The Matrix Reloaded

[rmatei]

I stopped by the world premiere tonight, in West L.A. It was nice - got to see everyone from the movie. Reeves, Fishburne, Moss, Weaving, everyone, and plenty of other celebrities - Jodie Foster, Sandra Bullock, Lucy Liu, Cornel West, and FRED DURST.

Of course, I couldn't get in - invitation only - but I have tickets with several friends for the first public showing, next Wednesday at 10pm, at the same theater (Mann's Village in Westwood, possibly the nicest theater in North America).

Is anyone else excited to see it? I imagine doom9 is, since the first one is his favorite movie. Do you expect it will be better than the first one? Have you checked out the incredible trailer (http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/trailer_final_1000v2.html)?

I'll report back next Wednesday - no spoilers, promised. Just felt like starting a discussion - and making some people jealous :devil:

[Doom9]

I'm going to watch the "premiere" here on Friday next week. There will be a couple of pre-screenings prior to Friday but it's going to be one of the first public screenings in my country. Don't spoil it or I'm going to use the strike button :devil:

[BlackSun]

spoiler: trinity is a girl

/me runs :D

[rmatei]

Originally posted by Doom9
I'm going to watch the "premiere" here on Friday next week. There will be a couple of pre-screenings prior to Friday but it's going to be one of the first public screenings in my country. Don't spoil it or I'm going to use the strike button :devil:
Wow - nice to see that the gap between theatrical releases around the world is closing.

trinity is a girl
Bah - can't be. Carrie-Ann Moss is a man.

[int 21h]

A pregnant man, will wonders never cease.

[ultimatebilly]

Well, I actually thought it would be released on the same day everywhere like for example "lord of the rings", because they want to minimize the chances that people will be able to get it in the net before it even starts (well, you can get it in Kazaa for at least three years :D )
I was wondering very much when I read that it will be released sooner in some countrys, in germany it will start on the 21st...
But maybe they are confident that nobody will watch a shitty telesync or cam of matrix 2 before he has seen it in the cinemas...

[ultimatebilly]

Hey, int 21h, that was a spoiler!! Or did you mean in the real world? :D

[int 21h]

She showed up to the premiere very pregnant.

[thekid]

i'm seeing it next Wednesday at 7pm

in a private theatre rented out just for this movie

:D

can't wait

thekid...

[thop]

I dont really care if Carie Ann Moss is a man or not, as long as Monica Belucci isnt :) I hope she has a bigger role though than the trailer suggested, in which she appeared for only a fraction of a second :rolleyes:

[wmansir]

There seems to be a trend for worldwide releases for the Big block busters. X2 just did it also. I think the major reason for delayed foreign releases are the cost of extra prints. (it's around $2500 per print, ~3000 theaters in the US for a normal wide release, X2 was 3700) $.75 Million just for prints, for your average $20 Mil movie that's a significant chunk of change, but for your $150+ Mil blockbuster budget movies it's not that big a deal to order a few thousand extra prints for the foreign markets.

Of course another factor is promotional and marketing resources. Not only does it take more resources to market a world wide release, but there are only 1 copy of the stars, director, ect. So to do a world wide release they have to spread themselves pretty thin doing promotion for both domestic and international press. Block busters like LOTR, Matrix and X2 don't have to worry about this as much either because for the most part they are not star driven movies. Smaller movies really need the stars doing talk-shows and interviews to sell tickets.

Speaking on the topic of star promotion and the Matrix, if you really want a gun/fu action fix try renting Equilibrium. It comes out on DVD May 13 here in the states and has been compared to the matrix for some of it's action. It doesn't use slow-mo or bullet time, but has some really excellent fight choreography. Not in a HK kinda way, but in a way that still looks cool on film.

You may not have heard of the movie because it got horrible promotion. Someone posted (claiming to be part of the production team) on a message board I frequent that the bad promotion was due to the star of the movie refusing to do any personal appearances, so the studio didn't put much money into marketing. For a $20 mil movie the marketing was pathetic, here (http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/equilibrium.html) is the trailer they didn't even put into theaters until a week before it opened. I'm not saying it's a great movie, but it's decent and worth a look if you want some action. I just take pity on it for being screwed by the studio. The DVD release is also kinda screwed, coming out just before the Matrix release it probably won't get much attention.

