Compared to the first one, this one is a massive dissapointment because the world while trying to expand and add new concepts, it doesnt explain them in a good way and over complicates them, while also not having a story as strong as the first film. But, the movie can still be seen, its entertaining and has really good action scenes which are the things that keep you watching it. So, despite not being as good as the first one, its still entertaining.
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D4V1D24115 June 2022
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The Matrix Reloaded has everything you could possibly want from a summer blockbuster but it like its predecessor has a heck of a lot more and while Reloaded is not as good as the first Matrix film it sure is close to the standard of the original. I don't understand the seeming reluctance to accept this film a suitable continuation of the original film. I'll be the first one to admit that Reloaded has a few slow points and that the story line has a tendency towards the pretentious but the film is also highly intelligent and entertaining but most importantly the film gets the story from A to B with adequate and in some cases remarkable character development.
Acting wise the film is in the same kind of league as the first film of the series with a few mediocre performances, a few decent performances and one or two excellent performances. Keanu Reeves plays Neo pretty much like he did in the first movie and that is not bad. His monotone voice is canceled out by his clear and well defined body language. His overall performance is very fitting for the character which, lets face it, is somewhat square and Keanu's acting fits that kind of character very well. Carrie-Anne Moss has taken a small step down. I don't blame her as much as I blame the writing. Her character, while still ass-kicking, is too dependent on Neo. I know they love each other but come on. Laurence Fishbourne shines as Morpheus. His performance is slightly more stylized than in the first film but he steals almost every scene he is in. Other semi-known actors make glorified cameos. Actors like Jada Pinkett Smith, Monica Bellucci and Lambert Wilson are great examples. Gloria Foster returns as the Oracle in her (sadly) last performance as she died during the filming. Her one brief scene is both highly interesting and well acted. As it was with the first film Hugo Weaving provides the best acting by far. Although his screen time is somewhat limited he manages to leave a lasting impression and becomes one of my favorite screen baddies of all time. His performance is for lack of a better word fantastic.
Effect wise Reloaded is a feast. There is literally something to look at in every scene. The "real" world has been given a face lift to make it more interesting. The real effects, however, take place inside the matrix and just like in the first film the effects are absolutely ground breaking. Rivaling the likes of Star Wars and LotR and that is saying something. The people who think the story is pretentious and the dialog stubby will undoubtedly get their adrenaline fix in the action scenes. Some scenes had me holding my breath and gasping at how beautiful and overwhelming it all was and as much as I love the philosophical aspects of the film I can watch it for the effects themselves as well. Without spoiling anything I can say that lovers of cool fight scenes and fx are in for a hell of a treat with this one.
In terms of costumes the film has really grown into its own. Especially Neo's costume in The Matrix is very cool and is a great improvement over the previous film. Morpheus' and Trinity's costumes are the same with minor changes and they still look cool. Agent Smith's costume has changed slightly in the color scheme. His suit has become a bit darker as if to signify that he is no longer an Agent of the system but a rogue agent now. Also his sunglasses have changed so that they look more rounded so they look more like Neo's sunglasses which of course implicates their connection. Many of the secondary characters have their own costumes as well mirroring their own personalities.
Were the film separated itself from other action packed films is of course in the underlying philosophical and religious aspects. Once the film has been watched a few times for the effects you can begin to see some of the elements. I don't think its possible to fully translate and analyze every element of the film. Mainly because every element can be analyzed in a bunch of different ways. Without spoiling too much I can say that if you look hard enough you will be able to find Plato, Baudrillard, Gnosticism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christian elements and some more. The people who tell matrix lovers to get a life for searching the Matrix for a deeper meaning ought to open their eyes and watch the film one more time. With that I'm not saying that you can't be intelligent if you don't like the Matrix I am simply asking you to give it another chance. You really won't regret it.
The Matrix Reloaded is an excellent film and it deserves a lot more respect than it is getting and it is definitely underrated. I don't expect people to agree but I do expect people to respect those who love the Matrix sequels like me. I for one think that its hard to go wrong with Reloaded as it is funny, moving, awe-inspiring and very intelligent. I highly recommend this film to anyone.
9/10 -
"What's going on?" "Man, that was cool." "Jesus, I need a dictionary." These three things went through my mind while I watched The Matrix Reloaded. Keanu Reeves returns as Neo, who goes to the city of Zion along with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss.) As approaching sentinels get closer and closer to the city, an old enemy (Hugo Weaving) pops up again, determined to destroy Neo. As if that weren't enough, Neo has a dream about Trinity dying and he wonders if it will come true.
The premier problem with The Matrix Reloaded is that it's incredibly confusing. For the majority of the film I couldn't understand what was going on or who new characters were. For example, Lambert Wilson plays a French character called Merovingian and after four viewings of the film, I still don't know what purpose his character serves.
There is a scene near the end of the film in which you will definitely need a dictionary beside you. People who have seen the film will know that I am talking about the scene with The Architect, (Helmut Bakaitis) who has the widest vocabulary in the universe. I understand that it works for his all-knowing character, but what I don't understand is....well, what the bloody hell he's going on about. An example of a sentence he says is "you are the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision." What?
The saviour of The Matrix Reloaded are it's jaw-droppingly brilliant action sequences. Amazingly choreographed and with top-notch special effects, they are what The Matrix trilogy is famous for. I have to say that The Matrix Reloaded definitely has the best action sequences out of the three films and two of my favourite movie scenes are actually from this. My personal favourite scene is when Neo battles an army of Agent Smiths for about eight minutes. Rob Dougan's music during these action sequences also add to the suspense.
Like any sequel, The Matrix Reloaded will always be compared to its predecessor, which is not good for TMR. The first film was more intelligent and intriguing, but the action sequences in the sequel were slightly better.
