The Matrix Films

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

Maybe im the only one, but upon rewatching the Matrix films from a pure sci-fi/action stand point, and not really expecting anything HUGE or magnificient like I was the second time, I have come to realise that I really love the trilogy. Not only that, but I think as pure sci-fi/action films, they're fucking amazing. Some of the best out there. Sure, my expectations werent to be shocked the second time, and i found that I really enjoyed the films, this time knowing that nothing big was coming.

 

Anyone else feel differently(Or the same) after recently rewatching the Matrix Trilogy?

[Nighthawk 0]

I only like Reloaded, but I like it a lot. It has some truly spectacular action sequences.

[razazteca 0]

Reloaded gave me a headache and part 3 made me want to buy Exosquad tapes.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I like them all. I wouldn't say they're fantastic, but they're good films.

 

IDRM has a point about the action in Reloaded - I'll watch just the Burly Brawl and Blade Leapers fight scenes on a regular basis, and JUST those scenes.

 

I'm still unsure why people shit on them so much. I don't know exactly what people expected from these movies, but methinks it was a bit much. of course, part of that is the fault of the hype machine, but still.

[cabbageboy 0]

Well, the sequels both had their moments of fun action scenes but overall the story being told was pretty dire. In fact it was a complete mess. It has taken me about 5 viewings to piece together the plot of Reloaded and once I did I disliked it all the more.

 

I dunno if I've read this criticism but in the sequels it seemed to me like the Wachowskis just forgot how to direct basic scenes. Look at the amount of boring, stagy scenes in Reloaded and Revolutions. Just actors sitting down, and another standing, no movement onscreen, no action, just rambling and incoherent dialogue. Compare it to the original, which either doesn't have this sort of stuff or in the stagy boring scenes at least has Hugo Weaving's awesomeness to carry it. It seemed like Smith was in far less of the sequels and they are all the worse for it.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I like the first two, but the third reeked all sorts of ass.

 

I think the problem people had with Reloaded was that it was more storytelling, and less action... And so it gave a reason for all the killin and asskicking and people didn't understand.

 

What the hell is so hard about the plot not to understand, anyways?

[Nighthawk 0]

I think the problem people had with Reloaded was that it was more storytelling, and less action

But action of a superior class.

[Mole 0]

I thought the Matrix was a good movie, it had some awesome action scenes and revolutionized the action genre. However, I think the movie is REALLY overrated. Maybe it was because I heard SO much about the movie and how awesome it was. Then I saw it and was like "Umm, that's it? I just saw a movie kind of like it last week, Terminator." I know the movie is much different, but they have something in common.

 

Both of the worlds have been taken over by machines because they can think on their own. The humans have to fight to take them out and both have one person who is the hero and stops them.

 

I liked the Matrix, so I was hyped for Reloaded. I went to see it the day it came out with all my friends and we all were pumped up. The movie is going on and there are some great action scenes, then we get the ending. "Huh?" It just came out of the blue and the story was told horribly.

 

They should have told the audience more of the story earlier in the film, instead of just throwing us all of this stuff at the end. Other than the action parts, the movie was horrible. Plus the whole thing with Neo/Trinty was SOO fuckin Hollywood; really corny. EDIT: I forgot to mention this part about the action in the second one. Since we knew Neo was the One, all of the fight scenes with him were very anti-climatic. I knew he wasn't going to loose, so why should I care about the fight? It would be like watching a wrestling match where we knew wrestler A wasn't going to loose to wrestler B because he is unstopable.

 

I gave them the benefit of the doubt, for some odd reason. So I went to see Revolution the day it came out with all my friends again. Once again, I was disappointed big time. I thought the movie was much better than Reloaded, but was still not a good movie.

 

Reeves acting was SOOOO bad, it made me want to cry. The action was good, but they were trying to top themselves from Reloaded and they just did too much. I am not a fan of Anime, so the final fight with Neo and Smith didn't do much for me.

 

Basically, the Wachowski brothers had an AWESOME concept on their hands. The whole idea behind the Matrix was amazing, but they blew it big time. It falls nowhere near the best triolgies of all time. LOTR, SW (4-6), Indiana Jones, Godfather, and hell even Terminator and Austin Powers are better trilogies than the Matrix.

 

Matrix - B+ (Great story, great action, revolutionized the action genre, so-so acting. If Reeves brought more to the table, then it would have gotten an easy A. Still overrated though)

 

Reloaded - D+ (Horrible story, great action, bad acting, bad plot. This movie was just horrible. X-2 put this movie to shame, even though they did copy from the Matrix with the opening fight scene.)

 

Revolution - C (So-so story, great action, bad acting, okay plot. The ending was really good though, which brings the grade up)

 

I might get flamed for this, but whatever. Hell I even think Fight Club is overrated. But that is a different story and I don't want to get into now. Another time, another thread.

[Mole 0]

I think the problem people had with Reloaded was that it was more storytelling, and less action

But action of a superior class.

Really? I thought Reloaded had WAY too much action and not enough storytelling.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Reloaded was my favourite. Revolutions my least. Revolutions had too much action and not enough of the manic plot twists of the first two. Not that I don't like action, but nothing is Revolutions was as good as the freeway chase either. The first one is good, but the last act of the film doesn't hold up at all compared to the stuff that comes later. Reloaded had the best action, the most weird philosophical stuff that makes absolutely no sense but I love anyways, and the most of my favourite character in the series (Merovingian). I could have done without the rave scene, but it doesn't hurt it that much and once Neo has his chat with the Oracle, the movie doesn't let up.

[NoCalMike 0]

I liked the first one the best and thought it ended just fine and there was no need for any continuation from there on out.