Man this was a long rambling post. I'm way too tired.

[Fischerbot]

that's the advantage of being a foreign exchange student in America. you can see all the new released movies and don't have to wait until they are translated.

the sad thing about it is that i have to go home (Switzerland) in two months and won't be able to see the the third part of matrix at it's release.

[thop]

fortunately they are a few cinemas here that show the original. i hate dubbed movies!!

[BlackSun]

Originally posted by thekid
i'm seeing it next Wednesday at 7pm

in a private theatre rented out just for this movie

:D

can't wait

thekid...

if that one of the advantages of working @ DXN ? :D

[dTb]

It seems we're a little lucky here in Australia, probably because the movie was filmed here, it comes out on the 15th. I figure due to the time difference this is even before the US. The premiere was last Tuesday the 6th iirc.
It was a similar situation with star wars I think but in general we're totally screwed over here, we're usually months behind. Xmen2 only came out a week or two ago:(

[wmansir]

Originally posted by dTb
Xmen2 only came out a week or two ago:( [/B]

Xmen2 only came out last week here in the states too.

[dTb]

doh! well that shows how much I know. I guess Xmen2 is a big enough movie to demand a prompt release.
Trust me though, a lot of movies are delayed too long for release here. That movie Equilibrium you mentioned wmansir hasn't even been released yet but from what I hear of the US release I don't hold much hope for a local release at all. Probably straight to DVD.

[ppera2]

Ah, this nowaday's youth doesn't have any patience.

I see already comments after watching Matrix 2 : Ah, it was brilliant, I can't wait until November for third part :D

[Jazz]

ultimatebilly wrote:

But maybe they are confident that nobody will watch a shitty telesync or cam of matrix 2 before he has seen it in the cinemas...

Yes, you'd think that an intelligent person doesn't torture himself by experiencing this scintillating piece of art in anything but the most optimal conditions. Personally I feel tempted to schedule an appointment with the two, three great movieplexes in the area for a rigorous interview about the technical specs of the room where they'll project TMR. (Doom9 - we're all ready for a shoot-out comparing screening conditions, now that we've digested the wonderful codec meal you've prepared for us). ;) I fear their confidence may be optimistic though.

[aleksander]

Well...
Don't wanna get into any troubles, but for some of you that don't want to wait to see what's the movie like, you can grab the latest TIME magazine (dated May 12th, US Edition) and read a little bit about it....
But be warned...
They kinda tell you the whole story....

take care guys...

aleksander

[Arky]

Originally posted by int 21h
She showed up to the premiere very pregnant.

Carrie assured me she was on the pill.

Moral of the story - never trust a woman. I learned the hard way! :D


Arky ;o)

[chemmajik]

Looks like we will need a DNA test, I most surely assure you.

:devil:

hehe

[Lord Sandwich]

Here in NYC they're fully booked even for the advance screenings--I just barely got into an 11PM show on Fandango (which tacks an extra $1.50 onto an already-overpriced $10 ticket for the privilege of sending them cash in advance. :rolleyes: )

I wonder if all these night-before screenings are to counter the time difference in Asia? Obviously they can't market a single date and have a truly simultaneous worldwide release without a little leeway.

[Doom9]

10$? I call that cheap. Where I'm from we pay at least $12 for a regular movie. Advanced screenings are rare and hilariously overpriced (but of course, it if comes with a dinner in a fancy restaurant, a vodka martini aperitif and a limo ride it can't exactly be cheap). I think my ticked for Reloaded is somewhere in the area of $13 (I had a friend get it for me).

[Lord Sandwich]

Ugh, $13. I can see that happening here soon. On the flipside, decent-quality theaters in the Philippines charge a mere $1--or $2.50 if it's a posh theater with reserved seats!

[epere4]

$13?? That is 13 US dollars??

I love Matrix, but I am not willing to pay overprice to see the sequel. Here the movie comes on May 22nd and at a regular price of $3,20 aprox, but there are some special days or times of the day where you can go for $2,80 aprox.

CU

[oddball]

I find the biggest problem these days is that some dudes get to see it first and then start blabbling about it on the forums and you have a hard time avoiding all the threads about how it stank or having spoilers all over the place. I think I should just avoid the forums for a week or two while it is out abroad :)

[gldblade]

regular price of $3,20 aprox, but there are some special days or times of the day where you can go for $2,80 aprox Are those US dollars?! :eek:

[dTb]

Originally posted by Lord Sandwich
I wonder if all these night-before screenings are to counter the time difference in Asia? Obviously they can't market a single date and have a truly simultaneous worldwide release without a little leeway.