With a confusing plot, The Matrix Reloaded disappoints, but the action sequences are top-notch. I give it 6/10. -
bob the moo2 June 2003News reaches Zion of an army of sentinels amassing on the surface many miles above the city, clearly preparing for an invasion. While the city prepares for a counter attack on the sentinels, Morpheus pins his hopes on Neo and obeys orders to stay with broadcast range to allow Neo to meet with the Oracle. Neo meanwhile is plagued with dreams of Trinty's death in the matrix. When the Oracle does contact Neo, she tells him of The KeyMaker - the man who can get him access to the very source of the matrix. A rescue mission is mounted which is complicated by not only the agents, but rogue programmes and the return of a 'freed' Agent Smith.
Many reviews (here and in the press) have tended to go one way or the other. Some have lavished praise on this film claiming it as a milestone and even better than the original, others have hated it and laid into it heavily. I'm not wanting to sit on the fence but I do feel that both camps have valid points and that the answer is somewhere in the middle. The main reason I found it hard to get into this film was the heavy tone it has now developed. Seemingly the same bug that the Star Wars movies have caught (taking themselves too seriously) the matrix appears in danger of getting in a bad way. The plot here is quite straightforward and not as twisty as the original - however it is delivered as if every line of dialogue was profound. This really sucks the life out of the film as it is not profound but rather borders on the pretentious at times due to it's delivery.
I suspect that this was spotted and so the film is unnecessarily cluttered with minor characters that detract from the central tale. And so screen time is given to Link and his wife as well as a seemingly pointless speech from Merovingian. This makes it feel baggy and also slightly unsatisfactory when these strands appear to go nowhere but only fill time. Also the plot is a little too complex (all this rogue programme stuff) and isn't delivered in a user friendly way - it is not always clear what the significance of certain things are until later in the film and even then it is uneven. However both these criticisms will be countered if, in Revolutions, these strands are brought together and minor characters in Reloaded are shown to have a bigger input.
On the plus side the action is very good. I must admit that it wasn't as exciting as the original mainly because the plot wasn't as involving to me - I need a good story generally to get into the action side. However in honesty the action still looks great and is a real leap forward from the Matrix - a great blend of wire work and visual effects. Occasionally the special effects are slightly wanting (in Neo's fight with Agent Smiths it is clear when it is a visual effect rather than the real thing) but these are minor quibbles compared to some sterling work. The car chase on the freeway may be a very easy way to get an action scene but it still works very well and is exciting. The only downside to it is that I felt that an action scene should have been part of the end of the film - instead the 'big' scene occurs a good 20 minutes before the end of the film. The actual cliff-hanger itself doesn't really work and it could have done better with a general downbeat ending like Empire Strikes back had - did it think I needed a reason to watch part 3? I'm already there!
The acting suffers from the same problems as the plot - it is all too heavy. The clearest way this is seen is in Fishburne. In part 1 he was very good, especially when he exposed Neo to the matrix with a mix of playful wit and serious touches when they were needed. Here in part 2 he seems to be mistaken that he is playing Othello again. Watch him speaking to the crowds at Zion, he really plays it like he is playing Moses or something. In fact all through the film he is very heavy - even compare his big fight with his previous face-off with Smith in part 1, there he was human and vulnerable here he is more like a rock and less fun for it. Moss is also serious but she was in part 1 too so it's not so noticeable. Reeves is good and at least adds some humour but he plays it very serious again. The additions add colour but are mostly distractions. The support cast in part 1 were merely there, here the film feels it has to develop them to make a rich tapestry but the end result is it feeling too stretched. It's hard not to watch Pinkett-Smith and feel that her character is more to do with the video game than the film itself. Happily Hugo Weaving is fun and is back with his old sneer, while the twins are good value despite having minimal plot impact.
Overall it was always going to be hard to follow up the first film. There the plot was gripping and it is difficult to make the growth of Neo's powers as interesting as his discovery of them was. I enjoyed the film but just felt that the almost biblical significance that it tries to give itself was it's undoing - luckily the action and style was it's salvation. Hopefully I will watch Revolutions and see how Reloaded works better in hindsight. Without that knowledge, many of the plot strands appear to be left loose. If I watched this as a film by itself then it would be irritating - if the conclusion to the trilogy can get back to the enjoyment and tone and spectacle of the matrix at it's best then this will be a much better film in company of it's brothers. Far from perfect but I don't see how anyone can totally write this film off. -
Toph-2214 May 2021'Matrix Reloaded' wants too much and wants to go one better on everything. What was the non plus ultra in the first part is now playschool. Agent Smith becomes an entire army, one guard becomes a quarter of a million.
The same goes for the special effects. I don't need to see something in slow motion every 5 minutes just to make it look cool. Quantity instead of quality seems to be the motto here. Used purposefully, this is definitely a suitable stylistic device. Unfortunately, it is used randomly.
Basically, the movie digresses into inanities, especially in the early stages. I'm thinking of this several-minute rave in Zion, for example. The movie wants to give insights into the everyday life of people living in reality. This is basically the logical next step, but unfortunately 'Matrix Reloaded' doesn't manage to relate to the people at any time. Everything seems sterile and unapproachable.
In the first part, fight sequences were used quite purposefully. Every fight had its meaning. Here, I have the feeling that the fights are pure show interludes.
'Matrix' didn't just stand out because of the action, but also brought a philosophical approach into play. Unfortunately, this approach is almost completely thrown overboard in the sequel. That's a shame, because it's a feature that can set it apart from the normal action genre.
The point that really bothers me the most is the transformation of Neo into a kind of Superman. He can do anything and seems almost invincible. I generally find these types of characters difficult, because it's hard to identify with them.
Finally, one plus point of the movie. The scenes on the freeway were really good. I would have liked to see this kind of staging for the rest of the movie as well.
In summary, 'Matrix Reloaded' falls far short of following in the big footsteps of its predecessor. More should have been made of the strengths and special features of the first part. -
ivo-cobra815 November 2015The Matrix Reloaded (2003) is the greatest action movie of all time and a good sequel to the original The Matrix (1999) that I went to see it with my mom in the movie theater in 1999 when the movie come out. I love this movie even if some people are saying is not that good I still love it and love The Matrix Revolutions as well. It is one of my personal favorite Keanue Reeves movies.
Granted things get bigger and a little darker. The visual effects, go way overboard and the CGI does not bleed in well with the live action. Nonetheless Reloaded is a fun film to watch. The visual aspects blows out of the water. The soundtracks to this movie are pretty good and they are fine of mix songs to the movie.
The sequel to successful original movie is an awesome film. Not just a visual wonder but the ambitious storytelling that demands more than your average action film. A wonderful follow up to the outstanding original and a great precursor to the inevitable finale. While it doesn't strictly adhere to normal flow of most films, that is one of its best traits. While it has its flaws, it makes for a fantastically entertaining experience. Not for those who don't want to think too much.
It is a good sequel who doesn't deserve to be hated for it. Keanu Reeves and all other cast crew did outstanding performance on their works. Nearly 12 years later have passed since no movie has come close to tapping into the myth, world and action that was created in Matrix Reloaded. For fans of action movies, the story can be as straight forward as you wish it to be, following the path of Neo as man kinds savior. For those who wish to dive deeper, you can see how far the rabbit whole really goes because the amount of hidden references, back plots and information in this movie is immense. For a film The Matrix fans this wouldn't be an action movie without some action. There's plenty of it, and it's perfectly done. The CGI effects creating more Smiths were astonish, were cutting-edge for the time, and still look great (whoever said differently below is simply incorrect) -- even if they're completely commonplace today. Insane action ensues as a well done plot follows.
Neo (Keanu Reeves) saving Trinity on the end of the film and than he collapses in to come was awesome and great ending with a cliffhanger so that viewer keeps guessing what will happened next, in the next movie that was just great. The Neo vs Smith fight is just excellent as is the Freeway chase. More Smiths (Hugo Weaving) I think Hugo Weaving did a perfect job as Agent Smith in this follow up sequel. I love his character and I think he is one of the best villains ever. Neo vs a 1000 Smiths fight scene just blew me away/ the martial arts were outstanding action sequences. Overall it is a good film at least it is for me. I will never understand the hate for the sequels for it. At the same time, the complexity of the storyline, and the unexpected plot twists left many viewers a little (or a lot!) confused. We'll admit that it's taken several viewings for us to figure some things out, and that there are still lots of pieces we haven't put into place. Some answers, we're sure, will not be revealed until Revolutions, and some will never be revealed. There are no words for Hugo Weaving except badass!
Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and the rest of their crew continue to battle the machines that have enslaved the human race in the Matrix. Now, more humans are waking up out of the matrix and attempting to live in the real world. As their numbers grow, the battle moves to Zion, the last real-world city and center of human resistance. That is the basic main plot and it is good so I am giving 9/10 for been a good action movie. It is one of my personal favorite Keanu Reeves movies. -
Of all the big-budget sci-fi sequels that are winging their way across our cinema screens in 2003, the two MATRIX sequels are amongst the most highly regarded. So how does THE MATRIX RELOADED stand up to the ground-breaking original movie? I would say very well; as a film it comes in just under the bar raised by the original's formula, only losing out because the originality of the first film's plot and world are now familiar. This is a film immediately cursed by being the middle of a trilogy: it has no real beginning and no real end. The plot is a major hurdle which even fans will find themselves struggling to overcome. For the first hour and a half, nothing much plot-wise happens at all, then most of the plot is crammed into about ten minutes of screen time, then there's a ludicrous cliffhanger ending which isn't worth much. The result is a film which drags somewhat at the beginning (clumsy out-of-place "rave" sequences, a lengthy and non-too-appetising love scene between Reeves and Moss) and gets far too complicated at the conclusion, with this viewer lost by the endless philosophical debates about human choice.
Still, this matters not: the series has not yet lost the "cool" factor. ALL of the major players from the first film are back; Carrie-Ann Moss is particularly well served in scenes that flesh out her character nicely. Keanu Reeves has rather less to do than previously, but he does indeed look "cool" and he gets to fly like Superman, which is pretty good in my book. Laurence Fishburne is also back, beefier than ever, but is pretty much wasted this time around. Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) also returns after being destroyed the first time, although he has less screen time here; well, more in a way, but let me come to that. Newcomers include the imposing "ghost twins" and alluring French beauty Monica Bellucci.
Most fans of the series will be looking for hard-hitting action scenes and in this respect the film does not disappoint. In fact some of the best action in the past ten years plays out in this movie. Whether it be incredible kung fu fighting or the seventeen-minute car chase, this movie kicks backside. Two lengthy moments stand out in my mind as highlights: the playground fight between Neo and the Smith clones, which is simply incredible and just gets better and better, leaving me breathless; plus the aforementioned car chase which is incredibly and possibly the best of its kind ever seen in a movie. The special effects are top notch and offer plenty of never-before-seen techniques, progressing wildly from the original movie. So, in a nutshell, THE MATRIX RELOADED is worth watching for the fantastic action alone. Just don't expect a mind-bending plot like the first one offered. -
jazzzjasper26 February 2004Watching The Matrix Reloaded, one is absolutely entitled to say that it is overloaded, too lengthy action sequences for instance, and indeed, a way too lengthy dancing scene in Zion. But next to that, it is obvious that this sequal to The Matrix (1999)takes the story to a whole new dimension. Different characters define the working of the matrix, and the meaning of life itself, in different ways, depending on their onthological background. A conclusion is not (yet) given, which adds to the movie a kind of postmodern quality. For as far as the action sequences are concerned: Groundbreaking. You'll see stuff that you've never seen before. Sometimes the scenes are a little lengthy, which harmes the narrative, but that is compensated easily by the visual spectacle. And yes, the Architect at the end is difficult to understand, but when you watch the film more than once, you'll find out that it does make sense what he says. All together this movie may not be as fantastic as 'The Matrix', but it is definitely a good movie that will keep you thinking for a while.
