Matrix Reloaded is cool!

[direstraits]

I have rewatched Matrix Reloaded, and have decided to reassess my first impressions of this movie. Like countless others, I have waited with bated breath for this movie, and upon finishing it found that somehow the movie felt a little too weak for me.

On my recent reviewing, however, I found that I loved almost everything about the movie, from the philosophy to the feel to the action to the great villains. Lawrence Fishburne is just fantastic as Morpheus, and I can't imagine anybody else as Morpheus. Just absolute class, that chap. And the twins - wow. Just cinematography at it's finest - total cool.

And did anyone notice that Morpheus has all the cool lines?

In Zion,
Morpheus: "I do not believe it to be a matter of hope, Councillor, but a matter of time."

In the corridor of doors with the Keymaker,
Neo: "What do you want?"
Smith: "Like you, Mr Anderson, I want everything."
[Cocking of gun and aims it straight at Smith's head]
Morpheus: "Would that include a bullet from this gun?"

Anyone else?

ds

 

[SFG75]

Yeah, it was a good film, I'd watch it again. Usually the sequels are a shadow of the original movie, but this one was really good IMHO. If you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to visit the website which has a lot of interesting information, as well as a neat philosophy section which contains writings about the Matrix. As for quotes, I love the ones by Councillor West.

 

[direstraits]

Actually, I thought both Reloaded and Revolutions were poor compared to the original. But it was not as bad as most people think they are, in my opinion, and part of the reason is the philosophy behind the movies. This is no popcorn movie, this.

I think it very sad indeed that the Matrix movies, being an American movie, has better fight scenes that most of the kungfu movies to come out from HK cinema of late. I know about Yuen Wo Ping, but hey, it's still an American movie.

ds

 

[SFG75]

If you haven't done so already-check out the foreign vs. domestic movies thread-I would appreciate your input as a distant cousin of ours.

Yes, a lot of critics ripped the movie for being a cheap imitation of the first one. You're right though, it still had a cutting edge to it and sought to deliver it's own message.

 

[ruby]

I thought the first film was the best and felt let down by the other 2 films maybe i was expecting more from them!

 

[geneviv]

I loved the first two films. I was so excited about Reloaded I read the philosophy section of the website and rented that animatrix dvd. There was so much philosophy I didn't really connect it all to the film. It didn't really matter though, because it was good on its own.

Revolutions was a big disapointment to me. It relied a little to heavily on special effects.

 

[Martin]

Nothing could ever have lived up to that first film - The Matrix rewrote special effects history. So, are they better than the first film? No. Are they damn good action films, and a good continuation/finish to the story? Yes, very much so.

 

[Kenny Shovel]

I have rewatched Matrix Reloaded...ds

ds, have you seen or read any of the more obvious *Cough*influences*Cough* on the original; I'm thinking of the film 'Dark City' and the first volume of the invisibles by Grant Morrison.

Regards,

KS

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I actually didn't care for the first Matrix that much - I feel it has been /so/ overhyped
The special effects were pretty good throughout the movies though - I especially enjoyed that fist-fight in the rain in Revolutions. The rain drops splattering against the hand as it moved through the air looked amazing

 

[Zolipara]

I liked Dark City better than Matrix. Too much of matrix was dedicated to special effects, especially the last two movies.

I think matrix was influenced by Blade as well. A lot of the costumes and fightscenes are similar.

 

[direstraits]

ds, have you seen or read any of the more obvious *Cough*influences*Cough* on the original; I'm thinking of the film 'Dark City' and the first volume of the invisibles by Grant Morrison.

Regards,

KS

Goodness... sorry this took so long - mountains of stuff to rummage through when your internet connection is crap.

I've not a very good impression of Dark City because I saw it on a very bad copy in VCD. I'll give it another shot if I can, given that lots of people said good things about it.

Invisibles, however, I'm very familiar with. If I remember correctly Grant Morrison was reportedly upset when the Matrix came out because it stole a lot of his ideas. I can see the similarities in the world hidden a world - the sub-subculture within society, etc motive in both Invisibles and Matrix. And yeah, the induction/introduction sequence for the main character in both are similar too. But I think that's where the similarity ends.

The hook for me in the Matrix is the hacker subculture. The reasoning and philosophy makes sense in it's most basic level - I can understand the logic behind the philosophy - like it could even be real. Invisibles, for me, ups the ante of the supernatural and mixes all sorts of stuff - magic and aliens in a totally weird combo.

The jumping off the building in both Matrix and Invisibles do seem uncannily similar, I must admit.

ds

 

[direstraits]

If you haven't done so already-check out the foreign vs. domestic movies thread-I would appreciate your input as a distant cousin of ours.

