Matrix: Reloaded - DISCUSSION

[sOKaLiBoY]

did anyone else this it was kinda chezzy how neo saved trinity at the end?

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by sOKaLiBoY@May 15 2003, 08:40 AM
usually i like movies that don't really have an ending. that way you can come up with your own take on what happens.

blahh haha

the only reason why i watch movies is so that the director and people behind the film can stage and narrate the story for me so I can be entertained and not hafta think about what could happen. If I wanted to think and be inspired, I'll read Chicken Soup for the Soul and stay away from the theater :lol:

[YuheiCarreau]

I guess maybe I'll just cover my sister's eyes or somethin'...

The first Matrix had a shitty plot and OK acting. Without Joe Pantoliano the quality of the acting will probably go down, but then no one goes to see these films for the script :D

[kitty]

Merging this thread with the other matrix thread and changing the topic title to warn about spoilers.

[kitty]

This topic has been merged with the other matrix thread. Please continue discussion here...

[Korean Hunk]

I can't wait for the sequel

[enygma]

Originally posted by sOKaLiBoY@May 15 2003, 01:35 PM
did anyone else this it was kinda chezzy how neo saved trinity at the end?

yes.

[ism]

Originally posted by sOKaLiBoY@May 15 2003, 02:35 PM
did anyone else this it was kinda chezzy how neo saved trinity at the end?

I was thinking of new sexual techniques using that power. He was like... fisting her heart.

[SunWuKong]

oh my god the lines were so fucking cheesy. just like the first one.

i went to see this with my colleagues and we kept laughing at places where nobody else laughed. just when i thought nothing could be worse than Matrix I's "AI? You mean... artificial intelligence?", Matrix II presents us with "A null pointer is heading toward you!". i died laughing. and when that dude in the room full of TVs introduced himself and said "I am the architect", my colleagues and i busted out laughing because we started thinking about the systems architect on our project. the whole thing with programs trying to hide and not be deleted was hilarious. and did anyone else here laugh at the exploding vagina thing when that girl ate a piece of that cake?

oh well, i didn't expect much of a plot, just like the first one. the premise that The Matrix is based on has so much potential, but these people just basically defenestrate all the good story-telling that could come out of it all. the fight scenes were cool though.

[blue hoodie]

ok, but when does the architect want to have zion still around? why keep on rebuilding it?

and after they finished having sex, I was expecting Neo to say..."woah".

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by blue hoodie@May 16 2003, 12:23 AM
ok, but when does the architect want to have zion still around? why keep on rebuilding it?

it's a flaw in the system that he hasn't been able to get rid of. what a shitty architect. why doesn't he just roll back to an earlier implementation of the matrix while he fixes the bug?

[kitty]

zion exists to weed out the dissidents in the matrix. If you keep zion around, you have people who are helping you remove the 0.001% of ppl who don't accept the matrix. AT least that's the impression I got.

[Peachies]

Ok, so I didn't wait for the long ass lines to clear up & saw the movie last night. Haha. I thought the movie was pretty good. Some of the fight scenes were a tad long, but the visual effects were definitely tight. I think the movie may have been too hyped up for me though.

It's frustrating that we must wait awhile until we can know the conclusion, but I guess a lil' suspense for us & more capital revenue for the Wachowskis et. al doesn't hurt. But hmm. The trailer for Revolutions following the movie was pretty weak. I can't believe I waited through the long ass credits for it.

[kboy75]

Here is my semi-review...


Preface:

The movie is a philosphical mind-blower. But anyone who has not seen the original movie, The Matrix, will not be able to fully appreciate what unfolds here. It's not to say, that if you liked part 1, you will like part 2. It takes a real fan (or Matrix Geek like myself) to REALLY dig this film.


Action:

The action sequences are not Hulk level in terms of CGI quality, but to the regular-joe they are still pretty freakin great and the actual directing of the scenes are excellent. Very entertaining stuff. The beginning sequence draws you in with the ultra cool Trinity on the bike on her shiny pleather outfit. Talk about chic... The Freeway scene alone was worth the movie ticket price in my opinion. It was a full 13 minutes long maybe. The way Neo came to rescue them was the most satisfying rescue ever! The Neo-on-multiple-Agent-Smith fight was well-directed, but poorly rendered (CGI quality). Still satisfying. The kung-fu scene with the Korean guy was totally unnecessary.


Plot/Storyline:

The story was slow to get started. But this chapter in the Matrix Trilogy seems to be an exposé on the underworld (dunno if that is the right word to use, but oh well) of Zion. There is a lot less mind-freeing and a lot more politicking going on between Morpheus and others. But the story is simple; Neo must save Zion before the attack of the sentinals. The twists come when Neo questions his role as "The One" and when the audience questions what reality is (i.e. - is there a Matrix WITHIN the Matrix?). The end twisted with a possibility of Agent Smith being in the "real world" but that is to be comcluded in the part 3. It really is half a movie, and doesn't leave you satisfied until (my guess/hope is) you watch part 3. If you want to compare it to Star Wars.. i guess, it does leave you hanging just like Han Solo getting frozen in carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back... sorta... kinda... anyways...


Villains:

Agent smith was more of an annoyance vs a true nemesis like in part 1. He was rogue program that the audience never finds out what he wants (not until part 3 i assume). There was the Merovingian (french dude). He was KICK-ASS. He was so cocky and as funny as hell. Love the "cursing in French is like wiping my ass with silk" line. HAHAHAHA.... I wish he was in it MORE. Then there is the "achitect" who i'm not sure is a real villain, but definitely an antagonist. Their banter about "choice" was a little bit of a mental force-feeding; if you dozed for 2 secs you would get lost there. Definitely not a sit-back-and-zone-out discourse...

Other:

There is a lot of philosophical discussion going on in this film here. It really is deep, complex stuff. For a movie that many philosophy, religious studies, cognitive science, and psychology classes draw upon for discussion and material (as well as analogies in many church sermons), it really did deliver. The discussion of "choice" was fascinating. "Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without." (i believe that was the quote). Interesting... SO many great thinker one-liners. You really have to give the writers/directors credit; they had to sit there and think of/gather all this background philosophy, put it together, and make it WORK so that it made sense and was palatable to the masses.


In summary:

The Matrix: Reloaded is a smart, Matrix-world treatise. It cannot BE, without part 1. Or else it would just be some banter with some cool action scenses in between; everyone dressed really cool-like. The overall story will most-likely leave the average non-Matrix-fan joe unsatisfied, but will satisfy the Matrix geek simply because they learn more about the world of The Matrix. But of not for the deeper issues that the plot stirs up, go see it for the cool outfits and the freeway action scene. Also, there is a trailer at the end for part 3.


I give it: 4/5 stars

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by kboy75@May 16 2003, 08:06 AM
The kung-fu scene with the Korean guy was totally unnecessary.

Isn't that guy Ngai Sing/Collin Chou, the Taiwanese stuntman that always plays the badass villain roles in more recent (but pre 1999) HK films? I was always a fan of him and Ken Lo Wai-Kwong. Friggin underrated, doomed to live in the shadow of overrated people like Jet Li and Jackie Chan.