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Dar Star8 October 2020The plot is a mess. Don't even try to understand it. But there are some great action scenes that start after the introduction of the gorgeous Monica Belluci. Keanu's fight scene at the Merovingians place is the highlight with great music and choreography. It makes his subsequent casting in John Wick an obvious choice.
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frippegod22 June 2005*** This comment contains spoilers ***
It's a pity Reloaded looks and feels so much like a bad sequel, to so many. Even to me to begin with even if I kind of enjoyed parts of the ride, a lot. But to me it helps looking at it as a bridge between beginning and end. As a part of a whole. The concept is so promising. I haven't had the chance to see the Animatrix yet, but surely I will. I guess I will spend hours with the game too. In Matrix I just love how interwoven and in balance the storyline is with the way its told. It reached out and grabbed almost everyone. This time around it seems as if there was too much to tell and too many dollars to play with in too short a time. Less balance. Still.. I'm thrilled.
Spoilers ahead. (You might need them) Matrix is so wonderfully mythological. Instead of being ethnocentric it puts the light on eternal religious questions in such a universal way. At the same time it formulates the original reason, philosophical questions. It is about knowledge and faith, belief. Controll through both sense and sensibility. The conflict between gnosticism and Judae-Christianity if we look in the rear mirror.
At the same time it is so biblical to a westerner like me. I won't bore you with all the name symbolism but with Neo himself. His actual name is Tomas Anderson and he is caught in the system (like everyone else in the years leading up to Y2K). In the bible Tomas is the disbeliever, and Tomas also means twin. Anders means man, as in Andros- (android). He is the doubtful son of man who is like the rest of us, who becomes Neo, the new one. At the same time it mirrors the first of Christianity and how it focused on the individual. There is no need for priests or churches (system) for the individual to reach the transcendent, for man to reach God. (And our heroes are individuals in small groups that fight the system, like viruses in a computer. (I just love that Nebukadnessar looks like a bug.)
In the first film we see the creation of (the believing) man. In Reloaded the religious theme takes a step back. Instead it is Free will vs. Determinism which is the main conflict. Thereby the existential perspectives which were planted in the first film can be developed. Here it is amusing to relate to the first existentialists that focused so much on free will and choice, Friedrich Nietsche and Soren Kirkegaard (one atheist and one Christian. The first captain to enroll freely in the final battle is called Soren).
Knowledge and faith remains as a conflict in Reloaded here represented by Lock and Morpheus. John Locke is called the father of The age of enlightenment which is the time of reason in our history. To me it looks like as if the Wachowski brothers are writing a mythological history of ideas for our time. Finally they might embrace even time after the postmodern.
There is a hint of a cycle here. Matrix is about birth, Reloaded about life and Revolutions about death (rebirth). Matrix is the becoming of man. Reloaded is man as a builder of theories and civilizations. Power and control is formed and developed. The Merovingian (400-600) are called the first kings of Europe and are known for their writing and the characters in their written language. (I am sure that you can find parallels to this "code" in the Matrix-code.) Anyway Merovingian is the one who has the 'key master' (the key to power and control?) The middle ages with its mystery and ghosts (lack of reason and empirical method) follows and can be seen in the set design, armor and weapons.
The middle ages were followed by The renaissance with all its use of Greek mythology The wife of Merovingian is Persephone who actually emphasizes on the rebirth theme because she gives our heroes a second chance to get to the 'key master', and as a goddess she is symbolized by a grain that can sprout.
Then comes The age of enlightenment with reason and empirical method which created the necessary conditions for a new conception of the world and industrialism. The living-conditions thereby changed radically for people which resulted in the revolutions of the 19th century and ideologically in the first existentialists, Soren and Friedrich. (Existentialism had a new upsurge when God had left us all alone once again and the world fell apart, during and after WW1 and WW2 during last century. ) The myth can be said to have survived by fleeing into the music and later into film via melodrama. Which leads us to were we and Matrix are right now.
I guess I just had too high expectations when I saw Reloaded the first time. It got better when I saw it a second time and right now it is one of my favorite friends, or bedtime stories. Too bad Reloaded is made in such a way that most people seem to (eventually) enjoy and point out the cinematography at its best. The saga deserves more.
Anyway The Matrix concept is already a classic piece of art, the latest transcription of the bible, a new history of mankind, the steepest roller-coaster and much, much, more. -
Xstal23 August 2020We gorge on the binaries prophesied once again, through an ever increasing bandwidth, as we exponentially widen our dietary desire to become what everyone wants us to be without thought for who or what we really are or could be. Getting a bit too close to the man from Nazareth for my liking - bring on the Crucifixion.
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tmans7135 January 2022The 2nd movie in the Matrix franchise follows Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus as they continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army. The Wachowski's are once again able to craft incredibly memorable moments on top of an intriguing story. The CGI struggles to keep up during the infamous "Rubber Neo" fight scene, but overall this sequel is a blast to watch!
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Positives:
- Directing and cinematography
- Main cast
- Musical score
- Action scenes
Negatives:- Overbloated story
- Lack of character development
- Some effects have not aged well
- Interesting ideas feel wasted
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vocklabruck5 November 2006When I watched The Matrix I really liked it. It was not the best film in my life but it was interesting and twisted. I think the best in The Matrix was the SURPRISE factor. So when Matrix Reloaded was released I went to the theater with high expectations.
