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May 16, 2003

Run, we're being chased and we're communists

The Matrix II. This will have spoilers, PLEASE don't read it until you see the movie.

Ready?

Okay. The Matrix was fun. Anyone who's heard Sean's theories about the little red pill and the communist Wachowski brothers will have noticed the Oracle's little red candy with satisfaction.

I missed Tank, I missed Switch, I missed Mouse, I missed having a clear and present human villain like Cypher that I could really identify with. I missed the dark and desperate feeling of the first film. This film lacked a lot of that tension, because for most of it Keanu is basically a god who cannot be harmed and who protects everyone he's with. Even his forebodings about his eventual failure to protect someone were sort of tension-free, probably because I felt the Wachowskis were unlikely to entirely eliminate such an important character before the third film.

Basically the tension did not re-enter until the end of the film, and then, just when you're feeling really worried, surprise! He's a god again.

I give this film three stars out of five, but I will also give it another $18 so take that for what it's worth.

Posted by didofoot at May 16, 2003 04:05 PM

Comments

utter crud...2 stars, demoted to 1.5 because of the major disappointment factor. clearly a moneymaking endeavor with no soul and absolutely no story, and many rather stupid features, such as
CAUTION, SPOILER

keanu as superman. what the fuck? oh, hi everybody, europe is great. love, katy

Posted by: kt at May 27, 2003 12:20 PM

I guess I agree with your ideas about the story and soul.

But was it really supposed to have a soul / story? They clearly didn't care much about continuity (eg - Link's wife's "I lost two brothers" speech when Tank survived the first movie). What it seemed they DID care about was prettiness. And boy did they ever have it. I haven't seen a more drool-worthy movie since The City of Lost Children.

In short, I thought it was a bad movie, but a beautiful picture.

Posted by: Jacob at May 27, 2003 02:56 PM

i gotta disagree with you on that - what about amelie? what about frieda, which i can't spell? both very drool-worthy i thought.

Posted by: didofoot at May 28, 2003 08:22 AM

I never did see Frieda, but I conceed defeat on the Amelie front.

Posted by: Jacob at May 28, 2003 08:54 AM

was frieda good? i never saw it because i really don't like frieda kahlo as an artist...but then that doesn't stop the movie from having potential.
and i think the matrix nixed its potential by throwing in too many conflicting metaphors, thereby convoluting whatever message it tried to convey...if any. but maybe it'll make sense in the 3rd movie.

Posted by: jade at May 28, 2003 09:36 AM

freida was a damn fine movie and i had no real opinion on her as an artist before going. i wrote about it somewhere on sushi movie reveiws.

Posted by: michele at May 28, 2003 10:15 AM

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