"Commander Lock: 'Not everyone believes what you believe.'
Morpheus: 'My beliefs do not require that they do.'
My thoughts:
Nothing sums up the hype surrounding "The Matrix" trilogy better than the above quote from Roger Ebert. Like him, I believe that much of the hype surrounding "The Matrix" and its sequels is nothing more than shallow philosophy mixed with allegorical and metaphorical strains of the Bible, among various other religious texts and two guys love of comic books. Do I believe any of it? Absolutely not, and I honestly hope that the people who seem to watch these movies religiously do not believe any of the things they say about it either.
It's been four years since the first "Matrix" film wowed audiences back in 1999 with its special effects and mind-bending story. It has since been followed by a frighteningly devoted fan base, countless books and various interpretations of the plot line. I don't view the "Matrix" movies as anything more than a "Christ" parable and a very shallow one at that. The movie has its influences deeply rooted in Christianity (the most obvious), as well as Japanese comic books (Manga), Anime ("Ghost in the Shell" and "Akira" come first to mind), Hong Kong action flicks, and countless other sources that have been rolled into one hell of an action film.
And also like Ebert, I make these statements with amusement, not criticism, mixed with a little bit of bewilderment. You see, like most movie-going people, I was put into awe by the special effects and story. I loved the first film and it's a classic, believe me. The first "Matrix" film is an obvious achievement in special effects and a landmark in science-fiction,
but unfortunately its sequels aren't bringing anything new to me and (obviously) to others, which brings me to "The Matrix Reloaded."
The cons:
The biggest problem I have with "Reloaded" is that it many times tries to be deep and meaningful but fails miserably most of the time. The fight scenes aren't really worth any particular mention (the only exception being the "88 Smiths" and the much-talked about 14-minute "Freeway" chase) either. Many of them only seem to be in this movie to eat up time and don't have any significance to the story.
That, to me seemed to be the biggest fault with "Reloaded." In "The Matrix," the big lobby scene in which Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) get into a huge shootout with a S.W.A.T. team, signaled the start of a glorious rebellion within the system but not only that, kept your eyes glued to the screen for the rest of the movie, all the way up to when the credits start to roll and Rage Against the Machine plays on the soundtrack.
The fights in "Reloaded" are too repetitive and seem to take forever to be over. Also, the romance in this film seemed to be way too tacked on to be believable. I wanted to see Neo and Trinity become a couple but I have to say that they have no chemistry on screen whatsoever. Their love scene is intercut with a huge mosh pit scene about 30 minutes in after Morpheus gives this huge inspirational speech and everybody goes nuts.
Any plusses? Well yeah, that's why I gave it a six out of ten. I have to say, that while the fight scenes seem to be a bit on the excessive side, they're extremely well executed. The cinematography is beautiful, giving "Reloaded" a unique and eerie look. The "flying" scenes with Neo are very well done too.
To sum up:
"The Matrix Reloaded" was at best, failed potential but it shows what happens when you try to put too much into one movie.
P.S: If I want a science-fiction movie with real philosophy (emphasis on "real"), I'll go and watch "Blade Runner," "The Terminator," or "Ghost in the Shell," the latter film was a key (read: obvious) influence of the "Matrix" films.
6/10
Morpheus: 'My beliefs do not require that they do.'
- Characters are always talking like this in 'The Matrix Reloaded,' which plays like a collaboration involving a geek, a comic book and the smartest kid in Philosophy 101. Morpheus in particular unreels extended speeches that remind me of Laurence Olivier's remarks when he won his honorary Oscar--the speech that had Jon Voight going 'God!' on TV, but in print turned out to be quasi-Shakespearean doublespeak. The speeches provide not meaning, but the effect of meaning: It sure sounds like those guys are saying some profound things.
- That will not prevent fanboys from analyzing the philosophy of 'The Matrix Reloaded' in endless Web postings. Part of the fun is becoming an expert in the deep meaning of shallow pop mythology; there is something refreshingly ironic about becoming an authority on the transient extrusions of mass culture, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) now joins Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Plato of our age."
My thoughts:
Nothing sums up the hype surrounding "The Matrix" trilogy better than the above quote from Roger Ebert. Like him, I believe that much of the hype surrounding "The Matrix" and its sequels is nothing more than shallow philosophy mixed with allegorical and metaphorical strains of the Bible, among various other religious texts and two guys love of comic books. Do I believe any of it? Absolutely not, and I honestly hope that the people who seem to watch these movies religiously do not believe any of the things they say about it either.
It's been four years since the first "Matrix" film wowed audiences back in 1999 with its special effects and mind-bending story. It has since been followed by a frighteningly devoted fan base, countless books and various interpretations of the plot line. I don't view the "Matrix" movies as anything more than a "Christ" parable and a very shallow one at that. The movie has its influences deeply rooted in Christianity (the most obvious), as well as Japanese comic books (Manga), Anime ("Ghost in the Shell" and "Akira" come first to mind), Hong Kong action flicks, and countless other sources that have been rolled into one hell of an action film.
And also like Ebert, I make these statements with amusement, not criticism, mixed with a little bit of bewilderment. You see, like most movie-going people, I was put into awe by the special effects and story. I loved the first film and it's a classic, believe me. The first "Matrix" film is an obvious achievement in special effects and a landmark in science-fiction,
but unfortunately its sequels aren't bringing anything new to me and (obviously) to others, which brings me to "The Matrix Reloaded."
The cons:
The biggest problem I have with "Reloaded" is that it many times tries to be deep and meaningful but fails miserably most of the time. The fight scenes aren't really worth any particular mention (the only exception being the "88 Smiths" and the much-talked about 14-minute "Freeway" chase) either. Many of them only seem to be in this movie to eat up time and don't have any significance to the story.
That, to me seemed to be the biggest fault with "Reloaded." In "The Matrix," the big lobby scene in which Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) get into a huge shootout with a S.W.A.T. team, signaled the start of a glorious rebellion within the system but not only that, kept your eyes glued to the screen for the rest of the movie, all the way up to when the credits start to roll and Rage Against the Machine plays on the soundtrack.
The fights in "Reloaded" are too repetitive and seem to take forever to be over. Also, the romance in this film seemed to be way too tacked on to be believable. I wanted to see Neo and Trinity become a couple but I have to say that they have no chemistry on screen whatsoever. Their love scene is intercut with a huge mosh pit scene about 30 minutes in after Morpheus gives this huge inspirational speech and everybody goes nuts.
Any plusses? Well yeah, that's why I gave it a six out of ten. I have to say, that while the fight scenes seem to be a bit on the excessive side, they're extremely well executed. The cinematography is beautiful, giving "Reloaded" a unique and eerie look. The "flying" scenes with Neo are very well done too.
To sum up:
"The Matrix Reloaded" was at best, failed potential but it shows what happens when you try to put too much into one movie.
P.S: If I want a science-fiction movie with real philosophy (emphasis on "real"), I'll go and watch "Blade Runner," "The Terminator," or "Ghost in the Shell," the latter film was a key (read: obvious) influence of the "Matrix" films.
6/10