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The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Spectacular but flawed and ultimately profoundly disappointing.
The Matrix Reloaded is a spectacular action film and if you see it expecting only breathtaking action and amazing stunts you will not be disappointed as it more than delivers these. However as a follow-up to the original Matrix film it is a profound disappointment in so many ways. I have many problems with the film both in comparison with the original Matrix film and as a movie in its own right.
The first Matrix film for me was not especially about the action it was about the intriguing idea of the Matrix and in fact a large proportion of the first movie was devoted to Neo's quest to discover the nature of the Matrix, and his self-doubt about whether or not he was `The One'. The first time I saw the Matrix was on a tiny screen on a plane, not ideal for a big budget action movie you would think, and yet it still worked. Other interesting points about it included Morpheus' unshakeable belief in Neo, the doubts of the other crewmates of the Nebukannesser, the betrayal of Morpheus by one crew member (played by Joe Pantoliani).
But the sequel has none of the intrigue, tension and intelligence displayed by the original. Sure it's got lots of state of the art action, although none of it matches the impact of the first movie, but the storyline was muddled and unclear.
One thing that grated especially for me included the extended love making scene with Neo and Trinity and the accompanying mass dance/orgy. The production and costume design for the city of Zion seemed poor it was the type of thing that I would expect from a TV series not a bug budget film the Zion costumes were a kind of grungy hippy style mixed up with some eastern influences. In fact the whole story line concerning Zion and its attempt to repel invaders was poorly handled and the eventual battle was not actually shown just discussed between characters.
The script was poor and the dialogue often cheesy.
The cast of the film were in general no more than acceptable, which is probably as much as you might expect in a movie like this. Of the main cast, the standout performance was given by Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith and in the supporting cast,
Finally, if you sit through all the credits at the end of the film (and believe me, there are a lot) then you also get to see a preview of the final film in the Matrix trilogy Matrix Revolutions.
Overall, a spectacular, but also disappointing and in some places extremely poor follow up to a ground breaking original film. The Matrix Reloaded delivers the action that many will have been hoping for, but fails to provide a fully rounded cinema experience. It is absolutely no match for some of the other high quality blockbuster films we have seen over the past year, such as Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and X2. Unlike these three films, I have no particular desire to see The Matrix Reloaded again and I will not be buying a copy on DVD. Not recommended - however if you are going to see this film anyway, then by all means see it on a big screen with big sound where you can get the full impact of the action sequences, even if they are pretty meaningless.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Spectacular but flawed and ultimately profoundly disappointing.
The Matrix Reloaded is a spectacular action film and if you see it expecting only breathtaking action and amazing stunts you will not be disappointed as it more than delivers these. However as a follow-up to the original Matrix film it is a profound disappointment in so many ways. I have many problems with the film both in comparison with the original Matrix film and as a movie in its own right.
The first Matrix film for me was not especially about the action it was about the intriguing idea of the Matrix and in fact a large proportion of the first movie was devoted to Neo's quest to discover the nature of the Matrix, and his self-doubt about whether or not he was `The One'. The first time I saw the Matrix was on a tiny screen on a plane, not ideal for a big budget action movie you would think, and yet it still worked. Other interesting points about it included Morpheus' unshakeable belief in Neo, the doubts of the other crewmates of the Nebukannesser, the betrayal of Morpheus by one crew member (played by Joe Pantoliani).
But the sequel has none of the intrigue, tension and intelligence displayed by the original. Sure it's got lots of state of the art action, although none of it matches the impact of the first movie, but the storyline was muddled and unclear.
One thing that grated especially for me included the extended love making scene with Neo and Trinity and the accompanying mass dance/orgy. The production and costume design for the city of Zion seemed poor it was the type of thing that I would expect from a TV series not a bug budget film the Zion costumes were a kind of grungy hippy style mixed up with some eastern influences. In fact the whole story line concerning Zion and its attempt to repel invaders was poorly handled and the eventual battle was not actually shown just discussed between characters.
