The Matrix Reloaded
AKA: The Matrix 2
2003
Directors: The Wachowski brothers
Martial arts director: Yuen Woo-Ping
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith
The Matrix had a unique sense of style which propelled it over similar fare. But in the four years since, movies have moved forward, but The Matrix Reloaded seems to be stuck in a rut. There are just too many obvious "cool" shots. It's the equivalent of having Ron Jeremy, Peter North and John Holmes in a porno scene -- it might look good on paper, but it just ends up being a big, gooey mess. The much-ballyhooed Neo versus 100 Agent Smith clones scene is a prime example. There's so much going on that the viewer fails to connect with any of it -- and the scenes which are dialogue-driven are even worse.
I haven't heard dialogue this bad since I stopped going to keg parties. Seriously, if I wanted to listen to people spout off about half-ass theories of existence and God, I would watch that crappy "Crossing Over" show. Matrix fanboys will probably lambaste me for saying so, but The Matrix Reloaded is probably worth waiting for to come out on video; at least then you'll be able to take all the beer breaks you'll need to try and understand the techno-religious babble this movie spits out.
While The Matrix was a great movie, its' sequel is so disappointing it's not even funny. Sure, it has great action, but that can't help out the total crapload of a script. How bad is it? Without giving away too much, the movie ends abruptly with a "To be concluded" message. What the hell is this, a CBS movie of the week? Quite honestly, this film is so badly constructed that I really don't feel like writing about it, and so I'll just leave you with a word of warning that even some die-hard (i.e., trenchcoat-and-sunglasses-wearing) fans in the audience were disappointed in the sequel, and I suspect many of you will be as well.
RATING: 6