The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: In some ways better, in others worse
Review: 3.5 stars, really

The Matrix Reloaded was a huge hit that I looked forward to intensely. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first installment and thought that the second would take the story to new dimensions. In some ways, the sequel far outdid the original. In terms of sheer adrenaline and eye-popping action, for instance. The patented bullet-time special effects return, but there's plenty of new eye-candy. The movie also offers even more insight into the Neo mythos. Nevertheless, the movie fails colossally in other areas. One need only mention the Neo-Trinity Romantic Chemistry (I am being ironic, of course: there was no chemistry) and the general self-importance of this more dark and stark film. In any case, what results is a mixed-bag that twists and turns unevenly to its enigmatic (and improbable) denouement.

'Reloaded' was a sequel that was destined to be made, and there are many parts of it that sparkle. The car chase scene, which pits Morpheus, Trinity and Co. against a duo of dreadlocked cyber-twins as well as a plethora of agents simultaneously on the 101 highway is one of the most jaw-dropping pieces of film that I have ever had the pleasure to see. It could quite possibly take the mantle as the most intense car chase scene ever. Bullitt, French Connection, I'm sorry, but your days on the throne are over. The sequence goes on for over 15 minutes, but it doesn't drag at all (unlike other parts). In fact, I would have liked plenty more. Another highlight is Anthony Zerbe's small role as a civil administrator in Zion. He added a nice bit of introspection into a movie that sometimes lacked it. The film had a number of fascinating secondary characters, including the keymaker, the mirolyngion (I have no idea how to spell it), the Architect ("God") and others. Speaking of the architect, his scene was the movie's most intriguing. He spoke so fast in some sort of mathspeak but he had a magnetic presence on the screen and his character remained a delightful mystery. Hugo Weaving was once again wonderful as renegade Agent Smith (although the much advertised fight scene with Neo against an army of Smiths was too long).

That seemed to be the central problem with this film. The Wachowskis, who had created a perfectly-paced action film in The Matrix, seemed to lose focus in some of the fight scenes. Most of them, while plenty mesmerizing, go on for far too long. The pacing of the film itself is uneven, the movie starts, then stops for exposition, then starts up again. The Zion sequence is much too long (seeing a pattern?) and the 'rave' scenes are repetivive and gratuitous. Trinity and Neo are not at all convincing as a couple, perhaps less convincing than that venerable couple from Star Wars, episode 2: Darth Vader and the Queen; even less convincing than Hemingway's duo in A Farewell to Arms. At least in the other two they said that they loved each other, however unconvincingly. I never for a second believed that Neo, with all his responsibility for his race, would give it all up for the girl, and this greatly hurt the film in my mind. Speaking of Neo, Keanu Reeves loses the tolerability, okay, likeability that he had in the first installment. He is cold as ice all the way through, no emotion or passion evident. And even more annoying was his continued flying. He became a deus ex machina whenever anyone was in peril, spending more time in midair than spouting meaningful dialogue. Too bad. All the way up to the supposedly cliffhanger ending he just seemed like he had lost touch with the character.

In short, this is a film that took some risks, some of which worked out and some of which didn't. The movie was entertaining, of course, and philosophically interesting (albeit less so than its predecessor), yet its characters don't quite come alive the same way. The producers just didn't know when to say when throughout the film, and as a result the movie seems somewhat bloated. It does, however, work as a film and as a sequel and is definitely worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it a lot
Review: This sequel opens with Neo (Keanu Reeves) dreaming of Trinity's death (Carrie-Ann Moss). This disturbs him to no end, and he cannot sleep. Meantime, Zion is expected to be attacked by machines, and the crews of the different ships must prepare for this.

There is Smith, who has the ability to graft a clone of himself onto existing people and attack Neo. There is one particularly impressive scene where Neo fights off scores of them --- it reminded me of Indian Bollywood films which famously always have a similar scene. Annoyingly, it goes on for 10 minutes before Neo flies away. About halfway through the scene I was wondering why he just doesn't fly. I was getting tired watching him fight them all.

My favorite is the Keymaker (played by Randall Duk Kim) a rather unassuming little man who is very handy at opening all the different doors needed to enter (or escape) different realms.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than The First
Review: I don't understand why so many people didn't like this movie. I think "Reloaded" is far better than the 1st. A lot of the ideas and theories were so interesting. If you like to think, which I would recommend to most of you, then this film will appear refreshing and enlightening. I loved "The Animatrix." After seeing "Spirited Away," my mind has never been the same. I would encourage people to open their minds and universe to another way of thought.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: I thought the film was very entertaining, and I did enjoy the special effects as well as the fight scenes. I am a little confused and completely in the dark as to what the next one could possibly hold. I would have rated this a two, except that it gives you a bathroom break 1/4 th of the way through (dance scene)which worked great the second time I saw it.

Rating:
Summary: Just sit back and ENJOY! Quit the whining!!
Review: I have never SEEN so much whining about a film! Come on, people, this movie is freaking amazing. There's nothing out there today that even compares to the Matrix/Matrix Reloaded! ... The Matrix Reloaded is another addition to what promises to be a phenomenal trilogy. Enjoy the music, enjoy the action, enjoy the ride.

