The Matrix: Reloaded (2003)

What exactly is the problem with all the snarky naysayers when it comes to The Matrix: Reloaded? What a fickle gaggle of ingrates! First the Wachowski Bros. make an absolutely revolutionary movie in The Matrix. Suddenly the sequel's rival surfeit of adrenaline-pumping fight and action scenes is somehow "boring"? So Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity continue their mission (to boldly kick ass where no one has gone before) and lead the last surviving human colony (with many new and interesting characters) towards revolution and a doubtful outcome -- how exactly is this "boring"? After numerous viewings, I still find Reloaded to be mesmerizing. Yes, the plot in Reloaded feels looser than in The Matrix, but I think that's because it's complex rather than nonexistent. Actually, I think the rub lies in that Reloaded fleshes out the intellectual underpinnings of The Matrix: More than perhaps any other, Reloaded is the thinking person's science fiction movie -- and for too many people, having to think is "boring" (or laughable). To enjoy this movie, you need the chops to pay as close attention to the dialog as to the kung fu. The Merovingian tips the hand by asserting that "choice is an illusion" but the Architect is no joke: Everything he says is pure, sweet exposition and makes complete sense. (Unfortunately, nihilism doesn't contribute much to Neo's strategy against the machines -- which is also doubtless a part of their strategy -- so instead he chooses to save what is truly human: Love.) Please pay attention to the age-appropriate notes for children to the left, since the wild rumpus in Zion is quite sensual in a tribal sense and Neo's lovemaking with Trinity is quite sensual in a carnal sense. Oh yah, the sequel's soundtrack is equally awesome. The Matrix: Reloaded -- come for the fight scenes, stay for the philosophy! 4.5 stars.