The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Retrospective/Review - The Matrix Retrospective, Part 2

[@Kujakuseki01]

Reloaded is definitely a weaker movie than the original, but the freeway scene is truly one of the best action scenes in a film ever. The fact that it’s nearly all practical is truly astonishing and your brain knowing it’s real makes it so much more compelling.

[@proxyone890]

I agree and at the same time, it is the most uneccessary part of the whole movie. What I liked about the first Matrix is that every action sequence had some importance to the main plot. You cut out the highway chase and you lose absolutely nothing story wise

[@combatwombat2134]

​@@proxyone890 it's an interesting case study, perhaps, in action for action's sake. Whilst I think I'd argue it's fair to expect a scene to progress the story, I could accept an argument for a pure adrenaline kick to just have that white-knuckle action, I think? Is spectacle enough of its own justification? Personally I find the scene really memorable, after all these years, so I'd argue so. I do think it's interesting noting your point that it is actually an unnecessary scene regarding the story progression.

[@proxyone890]

@@combatwombat2134 The music and action is great and yes, very memorable. But it is still a missed opportunity. They could at least use the highway chase to show how the rest of the crew is vulnerable without Neo. Make them make mistakes, emote, make them bleed. At no point did I get the sense that anyone is in some serious danger. The only thing that got a beating was the car. But it's hard to feel invested when everyone is fighting like robots with zero facial expressions. And it's not like Wachovskis don't know how to do it. They made this super short confrontation between Smith and Morpheus in the first movie twice as tense and meaningful than what the whole highway chase part was. How? You could actually see Morpheus progressively getting overwhelmed and hitting his limits against Smith. And most importantly you could see it in his expression. It was dirty and bloody and you really got the sense that someone is getting seriously hurt. The chase is a great set piece, but we all know what happened there. They were brainstorming what to do for the sequel and someone had this brilliant idea for a cool car chase. Unfortunately nobody thought too hard about how to incorporate it into the story or what the actors should do besides learning some moves.

[@bryanschmidt7336]

Disagree. Only Godfather II and The Empire Strikes back can compare as sequels to this film. The strong carry-through to Matrix Revolutions sets this trilogy apart in a universe occupied by only, maybe, LOTR

[@choosecarefully408]

My feelings towards comments like "but the action scenes were great" will always be "then just mount action scenes if nothing else matters or was memorable." & even then, their _S C A L E_ was what was great. The scenes themselves? The problem with those martial arts scenes is any time you see a character go from making great moves to *not* making them. The ghosts annoyed me because I had no idea how or why they were vulnerable to fire. Did anyone ever hear of a ghost story that ended with a ghost being destroyed by an explosion or fire? Everyone told me I was stupid though for not realizing they were dead. If Neo could think Agent Smith into pieces before, there was no reason to even have him fighting him hand to hand. That state of mind most people get into by being spoon-fed stories gets broken in my mind when the story has zero internal inconsistency. So taken all together, it was just a lot of effort to excuse set design & action sequences, but for no apparent reason outside of doing them. The story sucked even as a backdrop to all of this with David Chong's replacement's interactions being total wastes of time & space while being exactly as interesting as *_all the other_* personal interactions. Except the kid idolizing Neo. He was just 100% annoying.

[@ElysiumCreator]

Something scary I realized is that I have never seen the actor for the Architect ever appear in anything else, it’s as if he is the Architect, for me at least

[@bastadimasta]

Don't worry He will return in another movie 100 years later.

[@Shervin86]

He's not an actor by profession, he makes chicken... 🤭

[@NoSuRReNDeR001]

@@Shervin86 there may be a "colonel" of truth to that.

[@Shervin86]

@@NoSuRReNDeR001 🤣🤣🤣👌🏼👌🏼

[@ECKohns]

He was in Hacksaw Ridge.

[@GregsGameRoom]

The Chateau fight is probably my favorite of all of them. The music and the pacing are just perfect. Also, no Burly Brawl style CGI showing here, it's all (at least looks) real.

[@MikeBlaze718]

Neo and the Smith clones are extremely powerful programs performing incredibly complex movements, their codes may take up so much virtual dataspace that even the Matrix program is unable to render it realistically (similar to how videogames can run slower when the graphical output is more than the console's processor can handle).

[@UnleashthePhury]

@@MikeBlaze718 Great explanation - it's not meant to look real. It's feeding you information about the fight and the characters organically, it's not just there to show off.

[@MikeBlaze718]

@@UnleashthePhury that’s why there’s weird sounds like dominos falling and bowling ball pins dropping. The simulation doesn’t understand what’s going on!!

[@MrAden1307]

@@MikeBlaze718 Amazing to me how people still don't understand that sequence. It's like they want it to be in the real world so much. They not only dislike the CGI but they don't even understand WHY it's CGI 😂 Like for some strange reason. They forget it's the matrix simulation being played with by Neo and Smith. Glad you pointed out the bowling ball sounds. Perfect example of how the directors expressed it to the audience. It's not even subtle in the context of the scene. But folks miss it completely 😂

[@mitchellwooldridge5118]

6:55 Keanu just sitting there kung-fuing during the interview like it's nothing. What an absolute legend! :)

[@MarkTyger]

I've come to deeply appreciate the Matrix Trilogy as a whole, as a grand and ambitions tale with an iconic stye and deep, meaningful themes. And I appreciate even more that the Watchowski's dared to do more with the concept than merely bring wire-fu to the west in a context that was more palatable in an age before Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was mainstream. The Matrix was doing top tier comic book world building on the big screen without a pre-existing fanbase to shore it up, almost 20 years before Marvel would try the same thing with some of the most well known character histories in comics. Ambitious indeed. And the Animatrix was wild as well, with the Second Renaissance being truly mind-blowing. I get why people were disappointed at the sequels after the wild novelty of the first film, but I wan't one of them.

[@ThomasSorensen1]

Yeah dude, I freaking loved the second movie

[@donwhitty]

Don Davis' reloaded suite is a masterpiece, the music when trinity is resurrected is glorious

[@Icypenguigo]

I don't care what anyone says, I love both Reloaded and Revolutions, despite their flaws! Yes, they may have some weird and ungainly scenes, but I still find them supremely enjoyable. Another great video, Rowan! Are you planning to cover the Animatrix at all?

[@nicotampa]

Some of my favorite scenes in cinema of all time are in this movie. Im so thankful they exist. When someone tells me we only have 5 minutes to do something, in my mind I hear Trinity saying “In five minutes, I'll tear that whole goddamn building down.” 😂😂

[@bekkison]

I always enjoyed The Matrix sequels. You can't compare them to action/sci-fi films, but instead to Anime. They mirror Akira in tone almost exactly. Act 1 is mostly action, Act 2 is lots of weird science experiment stuff, and Act 3 is a big giant mutant threatening to destroy everything. The Matrix is mostly action/mystery, Reloaded is the world building/exposition, and Revolutions is the giant virus threatening to destroy everything.

[@TheHopperUK]

The Agent Smith stuff, how *he* is the anomaly that ends up freeing the humans and ending the endless war, is my favourite aspect of these movies and I look forward to the third video where I bet you're going to talk about it. Amazing

[@kevinalford]

You have to fight against the system until you break a part of the system that can finally bring down the whole thing.

[@TheOnestArab]

Smith wasn't the anomaly.. the one was. The virus smith happened as an inevitable result to the anomaly's choice to Not re-populate/re-load the matrix. All of the previous anomalies made the reloading choice. The anomaly, as explained by the architect, is the necessity to allow humans to make free choices, which the matrix HAD to allow for the system to function in the first place. These free choices add up with time, culminating in a system failure.. so the machines gently 'guided" these bugs into 1 guy, i.e. the "one", so the thing can be dealt with regularly and in a clean way.

[@domlitt9001]

@@TheOnestArab where do y’all get that this is the first time neo made that choice. The tvs behind him shows that he never goes through the other door, he chooses to save her every time.

[@TheOnestArab]

@@domlitt9001 The TVs weren't memories of things happened! They were ALL the probable answers he could have said at the moment. Also, you can clearly see they were way more than the 5 or 6 previous Neos.

[@domlitt9001]

@@TheOnestArab go rewatch it, the tvs definitely showed all of his different reactions

[@Sonicgott]

Unlike most people, I perfectly understood what the architect was talking about to Neo in the matrix. But I can understand fully why some people would’ve been confused and bored. People generally don’t communicate with large words very often.

[@Kujakuseki01]

Story wise, having the scene with the architect be the climax of this movie is problematic for Revolutions imo. It’s a phenomenal plot twist to find that The One is part of the system of control and Neo is the 6th one in a cycle. It’s truly a brilliant twist.

[@jasonblalock4429]

It works in terms of Neo's character development, tho. I'd argue that the climax isn't the Architect's revelation, but rather Neo's reaction to it. He finally makes an actual choice for the first time in the film, and it's NOT the choice he was expected to make. He's rebelling against the system again, choosing his heart over the machine's cold logic. And in particular, the turning point is his resurrection of Trinity. The Architect specifically told him that she would die, and there's nothing Neo could do to stop it. Except he DID stop it, and demonstrated that the Architect is not all-knowing. He showed that this Neo truly did have the potential to be different from his predecessors and bring real change. That's the climax. Then Revolutions shows the consequences of Neo's decision, and how he overcomes the new problems he created.

[@ideologybot4592]

I will always believe that the third film should have had Neo finding out that Zion and the real world were another matrix, one with a miserably difficult environment and ready-made insurgency against the machines to keep the malcontents occupied. When I saw the end of Reloaded, I was absolutely sure that would be the next film. The thematic impact of it would have been more relevant and far more disturbing, and better. And it would have been fifty times harder to write that third film starting from there, and I'm pretty sure that's why they didn't do it. That's the limit for the Wachowskis.

[@icebough4191]

Really though, the twist is so remarkably compelling. Making it so that Neo can’t win in the end without the help of the machines and making a bargain to delete Mr. smith in my estimation is a genuis way to end the films There were a lot of missteps along the way . But I believe there is about a 3 hour fan edit somewhere that maintains the primary story beats and continuity of consolidating the 2 sequel films into one that gets rid of all the bad pacing and redundant dialogue

[@hyperlance]

I still remember hearing the theroy that the reason why the neo and multiple smith fight scence was so obviously CGI was because the matrix was having trouble rendering the fight scene. Which made sense in a weird way LOLz

[@r0bw00d]

You know what's funny? Keanu really did do the CGI parts, but the stark contrast between him and the CG Smiths meant that a CG overlay model had to go on him.

[@muchanadziko6378]

it's a cool idea, but it doesn't make any sense The matrix is capable of handling god knows how many billions of humans at once, but gets lagged because a hundred or so new characters are to be animated?

[@hyperlance]

@@muchanadziko6378 not the matrix itself, its the people watching the matrix i.e. us, not having the hardware to keep up with it. Have you ever played MMO and suddenly in a zone with 50 other people, the game laggs to crap.

[@ZigUncut]

The chateau fight is my favourite of the whole saga. And the mtv matrix parody is the best mtv parody.

[@ilejovcevski79]

The introduction of the new concepts IMO isn't what harmed this film. Rather, it's the inability to reconcile some of those concepts with the established chain of events and resorting to handwaving the issues. Then we have also the lack of balance between action and intellectualism that the first movie is so well known and appreciated for. What we got here instead, is a movie that tries to be too much of both, without connecting the two and in the end resulting in actually feeling "dumber" for it. And this comes from a guy that actually found the architect scene to be his absolutely favorite one in the entire movie.

[@theothersparrow]

I loved Reloaded/Revolutions from release day and still do... possibly more than the first one. They only get better with time for me.

[@anthonywatkins462]

I love the added element of the highway sequence where everyone comments on Morpheus' rule of staying off of highways.

[@leesweets4110]

6:00 Rowen: /showing a scene from deep within the earth, near the core where its still warm/ "Very little was shot on location"

[@projectfanboy]

If you watch Matrix 2 and 3 back to back they both really build each movie up beyond watching them separately.

[@stephenramsey5585]

Yeah, they should really be treated as a single film with an interval; they were shot, written, and released as one story. As far as I'm concerned, the Matrix is a trilogy with Resurrections being the third entry.

[@mr.voidroy6869]

But they are not the same film so they must be reviewed separately. Thats mainly the directors fault.

[@flobo23]

As much as i agree

[@flobo23]

Überflüssig waren die schon

[@theothersparrow]

They really shouldn't be watched separately; they're basically a single, particularly long film.

[@frankchavez519]

On another note, I live just a stone's throw from Alameda, California where the freeway chase was filmed. The car chase leading into the freeway scene was filmed in downtown Oakland. I smile every time I see the AC Transit bus go by in the background.

[@NoSuRReNDeR001]

"a beautiful mess" - simple elegant and true... the visuals are absolutely stunning (still mostly) and that freeway chase is still a wow.

[@Haruspis7]

My headcanon for the rubbery CG sequences during the Burley Brawl has always funnily enough been "video game logic" - that Neo and Smith are moving so fast and there's so much runtime complexity concentrated in this fight with the numerous Smith clones that the Matrix is itself having to sacrifice resolution for framerate lol

[@stonebaxter]

The Matrix in THE MATRIX seemed closed to our real world. The Matrix in THE MATRIX RELOADED seems like a neo-fantasy world lacking real world things like guns and violence (where the first one excelled). A sanitized, marketed version of the unique first movie. Full of spectacle but hollow in substance or genuine artistic intent.

[@CantankerousDave]

16:30 - counterpoint: each action scene went on waaaaaaay the eff too long, more so with all the slo-mo. This is the movie where it became clear that the Wachkowskis desperately need someone to tell them “enough.” Every movie they’ve made since has had this same problem.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I thought Resurrections had fixed the pacing tbh. But I definitely agree when it comes to everything before and including Cloud Atlas

[@chelmrtz]

Watching that scene again where Neo resurrects Trinity makes the point of the 4th movie even stronger: Neo and Trinity together are so powerful and their connection is so important. I love that

[@SamuelDPyke]

I love these reviews in general. Rowan manages to remain so positive and uplifting. Even if the movies do have some serious flaws. He points those out, yes, but nevertheless there is always the enjoyment and positivity. I think that this is something really special.

[@Scripture-Man]

Holy cow, they actually built a 1.5 mile-long highway set for this film! You have to give them credit for the sheer amount of hard work they put into making this. Even though my friends and I were disappointed when we came out of the cinema, we'd been blown away by the action sequences, especially that incredible highway scene. Oh and 6:53 is SO awesome!

[@petekwando]

I think you are spot on with the leaden exposition, but I see this as part and parcel of the sequels' overall ambition. In both the Architect and The Merovingian, the Wachoskis were attempting to portray what it must be like communicating with an intelligence far beyond our own. In retrospect this would have been better conveyed through showing how these machine intelligences were always one step ahead, rather than long monologues chock full of 20 cent words.

[@Sekir80]

I like your picture!

[@devox3291]

good point!

[@r0bw00d]

I think you mean $20 words.

[@William-the-Guy]

The first one is an ancient fable with a cyberpunk setting. It's a retelling of Plato's allegory of the cave. A single, focused lesson, told in an interesting way. Question assumptions. Wake up from the sleep you've in your whole life, don't be fooled just because everyone else has bought into the lies. Free your mind. Simple. Beautiful. The sequels did not have that kind of focus. They were sort of flailing around trying to guess what people liked about the first one, but without the focused philosophy that made the first one feel deep. The sequels were ok movies. Good fights, acting special effects, etc... but they lacked that exciting spark the first had that made it feel like an ancient fable in a cyber punk setting.

[@xBINARYGODx]

Less focused, yes - but "They were sort of flailing around trying to guess what people liked about the first one" is just a garbage thought you likely lifted from someone on reddit or in a youtube video - they were clearly not worried about the audience in the way you describe. Anyway, none that is why those movie disappoint, its because the pacing it crap, and it doesn't really need to be two movies.

[@William-the-Guy]

@@xBINARYGODx Clearly a garbage thought? So... what? You just post on random internet discussions trying to start flame wars right out of gate? Have you ever heard the expression "disagree without being disagreeable ?"

[@kaitlyn__L]

We must’ve had the same philosophy teacher ;)

[@mutantdog.]

I really like Reloaded, possibly as much as the original. I get why people criticise the pacing but I like how it amplifies the dynamics of the movie. The action sequences are all the more impactful as a result, the freeway chase is perhaps the high point of the entire franchise. The architect sequence is made far more menacing too due to its relative calm up front with all heightened emotions pushed literally to the background. My only gripe is really that it should have been a more self contained sequel, but that’s a criticism better suited for next installment..