Rating:
Summary: In some ways better, in others far worse
Review: The Matrix Reloaded was a huge hit that I looked forward to intensely. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first installment and thought that the second would take the story to new dimensions. In some ways, the sequel far outdid the original. In terms of sheer adrenaline and eye-popping action, for instance. The patented bullet-time special effects return, but there's plenty of new eye-candy. The movie also offers even more insight into the Neo mythos. Nevertheless, the movie fails colossally in other areas. One need only mention the Neo-Trinity Romantic Chemistry (I am being ironic, of course: there was no chemistry) and the general self-importance of this more dark and stark film. In any case, what results is a mixed-bag that twists and turns unevenly to its enigmatic (and improbable) denouement.

'Reloaded' was a sequel that was destined to be made, and there are many parts of it that sparkle. The car chase scene, which pits Morpheus, Trinity and Co. against a duo of dreadlocked cyber-twins as well as a plethora of agents simultaneously on the 101 highway is one of the most jaw-dropping pieces of film that I have ever had the pleasure to see. It could quite possibly take the mantle as the most intense car chase scene ever. Bullitt, French Connection, I'm sorry, but your days on the throne are over. The sequence goes on for over 15 minutes, but it doesn't drag at all (unlike other parts). In fact, I would have liked plenty more. Another highlight is Anthony Zerbe's small role as a civil administrator in Zion. He added a nice bit of introspection into a movie that sometimes lacked it. The film had a number of fascinating secondary characters, including the keymaker, the mirolyngion (I have no idea how to spell it), the Architect ("God") and others. Speaking of the architect, his scene was the movie's most intriguing. He spoke so fast in some sort of mathspeak but he had a magnetic presence on the screen and his character remained a delightful mystery. Hugo Weaving was once again wonderful as renegade Agent Smith (although the much advertised fight scene with Neo against an army of Smiths was too long).

That seemed to be the central problem with this film. The Wachowskis, who had created a perfectly-paced action film in The Matrix, seemed to lose focus in some of the fight scenes. Most of them, while plenty mesmerizing, go on for far too long. The pacing of the film itself is uneven, the movie starts, then stops for exposition, then starts up again. The Zion sequence is much too long (seeing a pattern?) and the 'rave' scenes are repetivive and gratuitous. Trinity and Neo are not at all convincing as a couple, perhaps less convincing than that venerable couple from Star Wars, episode 2: Darth Vader and the Queen; even less convincing than Hemingway's duo in A Farewell to Arms. At least in the other two they said that they loved each other, however unconvincingly. I never for a second believed that Neo, with all his responsibility for his race, would give it all up for the girl, and this greatly hurt the film in my mind. Speaking of Neo, Keanu Reeves loses the tolerability, okay, likeability that he had in the first installment. He is cold as ice all the way through, no emotion or passion evident. And even more annoying was his continued flying. He became a deus ex machina whenever anyone was in peril, spending more time in midair than spouting meaningful dialogue. Too bad. All the way up to the supposedly cliffhanger ending he just seemed like he had lost touch with the character.

In short, this is a film that took some risks, some of which worked out and some of which didn't. The movie was entertaining, of course, and philosophically interesting (albeit less so than its predecessor), yet its characters don't quite come alive the same way. The producers just didn't know when to say when throughout the film, and as a result the movie seems somewhat bloated. It does, however, work as a film and as a sequel and is definitely worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: That's matrix reload *snorts*
Review: I've watched the first matrix and nearly fell asleep. I was not sleepy at the time so don't blame it on me. I expected more from the second based on all the reviews on how cool it was. But fact did not match review. The second one was almost no better then the first one. One would have to watch it at LEAST 2 times before one get's the story. It had A LOT of talking and not enough action The only three scenes I thought was good enough to mention was the fight against 100 agents and the motorcycle sceen and the last battle other then that the whole movie was on mush(love), dreams, and more TALKING. Overall it was a an okay move. My Verdict is:
1 star for 100 agents battle scene, etc.
1 star for a lot of cool looking technology
-1/2 star for a very confusing story
-1/2 star for mush
-2 stars for WAY to much talking
so only 2 stars for Matrix reload

Rating:
Summary: Reloaded Rocks
Review: The Matrix opened my mind up to new things. The Matrix Reloaded continued that, in a way i'll never forget. I loved this movie, and i honestly don't see why so many people didnt like it, because of particular scenes, (Zion, Fight Scenes) which i just guess i felt were powerful or meaningful in certain metaphorical depths, whereas some people felt empty for some reason. I think that the fight scenes were incredible, and the fact that they were long, made me like them more than the few in the first movie, since those weren't as long, but still good. I only tell those who see it to be prepared for the cliffhanger ending of this film to The Matrix Revolutions, which is coming out in November.
If you want to enjoy this movie, view it as its own movie, continuing from the same story-line, not the same storyline itself. I think too many people expect the same things over and over again, yet when they get THAT, are they really happy?

if you are too much of a critic about certain things, this may not be for you, but it has been my favorite action/sci-fi movie this year. (Revolutions may change that however)

Sorry no-one else saw the same movie i did. lol

Rating:
Summary: Reloaded a bit full of itself, but still achieves greatness
Review: To all of you who wrote reviews bashing this movie -- look at it again. And I mean, really, just look at it. This movie is beautiful. Maybe we've been numbed by the horrible Star Wars prequels, and other movies almost entirely crafted of CGI, but really...some of this movie is astonishing. Yes, there are times when Neo looks like a video game character, complain all you want. But my feeling, first of all, is that this movie is visually mind-boggling.