The script was poor and the dialogue often cheesy.
The cast of the film were in general no more than acceptable, which is probably as much as you might expect in a movie like this. Of the main cast, the standout performance was given by Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith and in the supporting cast,
Finally, if you sit through all the credits at the end of the film (and believe me, there are a lot) then you also get to see a preview of the final film in the Matrix trilogy Matrix Revolutions.
Overall, a spectacular, but also disappointing and in some places extremely poor follow up to a ground breaking original film. The Matrix Reloaded delivers the action that many will have been hoping for, but fails to provide a fully rounded cinema experience. It is absolutely no match for some of the other high quality blockbuster films we have seen over the past year, such as Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and X2. Unlike these three films, I have no particular desire to see The Matrix Reloaded again and I will not be buying a copy on DVD. Not recommended - however if you are going to see this film anyway, then by all means see it on a big screen with big sound where you can get the full impact of the action sequences, even if they are pretty meaningless.
The Beach (2000)
Nothing like as bad as some people would like you to think
OK, I haven't read the book, so I can't compare the film to it. However, on viewing the film for the first time, I was extremely surprised to see that it is actually quite good. From what some people have written here, saying that means that I don't deserve to live, but it is my opinion and as valid as anyone elses. I think that a lot of the negative feeling must arise from people hoping that Leonardo DiCaprio would make a bad movie because of his success with Titanic. I think the problem is simply that this is not a mainstream movie, and it's just not going to appeal to a lot of people who have no taste for movies that require you to think. I think that Leo made quite a brave choice in doing this movie as he could have done anything he wanted. If it wasn't for Leo being in it and the consequential hype surrounding this movie at the time of release, etc, it probably would have become a cult favorite. Even now, I think there is a chance that it will be rediscovered in a few years.
The Score (2001)
Mediocre
This is a thoroughly ordinary film that is not lifted by the cast of Edward Norton, Robert de Niro, Angela Bassett or Marlon Brando!! With this cast, I really expected something good, but it was a great disappointment.
Robert de Niro was badly miscast - these days he doesn't seem to be able to pick a good movie. Edward Norton was slightly better but wasted - he was better in Red Dragon (where he was also miscast). Marlon Brando was hardly in it at all.
It's just about watchable, but barely. I wouldn't bother unless you have nothing much else to do.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Disappointing
I had no expectations for this film, having never read any of the books, and I saw it nearly a year after it came out at the cinema, when a friend bought a DVD copy for her kids.
I love fantasy and sci-fi movies and TV and usually have no trouble in getting into this type of movie. I loved The Fellowship of the Ring and Spider-Man. I was therefore surprised to be rather disappointed with the first Harry Potter movie, it was rather cold and uninvolving for me.
The film seemed rather long, and towards the end I lost the thread and my interest in the film, by the end I was not really bothered whether or not I even saw it through to the finish.
The acting was average, despite the obvious talent the film-makers had gathered together. The special effects were obviously well done, but in the end, I just didn't care.
Joyride (1997)
Better than expected
I watched this movie because it starred Tobey Maguire. I read some comments and a review or two beforehand and as a consequence I expected it to be dire. However it wasn't, though it wasn't particularly good either. The performances were average, except for Benicio del Toro who was awful. The script definitely needed some work - there were a lot of loose ends dangling around that could have been tied together. Tobey Maguire is the lead actor, but towards the end of the film it seemed that his role tapered off in relevance to the story.The direction was flashy in a pointless sort of way. There were hardly any close ups used. I would recommend this film only really for die-hard Tobey Maguire fans as it is interesting to see him in a early role, before he got to work with first class directors of the likes of Ang Lee, Lasse Hallstrum and Woody Allen who he has obviously learned a llot from,since his performance in this film is a million miles away from his work in Spider-Man or Pleasantville or any of the other excellent films he has done in recent years.