Ready To Talk About Reloaded (Spoilers Included)

[Spike_Spiegel]

Okay just got back about an hour ago from seeing Reloaded. This movie definitely out did the first Matrix in the number special effects and fight scenes. But I always believe that quantity over quality is usually never a good idea.

This movie was an eyesore, literally. After watching it and then enduring through the painstakingly long credit reel only to see a very short teaser for Revolutions, that wasn't really worth the wait for after all. My eyes were quite sore as though I strained them from watching the movie so intensely. And I was watching so intensely, because after the meeting with Neo and the Architect of the Matrix, the rest of the plot went AWOL. The explanation for Neo's existence could be better summed up in a sentence consisting of incoherent and unrelated words spoken by Ted Kaczynski. For me this movie was a big let down in comparison to the first. Perhaps they set the bar too high the first time. Yeah right... /forums/images/icons/smirk.gif

In the end I'd say it was a movie with too much action (they definately overused bullet time this time) and not enough plot and character development.

Oh yeah... Also that whole orgy scene was lame and lasted too long, it seemed pointless. As if the director said "Okay... In this scene I want to make sure that every character gets laid."

And the music sucked too... I could keep going if I wanted, but I think thats enough for now.

[Razorback]

I agree with you in many respects. What I disliked about the last movie is multiplied by 10 in this one. There is nearly TOO much of everything in this movie.

However, it is clear that the Wachowski brothers are making the movie that they want to make and I can't fault them for going too far with every scene in the movie because I admire artists who seem to not care about a safe formula. This movie is not a safe formula and despite it having more moments for me to hate than the last it also has some very cool and fun moments that I loved.

I am not sure whether I liked this movie... I can say that the "orgy scene" was pointless. The best thing is that the trailers barely touched upon the action sequences. There are many of them and most of them are beyond fun. The problem is that many of these scenes could easily have been put anywhere in the movie and no one would have known the difference.

RB

[Spike_Spiegel]

I have a better title for this movie. This was not The Matrix: Reloaded. This movie should of been called The Matrix: Repackaged. And I'm sorry for anyone that watched the entire credits, which felt like 5 minutes of credits, only just to see a shitty 1 minute teaser that sucked.

[ozchick]

Upfront I'll just say that I really enjoyed it, although honestly I didn't understand a whole lot of it! That said three words to describe it - O.T.T - Over the Top!

On a side note - We had preview tix for the Perth premiere at 7pm last night. Thought it hugely funny that we had to go through a metal detector and check our mobile phones and collect them on the way out. Considering the film was released with a session 5 hrs later at midnight - i thought it a bit extreme!

[Razorback]

My friend who saw the movie with me was VERY confused at the end. I wasn't because I was hanging on every word of that conversation in the "white room". I think that because it is such a monotone and long scene that many people drift away from it and miss the scenes payoff (in fact my friends who loved the last and disliked this one were way off the mark on the meaning of that conversation).

I think that it will be fun to analyze this movie once everyone has seen it.

RB

[Matt1]

When I got out of it I had to look down to confirm what I already knew. My feet were bare.

The movie had rocked my [censored]' socks off.

I just got out of it, so my perspective might be a little different once the film has set in. But I can say, unequivocally, as a pure visceral film going experience... it's pretty hard to beat this movie.

It kicked ass.

It kicked my ass.

It kicked my ass, hard.

My girlfriend was on the edge of her seat during every fight scene. It was cool.

Just to be clear, I really liked this movie.

I think you guys might be suffering from record store mentality. This movie is everything a geek could ever hope for.

[Razorback]

You were on the edge of your seat during the fight scenes? Really? I admit that they are some awesome looking scenes but were you actually worried that anything but the predictable was going to happen? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

RB

[Efexeye]

Not to give Razorback any more fuel for the bashing fire, but I think this sequel suffers from "Empire Stikes Back-itis". The middle movie in a trilogy is always a setup. (Although TTT kicked ASS.) The first one gets your ass in the seats, the second fleshes out the story, and the third blows you away like the first one did.

I think people are not going to like this Matrix as much as the 1st one- there is too much talking and philisophical exploration to keep John Q. Popcorn riveted, and the fight scenes seem irrelevant, as we know who will win. (Why didn't Neo just fly away from all of the Smiths in the first place?) And the car chase? I've been hearing reviews that said I would empty my testicles into my pants for it, but it was just O.K., outside of some new visual effects (like the camera tracking under a truck instead of around it). And I wanted to see a lot more of the Twins.

I'm not bashing the movie, I liked the movie, but it was what I thought it would be, and what everyone says it is- setup for the third movie. That's all.

Besides, didn't the ending suck? In the theater I saw it in, everybody groaned. And no, the trailer is NOT worth sticking around for.

[Razorback]

Funny... but I have been more positive than negative about this movie. Funny that you should use me as someone who needs "fuel" against it. I actually liked it, for the most part.