Okie - will look for this thread...

ds

 

[Martin]

What is The Invisibles you all talk of? Sounds like graphic novel, but I'm not sure.

Sounds very interesting, though.

Cheers

 

[Kenny Shovel]

The Invisibles by Grant Morrison is indeed a graphic novel.

 

[Kenny Shovel]

I've not a very good impression of Dark City because I saw it on a very bad copy in VCD. I'll give it another shot if I can, given that lots of people said good things about it.

Personally I think It's worth a try if you can get hold of a DVD copy. Hard to say why 'The Matrix' took off in a way that 'Dark City' failed to do, but perhaps the addition of cool slow-mo bullet scenes helped?

Invisibles, however, I'm very familiar with. If I remember correctly Grant Morrison was reportedly upset when the Matrix came out because it stole a lot of his ideas. I can see the similarities in the world hidden a world - the sub-subculture within society, etc motive in both Invisibles and Matrix. And yeah, the induction/introduction sequence for the main character in both are similar too. But I think that's where the similarity ends.

I think the thing annoying Morrison most was that he wasn't being acknowledged as an influence, but this is probably more an indication of the differences between working in films and the comic industry. Morrison comes from a world were it's more common for influences to be ackowledged and thanked without the worry of being sued for vast amounts of money.
I'd agree that the main similarities are to be found in the first volume of the Invisibles, but if you read that after having just seen the film I think you do get an understanding of the debt owed to Morrison.

The jumping off the building in both Matrix and Invisibles do seem uncannily similar, I must admit.

Yes, that would certainly be one way of putting it!

 

[Wabbit]

I liked Matrix Reloaded, but not nearly so much as I liked Matrix. I thought the last movie was just awful.

 

[direstraits]

Kenny...

I did read the Invisibles after Matrix, and didn't really see the similarities until I read about Morrison's rant some years later. Maybe, just maybe, it was a huge coincidence and Morrison just imagined this 'slight' by the Wachowski bros.

Wabbit, I did a reviewing of Revolutions after Reloaded, and yes, I do think the last movie is the weakest. And I know which part I didn't like too - Agent Smith. Or should I say, Agent Smiths. Plus nobody should

Spoiler

bring back someone from the dead only to kill her in the next film

. That sucks.

ds

 

[Kenny Shovel]

Kenny...

I did read the Invisibles after Matrix, and didn't really see the similarities until I read about Morrison's rant some years later. Maybe, just maybe, it was a huge coincidence and Morrison just imagined this 'slight' by the Wachowski bros.

ds:

Well, a hell of a lot of invisibles fans saw the similarities and they didn't need Morrison to point them out. The similarities between characters and themes are really quite striking; similarities that at times are masked by the invisibles being a much more complex and less easily accessible piece of work.
I’m not saying that ‘The Matrix’ isn’t an interesting and well made film, or that it lacks originality. I just think it’s a shame that law-suits claiming plagiarism on behalf of the undeserving mean that film makers are now less inclined to acknowledge genuine influences.
It’s also worth noting that before they got pinged by Sopia Stewarts lawsuit claiming plagiarism, they had talked openly about their admiration for ‘The Invisibles’. So maybe, just maybe, the similarities between their film and a comic written several years earlier might be more substantial than an imagined slight.

Regards,

KS

 

[Twilite]

I loved the Matrix, but being a little young didn't notice any of the hype surrounding it or really understand quite how deep it was. Reloaded I loved, was amazing visually and opened up so many doors for Revolutions. Made me see The Matrix in a different light too, brought the philosophical aspects to my attention on top of the special effects (which rocked!)
Hurried to the cinema to see how they ended it on the day of release and was rather disappointed. Seemed to me they gave themselves all these opportunities for twists and turns in Revolutions, but ended up going with the straight forward ending everyone dismissed as being too obvious
(Admittedly I can't remember much of it now, I pushed it to the back of my mind when I was let down by the conclusion, maybe it's worth another try now I'm not expecting so much, like Kill Bill 2)

Speaking of influences, I'd never seen anime before the Matrix, but watched the Animatrix (some was cool, others not so), but after, heard about Ghost in a Shell, which was supposed to have influenced the Matrix trilogy (the homage being the watermelon scene in the first movie) and from there also bought Akira, seeing as the review said "No Akira, No Matrix, it's that important". Anyone seen either of these?

 

[Martin]

Akira is downright amazing, and not at all showing it's age. Ghost in the Shell is supposedly even better, but I've yet to see it. I'm tracking it down as we speak.