The Matrix Reloaded (full spoilers)

although, because it came from FARK I'm sure most of you have already read it. eh.

I liked it quite a bit. I could pick on the music and the speeches and the acting style in general, but I was happy more than not. Maybe I wanted to like it and that's why I did. I was certainly a bit nervous about seeing it since I'd heard other people's disappointed reviews. I'm not a sophisticated moviegoer, and I guess if you asked me what the point of the movie was, I couldn't tell you. I expected it to be a bridge to the next movie and I think it did a good job of that.

And maybe I'm alone in this, but I think those geek Wachowski boys got the sex stuff just right. I was shocked. I thought the sex scene was really hot, and the rest of the love story very natural and believable. I totally wanted to be Trinity and Neo at the same time, and that's a great feeling.

A+!!!!

Cannonball Run II, natch.

Overall, I think it was pretty lame. I loved the first one, but Reloaded didn't know where it was going half the time. The fight scenes were neat, but it was about as dramatically involving as watching someone play Tekken. Overall there was too much unnecessary, and pointless development (the 'rave' scene, the 'kid') that could have been shortened or cut completely to make room for some real dramatic developments. The CGI was way overblown at points. I see a much better movie in there trying to claw it's way out.

Okay, for one, how many people here had any idea what the fuck was going on at any given point in the film? There they were, going up elevators, driving around in their spaceship, and the whole time I there was really no narrative impulse. Like, they're going to go get the Keymaster! Great! Why do I give a shit again? Even the set pieces I had really no stake in at all; there was no tension at all! (the closest the movie came was the fight on top of the truck).

And those loudmouths they kept going to see. Really, if you're going to wait forty-five minutes to really start the movie, at least show me something interesting! I mean, really, everybody they ran into seemed to just want to chat for a couple hours. I really couldn't pay attention at all to what they were saying, as I didn't really care at all what was going on. Like, the Merovingian, or whatever he was called; do we really need to hear any more about cause and effect? I felt the first movie was exciting enough that I could sit through that stuff--even though I thought there was a dry spell for the whole middle of the first one where everyone kept discussing the Matrix. I was hoping Reloaded would dispense with that now that everyone's got the idea. Boy, was I wrong.

I also didn't think it look particularly great, especially all that sackcloth Zion shit. The fight with the multiple Mr. Smiths (and why exactly is it cool that there are more than one of him? There were tons of faceless agents in the first one) just looked so shitty, especially Keanu's face. And what about those dreadlocked guys? Were they scary to any one? Intimidating? Did anyone breathe a sigh of relief when they blew up?

Oh yeah, and I really couldn't stop laughing during Morpheus's big speech. He seemed really nervous, and his voice went up a few octaves. And then those Stomp guys! The rave! Shit! What the fuck?

Oh, and did anyone else find it funny that Morpheus wasn't the supreme commander of the place? I think he misrepresented himself a little in the first movie--he's just a lowly captain of one of many countless ships, right? Not the impression he gave me...

P.S Is there anyone on this board who doesn't hate hippies?
Is this a british thing?

Well, I imagined the Winter brothers as rastafarians for a spell and got pretty fucking freaked out.

This argument drives me crazy. I didn't expect a crystal-clear plot, I expected (or at least hoped for) an enjoyable movie that was coherent enough for me to get into it.

Hark! Methinks I hear the old familiar cry of the rationalizer, the one who is convincing himself more than anyone else.

We've all been there, right?

Unfulfilled promise of The Matrix #117. But who's counting?

This is obvious, no? They're easier to wake up because they have less psychic investment in their Matrix lives - the assumption is as American minorities - than their white counterparts.