[@DorifutoRabbit]

I discovered the music of Rob Dougan through this movie, such iconic music. I remember looking for the song in The Matrix Reloaded DVD menu before Shazam was a thing (the song was a remix of "I'm not driving anymore")

[@jimyoung9262]

Beautiful mess is a great description. I don't rewatch the sequels often, but when I do I really enjoy the action set pieces.

[@mikepez]

Another great retrospective!

[@therealjohngalaxy]

I would love a review of Firefly and Serenity. And of the fifth element and valerian. Love your reviews. Thank you.

[@therealjohngalaxy]

Oh shit I just found your reviews on firefly and Serenity. They are way back in the timeline, no wonder I hadn't seen them. Can't wait to check them out. Cool!

[@therealjohngalaxy]

Yeah, but I'm still gonna need a review of fifth element and Valarian. They are not gonna be one of your uploads like ten years ago, are they? Are they? I guess I'm gonna have to go down that rabbit hole...... Oh boy!

[@eatingchaos]

Carrie-Ann Moss mentions R.A. Rondell at 10:10. Had the great pleasure of being coached by him for a Rescue 911 segment in 1994ish that reenacted my mother's burro going off a cliff with her on it. Really great guy, super understanding of what it was like for a ten year old to relive that trauma.

[@TommyNicoletti]

BRO Sean Connery as the architect would have been masterful

[@devox3291]

Im not the biggest SC fan, but, yes, i think that was a big missed opportunity. Could have been epic.

[@SimpMcSimpy]

"Listen Junior... I gave this speech 5 times already so listen carefully...it's likely you wont understand anything I say."

[@TommyNicoletti]

@@SimpMcSimpy I think what Connery would have added is so much more expression without bleak flatness I would love a deepfake of the what they wanted from Connery in that scene

[@RonsaRRR]

Action in the film is awesome. Especially fight scene with Merovingian's men.

[@im_piano]

I've always thought that it's impossible to misunderstand what the Architect says in his scenes. He uses fancy words, yes, but what he says in a nutshell is very simple: 'You are created by us to reload our faulty software, but something went wrong and now you love your gf more than humanity, and we both know what you're gonna save'. My problem with this has always been: why on Earth is that unpredictable? I believe 70-99% of people would have chosen to save the loved ones instead of the abstract humanity.

[@Kujakuseki01]

Interesting you don’t like the Architect scene. It is an extended dialogue scene, but it’s utterly compelling and probably my favorite scene in the movie.

[@devox3291]

its not for everybody. the genius and impossible task of the first movie was the miracle of taking such high concepts and making them understandable (for the most part) and amazingly enjoyable for most people. Scenes like the Architect and Merovingian , while awesome in their own right, are better suited to 2001 a Space Odesssy or some other higher-intellect sci fi movie.

[@BlueZirnitra]

It was thesaurus abuse and has been roundly and fairly criticised for that imo.

[@kevinalford]

At least he didn't say "show don't tell" during those scenes are are literally showing by telling.

[@HydraulicDesign]

@@devox3291 I didn't..hate those scenes but what the first one did in a superior manner was actually telling the story THROUGH the action, instead of the action being just some interesting spectacle to break up the yapping. Delivering important information through characters trying to sound like pretentious assholes tediously explaining them to us, is the epitome of that failure.

[@Reject101Personal]

The freeway set was later used for a fair few Mythbusters tests (Adam Savage of Mythbusters also worked on the films) Also I am a massive fan of the trilogy. They all fit together really well back to back in one sitting as well. And I'd recommend those who are a bit iffy on them to watch that way (Although thats a fair few hours in a go)

[@kevinalford]

I believe they also donated all the leftover construction bits to Mexico or somewhere for low-income housing, but I could be remembering something else.

[@verinonrenthar9176]

While nothing was ever gonna top the first movie, I still think Reloaded is a good, exciting film. The third one, though....

[@bev9708]

Loved loved loved all 3 of them and especially enjoyed listening to the commentary tracks on them too.

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

I thought you were only going to do the first movie I had no idea you would cover the sequels but now I'm very excited

[@korndud]

i love reloaded. i love all the long expositions and the diologue.

[@therupoe]

i loved all three of these movies! haven’t seen the new one yet.

[@TechfulThinking]

In the first ‘The Matrix’, we are peering into that world through a keyhole. ‘The Animatrix’ gives us the key. In the second movie, we’ve opened the door. The third is when we step through the door and realize we can see the entire world in all of its flawed, yet remarkable, beauty. Try not to look at everything as separate entities, but as one singular piece of storytelling and world-building mastery. Personally, I don’t rank them from worst-to-best, but as start-to-finish. I’ve yet to watch Resurrections, but I look forward to it. Just gotta get my wife to finish the original series 😅

[@kaitlyn__L]

I adore Resurrections. It builds on the sequels but is also better at pacing, while also managing to be trippy and meta in an unexpected way; and even more full of heart! I won’t say anything specific but I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it!

[@itsd0nk]

It was weird directing to have Neo just stand there like a mannequin with his sunglasses on the whole time during the architect scene. He should have taken off his glasses, shown some humanity and some acting, and give us reactions and tension during that whole scene. Instead, he’s just motionless, stiff, and monk-like the whole time, making him very un-relatable. That problem exists across a number of scenes in this movie versus the first one. He was an every man in the original. He showed doubt, humility, fear, ambivalence, and tension. You might not have noticed it, but your brain did.

[@bolso4]

I think the sequels were way ahead of their time. I love them as much as the original.

[@theonlymatthew.l]

So you're the (only) one... 😋

[@syntaxusdogmata3333]

"...as much as the original," is a personal stretch for me, but I do love them. I still see the original as clearly the superior film.

[@theonlymatthew.l]

@syntaxusdogmata3333 I agree. I enjoyed the sequels, but IMO the scripts were overly convoluted, & aren't on the same level as the OG Matrix

[@RonsaRRR]

@@theonlymatthew.l Not the onle one:)

[@theonlymatthew.l]

@@RonsaRRR I sit corrected. I should say 'one of a few'

[@Edit12332]

Reloaded is my go to movie when I'm feeling down. It's full of nostalgia for me. GREAT VIDEO BTW.

[@MrTwister22]

The multiple Smith’s fight scene was definitely worth it. Absolute 10/10

[@therealjohngalaxy]

Can't wait for the next matrix review!

[@Delekhan]

Great recap on this movie. I never understood all the hate directed at this movie. Yes, the CGI has dated and is actually funny to watch during the Burly Brawl but for the time, it was pretty amazing. I'm also not a big fan of huge exposition dumps but the scene with The Architect really drove it home the first time I saw this. Gave me chills and I totally understood the gravity of what he was saying. Either way, Thanks for another banger vid Rowan! We love ya!

[@DorifutoRabbit]

Thanks for the analysis, this car chase made that Cadillac super cool

[@kahldrialeighsun1208]

A lot of the themes were ahead of its time in these movies. Most appreciated the action, which I always took as the spoonful of sugar for the deeper narrative medicine. But oh boy when you begin to peel the layers...I wish we could take from it what we will without having to personally attack the creators. Maybe that's asking too much in the world we live in but I want to leave this place better than I found it. I realize not everyone shares that goal💔

[@rmsgrey]

It's been a while since I last rewatched, but my recollection is of coming away with the impression that Reloaded is a bunch of scenes, each taking something from the original and outdoing it, but without the polish to connect them into a coherent whole. For one example: the Neo-Seraph fight carries something of the same energy as the Neo-Morpheus fight in the original, but with more fantastic stunts.

[@robertdullnig3625]

This takes me back to my high school "Theory of Knowledge" class where we watched the original Matrix film (and, oddly enough, Equilibrium). Every time some one had a criticism concerning a plothole or inconsistency, this one fanboy would insist that you had to watch the Architect Scene from the Reloaded. Eventually, he would just scream out "Architect Scene!" before people could even finish. Since then, "Architect Scene" had been a sort of mental catchphrase of mine whenever someone gets particularly defensive over a franchise. (I later found out the guy ended up working at a local library despite going to college for engineering).

[@empatheticrambo4890]

I recently watched this movie for the first time, and as a DM, this movie feels like DnD. It makes a lot of sense having learned recently the creators were DnD fans

[@Monkey_SK]

I remember being sat in the cinema in 2003 and thinking this OK. Looking at this retrospective I'm reminded just how poorly this compares to the original film and how I just couldn't be bothered to watch it again even if I tried, I feel bored thinking about it.

[@The_Gnome_Chomskee]

I was the only one I knew who liked it as much as the original

[@skywise001]

I remember reading that Keyanu didnt want to do any more movies. He thought the one was perfect. They had to drag him into court to force him to act. One reason he acts like he isnt into it.

