I went to the sneak preview of the new matrix movie last night with the mindset that somehow seqeuls always suck. As with most things in life i expected the worst and hoped for the best.
After the first one, which i was floored by almost four years ago, i had some high expectations that needed to be met, and just as i though i was let down.
The movie was basicly one big ass kung fu flick,almost no story. Some of the fights, mainly one in the beginning where neo hands out beatdowns with what appeared to be a teather ball pole he rips out of the ground, were fucking excellent. The rest, were seriously fucking weak beyond words. All manner of weapons from guns to swords, spears, and ball and chains were employed and there was narry a drop of blood. Mother fuckers should have been getting cut, stabbed and shot up but it didnt happen, even though there was every opportunity for it to happen. A sword fight would end with someone getting kicked. This movie has an R rating. Stupid.
The cool story that drove the first movie was pretty much nonexistant in this release. We were let to see what Zion was like, which might i add was also weak, and get to see Carrie Ann Moss somewhat nude, if you consider shots of here back and shoulders nudity (weak).
The only part that was not weak was the ten minutes near the end when neo goes to the heart of the matrix and speaks with the "architect" program, who created the matrix. About 8 minutes of incoherent techno blabble ensues as this **** tries to explain the matrix and a few other things which i dont think anyone in the theater including myself understood. This is a spoiler of sorts but apparently this matrix is the 6th iteration of matrix's cause in the others the humans would eventually destroy themselves and it seems that the part of the movie that was supposed to be reality is a matrix inside another matrix or some ****. Im still not too clear on that. They also explain why neo is able to do this **** he does which i will not get into as it would ruin the only good ten minute portion of the movie.
All and all, as with most movies, it was a total let down. Some of the kung gu **** and action makes up a little but very rarely. Considering what is going on in the fights and what the characters are capable of doing in their little virtual world it is very unsatisfying to see people kung-fu fighting with midevil weapons only to end up with people getting thrown and kicked about. Where did the R rating come from? I give it an E for extra-weak.