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Just Seen: The Matrix Reloaded
[IMDB]
The machines are burrowing towards the humans' subterranean city-refuge, Zion, and will destroy it in 72 hours, unless our heroes can find some way to stop them.
This film is visually stunning, and knows it. Which might just be part of the problem. There were times during Reloaded, particularly early in the film, when it just felt gratuitous. I found myself thinking "so remind me why this fight is happening, exactly?"
The Matrix had glorious visuals, too, but they were mostly there for a reason. Virtually every fight happened for fairly obvious and straightforward plot purposes.
Ah, plot. The plot in The Matrix hung together. I may not have been the Best Plot In The World Ever™, but it was perfectly servicable, and the main characters appeared to be operating with some understandable motive or other.
I wish I could say the same for Reloaded. The first third of the film appears to be seriously lacking in any sense of direction, except "Hey! Look at this Cool Special Effect!" and "Isn't kung-fu great?". After that, it gets going, turning first into a chase-the-maguffin, then a heist-movie-by-numbers.
At least a couple of characters seem to exist purely to fulfil roles in the plot-by-numbers (one of them is the aforementioned maguffin, for a start). Other characters make decisions that the soundtrack, editing and script are trying to tell us are important, but I had little obvious reason to care. Nor were we given any real evidence of their motivations for making them, beyond "the plot needs this to happen"
On to the philosophy. Heh. Others are far better qualified to judge than me, but from where I sat, the philosophy looked like prime fodder for a game of Buzzword Bingo1. Again, the first Matrix film restricted itself to a couple of simply-described philosophical problems (Is the world real, or a simulation for my benefit?) Reloaded just threw a dictionary at you. Yeah, there may have been some real philosophy jargon in there, but they didn't bother explaining any of it, and I doubt it would have hung together if they had.
Reading all that lot, you might think I didn't enjoy it, but I did. Why? Back to the first sentence. It's visually stunning. Gosh-wow, drop dead amazing to look at (and not just Carrie-Anne Moss in PVC, either). So I'm shallow. Sue me.
That said, in places, it's so over-the-top it's approaching self-parody, but that was always going to be a risk when you effectively have an indestructible, omniscient, superman as a lead character. It's still visually amazing.
Now, can we have a script to match the visuals, please?
I've seen far worse films in the last 12 months (MIB2, anyone?) - I'm still up for The Matrix Revolutions, though with expectations suitably dampened.
1You know, you prepare a list of buzzwords, then go into a meeting. Preferably with a bunch of Pointy-Haired Bosses and a couple of IT consultants. Every time one of them uses a buzzword completely out of context, without the faintest clue what they just said (or if they're just talking plain bollocks) you tick it off your list.
The machines are burrowing towards the humans' subterranean city-refuge, Zion, and will destroy it in 72 hours, unless our heroes can find some way to stop them.
This film is visually stunning, and knows it. Which might just be part of the problem. There were times during Reloaded, particularly early in the film, when it just felt gratuitous. I found myself thinking "so remind me why this fight is happening, exactly?"
The Matrix had glorious visuals, too, but they were mostly there for a reason. Virtually every fight happened for fairly obvious and straightforward plot purposes.
Ah, plot. The plot in The Matrix hung together. I may not have been the Best Plot In The World Ever™, but it was perfectly servicable, and the main characters appeared to be operating with some understandable motive or other.
I wish I could say the same for Reloaded. The first third of the film appears to be seriously lacking in any sense of direction, except "Hey! Look at this Cool Special Effect!" and "Isn't kung-fu great?". After that, it gets going, turning first into a chase-the-maguffin, then a heist-movie-by-numbers.
At least a couple of characters seem to exist purely to fulfil roles in the plot-by-numbers (one of them is the aforementioned maguffin, for a start). Other characters make decisions that the soundtrack, editing and script are trying to tell us are important, but I had little obvious reason to care. Nor were we given any real evidence of their motivations for making them, beyond "the plot needs this to happen"
On to the philosophy. Heh. Others are far better qualified to judge than me, but from where I sat, the philosophy looked like prime fodder for a game of Buzzword Bingo1. Again, the first Matrix film restricted itself to a couple of simply-described philosophical problems (Is the world real, or a simulation for my benefit?) Reloaded just threw a dictionary at you. Yeah, there may have been some real philosophy jargon in there, but they didn't bother explaining any of it, and I doubt it would have hung together if they had.
Reading all that lot, you might think I didn't enjoy it, but I did. Why? Back to the first sentence. It's visually stunning. Gosh-wow, drop dead amazing to look at (and not just Carrie-Anne Moss in PVC, either). So I'm shallow. Sue me.
That said, in places, it's so over-the-top it's approaching self-parody, but that was always going to be a risk when you effectively have an indestructible, omniscient, superman as a lead character. It's still visually amazing.
Now, can we have a script to match the visuals, please?
I've seen far worse films in the last 12 months (MIB2, anyone?) - I'm still up for The Matrix Revolutions, though with expectations suitably dampened.
1You know, you prepare a list of buzzwords, then go into a meeting. Preferably with a bunch of Pointy-Haired Bosses and a couple of IT consultants. Every time one of them uses a buzzword completely out of context, without the faintest clue what they just said (or if they're just talking plain bollocks) you tick it off your list.
no subject
no subject
I agree with everything
Yeah, there may have been some real philosophy jargon in there
Nope. Just tosh.