In Matrix Reloaded the surprise factor is completely lost. Now Neo is Superman and has nothing else to learn because he is indestructible. His only worry is his recurrent nightmare where he sees Trinity dying or something.
The movie is full of endless, annoying and ridiculous scenes that makes you check your watch all the time. For example, the rave/orgy in Zion and the pseudo French parrot talk. Both scenes are only made to add some sex spice to the story, which is absolutely unnecessary.
The fight scenes are also endless and you already know that no-one can beats Neo so these scenes have no suspense... And what can I say about the fight scene with 200 Smith clones? Everybody was laughing in the theater.
The Oracle was replaced by another actress because the original actress died, but Gosh... This new Oracle is very annoying and hollow! She is not an adviser like before! And I really liked Tank character because he was very pleasant. Now they just made him disappear.
I do not recommend Matrix Reloaded or Matrix Revolutions. Both of them are just parts 2 and 3 that ruined the original one. I really feel embarrassed cause I liked The Matrix but these two sequels are like the undesirable children. -
Dr_Sagan5 October 2014The creators of The Matrix Trilogy had repeatedly state that this was conceived as a "Trilogy" from the start. Although I haven't a reason to doubt that, the 2nd (and 3rd) Matrix fall in the tradition that many sequels of good movies suffer from.
Despite the fact that practically the same cast and crew who created the magnificent first part is here for the 2 & 3 (they shot it back-to-back) the movie quickly loses its spirit.
First mistake is the introduction of many many new secondary characters who might not necessarily needed. And these characters are trying really hard to pose as important without that being the case at all.
Second mistake is the forced philosophy that didn't actually had anything to add to that of the original. The attempt for a recreation of the perfectly scripted dialog between Neo and the Oracle in the original is a failed one. For some, including me, it even destroys the feeling of the original dialog by diminishing its great themes.
Third mistake the (experimental) visual effects this time look completely fake. There is a big fight, shot with something that is described as virtual cinematography, and it's more than obvious that...well..it needs lots of work to be believable.
In conclusion when you are trying for bigger and better there is no guaranty that you will succeed. A common thing in movie sequels. A curse, that struck the second (and the third) sequels of the Matrix. -
akdjreview21 December 2021After watching Matrix Reloaded I can say I was nothing short of disappointed. The first Matrix film is a cinematic masterpiece and one of my favourite films. But Reloaded fails to live up to that significantly.
There is no story, plot or even good acting. The incredibly bad story of Reloaded fails at even having a complete story. Reloaded consists of fight scene after fight scene missing that heart of the first one. There's also basically no plot and you will most likely not even make out what's going on. And even the acting takes such a downfall it is laughable.
The movie is also poorly made from a cinematography perspective. With massive amounts of fight scenes, you would think that you could tell what's going on at least. But you really don't, a shaky camera and bodies flying everywhere it makes it incredibly hard to tell.
I was extremely disappointed with Matrix Reloaded but I still recommend you watch it if you enjoyed the first one. It follows the same dark gritty narrative that the first one created but fails at living up to it. -
Med-Jasta12 December 2019I did not like this very much the first watch. But after watching Revolutions, which I thought was much better, I gave this another chance. The first time you are of course wondering where the story is taking you and it ends up being basically no where. Then Revolutions does go there.
Because Reloaded is a second movie, it's the first half of the second movie. With that knowledge this first act becomes much better. Sure the action scenes go on a little too long, while they are very cool, but the second time when you aren't wondering about the plot you can enjoy them a little more.
Maybe it would have be easier if they called this movie part one.
My only problem with this movie is that it's uneven. There is over an hour of laying down plot line after plot line. Then action scenes that are very long and lose their significance to the story about half way through.
Now all of the dialogue and action scenes are very good but there should have been a little bit of break up to make it easier on us and even it out. The last third corrects this problem though.
Very good after a second viewing. The two movies are structured like one movie. It's really like watching The Empire Strikes Back, pausing it after Darth Vader shows up at cloud City and waiting 6 months to finish the movie.
Please give it another chance and you will enjoy. -
dee.reid6 December 2003"Commander Lock: 'Not everyone believes what you believe.'
Morpheus: 'My beliefs do not require that they do.'- Characters are always talking like this in 'The Matrix Reloaded,' which plays like a collaboration involving a geek, a comic book and the smartest kid in Philosophy 101. Morpheus in particular unreels extended speeches that remind me of Laurence Olivier's remarks when he won his honorary Oscar--the speech that had Jon Voight going 'God!' on TV, but in print turned out to be quasi-Shakespearean doublespeak. The speeches provide not meaning, but the effect of meaning: It sure sounds like those guys are saying some profound things.
- That will not prevent fanboys from analyzing the philosophy of 'The Matrix Reloaded' in endless Web postings. Part of the fun is becoming an expert in the deep meaning of shallow pop mythology; there is something refreshingly ironic about becoming an authority on the transient extrusions of mass culture, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) now joins Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Plato of our age."
My thoughts:
Nothing sums up the hype surrounding "The Matrix" trilogy better than the above quote from Roger Ebert. Like him, I believe that much of the hype surrounding "The Matrix" and its sequels is nothing more than shallow philosophy mixed with allegorical and metaphorical strains of the Bible, among various other religious texts and two guys love of comic books. Do I believe any of it? Absolutely not, and I honestly hope that the people who seem to watch these movies religiously do not believe any of the things they say about it either.