[Guest wrestlingbs]

The first one, if it just stands by itself, is really good. A unique story with stuff both plot-wise and fighting-wise that was never seen by american audiences before.

 

Reloaded was good, but only for the action. But both the acting and the writing take a nose dive. The Wachowski bros. tried to take an interesting idea and give it more depth. Problem was, they not only added so much to what was supposed to be an action movie, but it got to the point where the story ended nowhere near what the original concept was. And any dialogue that has Reeves saying more than two lines is asking for trouble.

 

Revolutions, at least to me, was a joke. Not only did the plot get worse (I really think the Wachowski's just said "F*ck it" and wrote whatever came to mind) but the action was terrible. All the revolutionary thinking seen in I and II was gone. Nothing interesting, just he same CGI machine battles and wirehanging fight scenes that the Matrix series itself made generic. While worth seeing once (and not at ticket price), never again.

[Mole 0]

Wow, people liked 3 less than 2?

 

If Reloaded didn't come out in the same year as 2F2F, it could have been the worst movie of the year. But 2F2F has that honor from me.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

i LUH the first two movies. The're all cyber weirdness and really fancy ass kicking and I have a good time. Yeah the second one saw the story kind of flutter, but it also added two great characters in the Keymaker and the Frenchman. I'm not gonna lie, I saw the 3rd one at IMAX, so all I really remember is flashing lights and bass. Maybe I should see it again.

 

side note, I also really like the music, especially Reloaded. Sometimes I'll watch the fight scenes in Reloaded just to hear the music.

 

I think the reason they get bashed is because of the Trilogy. Not only is the first one the best, but it also stands up by itself, and so when the whole plot started to go people felt like the sequels actually hurt the first one.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I basically just pretend the last two never came out. The first movie as a stand alone is excellent. I was extremely disappointed, but this was my main concern, that they were going to drop the storytelling in favor of all action. And Reloaded got a pass simply because people who want to believe their smart like it for the speech at the end. But let's face it, a lot of that info would've served the early goings of the movie a lot better and the delievery could've been a lot better.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I thought all three were excellent, the third one being my favorite, actually. Especially the ending. I don't get peoples' problem with it.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I love the first one, I think once it stops confusing you and you can understand it it's just great.

 

Reloaded is good, but it seems like they tried to put too much into it.

 

Revolutions was a letdown. I love the Matrix for the one on one fights and hand to hand combat. This one was just about all machine wars, and that just didn't do it for me. And the ending was very "ummm...okay, that's it?"

[Nevermortal 0]

I just saw Revolutions yesterday and I enjoyed it a lot. The battle sequence of the Machines breaching Zion's dock was fucking tremendous. I actually cheered when the Hammer hit the EMP.

 

HOWEVER-

 

I firmly believe that neither sequel had enough BELLUCCI~!

[Ripper 0]

If there were any movies that could possibly be underrated and overrated at the same time its these. There are people that act like they are the worse thing ever put on film or the greatest thing ever put on film.

 

I say it falls somewhere in between. I loved them all, but I wouldn't call the the greatest thing. I think you woudl be hard pressed to call any of them "BAD" movies.

 

I did find the last one to be kinda antilclimatic. Not bad, but not incredible. I think it was a good movie. I still think Reloaded was the best.

[2GOLD 0]

"Enter the Matrix" would have been a superior movie to "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolutions".

 

ETM had the better story, better acting, more intriguing characters and no god damn superman flying like we got strapped with in two and three.

 

The plot for two and three was horrible, it's like it was trying it's hardest to be deeper than it really was and all it did was come off like some college student who thinks they are smarter than you cause they can say the exact same thing only with bigger words.

 

The only positives that came out of it was Will Farrell getting to mock it during that MTV award show.

[Youth N Asia 0]

HOWEVER-

 

I firmly believe that neither sequel had enough BELLUCCI~!

Agreed. If you're going to put her in the movie...THEN PUT HER IN THE MOVIE! She was hardly in the third one at all.

[ulfistgut 0]

Mole had it all correct up until the Fight Club comment, I really didn't like the 2nd and 3rd ones.

 

 

The story isn't hard to understand at all. It's just the layers and layers of philosiphical bullshit ('what is love') that have been tacked on to the film to make it seem clever and intelligent.

 

The 1st had a nice concept and was executed well, the other two were pap with pretty action sequences.

[Nighthawk 0]

There is, of course, the secret plot that nobody understands except me. That one's much better.

[cabbageboy 0]

Here's the problem with the Matrix sequels. They don't give you what you put your money down to see. You go in expecting this WW2 type epic showdown of good and evil, with our heroes finally prevailing, Neo defeating Smith, and the Matrix being destroyed. When I heard about the sequels this is immediately what came to mind. I figured "Hey, they didn't actually DESTROY the Matrix in the first one, they can do it now."

 

Instead we got this bullshit Korean War uneasy peace treaty, a cease fire between man and machine. There's still some stuff I don't really quite get in Reloaded (How does the Architect fit in the hierarchy of the machines? Is he a product of the machines, does he control them as well as the Matrix? Why exactly is the Merovingian holding the Keymaker? Was that his main function in life...just kidnapping the Keymaker so every one of the ONES has to go through him? If not, what did he hope to gain by holding the Keymaker?).

[Mole 0]

I can't even remember all of the plot holes in the movie because I've only seen the sequels once. And I won't see them again because I don't like them.

 

I got Reloaded in the mail because of my Columbia House deal, where they send you a movie even though you don't want it. I kept it, but I never watched it. I eventually traded it in to get MVP Baseball.

[Ripper 0]

I could have used more shots of ZEE when she wasn't bleeding. That was some hot ass woman their.