(22.05.2003 - 4:29 p.m.)
I went to see The Matrix: Reloaded last night, and my gut reaction is one of disappointment for what could have been. All in all, I was unimpressed. For me, there were several things that let the film down: 1) The overindulgent special effects: Part of the rush of the original film was the restrained use of the "bullet time" effect. You felt a jolt as bullet time kicked in, lasted just long enough to let you appreciate the technique and take in the action, and then you felt the kick again as the flow of time returned to normal. In Reloaded, the bullet time technique was used approximately every ten minutes for just over two hours, thus reducing the over all effect. You also lost that sense of a rush, because when time slowed, it stayed that way for far too long. The opening scene with Trinity and the Agent being a case in point. It became tedious. 2) The emotional core of the film seems to have been lost: Part of the genius of the first film for me was the way it integrated the new special effects technology to create the futuristic world, but still managed to retain a significant interest in, and love for, the characters at the heart of the film. It never lost sight of it's very human concerns. Reloaded doesn't feel like that at all. I suspect this is partly because of the newly bloated effects, but also because the script is so caught up in trying to explain the ludicrously convoluted plot. The emphasis has shifted from human dilemma, to superhuman, stretching the grounds of credibility too far. 3) The newly styled special effects were a let down: Scenes such as the one where Neo engages the multiple instances of Agent Smith looked particularly bad. The delight of the first film was that, for the most part, the special effects were created with as little digital intervention as possible. Bullet time relied on specific placement of a large number of cameras, all capturing real live-action. Digital technology was only used to touch up afterward. It was obvious in Reloaded that there were moments where Keanu, and other characters, were wholly digital creations. This led to a feeling of unreality that detracted from the film significantly. There's suspending disbelief, and there's total unbelievability. 4) Structurally, the film was a mess: There were numerous plot points that were set up in Reloaded that were woefully underdeveloped, cluttering up the film unnecessarily. E.g. The Twins, the battle for Zion, the break into the power station. At the same time, there were parts of the film that were wholly unnecessary in that they occupied far more screen space than they were worth. E.g. the temple dance scene combined with Neo and Trinity having sex. It might as well have been a music video for whichever track was playing over the top of it. This overindulgence and underdevelopment led to the story seeming disjointed and lacking focus. Before anyone lays into me, I appreciate that some of the concerns that I have expressed here may well be dealt with in The Matrix: Revolutions. Reloaded is, afterall, the first part of a two part story. However, therein lies another problem. Relying, as they do, on each other, Revolutions and Reloaded will never feel like part of the Matrix canon. The first film was a superb piece of stand alone cinema. Only now am I starting to wish that the Wachowski Brothers had decided to keep it that way.
Currently Spinning:
Link-O-Rama Link Of The Day: