The new film picks up after the events of the first film with Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburn), returning to the last human city of Zion to recharge their ship from battle and to prepare for another mission. It seems the forces of evil are burrowing toward the buried city and will soon arrive for an all-out cataclysm. There are those amongst the humans who believe that Neo is the chosen one, and others that do not believe the prophecy that Neo is the savior and this forms a point of contention for the human leaders. The film is awash in effects as Neo and his crew set off on a mission to save humanity but sadly the story seems to get lost along the way. While the film has plenty of effects and action, none of them seem particularly exciting, and I noticed a real lack off cheers and applause from the screener crowd during action scenes as much of it had a been there seen that look to it, that despite upping the quantity, was the same as we saw in the last film. The bullet-time effects are getting stale as it seems to be the only trick in the films arsenal, and the creative team behind the film goes to the well far to many times given a sense of tedium to what are otherwise well-crafted and designed scenes. There was also a severe lack of tension in the film and Reeves lack of emotion and his monosyllable delivery made it hard to really get behind the plight of the characters. Several people mentioned after the screener that they could not make sense of many of the plot elements and that they did not think that the characters were well defined or developed.

      What I saw was a film that had some nice effects that quickly became boring as the setup and execution lacked any tension and the plot lacked cohesion making it difficult for many in the audience to get caught up in the film. This point was further underlined by the lack of any applause at the end of the film and several disparaging remarks being loudly uttered as the audience filed out of the cinema. I found myself trying hard to like the film but despite the number of effects they were very ho-hum as if I was watching a FX real and many of the best effects had already been shown in the previews. Lets hope that "Matrix Revolutions" can end the trilogy on a high note, as "Matrix Reloaded" is a misfire.

     -- Gareth Von Kallenbache ( 2 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

      Patsy ( 2 out of 4 pops )

      Make the sex scene shorter, take away the chocolate cake orgasm, get rid of the cheesy comments made by the new character Link or get rid of him completely (he did for this film what Jar-Jar did for Episode I), ease up on the philosophy, add more fight scenes, and maybe I would have been satisfied after waiting 2 1/2 hours to see this (yes, one in line and then another waiting in the theater-- not to mention that they didn't start the previews until 15 minutes AFTER the film was to start).  With all of the advertising and hype-- not to mention the PowerAde ads-- this production reeks of  commercialization (can anyone say sell-out?).  In the story there are these two inexplicable characters (thanks to the philosophy) the Architect and the Keymaker-- I wonder if there exists the Money Whore?  If so I think the Wachowskis could play the role. 

      Billy Ray ( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )

      Here are just some of the questions I had when watching "The Matrix Reloaded":  When did Morpheus become Moses delivering the sermon on the mount?  When did people start thinking Carrie Anne-Moss was attractive - she looks like a man to me?  When did boxer Roy Jones, Jr. decide he should join the guild?  Why was Aaliyah even considered for the role that Jada Pinkett Smith so obviously was better at?  Who knew Jon Voight had an identical twin?  All in all, this was a pretty typical sequel and nothing too special.  Maybe the third one will bring it all together and impress me more but, as for now, the only character I remotely care about is Agent Smith, played by the devilishly good Hugo Weaving.  I think a lot of us forgot and got swept up in the fever, but the first film was not the pentacle of motion pictures.  It had several flaws itself and those flaws carry over into this film.  Waiting for the sequel, but not getting my hopes up.

      James ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

      I have to agree with Billy Ray, but I did like it a bit more than he did. I never knew Jon Voight had an identical twin, Jada Pinkett Smith did a fine job, and Huge Weaving was totally on his game, however I disagree about Morpheus. I'm glad they had a few characters make the notion that he was crazy and this whole story about someone being "the one" is very religious in nature and "the architect" is basically a God-like figure, so I think it was only natural to show Morpheus in a moses-esque manner. With all that said, there are lots of kick-ass action sequences and also one of the most tastefully and artistically shot, sex scenes ever in an action/adventure movie. I can't wait til the next one.

      Mike ( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )

      Besides the usual Matrix-style special effects sequences and action scenes, is there much here worth writing home about or that we haven't already seen before in countless other films about the lone surviving colony of people rebelling against the rulers?  And another movie where the future of mankind (those in Zion) dress as if they are living in the 16th century...boy, haven't seen this before!  There is way too much of the story in Zion which really bogs down the first half of the film ... the movie is in dire needs of some serious editing.  And there was way too little screen time for Agent Smith who adds to much to the film whenever he appears.  I also thought it was really stupid to put in an unnecessary five second sex scene which caused the movie to have an R-rating.   Having said all this and knowing the movie was a disappointment, I still enjoyed watching it for the most part.  The fight scenes and the car chase (especially Trinity on the motorcycle) were first rate and so much fun to watch.