Film Threat critic Chuck Russel has called it the worst event film ever made, and he's absolutely right. There's essentially no story, the acting is outrageously bad, but not as bad as the dialogue, and even most of the action scenes are way too boring.
How is that possible, you might ask.
Well, for starters, this is the story: The pic opens with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) fighting some of the agents, but then she gets shot and dies? We don't know, since at this point, Neo (Keanu Reeves) wakes up. Yup, it was one of those lame dream sequences.
The plucky crew of the Nebuchadrezzar, including Captain Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), re-enters the Matrix, followed by a return to Zion, where all the saved humans live, near the center of the Earth. We then get to see nearly 30 minutes of a fertility rite/rave party, before we go back to the Matrix, for some pointless action, and an exciting car chase.
Neo talks to the Oracle, who turns out to be just another computer program, before meeting the Architect of the Matrix, who explains that while Neo may be "The One," there have been other Ones before him, who failed as he will.
The dream sequence of Trinity dying occurs in virtual reality, but Neo can save her by reaching into her chest and jump starting her heart after removing the bullet...To Be Continued. I know this doesn't make much sense, but my synopsis is better than the script, trust me. The most unwatchable scenes occur in Zion as Neo and Trinity get it on, but this looks too much like Keanu cavorting with his older brother.
Which brings me to a couple of questions...
- If our heroes possess the technology to enter and leave the Matrix at will, why should they be subject to the Agents? Why not just hack in, and shut down the whole darn thing? How can a hack powerful enough to break through this mind-prison still be crippled in this manner?
- Who is Trinity supposed to appeal to? What is the demo for a leather-clad masculine looking chick with too many wrinkles? Is the idea that when you lose your looks for modeling, you can make it as a movie star?
- And, what's up with this incredibly stilted way of speaking? I guess it was OK when only Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) did it in the original Matrix. After all, that's how he sounded in The Fellowship of the Ring, as well. Maybe the Wachowskis think that speaking bad lines slowly gives them more impact.
- What's the point of Neo fighting with anyone, when he can just fly away, and that's exactly what he does to end every fight?
A BIG disappointment, and unless the third installment is much better, I'm predicting poor DVD sales. Who'd want to see it again, if you could hardly stand watching it the first time?