The Matrix Reloaded

OK RM! You were right and I was wrong ... the movie sucks!!! Now don't glot, "I told you so".

This was a movie I've been looking forward to since the closing credits of the original and I must admit I was pretty disappointed. The fight sequences were superb and the chase scene might be the best in recent memory (even better than Ronin).

But the plot seems to have been created only to service transitions from one special effects extravaganza to the next. The story has gotten exponentially more complicated. Even though the first film had a pretty big task in answering the question, "What is the Matrix?" it did it with simplicity and grace. The increasingly chaotic premise in the second part seemed somewhat laborious to get across. I was really impressed with Keanu Reeves' subtle acting and vast emotional range, until I realized it was mostly created with digital computer technology.

For the nerd in me, an analogy involving the mobile phones used in the movies gets my feelings across the best. The first Matrix had the elegant and sleek Nokia 8110. All the phones in Reloaded were the over-the-top, complicated Samsung SPH-N270. Simplicity vs. excess. By the way, wait for the credits to finish. There is something special at the end.