You might be right, the first sessions here in aus would be sometime during the middle of the night in the US afaik.
Cinema tickets here are about AUD 12 (standard screenings) which is about USD 8 right? Being a cheap arse I go on tuesdays which is about AUD 8 iirc.

[epere4]

Originally posted by gldblade
Are those US dollars?! :eek:
Yeap :D

[Lord Sandwich]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheMatrixReloaded-1122457/

Oh thank God it's fresh! Those initial negative reviews were driving up my blood pressure. :D

[wmansir]

Since the opening is almost here I would like to ask that anyone who posts spoilers give an ample spoiler warning or if enough people want to we can keep it spoiler free for a while.

I was orginally planing to wait until next week to see this to avoid the crowds. But I was showing the HD(ish) Quicktime trailer to my brother and in the middle I was like "damn, I have to see this as soon as possible". My brother agreed so we're going tomorrow night.

[rmatei]

Me and my friends have kind of been watching that trailer every night for two weeks... The graphics are breathtaking. And I'm usually really not into action/special effects-driven movies - but the visuals in this transcend everything, probably even good plot and acting.

[int 21h]

I have my ticket :)

There are some shortcomings in that trailer, but it only became apparent to me after watching it many, many times. (i.e. the Semi that Trinity veers in front of on the motorcycle, has really bad lighting underneath of it).

[Koepi]

Finally got my ticket too. I'm not going to the "usual" show (translated to german here) on may 22nd, but I wait until may 28th. There they show the english original version - the matrix is so much better in original.

It costs 7€ though - is it that much longer than 90minutes? Man, I'm really looking forward to it.

Regards
Koepi

[ultimatebilly]

AFAIK, its 135 minutes...
But 7€ sounds ok, the regular prices for the "prime-time" in the cinemas where I live for movies with that lenght are around 8€...
Still not too expensive compared with what doom9 has to pay for example...
translated to german here
Normally I can live with that in the cinema, but in this case I really wish too they would show the original version...
Have you seen the german version of the trailer?
For example the scene where Neo says "Welcome, fellas!" to the arriving agents just sounds totally stupid in the german version, where it is "Hallo, Jungs!"...
Well, I will see it anyway in the preview on the 21., and then I will see that I can watch it in the OV somewhere later...

[Wilbert]

translated to german here
There should be a european law which forbids post synchronization. Both for cinema and tv.

[ultimatebilly]

When I was in Poland last year, I saw that some TV series were dubbed with one guy speaking all the actors!
It was really funny...
But in the cinema most movies are shown in the original version there, which is quite uncommon here (a friend told me that usually only children movies are dubbed in Poland)...
In Germany, there are a few cinemas which are specialised to movies in the original version, and some multiplex-cinemas show one or two of the movies in the OV...
In Holland it is much better in my opinion than here in germany, more programs in TV are shown in the original version (at least it seems so to me whenever I am in Holland and watch TV)
Here everything is dubbed, but sometimes you can switch to the original language (both mono then of course).

PS.: IIRC, even on the RC2-edition of "Starship Troopers" is a russian track with everything spoken by one guy...

[Wilbert]

When I was in Poland last year, I saw that some TV series were dubbed with one guy speaking all the actors!
lol, and sad of course.

In Holland it is much better in my opinion than here in germany, more programs in TV are shown in the original version (at least it seems so to me whenever I am in Holland and watch TV)
Everything is shown in the original version, except "kid"-cartoons and most commercial breaks.

[kaitsuburi]

Originally posted by ultimatebilly
PS.: IIRC, even on the RC2-edition of "Starship Troopers" is a russian track with everything spoken by one guy...

It even gets funnier and sadder when the movie is too long and the dubbing person changes mid-way :D Talk about change in mood and tone.

I've heard of "video clubs" back in the time of the USSR where a guy would sit at the back of the room and do simultaneous translation...

On a separate note, I can't wait to see Matrix Reloaded!!! And heck yeah, I definitely want the DVD!!! Too bad it's another 3 long weeks before the movie comes out over here and the DVD is going to be a while :(

-kaitsuburi

[thop]

In Poland the movies are dubbed by one guy, thats correct, and in addition to that you hear the original movie in the background at about ~50% volume, which means sound effects too!