The plot is fine. The dialogue isn't. While it's not horrible, Reloaded certainly could have benefitted from another once-over from the Wachowskis before being put to film. Reloaded tends to become more preachy than it needs to be, unlike its' superior predecessor.

Finally, the fight scenes are good, but they take too long. The whole movie is too long. The fans are right -- chop the dancing in Zion, chop the sex scene or at least cut it down a little, the movie doesn't need it. The highway scene is great, Neo's fight sequence in the foyer isn't so great. Lose two to five minutes of it, and the audience will be more wowed.

Overall, Reloaded is a bit of a let-down. But I'm sure once people have gotten over the hype, on home video and DVD, Reloaded's virtues will be better appreciated, maybe people will be able to stop picking at all of the parts that aren't as good as the first film's. And, as a final note...the trailer for Revolutions is astonishing. Visuals of the machine world are mind-boggling. Don't count this series out yet -- something is in store. And whether or not it's perfect is really irrelevant when we can see sights like the Wachowskis have dreamed up. The Matrix is the sci-fi series of the 21st century.

Rating:
Summary: Great action, but too inconsistently entertaining.
Review: If I were to review The Matrix Reloaded based purely on its action, this would be an easy **** 1/2. But there's a story here, tons of filler in-between the martial arts battles and car chases, and rather than pushing forward the momentum, it actually drags the film down. Hard to believe a plot about the surviving human race duking it out with their A.I. "masters" could turn out so boring, but there you go.

When we last left off, Neo (Keanu Reeves) had proven himself to be The One destined to free the human race from the Matrix, an artificial intelligence that has most of the population unknowingly trapped in a dream world. Those who escaped the fantasy settled to a city called Zion, where they're in preparation for a war against the invading machines.

Neo still has his doubts over his purpose, but none are shared by his lover and companion, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), nor Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), the man who discovered him. But Neo, curious to discover what further action he should take, heads into the virtual world to search for the Oracle, who tells him to search for the Keymaker. Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), formerly one of the Matrix's prime enforcers, has become a rogue program, slowly taking over the system with an interesting reproducing technique.

For me, the original The Matrix hasn't held up so well over the years. I still argue that movie failed to achieve its potential, given such a rich and fascinating premise (which wasn't fulfilled here, either)(this series exists for the action, through and through), and its action sequences were somewhat overrated, similar styles having been accomplished (albeit with less slick and polish) from earlier Hong Kong pictures. That, and Dark City (a movie which The Matrix borrowed from) beat it to the punch with the concept of memory manipulation.

But the movie succeeded enough to at least make me look forward to the prospect of a sequel and that's where Reloaded comes in. And unfortunately, as fun as the plot may sound, too much of it is shaky and pretentious. That philosophy would be presented as a major theme is not unexpected, but for it to come across as so dull and uninteresting makes its inclusion heavy-handed. The scene where Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity debate with the Merovingian drags for far too long. Unless these characters have something truly interesting or vital to say, they should shut up and get moving (in case these people forgot, there is a countdown to the possible destruction of the only remaining human city).

Too much of this series is easy to rag on. In the virtual world, the Zion humans easily bring attention to themselves with their tight, dark attire and sunglasses. The Matrix is capable of manipulating the virtual environment (like blocking the exits in a building with brick walls, which is what happened in the original), but rarely does so even when its use would prove helpful in defeating Neo (and such further obstacles would have made the action even more fun).

But complain as I might, the action saves Reloaded and makes this otherwise strictly mediocre film worth watching. The most popular setpiece appears to be the highway chase, a fourteen-minute long spectacle that, for the most part, lives up to its reputation. It's not the best chase ever (Terminator 3 boasted an even more frenetic and exciting setpiece and Raiders of the Lost Ark still has the most rousing on-screen chase), but it is one hell of a thrill ride. Coupled with the preceding martial arts battle set in the castle, the non-stop fun lasts about twenty minutes. Not since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has a movie delivered non-stop creative and thrilling action for such a long period of time (but Temple actually did it twice, in the beginning and end).

Best of all is Neo's battle with the Agent Smiths, who quickly grow in numbers and have our superhero surrounded from all sides and angles. The sequence is a total blast and one of the more entertaining fight scenes I've seen all year. All of Reloaded's action put together adds to about thirty or so minutes, not even a fourth of its running time, but the quality of it is enough for me to recommend the film, even if most of the rest of it is a bit of a bore.