Review of The Matrix Reloaded (2003) by Logan A — 06 Jul 2012

On one hand, this movie does many things admirably and fills many roles it was assigned as a sequel. The action-scenes are absolutely mind-blowing and well-choreographed. The visual-effects are even more jaw-dropping this time around. Most importantly, Neo and Smith evolve as characters, with Neo now fulfilling his role as The One rather than simply discovering he was The One, and Smith becoming his own true stand-alone entity as The Many that is honestly more intimidating than his role in the first movie. The other characters are developed more fully, and some important questions about the nature of the Matrix are answered and expanded upon, especially with the introduction of The Architect.

On the other hand there are a lot of questioning and even baffling decisions on the part of the Wachowski Brothers. From the pointless orgy-scene in Zion and the introduction of several pointless characters to the addition of questions that remain unanswered after the conclusion of the trilogy (Neo stopping a Sentinel outside of the Matrix and yanking bullets out of Trinity's chest within it) and several confusing and seemingly pointless scenes of dialogue (the discussion with The Merovingian, etc.), there are a lot of questionable and even bad decisions that went into this movie's creation.

That being said, if you were a fan of the first film you at least need to give this movie a shot. Your ultimate enjoyment may vary, but at the very least it will be worth seeing for its better aspects. Just try to overlook the worse aspects.