Also, Cornel West on the Zion Council = CLASSIC!

other disconnected thoughts: the philosophy parts were less integrated into the movie than the last one, it felt like "okay everyone sit tight, cos here comes the obligatory existentialist bit, but don't worry someone is getting kicked in the face *real soon*". i did like the modernist architect dude tho. he was like an evil colonel sanders. few attempts at charm this time: the oracle is still a sassy elderly black female, that kid with the spoon gave neo the spoon, french ppl are so fucking french you just gotta drive medieval weapons through their hearts. and that's that. oh and the wisecracky smiths i guess. maybe the dreadlocked warhol-entourage phantasm guys. nevermind. the persephone 'sexual tension' bit was horribly forced, some 'truth or dare' dropped into the middle of the film without clear purpose (and then philosophically 'redeemed' with the "such things are not made to last" bit). also, some poor action pacing towards the end, the nuclear power plant blowing up was maybe ultimately a minor plot point, but its also like the most unearned explosion i've seen since like... 'swordfish'. i liked the superobvious neo-christ 'heal the poor' scene, i thought maybe the chance to interesting things with those parallels was ended a little prematurely. the rave scene/nelly video went on a bit long, the whole african-ness/blackness/people-who-wear-black-ness being equated with primal physicality (their machines are all proto-industrial sweaty, churning cog-driven affairs) prob deserves a sneer.

disclaimer: everything i didn't mention above kicked ass. kinda.

I'm a little annoyed by the dismissive tone of "pop philosophy" in the reviews (for the first one too). I mean, this is philosophy in action for a mass audience!

Reminds me of the reviews for Waking Life. Critics get very impatient with that stuff for some reason. I still don't get the hostility to any of the stuff said in Reloaded, since I found most of it very compelling. Then again, I read that kind of stuff for fun, so maybe it would be annoying to someone without an interest in it.

a transcript of the scene in question; not bad for a two-minute scene:

http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gte484v/wakinglife/neohumanguy.html

The rest of the site, including an overview of the film:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gte484v/wakinglife.html
"

Neo fighting 100 Smiths was purely for fun, its funny people have such a hard time accepting that. surelt this is in the tradition of martial arts films and anime. it was possibly about honour and respect and a statement of intent by both parties. neither thought there would be a real outcome by fighting, but it was a chance to 'touch base' and showcase what they'd learned...as the Oracle's aide did a similar thing by fighting Neo to 'make sure you were The One' and Neo jokingly replies 'you could've just asked'...but that would've been boring! and if you were bored by Neo vs 100 Smiths then you might just be bored of life...and martial arts tradition possibly.

Good essay here:
http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/reviews/unloading_on_the_matrix_reloaded.shtml

i actually think the multiple smiths is meant to be some sort of thematic or conceptual point, tho i have no idea what. it's interesting that, finally being "free", he takes it upon himself to reproduce as much as possible, much like a virus (which is what he calls the human race as in part 1). if part 3 fails to develop this then i will be willing to call it pointless.

i didnt really care for any of the action scenes in either of the films, and action in general usually tends to bore me. martial arts stuff needs to be pretty for me to care, and too often in this film it fails to do that. but i really loved everything else, esp the belluci scenes.

ala parallel universes? i must admit the whole 'this is version 6.0' thing bugged me a bit but its also quite cool - so The Oracle is a program and not an original human as was suggested in the first film, The One is also a Machine concept created to initiate the destruction of version 6.0 of The Matrix after The Architect (a machine himself i guess?) realised that humans in The Matrix were being given too much choice about their lives and there were too many bugs in the system (ghosts, rogue programs like Agent Smith etc.)...so perhaps in the third film Neo may have to resort to his 'original human' self in order to destroy the Machines (for to do anything else would just mean he is following their protocol or something? tho maybe not, as it looks like he wasn't supposed to carry his power into reality and destroy the Sentinel as he did?)?

other things i'm too dumb to work out: the guy who survived and is opposite Neo on the operating table at the end, i missed out on who this guy is exactly somehow. he was the guy on the same team as the one who cut his hand and was gonna kill Neo early on? was this the same guy taken over by SMith in Neo's dream at the start? or was it that ugly bloke himself who was the one Smith took over? so that was not strictly a dream? ack....also is Naiobi (sp) dead or not? i have to see this film again obviously

xp that's pretty much all there is too it tbh

I still dunno how ppl hate on this film when it contains the most intense fight/chase/fight sequence ever created. even when you know everything that happens, it still gives the clench. <3 <3 truck kombat.

― El Tomboto, Friday, October 3, 2008 11:54 PM (ten years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

truly otm, love and miss u tombot

good movie

Hadn't seen this since it came out. Tried watching a bit tonight, and you know what? Sucks.

everyone has always been bald

no wonder they all have to wear shades then!

its just too much