The Matrix Reloaded (2003) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)
There isn't much more to say that hasn't already been said about this film.

Given an almost unprecedented level of expectations, many people were disappointed with this sequel to The Matrix. I watched it with my wife and we both liked it, but with reservations. Here is a quick summary of our reactions:

NEGATIVES:

NUDITY REPORT
  • Keanu Reeves - distant buns
  • Carrie-Anne Moss - distant sex scene, maybe a breast and buns, but impossible to say.
  • One unknown woman - see-through top in the dancing scene.

1. It suffers from "middle chapter" syndrome, and unlike most other middle chapter movies, it is not a self-contained film. It is merely there to provide the transition between #1 and #3.

  • It begins at a point which would be completely incomprehensible if you missed #1. In fact, if you have not seen the first, either do so or skip this one, because you won't have any idea what's going on. Hell, it isn't that simple even if you HAVE seen #1.
  • It ends on a cliffhanger, like one of those old-time serials. Many people found this irritating.

2. The fight scenes are

  • repetitious - same old stuff over and over again.
  • predictable - it's a middle chapter, so we know that Neo always wins, therefore there is no dramatic tension.
  • illogical - in each fight scene, Neo seems to be barely holding his own for a while, until he goes into completely dominant Superman mode. We wondered why he wasted his time. Why not just do the Superman thing right away?

Elya dissented partially on this one. I thought all the fight scenes were too long and included too much of the same actions, but Elya liked the fight scene with Morpheus battling an agent on top of the moving truck in freeway traffic, because there was some tension - always the chance that Morpheus would lose.

3. The dancing scene goes on too long.

DVD info from Amazon

  • widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1. Good transfer of good cinematography.

  • several documentaries on the creation of the film

  • the parody of the film from the MTV awards

  • the trailer from the Animatrix

  • two disks

POSITIVES:

1. Very intricate and challenging philosophical issues. Are the prophecies just another construct of the Matrix? Is it possible that "The One" himself is just part of the program - like some kind of a steam valve to control the small percentage of humans who reject the Matrix? Is Neo really the sixth "One", or is it a lie made up by the machines to throw him off their scent? What is the deal with Agent Smith? Is he now outside the Matrix?

2. Imaginative concepts matched to imaginative visuals.

The Critics Vote

  • General consensus: three stars. Ebert 3.5/4, Berardinelli 3/4.

  • General UK consensus: two and a half to three stars. Mail 4/10, Telegraph 6/10, Independent 4/10, Guardian 8/10, Times 4/10, Sun 10/10, Express 10/10, Mirror 8/10, BBC 3/5

The People Vote ...

  • IMDB summary. IMDb voters score it 7.4/10, Yahoo voters B+.
  • Box Office Mojo. It was budgeted at $150 million for production, and the distribution/advertising costs were estimated around $50 million. It did $281 million at the domestic box, and was a monster hit overseas with $450 million. (The original grossed $170 million)

 
The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics, or a C- from our system. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics or a D on our scale. (Possibly even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. (C+ means it has no crossover appeal, but will be considered excellent by genre fans, while C- indicates that it we found it to be a poor movie although genre addicts find it watchable). D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well. Any film rated C- or better is recommended for fans of that type of film. Any film rated B- or better is recommended for just about anyone. We don't score films below C- that often, because we like movies and we think that most of them have at least a solid niche audience. Now that you know that, you should have serious reservations about any movie below C-.

Based on this description, this is a C. It is an enjoyable, thoughtful film with some flaws, the most important of which is that it has no beginning or end.

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