It's been four years since the first "Matrix" film wowed audiences back in 1999 with its special effects and mind-bending story. It has since been followed by a frighteningly devoted fan base, countless books and various interpretations of the plot line. I don't view the "Matrix" movies as anything more than a "Christ" parable and a very shallow one at that. The movie has its influences deeply rooted in Christianity (the most obvious), as well as Japanese comic books (Manga), Anime ("Ghost in the Shell" and "Akira" come first to mind), Hong Kong action flicks, and countless other sources that have been rolled into one hell of an action film.
And also like Ebert, I make these statements with amusement, not criticism, mixed with a little bit of bewilderment. You see, like most movie-going people, I was put into awe by the special effects and story. I loved the first film and it's a classic, believe me. The first "Matrix" film is an obvious achievement in special effects and a landmark in science-fiction,
but unfortunately its sequels aren't bringing anything new to me and (obviously) to others, which brings me to "The Matrix Reloaded."
The cons:
The biggest problem I have with "Reloaded" is that it many times tries to be deep and meaningful but fails miserably most of the time. The fight scenes aren't really worth any particular mention (the only exception being the "88 Smiths" and the much-talked about 14-minute "Freeway" chase) either. Many of them only seem to be in this movie to eat up time and don't have any significance to the story.
That, to me seemed to be the biggest fault with "Reloaded." In "The Matrix," the big lobby scene in which Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) get into a huge shootout with a S.W.A.T. team, signaled the start of a glorious rebellion within the system but not only that, kept your eyes glued to the screen for the rest of the movie, all the way up to when the credits start to roll and Rage Against the Machine plays on the soundtrack.
The fights in "Reloaded" are too repetitive and seem to take forever to be over. Also, the romance in this film seemed to be way too tacked on to be believable. I wanted to see Neo and Trinity become a couple but I have to say that they have no chemistry on screen whatsoever. Their love scene is intercut with a huge mosh pit scene about 30 minutes in after Morpheus gives this huge inspirational speech and everybody goes nuts.
Any plusses? Well yeah, that's why I gave it a six out of ten. I have to say, that while the fight scenes seem to be a bit on the excessive side, they're extremely well executed. The cinematography is beautiful, giving "Reloaded" a unique and eerie look. The "flying" scenes with Neo are very well done too.
To sum up:
"The Matrix Reloaded" was at best, failed potential but it shows what happens when you try to put too much into one movie.
P.S: If I want a science-fiction movie with real philosophy (emphasis on "real"), I'll go and watch "Blade Runner," "The Terminator," or "Ghost in the Shell," the latter film was a key (read: obvious) influence of the "Matrix" films.
6/10 -
MENDIETA_4027 June 2003When the credits for the movie came up and yet another great song by Rage Against The Machine blaring in my ears, I just thought to myself, what a great piece of entertainment this movie was.
I was a big fan of the first one (like other millions were) and was eagerly awaiting the sequel. Although it might not be as good as the first one in terms of it shocking us the way it did in 99 when it brought to us such a new flavour in cinema in terms of development in action, special effects and its terrific story. All and all it still held up very well considering the pressure this movie had on its shoulders to live up to the great expectation.
I think that's why a lot of people weren't real keen on this one, because it had such huge pressure, and whatever the Wachowski's produced, it wasn't going to be good enough, or people would say it could or should of been better. I believe the Wachowski brothers made it more epic and like most sequels, you can tell that it had a s*** load more money to work with. Apart from the Zion scene and the Twins not getting enough screen time, this movie was right up there, and for a movie just to sit back in awe and watch all these fighting sequences, car chases and special effects in action, it's a special movie.
Well done Larry and Andy showing everyone just why we go to the movies, Pure escapism and entertainment. -
It sure is. The visuals, the story, and all of the references are all over my mind. It's a good action flick with a decent dystopia plot, but watching the Matrix film series and its 2nd movie Matrix Reloaded get really, really confusing. I know the first Matrix (1999) movie was just as baffling, but in here in this sequel, it's over complex. To simple down the over complex plot for you, this is how it goes: Neo (Keanu Reeves) must decide on saving Zion and risk killing Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) or allowing Zion to meet its doom by saving Trinity. That's it, everything else in the film, you don't need to understand, unless you want your mind blow by stress trying to figure it out. For the normal mindless popcorn flicker, there are plenty of action in the film. I like the brawl with a hundred Agent Smiths (Hugo Weaving), Château fight, and the Highway Battle. In the burly brawl, did they really use a sound of a bowling ball knocking over pins? Yes. Now, that's just silly. The CGI in the film was amazing. There are plenty of slow bullet time for you to sink your teeth into to the point, it's become somewhat a parody of its normal self. There are moments in the film, I kept asking myself, do we really need that 'there'? Talking about things not needing to be there. I always skip the cave-rave scene every time I watch the film. It's so pointless and out of place. It looks like an orgy full of cavemen beach bums rather than a Matrix movie. I adore all the philosophical discussions of free will v foreknowledge, Taoism, the references to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the levels of realities, and so on, so on, but a lot of this film has so much exposition that never get explain or go anywhere. There always beating around the bush in this film that it leave you mind-boggling. Deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information might be a great plot device, but overwhelming the story dialogue with too much intelligent with little to no result can leave the audience asking themselves, what did they say? Not everybody is as mindful as those of the writers. They even put a theory about werewolves and vampires in the middle, that is confusing and never brought up again in the film. Even some of what they are talking about, isn't totally truth in a certain P.O.V. such as the topics of Control, and understanding choice. There is no bigger epic failure of exposition dialogue than that of the Architect, that supposed to explain everything in the Matrix World. It all sounds reasonable when he explains it to Neo, but it isn't very logical. It's the stupidest world building ever. It leaves a lot more questions, then it does provide answers. While, the 3rd movie in the film series Matrix Revolution (2003) did explain more, it's still a huge headache worth of information yet to be explain. There are whole chapters of books and videos trying to understand the whole Matrix mythos and how it is mediated across both film and games, with all different opinions and so call answers to questions to what the film is trying to say. In my opinion, the writers Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski felt like they were trying too hard to developed a complex plot and it hurt the film a bit as some people found the dialogue to be boring, confusing, or sometimes hard to follow. It isn't an easy subject to wrap your mind around. So to some people, it might be not entertaining. I do like the new characters that they add to the story. I do enjoy Link (Harold Perrineau). He probably the best new character, I like. The role of Zee, Link's wife was originally given to singer/actress Aaliyah, who was killed in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, before she could complete shooting her part for The Matrix Revolutions. Nona Gaye replace her. It sad that happen during film. Overall: Seeing that this is the second movie in the trilogy. I did like it, but the ending was kind of a downer. I wouldn't say, it's better than the 1st movie, but it wasn't a total failure like some critics pan it. In my opinion, it's worth the ticket price when I saw it in 2003 and worth having it as a DVD in my DVD collection.
