Matrix Refilled
May. 15th, 2003 04:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jazzfishCan't sleep, Smith will get me.
Short spoiler-free form: second half better than first half; first movie found a better balance between the philosophizing and the kicking of butt. FX, of course, r0x0r3d, but there was nothing as subtly cool as Smith's disintegration from the first film, or even a shot as superkeen as the down shot of spent shells ejecting from the automatics. I prefer my fight scenes to have guns, as opposed to Keanu Reeves. Eagerly awaiting the third film. Second half gets 3.5 stars, first half gets 2.5, average of three stars.
The fact that the presence of The One is a glitch disappoints me greatly. I was really hoping everyone would be able to transcend and control the Matrix. On the other hand, the fact that this is Matrix Number Six is quite the cool idea.
Basically, my problem with the film is that the script just wasn't as good as the first one. In M1, things are gradually revealed, and you're on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what's going on. M2 starts out without secrets. It's got the way cool opening with Trinity and Agent *mumble*son kicking butt, but then the first half-hour or so is ... just another movie. There's plot exposition and it drags. Keanu Reeves beats up a couple Agents, and it ... not quite drags, but a lot of the fun of the first movie was the tension in the fights; here you know for a fact that Keanu will pound the tar out of them.
(I recognised Commander Lock because he was Aaron in Titus. Between him and Saturninus/Nightcrawler, that movie's just everywhere.)
The Merovingian was a doofus. The Locksmith was a neat idea but not really much of a character; ditto Seraph. The twins are cool. Persephone was ... interesting, and I hope she gets more developed in M3. They get coolness points for including the Architect at all; he's neat. There wasn't really anyone as cool as Switch, though. ("Not like this... not like this.") Or even Apoc.
Hugo Weaving (Agent Elrond) continues to rock my world. The trailer at the end implies that he'll be a big part of the conclusion, which is fine by me. Gloria Foster (the Oracle) is also way cool; I don't know what they're going to do for her part in the conclusion, as it's sort of necessary.
See you in November.
Short spoiler-free form: second half better than first half; first movie found a better balance between the philosophizing and the kicking of butt. FX, of course, r0x0r3d, but there was nothing as subtly cool as Smith's disintegration from the first film, or even a shot as superkeen as the down shot of spent shells ejecting from the automatics. I prefer my fight scenes to have guns, as opposed to Keanu Reeves. Eagerly awaiting the third film. Second half gets 3.5 stars, first half gets 2.5, average of three stars.
The fact that the presence of The One is a glitch disappoints me greatly. I was really hoping everyone would be able to transcend and control the Matrix. On the other hand, the fact that this is Matrix Number Six is quite the cool idea.
Basically, my problem with the film is that the script just wasn't as good as the first one. In M1, things are gradually revealed, and you're on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what's going on. M2 starts out without secrets. It's got the way cool opening with Trinity and Agent *mumble*son kicking butt, but then the first half-hour or so is ... just another movie. There's plot exposition and it drags. Keanu Reeves beats up a couple Agents, and it ... not quite drags, but a lot of the fun of the first movie was the tension in the fights; here you know for a fact that Keanu will pound the tar out of them.
(I recognised Commander Lock because he was Aaron in Titus. Between him and Saturninus/Nightcrawler, that movie's just everywhere.)
The Merovingian was a doofus. The Locksmith was a neat idea but not really much of a character; ditto Seraph. The twins are cool. Persephone was ... interesting, and I hope she gets more developed in M3. They get coolness points for including the Architect at all; he's neat. There wasn't really anyone as cool as Switch, though. ("Not like this... not like this.") Or even Apoc.
Hugo Weaving (Agent Elrond) continues to rock my world. The trailer at the end implies that he'll be a big part of the conclusion, which is fine by me. Gloria Foster (the Oracle) is also way cool; I don't know what they're going to do for her part in the conclusion, as it's sort of necessary.
See you in November.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-15 08:23 am (UTC)BTW, want me to bring your cello to Patrick's or do you want to get it? I want to know the best way to transport it without harming it.
(no subject)
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Date: 2003-05-15 02:24 pm (UTC)The start didn't do much for me--some exciting scenes with no explanation, some gratuitous One/Three lovin', and then it got interesting. Later in the movie when the opening scenes showed up, well, that rocked. :)
The Arthitect's diatribe was excellent, too.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-15 02:34 pm (UTC)Don't abandon the "everyone can become the one" thing... After all don't forget the orphans, who *could* do all sorts of tricks with reality. And morpheus and trinity can do amazing things. But, and I think this is the key, they don't believe they're the one. So they can't do the things neo can, otherwise there wouldn't be a one; there'd be a three, or a ten, or whatever... But then, Trinity is named Trinity... I think the oracle is playing her own game - some of those AI's in the system have developed an extreme sense of self, and she likes people too much. The architect can't comprehend her ultimate goals because it views her through its own concept of striving for mathematical perfection, instead of perfection of spirit.
Speaking of Smith. Smith was beloved of the source and one with the Word... Plugged in, and head of the holy host. Until he met Neo, and fell from grace. After all, when you have a christ figure, you need a Lucifer...
And I see aspects of both the obvious female divine in the Oracle, and possibly the snake. For Neo ate of the chocolate chip cookie of good and evil, and gained the knowledge of the one. And in this movie he ate of the jujube of good and evil and gained the knowledge of himself...
And the concept that all the myths of our world, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, the greek gods (persephone anyone?), the meroviginian dynasty, all did exist in a previous version of the world that still echos in this one, is pretty cool...
(no subject)
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Date: 2003-05-16 11:30 am (UTC)The One I got wasn't supposed to be a glitch. The glitch were the disobedant souls who felt the need to escape the Matrix. The One was a control for that glitch, which is even more diobolical. The fact this is the One 6.0 is cool. I wasn't unhappy the Locksmith wasn't uberdevolped. I did care when he croaked.
I'm very intrested in where they go with Agent Smith. I'd wanted an Agent to escape the Matrix, I was intrested to see how they would pull it off. I wanted more werewolves and vampires, but I don't think they could have done it without being hokey (but wouldn't it have been cool if Neo had to collect all the bullets together and make a sword out of them? muhuhaha).
The Merovingian was kinda comic relief compared to the other villans in the movie. Persephone was cool. In general Reloaded wasn't as mind bending as the first one, which is okay with me. It is the Empire Strikes Back of this triolgy, and it's job was to whack me in the face with pretty pictures and leave me wanting for more.
And it succeeded.
Peace.