As a sequel to the Matrix, it didn't live up to the original, not by far.

It has become pretentious instead of interesting, and the gradually developing user-friendly philosophical approach of the first Matrix has made way for straightforward philosophical speeches (e.g. from Morpheus, the Merovingian and the Architect) that could have come from my lecturer. It's a good thing I'm a bit of a nerd and appreciate the references, but the philosophical presentation was not entertaining.

However, purely as a visual action spectacle it is incredible. The highway chase is incredible, the visual style is beautiful, the costumes are great, the fighting scenes are amazing (except for the 1 against 100 cgi fight). Also the new characters are interesting, as long as they're not having philosophical monologues.

Basically: as a standalone action movie with a standard lousy story, it is an amazing visual feast and serves as a great popcorn flick!

People seem to hate this one the most. And then people also seem to hate me for saying it's the only one I sorta like.

Living up to the first was always going to be an uphill struggle but I enjoy this sequel.
I like the characters so it’s fun to see them again whilst the universe is expanded in an interesting way.
My main criticism would be the CGI in the Neo vs Agent Smith scene but it’s not as bad as I remember,
The freeway chase sequence is completely bonkers, in a good way.

If you took the blue pill, please call your doctor immediately if your erection lasts longer than 2 sequels

The sequel to "Matrix" is a huge disappointment for me!

Not as good as the first movie.

The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment in the Matrix franchise and the last good movie in my opinion. This Movie is a fun presentation of the all cool things Neo, Morpheus and Trinity (Perfect Characters) get to do as a fully developed team against the agents in the matrix and the machines in the real fallen world , this movie is just filled with awesome action sequences and just a cool story adding onto the perfect first film. I highly recommend this movie if you liked the first.

The Matrix film series
The Matrix (1999) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-matrix-1999
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-matrix-reloaded-2003
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-matrix-revolutions-2003
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-matrix-resurrections-2021

[HBO Max] Less valued than it should, it is a logical sequel that indulges in the spectacular nature of the action sequences, and a reflection more focused on the ambiguity of the prophecies and who really controls our destiny. It is surprising how many of the sequences in this film are part of our memory of science fiction cinema, how much the Wachowski sisters managed to transcend the fantasy universe.

3 Thoughts After Re-Watching ‘The Matrix Reloaded’:

1. I rated _The Matrix_ a 10. I gave this a 5. The potential for the story, for the world-building, was _immense_. And they dropped the ball big time. I remember this being an incredible disappointment in the theaters, and it still inspires that same reaction.

2. It simply did not have to be _this_ complicated. It was maddening. Everything was explained so effortlessly in the first film, and it reaches an echelon of ridiculousness here. It reached peak absurdity when Neo meets The Architect. My eyes couldn’t have rolled any further listening to that character speak. It didn’t need to be _that_ pretentious.

3. I don’t remember the CGI being _so_ bad. The heavy reliance on it here also hurt the film. The first fight with all the Smith clones was epic… until it looked like a was watching a video game cut-scene. Took me _completely_ out of it. I know they wanted to “up the ante” and that there were only so many technological resources at the time, but it was extraordinarily-disappointing for a series famous for its next-level visuals.

An obvious follow-up to the original Matrix, still holds true to the same formula. A must see (and the finale after this)

A confounding maze of garbage, The Matrix Reloaded is full of bad code. Taking the series in a completely new direction, the story picks up with Zion, the last human city, preparing for a massive assault by the machine army: meanwhile Morpheus carries out a daring mission within the Matrix to end the war by getting Neo into the Source. The writing is rather weak, with cryptic, nonsensical dialog that sounds extremely pretentious. And the CGI is incredibly bad, looking more like video game graphics. The fight choreography is also remarkably poor and fake looking; as it’s over reliant on the conceit that the laws of physicals can be bent within the Matrix. Still, the slick visual style is extraordinarily impressive and is incredibly imaginative. While there are a lot of interesting things going on in The Matrix Reloaded, it’s just too out-of-control to really enjoy.

Nowhere near as good as the first but not bad. The action is fantastic and the highway scene and Smith fight are the highlights of the movie. The story is messy and what really brings down the movie.

OK sequel . Apart from the idea of the matrix itself and the effects for the time these movies don't have much original story telling ideas. More terminator like action. The kiss of life is more or less back. A key master. Superman flying. Use the force Neo? A traitor again! The cheesey ideas are still somehow acceptable to me. The action is great. The heroes journey of the first is re;aced by the story of zion. The story threads can be hard to understand. Not because they're complex but because they're unclear at time.

Even as a 13 year old seeing the Matrix for the first time I had the sense to know that I didn't want any sequels. My imagination was better than having something concrete. 4 years later we had this film and it just bolstered that option. Rewatching now as an adult I can appreciate some aspects a lot more and actually follow the dialogue with The Architect but it still feels like a massive divergence from the original.

Still, its entertaining and visually pleasing.