[kdiddy]

was VERY VERY disappointed by this movie...too many useless scenes broken up by overdone graphic animation...only thing worth seeing is highway sequence

[Lord Sandwich]

Just got back from the theater. Is it okay to make spoiler-free comments yet?

[kaitsuburi]

No spoilers, please!!!

[wmansir]

I think spoiler free comments are fine. I'm just returned a little while ago and I'm still digesting so I'm not really going make any comments though.

One thing that distracted me was the fact that the theater screwed up the projection. During one scene (at least it was a dialog scene and not a cool action scene) the tracking was off so the picture got split down the middle horizontially, with the top on bottom and the bottom on top. They had to stop the film twice in order to fix it. It went something like this:

Character: See that machine over there?
Screen goes blank, lights come up.
ME: NO!

It also occured to me while waiting for the Revolutions trailer after the movie that Reloaded must have employed more people than any film in history. The credits seemed to go on forever, and most of the time the entire frame was filled with names.

[ppera2]

Why no spoilers?
If someone want write here his imressions about movie, let him to write what wants.

I don't like one sided opinions and childish blisses.

I'm sure they will make good money, whatever whoever will write here :D

[ultimatebilly]

Well, I think spoilers means in this context rather people who tell how the movie ended, and not if they liked it or not...
And I definitively don't want to know how it ends before I saw it!:scared:

[kaitsuburi]

I guess if I really didn't want spoilers I could just ignore this thread, but I know I'd have a hard time stopping myself from peeping :(

oh well. no BIG spoilers please. I'd love to hear if people who saw it were satisfied...

-kaitsuburi

[Lord Sandwich]

Okay then.

Oh dear God it was terrible. IMHO.

I know some, maybe most people will still enjoy this film but I was completely let down in every single aspect. Not even the special effects or action sequences were all that great. Phantom Menace comparisons are right on the money--you'll find the same overindulgences everywhere.

And yeah, I know the hype is too great for Reloaded to meet expectations, but the only thing that kept me from walking out was the fact that it was a Matrix sequel! I forgot about the Revolutions trailer at the end of the credits and frankly I don't care.

There, I guess I got it out of my system. Doom9, when the Reloaded DVD comes out, please don't use it in the codec comparison. :D

[wmansir]

Well I had a night to sleep on it and I have to say I disagree with what has been said here so far. I wouldn't call it bad, but I also can't call it great. The reason is because the movie is basically only half of a film. More so than Empire or either LOTR movies it sets up a lot of questions and doesn't resolve them. Therefor it's hard to judge on it's own. There are definitely some interesting concepts being introduced and depending on where they take it in the next film it could be a total mind-fuck (<-ispell correct this from "mindfuck").

However, this film could definitely use a good editor. Some sections run way to long (both non-action and action sequences). 30 minutes to an hour could easily be cut without significantly harming the film, in fact it would probably help. The pacing is way off. At points I was thinking, come on I want some action DO SOMETHING, then an extended action scene would come along and I would think, ENOUGH ALREADY.

There are characters introduced that I don't care about, nor am I given reason to care. They just seem to take up space. The original focused on 4 people (Neo, Trin, Morph, Smith) with a few of minor characters (Cipher, Oricale, Tank). Then sequel still has the original 4 but adds a shitload of minor characters. In this sense it reminds me a lot more of The Phantom Menace, then Empire Strikes Back.

This is why I can understand the TPM comparisons, but I don't think this film suffers from these problems nearly as much as TMP. There is the above mentioned character bloat but this is a sequel, so the audience is familiar with the core characters already. In TMP everyone was new so everyone suffered from underdevelopment. TMP also had CGI/effects bloat, and that's here too but to a lesser extent.


Sorry to cut this off but I gotta go, let me just say these were mostly my criticisms and even tough it may look like it I didn't hate the movie. If it didn't cost me $8 I would go again today without hesitation but I'm a cheap bastard.

[ppera2]

Originally posted by ultimatebilly
Well, I think spoilers means in this context rather people who tell how the movie ended, and not if they liked it or not...
And I definitively don't want to know how it ends before I saw it!:scared:

It's known well that Matrix Reloaded is in fact only half of second part of Matrix sequel - they said that don't surprise that you feel it's incomplete - Matrix Revolution will continue the story of second part. Therefore is probably relatively short time between 2 parts premiere.