[@r0bw00d]

I don't know what you're talking about. Except for the fourth movie, Keanu's acting has always been the same performance.

[@wattsnottaken1]

Matrix Trilogy and 2005 king Kong are the most nostalgic pieces of art in my life like nostalgia overload. But behind Nostalgia lies 4 amazing movies three of which are very underrated King Kong, Reloaded and revolutions.

[@soullessmin]

Fantastic video as always. I love all the Matrix films, though of course the first will never be beaten! Cannot wait for your views on Revolutions and Resurres 😂

[@Footender]

Well said! That freeway sequence though 🤘🤘

[@gilpinsteven]

I've always wondered where Trinity pulls those uzis from before she jumps out the window in the fight with the agent

[@NIGHTGUYRYAN]

i rewatch this one the most

[@blahblahgdp]

I watched the matrix trilogy as a kid so I loved all of them in their own ways.

[@jacobturnerart]

I love the Architect scene. What I feel lets things down are sequences outsourced to the video game.

[@theothersparrow]

There's something about the scene that absolutely hits for me, not sure how to explain it. I guess it feels very close to Dorothy meeting the Wizard.

[@aspizak]

Love your channel, may I suggest normalising (unifying) the sound between clips and your voice? Listening the opening on medium volume works, but once the Maxtrix intro music started - it was 2 x as loud and borderline defneing. It makes watching it at night or headphones rather tricky. Best, Adam

[@markstirton]

Yay. These always cheer up a Sunday.

[@UnleashthePhury]

Structurally, the Matrix movies go like this: 1. Establish the rules of the world. Hero learns to control to control their powers. Climax is when they achieve mastery over their new self. 2. Now that you have your sandbox, play in it. Tell the best story you can within the structure you set up in movie 1. 3. Save the world. I think, if anything, Revolutions suffers because the first two are SO iconic. It might be fashionable to hate on them, but people LOVED it when it came out. The hype for Revolutions was on par with Return of the King (which opened just a month later) because Matrix Reloaded was a huge crowd pleaser, and if you didn't see this movie on the big screen, you missed out. Revolutions just isn't as good as the other two, and left everyone a bit cold, even if it works narratively. It's the Godfather III of sci-fi.

[@rmeddy]

I loved this movie, great sequel , very ambitious, much more mature and interesting. Flawed? yes and I think it needed Revolution to stick the landing from the cliffhanger, which in all honesty it didn't do IMO I just turned 18 and it felt like the franchise was maturing along with me with all the new ideas and me being much more well read and familiar with a bunch of philosophical, religious, political and historical ideas since being a younger teenager. I was just so cool seeing cameos from people like Cornel West for example I always suspected Councilor Hammand was supposed to be a stand in for Jean Baudrillard because he was very critical of the first film and a lot of that dialogue felt like it was directly addressing and responding to that criticism. The action and set pieces were perfect *chef's kiss*, it was so cool, I even give a watsonian defense of the Burly Brawl's unfinished looking moments as the matrix not processing all that weird abbarent code properly I personally loved the twist and concept of cyclicality and Deep Time is really fascinating, again watsonian explanations of why the Architect is drab and alienating and overdeterminate in his behavior and mannerisms makes sense to me.

[@DoctorSmock]

One of my favorite movie trilogies! Great video!

[@zeckjason]

This is exactly how I wanted to end my day. Thank you!

[@SimpMcSimpy]

That MTV Matrix Parody was hilarious. I watched it like 10 times. Actually that Parody was more fun that both sequels combined.

[@Sekir80]

Aaaah, you did deliver! Looking forward to it!

[@MrSkills123]

I wish they would have put that work in the latest instalment

[@devox3291]

The triumphs of this film greatly outweigh its flaws. it shows how pathetic, petty, and shallow people can be to throw away so much awesomeness simply because its not absolutely perfect. I cant help but wonder how often folks like that have achieved perfection in their own lives and would love to challenge those people to even try to have the balls to make ANY movie whatsoever, much less, anything that could remotely resemble ANY successful movie. Love the balance of this review/retrospective! Very well done. Very enjoyable and informative! Fantastic work!

