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There are some films which deserve a sequel, and there are those which do not; 500 Days of Summer does, Iron Man doesn't. RDJ has played the Tony Stark / Mr. Obnoxiously Cool Guy card one too many times. Same case with The Matrix. Of course, it is one of the coolest trilogies out there, but a complete opposite of the Dollars Trilogy. While the Man With No Name got cooler and cooler each progressing film, Neo went sillier and sillier. Now what makes the first film so great, so important in its genre? Because of its utter isolation. The first film has a foreboding, doomed atmosphere, a dark and unpredictable layer covering it. It is as colourful as Charlie Chaplin's clothes. The sequel - of course, they had to expand the story; nobody understood the first film even after repeated viewings - has a comical, laid-back atmosphere that, to me, totally ruined the complete understanding and logic behind the universe of The Matrix. Indeed, it is clever in the quotes department - "Do we control the machines, or do they control us?" - but like I said they quickly dissolve into silliness that does little to no justice to the first part - "I just love you too damn much!" Seriously, they went from that to this?
Even though this comixed sequel is action-heavy, its dialogues and conversations provide critical understanding to the complexity - and in some cases, simplicity - of what's real and what's not and all the little gaps in-between. I absolutely loved the Neo and The Architect conversation sequence. Biblical references aside, the scene was greatly executed, with brilliant focus on the two characters. To me it's the best non-action part of the series.
Performance-wise, the three leads - Laurence Fishburne, Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss - once again prove to us why they were chosen to play their respective characters in the first place. Once again they were all great, with the former being more badass than he was in the first film. Despite the fact that there were literally hundreds of him running around, I still believe Hugo Weaving received very low screen-time. But the fact that he returned once again to play the iconic villain is more than enough. Jada-Pinkett Smith was an absolute dish in her painfully small role as Captain Niobe. Not much of a performance, but a great presence. The rest of the cast were just OK, nothing too great or memorable, although Monica Bellucci did provide a juicy presence. Ever the sexy eye candy, her seductiveness was positive for once. Helmut Bakaitis, once I found out that his robotic acting was actually supposed to be like that, won me over in his role as The Architect. Overall the best from the film. The line delivery was almost pitch-perfect, or at least to me it was!
In conclusion, The Matrix: Reloaded is positively mind-blowing in the action sequences (the Burly Brawl? Classic!) but is just too silly and comical to be taken seriously... Watch it if you must, but I suggest stop at the first!
7.0/10