Btw. on www.imdb.com word spoiler has exact meaning - things which aren't good in movie.

[Mole]

I just saw the movie and I agree that it's a bit bloated.

For instance, a kung fu scene was totally unnecessary and the explanation for it was so laughable.

Oh, and the dancing scene also looked totally out of place and seems like it's sole purpose was to make the movie longer.

The car chase scene was good, but that too could have been cut to half.

In fact, if we summarize the plot, it could have probably been less than 30 minutes of screen time.

Instead of making Reloaded and Revolutions two separate movies, they should have just made it into one movie.

It also reminded me of the movie "13 Floor". It wouldn't surprise me if Revolutions has similar revelations as in 13 Floor.

[wmansir]

When I say spoilers I mean information that would spoil (or ruin) your viewing experience if you haven't seen the movie yet. A classic example being if I told you Vader was Luke's father before you saw Empire Strikes Back (I'll assume everyone knows this). Or if I told you the end of The Six Sense before you saw it (some may not know so I won't say). Knowing these things would influence how you look at the film the first time, and at the very least lessen the emotional impact of their revelation.

On a movie site forum I frequent a recent thread was stared "Your worst spoiler experience" and people posted them. The most frustrating was for someone to be waiting in a long line on opening night of a big film (one person said ESB, another Six Sense) and someone from an eariler showing comes out of the theater, walking past the line of people waiting to see the movie, they start a conversation with their friends "I can't beleive Vader was Luke's father....." and everyone waiting to see the movie gets very upset. I'm not extremely uptight about spoilers, but this would make me want to punch someone.

[Mole]

You must be kidding me! Vader is Luke's father? Damn... now I understand what Episode I and II was all about.... :D

wmansir is right about the term "spoiler".

ppera2 I don't see anywhere on IMDB which exactly says that "spoiler" means what you were thinking.

I think you've just misunderstood when people write [spoiler] blah blah [end of spoiler] to mean that they're criticizing the movie. What it really means is that if anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet and don't want to know critical parts of the plot, should not read the comment.

It certainly doesn't mean "things which aren't good in movie", which would be very subjective. Something one person might think as bad, somebody else might think it's splendid.

But the term "spoiler" is exactly what wmansir said.

[thop]

Another movie where spoiling the ending can ruin the whole experience is The Hours.
BTW. why aren't you revealing the ending of Sixth Sense? Everyone know the little boy is in fact an alien! :confused:

[Lord Sandwich]

I don't think the unresolved ending in Reloaded is the problem; you could, for instance, end the first Matrix just when Morpheus is about to succumb to Smith and it still would've been a great experience up to that point. Reloaded on the other hand was filled with yawns and groaners from the opening sequence; if you're like me, you'll be begging for the movie to end whether they answer your questions or not.

This review pretty much sums it up for me (spoilers!):

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030515/ap_on_en_mo/wkd_film_review_matrix_reloaded_3

At least there's still that other Hugo Weaving film to look forward to. :D

[int 21h]

Qualifying what I'm about to type with: I loved the first Matrix. I saw it in the theatre 7 times, it was the first DVD I ever purchased, it was the first DVD I learned how to backup, it was the DVD that a lot of SBC encoding technology was developed and perfected (by nando) on.

I loved it. I thought it was amazing and so many more interesting things have become apparent from various events throughout the movie. I am definitely going back tomorrow for another show.

But hey, what can I say, I'm a big fan of the entire Matrix universe and the various subplots that are now running their course.

The flip side of the coin is, Sequels almost always set you up for disappointment. And I can completely understand if you didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the first, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Except in Soviet Russia, where the movie watches you... almost forgot...

Step 3) Profit!

[nikthebak]

Originally posted by wmansir
A classic example being if I told you Vader was Luke's father before you saw Empire Strikes Back (I'll assume everyone knows this).

That was in The Simpsons, in one of the flashback episodes. Homer walks out of a movie theater in the 80's, and yells "I can't believe Darth Vader was Luke's father!" in front of a huge crowd waiting for entrance to the movie :D

I'm a bit sceptical about the Matrix sequels for several reasons, with one of them being that Monica Bellucci has the tendency to turn any movie into softcore porn...