I also think that the ending was perfect. I love seeing the masses pissed at the unconventional. They will be even more pissed when they realize what happened in this movie (most people have no idea what it was about... seriously).

RB

[jjcourtright]

Man, if one more person asks "Why didn't Neo just fly away from all the Smiths?", I think my head is going to explode.

[Zens_7s]

In a previous Matrix topic, I stated my enjoyment of the original film as an action movie, not a glossed-over philosophical sampler. The first movie was easily accessible, but not a original intellectual achievment.

Reloaded was suprising and pleasing. The directors did not make a movie for the general public. Instead, they made a movie for the niche of moviegoers who do not enjoy their philosophy handed to them on a cafeteria tray.

Leaving the theater, patrons were obviously confused. They hated the ended, they hated the "white dude" in the chair, they hated the "love stuff", and they especially hated "not getting anything that happened." Flash-forward five years: after reading all of our opinions, the same people will call it a classic and one of the best movies ever made, even if it is not the best.

[Razorback]

You get what I get. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

That is what I liked... I would have loved it even more if it had no action at all. Man, that would have pissed off millions of children who shouldn't be watching this porno anyway. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

RB

[Matt1]

Razor, read my post again. I said my girlfriend was on the edge of her seat. I was just kicking back and taking it all in. And your right it wasn't because we were terribly concerned as to what would happen to the characters (although at the end, I was like, "FLY NEO! FLY QUICKLY!") it was due to the fact that she's just a really big fight scene afficionado. She was on the edge of her seat watching the fights intently.

[Razorback]

Ahhh, understood. The fight scene with 1001 Smith's was very cool and fun. That will be worth owning the DVD alone (to watch that frame by frame).

RB

[DarthMaulRat]

That fight will be one for the history books. I now know what the choreographer means by that fight being his masterpiece.

I will agree that the movie was a little too much of everything, but that really just makes it a better movie to discuss. More philosophy, more concepts, new directions for the characters, all very cool.

I can't say that the bullet time was over done, I thought it was used tastefully and quickly. The bullet time scenes in the Matrix lasted way longer compared to Reloaded.

I also really enjoyed the whole architect scene and his explanation of 6 other Zions. The scenes leading up to it reminded me of Tron, which also had semi-clever ways of representing programs as objects. It was so different from the rest of the movie, which is always cool.

The only thing the movie didn't have more of was the virus twins. They were such a cool concept and kind of the focus of the trailer, but they really only had a small part in the film.

Over all, I enjoyed it alot, although I'm eventually going to have to see it again to take it all in.

And Keanu Reeves is Jesus? Who knew?

[Razorback]

I have heard people talk about Neo being Jesus. You can't bring someone from the dead if they don't exist. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

RB

[Omaru]

I havent seen it yet but please let me prematurely blast it cause this is witty for me. "I'm sure I'll be glued to my seat throughout, otherwise I'd have left" anyway I hope I find it okay, I'd hate to think theres a really really cool something out there that I like with extremeness, that just wouldn't be my style.

[Zens_7s]

<<And Keanu Reeves is Jesus? Who knew?>>

/forums/images/icons/wink.gif And Lawrence Fishburne is Jeremiah aka "The Weeping Prophet"?

Jeremiah 4: 5-6 Jeremiah speaking God's prophecy:

"'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!
Cry aloud and say:
'Gather together! Let us flee the fortified cities! Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safely without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.

[jjcourtright]

Wow, you know half my family and you know your bible. Good show.

[DarthMaulRat]

Wow, Reloaded is eerily similar to that passage.

I guess I'll have to boycott the bible if I want to stay spoiler-free for Revolutions.

[Zens_7s]

Thank you dear, and thank your Uncles Dave, Jim, Tupelo and especially your Uncle John's Band. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

I did look up the verse I used. I can't claim to have it memorized! The whole book of Jeremiah is littered with clues, right down to why the ship is named the Nebuchadnezzar.

[Michael_Crawford]

I posted my review tonight over at my other site:

http://www.mwctoys.com

It's under the Living With Late Fees button. And it's LONG! You've been warned!

Michael
MWC

[Matt1]

I think the point of the "orgy" scene was to show that these people are human beings. They're not flat, puritanical paragons of moral perfection like the heroes in another beloved trilogy (The original Star Wars). They aren't fighting just for the sake of stopping the bad guy, or anything as simplistic as just good vs. evil, they're fighting for there right as human beings to screw and dance.

The scene did feel a bit random, though. All of Zion suddenly decided to go clubbing. And what, there are no out of shape people in this city?

[Zens_7s]

What do you think Razorback? Time for a bit of geek computer-science love and religion? "Key master" as encryption/decryption VPN tunnel kind of action?

Tough call.

[Razorback]

I wouldn't mind some old school PPTP tunneling. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

RB

[Zens_7s]

How about L2TP? ...I knew we were catching the same drift earlier...