The Matrix Reloaded (2003) ½
cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harold Perrineau Jr., Jada Pinkett Smith,
and Hugo Weaving
action choreographer: Yuen Woo-ping
director(s): Andy and Larry Wachowski

I am in a minority the size of a french fry of people who did not care for "The Matrix" (1999), which in four short years has gone on to become one of Hollywood's most celebrated Sci-Fi films. In short I found the film's dialogue preachy, most of the supporting cast uninspired, and actor Hugo Weaving's pronunciation of the name Anderson deafening.

I left "The Matrix" convinced I would have much rather had seen 136 minutes of Keanu Reeves doing the limbo (literally) to avoid taking a bullet.

Four years later, I'm eating my words because "The Matrix Reloaded" is nothing but 138 minutes of special effects and action choreography. Sure, they're as sharp as ever, and entertaining, but anything resembling a plot has been liquidated. I didn't really say that I wanted nothing but solid action and special effects for two plus hours did I?

The special effects for "Reloaded" cost $100 million alone and it is present even during the film's tamest moments that dialogue wasn't a high priority. A few choice lines are delivered with such an audible clunk I almost reloaded certain sequences just to make sure I had really heard what was just said.

The film's plot or lack there of, is thinner than any martial arts film I've come across in recent years. The only purpose the script seems to have in one of the year's most anticipated films is to reload confrontations between the principle cast and Agent Smith (reprised by Weaving) and his ilk over and over again.

What little story the script does contain even takes a backseat to persistent lip locking (and even a bizarre sequence of loving making) between Reeves and co-star Carrie-Anne Moss.

Oh, and the matrix is theorized to be only 72 hours away from destroying Zion and that prophecy that Morpheus (again portrayed by Laurence Fishburne) never shuts up about may not be true after all.

Nevertheless, you have to admit that at least for half of the film's runtime it's a lot of fun to see special effects this sharp with action sequences this entertaining even when they're reloaded over and over again.