Last Updated: 11 April 2004

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving
Directed by: Andy and Larry Wachowski

I'll give you a bit of a background before I write this review. I though the original Matrix was bad. Correction, hilariously bad. When I first watched it I was actually laughing out loud. Mind you, I did see it a second time, and then realised it probably wasn't bad as before. But it's the usual thing with films the second time round. Most people wouldn't say a film is as good the second time around, for me it simply wasn't as bad

So I went into this movie, having just watched the excellent Secretary the night before, thinking this'll be a no-brainer. Actually it turned out I did need my brain. The long flowing dialogue (if you can call it that) seemed to make no sense to you, as if you were trying to translate a piece of Latin literature into English. It was excruciatingly dull at points, and unlike Dawson's Creek which has dialogue sometimes as bad, you can't switch on the subtitles to help you out.

I won't go into the plot, because it really doesn't deserve a mention. But given that this is the middle film in the series, it suffers from the stigma of never going to be that great, as it's meant to set up the finale. Take Star Wars for example, where Episodes II and V suffer the same problem.

However, this film is it turns too much into fantasy. If you dispute that, what's with the Superman thing? He even sticks one hand out, dips his head and flies like Superman! Realilty is indeed lost in this film.

But there is one salvation that I will give to the film to stop it from me calling it a disaster. The special effects and cinematography are simply sublime. The exotic use of angles really shows what ultimately The Matrix should be all about. Fight sequences are spectacular and well choreographed, and ultimately, I have to congratulate the makers on that. Suddenly the scene in the original film where Neo learns kung fu, which I thought was the most hilarious scene, does deserve some credit at this point as a plot contributor.

Ultimately, I can't say this was a good film. But it is sad to say that I did go out to spend my £6.20 to see this film, knowing it wasn't going to be good. In my defence, I do have to balance my own opinions by seeing the bad films as well as the good. But I admit, I was sucked into the Hollywood money making machine.

One to unload.

P.S. To those who haven't seen it yet, there is a short teaser trailer at the end of the movie after about 5+ minutes of credits. But some may not feel it's worth the wait!

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