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ma-cortes25 December 2011This exciting sequel is full of thrills , cutting-edge visuals, stylist innovations , fights , tension , suspense and groundbreaking races , but also several commercial elements , including computer-simulated violence . This is a dynamic, fast-paced and amusing movie , though overlong . It's an enjoyable , if somewhat light-headed piece of escapism with state-of-art special effects and straightforward screenplay . Big-budgeted film by the great producer Joel Silver led to break into the booming Sci-Fi/adventure/fantasy market plenty of inventiveness and imagination . Full of action, it's complemented by rousing scenes , breathtaking flights and struggles are spotlights . It deals with Neo (Keanu Reeves) ¨who is thought to be the chosen one¨ and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. During this, Neo has to decide how he can save Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) from a dark fate in his dreams and he must find Merovingian (Lambert Wilson who is accompanied by a gorgeous Monica Bellucci). It is a dark time for the world in this second adventure. The epic war between man and machine reaches a thundering crescendo : the Zion military, aided by courageous civilian volunteers and led by councillor Hamann (Anthony Zerbe) desperately battle to hold back the marauding Sentinel invasion from overtaking the last human fortress . Neo, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity race against time and are advised by the Oracle (Gloria Foster) to encounter the Keymaker (Randall Kim) who would help them reach the Source. While the human city of Zion is preparing for the oncoming war with the machines with very little chances of survival. The city , the last outpost of humanity , is defended by valiant warriors (Harry Lennix, Gina Torres , Nora Gaye) against the massive invasion of the machines to save the humanity as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving).
This is an action-packed, booming following with some of the best vehicles scenes ever filmed , including awesome visual effects by John Gaeta. This thrilling movie contains impressive fights , chills , breathtaking designs , dense philosophy and many other things . From the beginning to the end the comic-book action-packed and extreme violence is continued and it's fast movement ; for that reason the picture is pretty amusing ; furthermore contains lots of car crashes on a California freeway and spectacular combats in mart arts style staged by Yue Woo Ping who also made ¨Kill Bill¨ and ¨Crouching tiger, hidden dragon¨ . Contrived beyond belief with spectacular races that play like video games , but slickly calculated to please 2000s audiences . Moving and pulsing musical score by Don Davis . Magnificent , glamorous production design by Owen Paterson . Colorful and imaginative cinematography by Bill Pope . The motion picture is stunningly written , produced and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski-The Wachowski Brothers- .
The following to this futuristic saga results to be ¨Matrix Revolutions¨ in which takes place the final battle between machines and humans ; it holds similar artistic and technician team . And being preceded by the classic ¨Matrix¨ in which Neo aware the world he is living in is an illusion maintained by machines that have taken over earth . -
Top_Dawg_Critic24 December 2021The writing lacked much depth as most of it was filler with very little substance, a huge difference from the amazing story throughout the first film. There were too many melodramatics and too many and too long unnecessary fight scenes and visual effects. Sounds weird I'm complaining about the abundance of things I like, but without a solid story, they become less impressive and more of an annoyance. Let's hope the continuation is better. Sadly it's a 7/10 from me.
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Anonymous_Maxine2 August 2003The thing that really strikes me about The Matrix Reloaded is that the increase in quality, if it can be said that there actually is one, from the first movie is more the result of an increased budget than anything else. I loved the new movie, but the talent was there in the first one, you can just tell that in the sequel the Wachowski brothers had a virtually endless budget, which allowed them to do pretty much anything they wanted. They have a very distinct style that is clearly evident in all of their movies, even if they are not laden with special effects. The fluidity of the camera movement and the strangely dark tones of their films are only a couple of the techniques that make them recognizable. These things really come to the surface if you watch the Matrix films, some of the most recognizable films ever made, and then watch an earlier one of their movies, like the trashy 1996 thriller, Bound.
That being said, I think it's safe to say that, despite the massive and seemingly unsurpassable genius of the first Matrix film, the Wachowski brothers have made another step up from their last film. It should be noted that the film is the second part in a trilogy, especially before groaning out loud at the sudden ending of the film, which built up and built up and built up and then just stopped, just like the fist Lord of the Rings film did. I won't take time here to go into what the story is about and how it continues the story from the first film, if only because plot summary in film reviews is a total waste of time for the writer as well as the reader, and also because I've only seen the movie twice, which really isn't enough to get a total grasp on the depth of the plots, so I'll just suffice it here to say that the startling complexity of the original Matrix (a complexity which is almost unheard of in a science fiction film) is added onto and expanded in this film, although despite being hard to follow, is never confusing.