And what kind of Great Plot Revelations(tm) can you make in a Matrix sequel? The greatest of them all was already made in the first part!

[thop]

Originally posted by nikthebak
Monica Bellucci has the tendency to turn any movie into softcore porn...
Blasphemy!

[wmansir]

Originally posted by nikthebak

I'm a bit sceptical about the Matrix sequels for several reasons, with one of them being that Monica Bellucci has the tendency to turn any movie into softcore porn...You don't know how right you are. A couple of her scenes had a sexual element that I found unnecessary.


And what kind of Great Plot Revelations(tm) can you make in a Matrix sequel? The greatest of them all was already made in the first part! There are definitely major revelations, but they are not fully explained so I'm not sure "how deep the rabbit hole goes". They will change how you view the first movie. Depending on which direction they go it could enhance the story of the original or undermined it.

It could be like 'Aliens 3' where the movie starts out with everyone who survived 'Aliens' dead except Ripley. I couldn't help thinking "This sequel has just skullf****d the last movie" when watching Aliens 3. Or it could be like ESB where knowing about Vader gives 'Star Wars' a different spin.

EDIT: rabbit hole, no whole.

[rmatei]

(Forgive the ranting nature of this post, I am still digesting everything. No spoilers.)


Originally posted by nikthebak
And what kind of Great Plot Revelations(tm) can you make in a Matrix sequel? The greatest of them all was already made in the first part!

Wrong. And that's what makes Reloaded so damn great. I think it's better than the first one, and I mean this honestly, after having slept on it for 24h.

I loved the pacing. The first third or so has been called slow, but it made me admire the Wachowskis all the more - this is not average Hollywood. It's moody, dark and ominous. You need this atmospheric piece to set up the tone of Zion and the events for the rest of the movie. It's then followed by some INCREDIBLE, stylishly choreographed and shot action sequences. The last third brings Major Revelations (tm), but they're not forced or cheesy. The superlative action is surpassed only by the expansive plot.

I'd say that this one messes with your mind more than the first one, and this is from someone who knows the universe of the original inside and out. But being the middle part, this doesn't need to wrap things up neatly. It gives you a glimpse of just how deep the rabbit-hole is; unlike the first one, you don't see the end of it.

Though it was written in a trilogy, Matrix didn't have any guaranteed sequels, so it needed to have a sense of closure. All the loose ends were tied at the end of it, which is one of the reasons why it's a less challenging and less interesting experience than Reloaded. This one's truly a mind-fuck, and the third one will need to bring some major revelations. In many ways, this is shaping up to be the Empire Strikes Back of the Matrix trilogy.

I'll see it again this weekend to absorb it some more. FWIW, I'm not a big fan of the first one, I didn't admire its pseudo-philosophizing, I hate action movies, I've been called a borderline film snob. Yes, this has some cheesy, self-conscious dialogue, and some of the action is over-the-top by normal standards. But within this stylized world, it all fits together into an immensely satisfying experience.

9/10



Even Ebert, who isn't too kind to summer blockbusters, rated it higher than the first. As usual, he's very right (http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/cst-ftr-matrix14f.html), more eloquently than me.

[Lord Sandwich]

Wow, the RM debate is far more interesting to me than the movie itself. I've never seen so many people completely divided over whether a blockbuster film was genius or crap!

Someone should put up a poll.

[Doom9]

there is no spoon....
I just came back from watching Matrix2 for the first time (there will undoubtedly be more as time goes by, both cinema wise as DVD wise) and yes, there was no clear cut ending but we got used to that after LOTR1, and certain scenes might have been a bit too much, yet I still loved it in its own unique way. I was kinda afraid that the whole love story element was going to ruin a good action flick but I was positively surprised. I think I have seen too many movies to not be very critical even about movies whose predecessors I loved, but the story twists definitely made this one interesting. On a codec comparison side of things, after having seen it once I think we have to wait for the shootout scene in Matrix3 to consider other test scenes.
Bottom line, yes it was a sequel with all the obvious drawbacks but I didn't regret a single cent I paid for the ticket, I will watch it again and I will most definitely get the DVD as soon as its out.

[waldok]

Yes, I saw it and all I have to say is ...pshhhh rrrrr pshhhh rrr...

