. It seemed as if the Wachowski brothers were concentrating too much on making more money rather than giving depth to the storyline. Some parts of the movie were just plain stupid. For example, the entire Zion scene was very close to being pointless. Morpheus announces that robots are coming that way to destroy them and then everyone starts partying....Is it just me, or was something missing there. Did these people want to die by the Sentinels, because when they heard they were coming that way, they sure started celebrating. Also, the sex scene with Neo and Trinity was pointless. It was informant to the few audience members who were still naive to the fact that they were in love while stating the obvious to the rest of the crowd. They conveyed Neo and Trinity as being so in love that everytime they see each other, they had to kiss and make out. Is it just me, or were the Wachowski brothers trying to cater to the teenage audience with this scene. It seems as if their hormones are still raging and they have the curiousity of a 4th grader. If that part of the story had any use at all, then I have no idea what it was for.
The action in this story was alright. It wasn't great, but it wasn't the worst this world had seen, either. On a comparison between all three of the movies, this one would rank number two, behind the original, yet ahead of the final one.
Even though this movie is mainly made up of a filler plot, it is vital to see in order to comprehend the series.
Rating:
Summary: Good sequel, not as good as the first though.
Review: This sequel is full of non-stop action that - as they claim - lifts the bar on what to expect in movies of this nature. The Wachowski brothers and their team have definitely outdone themselves on that score. The fight scene between Keanu Reaves and the hundreds of Smiths has to be one of the best martial arts sequences on film (OK, maybe not). The special effects are crazy, with Neo (Reaves) gaining superman like powers that enables him to fly, and bounce off walls like Spiderman. That isn't new but there are more such sequences in the sequel.The emotional attachment between Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss gets stronger and we see more of the human-side of Neo than we did in the Matrix. (I thought the sexual scenes in the film were unnecessary) Lawrence Fishburne doesn't fail to disappoint as the general with a dream who inspires the resistance. More characters are introduced like the twins with their crazy hair and ability to become temporarily invisible, the Keymaker, Jada Pinkett Smith (Morpheus' love interest) and the Chief architect... The extras on this DVD are excellent, check out the MTV spoof with Justin Timberlake and that dude from 'Dude where's my car'. It's funny, especially the Chief Architect part, a definite must-see. All in all, a great sequel, don't believe everything you read though...Watch it and decide for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Very Different from the Original
Review: This sequel really threw me for a proverbial loop. I was going into it expecting Bill, Ted; you know maybe a cameo by Napoleon... When I saw Keanu I figured, "Alright, so he's goth now, that's cool." Then out popped his NEW friend Trinity, and apparently this Morpheus character took over for Ruffius (Did the actor who played ruffius die?). Anyway, I did like the substitution of the "Hovership" for the phone booth, a little more time-travel realism (After all, I've been in phone booths, and I've never time-traveled). And that first Bill and Ted movie must have made some !CASH! because they pumped this new one full of special effects! All in all, I liked it, but I think that they could have done a better job of connecting the plots of the 2 movies.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly good sequel
Review: When I saw the original Matrix, I was not impressed. I never even bothered to see the Mmatrix Reloaded until recently. I was missing out. The Matrix Trilogy has a wonderful storyline, and Reloaded is the most important of them. While the original sets up the storyline and the finale is all about the war and Neos battle with Smith, Reloaded answers a lot of questions and creates even more. I mean, the Wachowski brothers did make some good plot twists. Each character seems unique, and every one is there to serve a purpose. I feel like the Keymaker could of been more developed, and his role should of been much more important. The Merovingian and his wife Persephone are examples of new characters that are fantastic. I do not really care about special effects, but these were grand. The freeway chase was visually pleasing, especially sequences with the Twins. Also, Neos fight with the 100 Smiths was fun to watch. I love the song they play. The DVD has some fairly good extras, if you are into documentaries on how the film is made. It also talks about the Animatrix, the Enter the Matrix video game, and includes the MTV Movie Awards parody of the Matrix Reloaded.
Rating:
Summary: The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition)
Review: I knew nothing about the Matrix series. I received this as a gift instead of the usual after shave or Hickory Farms gift pack and after viewing the movie was pleasantly surprised by the spectacular special visual effects and one of the most hair raising car / motorcycle chases on film. I'm not that big into science fiction as I was when I was younger and I was a bit worried about viewing a movie sequel without any idea what it's prdecessor was about. There was enough background to figure out the plot after a few minutes. I'll keep my review brief, after 1100+ reviews already, you probably have a good idea of what this movie offers. Sight unseen, I probably would not have bought this. After seeing The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition) I'm ordering the original Matrix and the third in the trilogy when it comes out. The DVD includes some extras but the one most worth watching is the making of the chase scene. The stylized kung fu / Bruce Lee fight scenes were entertaining for the first few minutes.
John Row
Rating:
Summary: Matrix - Version 2.0
Review: THE MATRIX RELOADED has seamless CGI special effects, great stunt work, and excellent fight sequences. The jargon and philosophy might be a little too straining (reminiscent of STAR TREK-GENERATIONS) especially listening to Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburn) talking passionately of the prophecy, but the film is entertaining. One reason is that, in this second film, we care about these characters even more (Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity) and their exploits in 'The Matrix'. One might think that Neo/Keanu Reeves is the main character, but the film shows this to be an ensemble of cast and characters. Good to see veteran character actor Anthony Zerbe in a high profile role and Italian actress Monica Bellucci in a pivotal role.
|