I've heard all kinds of talk about the Italian Job having an even better car chase than The Matrix Reloaded and how the chase in this film wasn't even that good at all, blah blah blah. There is a freeway chase scene in this film which recklessly promotes reckless driving (and, even worse, reckless riding), but it is one of the most impressively made and fascinating car chase scenes that I've ever seen. It also contains the characteristic style of the Wachowski brothers, and is famously filmed on a freeway that was constructed strictly for the filming of this scene. I can't remember where, Australia, I think. Anyway, Morpheus and one of the agents are having a kung-fu fight on top of a semi trailer (which the driver never seems to notice), the poor keymaker in struggling to stay out of the way, Trinity is flying between cars against traffic on one of the most badass motorcycles on the road (enter the Ducati commercial), and Morpheus is off doing, as they say, `his superman thing.'
The superman thing is one of the elements of the movie that bordered on being campy, as the multitude of Agent Smiths comment to themselves, `He's still only human.' And then in the next scene he's flying. This is one of the points where you really need to keep in mind that Neo's body is plugged into a machine, in the strikingly less appealing real world, and is basically playing a video game where he'll die in real life if killed in the game because his body will think that it has been killed for real and will shut down.
During the freeway scene, there's a camera shot where the camera literally goes right through the chassis' of a couple of semi trucks as it follows Trinity, which I think got the biggest reaction from an audience in a single scene that I've seen since that Velociraptor jumped up at the ceiling in Jurassic Park. One of the other most memorable scenes is the lengthy fight scene between Neo and the hordes of Agent Smiths, one of the most entertaining fight scenes I've ever seen. It's obvious that the vast majority of this scene is special effects (and not only because there are hundreds of the same guy in it), but it is so well made and convincing and even amusing that the entertainment value of it is massive.
The new villains, by the way, are some of the best new villains since the Reapers in Blade II. I've heard something about an albino interest group that's trying to sue for the way albino's are portrayed in this movie because of these guys, although I can't exactly agree that they're even albinos. These guys are so weird looking they're barely human. If the albino interest groups are trying to sue, why didn't they sue when Me, Myself, and Irene was released? Anyway, these guys have the interesting skill of becoming transparent and therefore untouchable, with the small condition that they are also unable to attack when in this defensive mode, which makes for some great fight scenes as well as some cool tricks, like that of hopping into rapidly approaching Escalades (oh, there are lots of Cadillac commercials here, too). I heard recently that Cadillac is trying to aim for a younger audience than the much older people who tend to drive their cars, and if there were ever any doubts that the rumors are true, they are completely dispelled by their heavy placement in this movie.
There are certainly some scenes in this movie where it drags and seems to even border on being unnecessarily philosophical and confusing, such as in the extensive meeting with the Oracle, who tells Neo all about choices that he has made but doesn't know he's made yet, or needs to make even though fate has already determined what decision he would make, or something of that nature, where after a while we find ourselves (or at least I did) paying more attention to the pigeons walking around in this startlingly different atmosphere than to the deep conversation that they're having. Maybe this is why it takes me more than two viewings to get the complete story of movies like this. Blasted pigeons.
There is a lot of controversy over the quality of The Matrix Reloaded, which is to be expected, since it is a movie that has garnered such a vast amount of attention, even if only because it is the follow-up to such a massively successful film. But like Terminator 3, I personally was hugely impressed with this sequel, and am more than able to accept it as a bridge between the original and the final film in the series. It is the better part of three hours long, but goes by much faster than anticipated because it is so well made and entertaining. Never mind that totally campy scenes, like the bullet removal scene and the dance club scene, because like so many other sequels these days (and unlike so many others), The Matrix Reloaded will leave you eager to see the next one. -
danielmanson5 February 2021I'm writing this review more so for my own collection rather than anything. And this film has one and one thing wrong with it. And that it's too god damn confusing.
I have never watched any of the Matrix films before so this is all a new experience to me. I sat down and really focused and watched every single second that was offered. And I still don't understand it. In fact I lie, I understand maybe 50% of it. Like there are scenes and characters that just don't offer anything to the plot, but are there to confuse and nothing more. There's some guy that speaks French, he's in for about 10 mins and that's it. What's his purpose other than to add 10 mins to the film and confuse me a bit more? I really really wish I understood it more and I could admire it. But I can't. Maybe this is a film you have to see 3/4 times to get it, I don't know, but from first viewing it's hard to get.
The action scenes are phenomenal. 17 years later and these scenes still hold up more than enough today. I was in genuine awe at some of the action and the fighting that was displayed. It was honestly amazing. The film is worth watching for this alone.
But yeah, I enjoyed my time watching this. Just dead confusing. -
spencerjg4 September 2019The Matrix Reloaded: a desperate cash grab that is 90% filler and 10% plot.
So much of this movie is absolutely pointless and quite painful to watch:
Firstly, that speech by Morpheus, then the painful dancing and sex scene between trinity and Neo. That was way too drawn out and just unnecessary. We get it, they are dancing, and Neo and Trinity are making love, get on with it.
Second, the whole scene with Neo and the Counselor. They have a lengthy conversation seemingly about nothing. What relevance did that have to anything? We were introduced to so many characters in Zion only to have them mean absolutely nothing in the end.
Oh, and while we are on the topic of Zion... how did they manage to make such an advanced city underground? Did they have time to drag billions and billions of dollars worth of equipment down with them while the machines were on their tails, eager to kill them?
Third: all of the action. It didn't add anything to the plot. Neo spends 15 minutes fighting all of the Smiths when he could have just flown away immediately after he realized it was a swarm.
The fight between that random programmer in order to get to the oracle...
Neo's Jackie Chan-esque fight scene on those stairs.
The 20 minute chase scene with trinity, Morpheus, and the keymaker... don't even get me started on that.
And how about those ghostly dreadlock twins...
All of those scenes seemed to just fill the time as the real storyline: the looming destruction of humanity was sprinkled in.
3/10