The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Loved the idea of a sequel to The Matrix, hated the hit-and-miss execution. Loved the stunts, hated the deep-dish speechifying -- Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) sounds like James Earl Jones hawking Verizon. Loved how those cyberpunk hotties Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) wanted to get it on, hated how unsexy it was when they did. Loved the Oracle, hated the Architect -- the windbag who calls cool-dude messiah Neo "the eventuality of a systemic anomaly." Keanu's brow furrows…

In the trilogy's second installment, Neo, Trinity and Morpheus continue their battle against the Machines both in and out of the Matrix as mankind has just 72 hours before the Machines destroy the human city of Zion.

Story

Sadly, The Matrix sequel suffers from too much anticipation, too much talk and too much action--an obtuse shitstorm apparently resulting from writer/directors the Wachowski brothers' theory that if they throw enough at you something's gotta stick. While the first movie's…

A glorious mess, this hotly anticipated sequel to history's most mind-altering action flick leapfrogs from yawn-inducing monologues to jaw-dropping chase and chop-socky sequences. Watching the storyboards come to life in the slick behind-the-scenes segment redoubles your sense of the directors' staggering technical achievement. But "extras" on the making of the movie-branded sports-drink ad campaign and the universally panned video game remind us that the real Matrix is programmed by marketers. …