i remember sitting there wondering when i would become numb to the movie or find it dull or boring. fortunately for me, i loved every minute of the movie. i thought it was terrific. i thought if the matrix was good sex, then reloaded is the triple orgasm. :)
once again, the movie started out with some fast paced action staring the original opener...trinity. i kept thinking that the CG was incredible. i think a lot of people take digital effects for granted. it's some hard shit to do and takes an incredible amount of forethought and know how. anyhow, i was very impressed. the costumes were wonderful and stayed true to the original matrix theme.
when i read from the critics that the entire movie was nothing but a video game, i expected that there would be little to no plot development. as it turns out, my assumption was wrong. the idea of dissenting and corrupted programs was an excellent twist to the matrix world. i thought the theme of perfection vs imperfection was pretty strong. its good to know that the matrix and the machines themselves are flawed. that program itself is in continual evolution. you don't get that sense from the first matrix. it's also nice to see that neo isn't has invincible as he seemed to be at the end of the first one as well. growth is always nice.
once again, the graphics were amazing. the city of zion and the "real world" scenes were phenomenal. the dark, metallic, machine twisted scenery is something i simply admire aesthetically regardless... ie.. hr giger. the man operated machine suits were a real pleaser. i saw a lot of that in the animatrix films. i hope they show more of it in the third movie. it'd be nice to actually see the machines and humans fighting in the real world but that might not happen. besides, i can see that in t3 this summer.
of course, what really sold this movie for me was the plot twist in the end. the idea that the matrix narrative has commenced five times before is great. i love the idea that the machines and the humans are grappling with the notion of free will. since i don't personally believe in free will, i loved the story line. its also interesting to note that the matrix architect discovered that although humans can function with no free will, they cannot function without the perceived notion of subjectivity. people want to think they have choices in life but we're all part of an effect, not a cause, of our circumstances, of our existence within other existences. beautiful. i loved loved loved that this movie touched on this.
call me sappy but i also appreciated the romance between neo and trinity. there is something about unconditional love in fiction. it's like i can buy it on screen but not in real life. i don't know. i felt it was played out very well, not too over the top. the cool thing about it though is that it shows how "will" is perceived as "purpose". trinity and neo believe their "will" comes from the "purpose" of wanting to be with each other. humans are always seeking a purpose or meaning to life. they construct a purpose, instead of means, to an end. the matrix architect touched out this a little when he was talking to neo about choice, about which door he will choose, and why.
now on to the fighting. critics argued that the fighting was too much like a video game but i say what else would a fight scene in a virtual world look like? sure, at some points it gets redundant but so does every other jerry bruckheimer movie. i loved the stop-action filming. i loved the special effects stop-zoom, stop-rotate, stop-enhance. it really gets you into the action. for once, you get to sit there while it's going in slow motion and carefully watch what each person fighting is doing. it's great. where else can you get that? most of the times in action sequences, things happen so fast you don't get to see the art of the movement.
normally i don't like car chases but the wachowski brothers pay such great attention to detail that it was actually very good. i especially loved the motorcycle chase. when trinity was going against traffic, i thought it was pretty intense. i loved how the camera would dive under trucks and cars instead of actually following the bike itself as it cut around the vehicle. that was a very nice touch.
at the end of the movie neo, morepheus, and trinity escape from the matrix back into the real world. they're forced to evacuate their ship and run from a group of sentinels. then suddenly, neo is able to stop the sentinels with is bare hands. this leaves me wondering if the "real world" is really the "real world"... i don't know how i feel about it.. hopefully it doesn't turn out to be THAT cheesy. the third movie is up for grabs. i can't wait to see it.
matrix reloaded gets five stars in my opinion. it was better than the first. yes, i did actually say that. :) what can i say, it's a cyber geeks wet dream. how the hell am i not going to like this movie?
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