Ooops sorry, I fell asleep again, just like during the movie...:devil:

Waldok:cool:

[ppera2]

I watched it yesterday - it started later in Hungary, probably due to audio dubbing.(Btw. ticket costs 2 to 3 €, while as I heard, in Germany is price 7.5-9 €). In theatre with good audio system.

I don't agree with people which says that film is bad, or that effects are not good. Film is for sure much better than todays average Hollywood movie. But it is not because it is great, but because standards are low today.

Pacing was perhaps good for people which wants only entertainment, but for me rave/sex scene in cave and too much kung-fu with stupid soundtrack was annoying and without any sense for story. Story - I think that they lost a bit - too much acter, it looks forced for me.

What was it what made first Matrix great movie (although I wouldn't put it between greatest movies)? In first place I would put that it had coherent and original story, all parts were logical and in place. Then: innovations in effects, fighting. Direction was good, without unnecessary grandiloquence.
In Reloaded it is often not case. Car chase scene was good and exciting, but we seen better directed ones.
My biggest complain is that movie would be much better if it would be shorter foe some 30-40 min. But then we coming to conclusion that there is no need for third part... And whole ending was made with too obvious intent to force people that watch sequel - I think that it was completely unnecessary, but we better should ask someone who invested hunderts of millions in it :)

[dTb]

Originally posted by Lord Sandwich
Wow, the RM debate is far more interesting to me than the movie itself. I've never seen so many people completely divided over whether a blockbuster film was genius or crap!


I wouldn't say the debate is more interesting than the movie but I agree that it's very interesting. Someone could practically write a thesis on the whole saga, "Hype and it's effect on the movie going public" or something like that.

Personally I thoroughly enjoyed Reloaded, I had no major expectations going into the film, just an open mind and I think that certainly helped. I might reserve my judgement till after a second viewing but I think it's equally as good as the first if not better.
I'm not really a critical cinema goer, I just let the movie take me for a ride and Reloaded was an exceptional one at that.
I lapped it all up and I just don't understand people saying you could have cut 30mins from the movie, I wanted more, more, more.:D

[Doobie]

The movie was a disappointment. It introduced a lot of minor characters that without giving us a reason to care about them. There was little tension in the fight scenes. Neo is superman who could could knock down even 100 Smiths without breaking a sweat. Even Trinity and Morpheous had little problem dealing with the bad programs (unlike the first movie where they could never win a fight).

The beginning of the first movie had us wondering what's going on (how is the person on the phone know everything that is happening). This was natural given the plot. The vagueness at the ending of the second movie is contrived and forced.

One other thing, I'll try not to spoil anything, but Neo's choice Trinity or Humanity, huh? How was humanity put in danger if Neo would choose Trinity? The choice in the first movie, to save Morpheous or himself made sense.

[int 21h]

Originally posted by Doobie
One other thing, I'll try not to spoil anything, but Neo's choice Trinity or Humanity, huh? How was humanity put in danger if Neo would choose Trinity? The choice in the first movie, to save Morpheous or himself made sense.

This paragraph reveals that you did not pay quite enough attention during the Architect scene. You can go back over that scene here: http://www.theantitrust.net/articles/viewarticle.php?articleid=108

WARNING: For anyone that hasn't scene the movie, that transcript obviously contains spoilers.

[Doobie]

Originally posted by int 21h This paragraph reveals that you did not pay quite enough attention during the Architect scene.

Actually, I cought that. I just don't see the urgency that creates the dilemma. (I'm being vague to try to avoid spoiling) Why was the system going to crash "now" instead of an hour later or a month later? This is a problem through the whole movie, there's not much of a feeling of tension.

[ppera2]

I wouldn't bother with seeking some serious and deep plot here...
It's only Rock An'Roll (or Rave or whatewer :) )

[killingspree]

ok,
i've seen it twice now. first the german dubbed version and then the original version. and i have to say that they seriously f***ed up the german one. i liked the german version first because the images were simply wonderfull and the language didn't matter too much in the tremendous fight scenes.
Anyway after seeing the english version i highly doubt that i'll watch the german version ever again. i know this is not an objective judgement. the dubbing was probably not badly made, not technically at least, but in comparison i just did not like it.

oh and the ending kinda sucks, both in german and english :-P

would i go to the movies watch it again? most definitely YES (:

steVe