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

The sequels don't stand up to the original by most metrics; but there are some *superb* scenes in this film.. saw it twice in one day and four times at the theatre in total.. loved it

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

6:54 😂 he's such a badass 🙏🏻

[@Matt-wc2mf]

Nailed it pretty good with the review. Lots of great puzzle pieces that don't quite fit together with a few kinda "eh" pieces. The script needed another draft or two to trim the fat. I feel like with another year or two of development, and also waiting a bit on the 3rd movie instead of trying to cram it all into one year would've done wonders. Needed some James Cameron-ness on this biotch.

[@SuPeRbOmBeRmAn4]

The last great film to be shown on cinema. my favourite bit was the 14 million $, 28 day acting bit for the neo with multiple smiths in the courtyard, and a metal hand rail. this is how its supposed to be done. more movies should be done like this. this part amongst others blew me away and is still an incredible watch. the best movie out of the 3 for me. i wish they would make more movies with these methods...regardless of cost.

[@kascnef]

The hype for matrix 2 was bigger than the first one given the success of the original in cinemas and on dvd where it broke records for the two year old format

[@joelp4]

Architect scene's the gem of the film.

[@Aragorn7884]

Admittedly, the sequels don't hold a candle to the OG, but they get a bad rep 🤷

[@Zatnicatel]

Probably because they were, how shall I put it, not very good? Pretty sure they only made them to sell games and merch

[@Edax_Royeaux]

@@Zatnicatel ONLY made to sell games and merch? No other reason?

[@Foxwoodpictures]

I rewatched them back when 4 dropped and they work well as a pair. Still flabby but when they rock they really rock.

[@DontEverLie]

​@@Foxwoodpicturesjust re watched them last year and they are.....bad. Yes the action scenes are great but greatly overshadowed by how slow and boring and confusing everything else is. I found myself losing interest at multiple points.

[@REKTNA]

16:31 Any issues with the Burly Brawl's CG (which isn't as bad as people like to say even 20 years later) can be explained by what's going on in The Matrix. This is the first time something like this has happened -- Smith duplicating himself endlessly. So, the Matrix has to drop the Level of Detail (LOD in gaming terms) in order to keep the simulation running smoothly across the board. Same thing with the bowling sounds when he throws a Smith into a bunch of Smiths; this is the first time that this has happened -- The Matrix, having no idea which sound file to play for this interaction, chose what it felt was the closest match.

[@akshaytrayner1960]

Great vid anaylis

[@TwinSteel]

Caught up just in time for the premiere to end

[@johnpotts8308]

The Wachowskis fell victim to the same flaw that Peter Jackson did in The Hobbit: just because you can do something that is possibly revolutionary doesn't mean it's worth doing if you lose track of the story. Take the "Burly Brawl" - I never had a problem with the occasionally rubbery faces (which I didn't notice at the time) but that it was an inherently pointless scene. Neo can beat Smith but he can't beat an infinite number of Smiths, but he can fly, so that's how it was going to end... and five minutes later, that IS how it ends. It wasn't even as if there was any important reason for Neo to stay as he's not protecting anyone or delaying Smith while the others escape, it just goes on and on for no reason. There are too many scenes (the rave scene is another) that are in serious need of editing. Whenever a film goes over 2 hours, I'm always suspicious that it's not because it needs that length but because the Director is too powerful to listen to the Editor. Sometimes, Less is More.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Yeah, I always felt at least half of each fight sequence could’ve been cut. All the middles gone, just beginning and end. Smith even says “this is getting tedious, Mr Anderson” but the viewer isn’t meant to be feeling it too!

[@johnblack8371]

Hey Coleman, i was in Fort Augustus today. Where were you? Weather was lovely.

[@BCWasbrough]

For those puzzled as to why the sequels were unpopular with some. The Matrix was a great sci-fi movie with mind-blowing ideas, concepts and visuals. Reloaded and Revolutions were good action movies that failed to build properly on the ideas and concepts from The Matrix. The philosophy in the sequels is just the connective threads for a series of action set-pieces. It just serves as exposition and world-building, and the fights don't do anything to develop the characters, other than Smith barking questions at Neo constantly. Part of the fun of The Matrix that the sequels utterly abandoned was the 4th Wall allusion that the Matrix looked suspiciously like the world outside the movie theater in 1999. The world inside the Matrix looked far less "real" in Reloaded, and was unrecognizable by Revolutions. Without that connection, it was harder to care. Neo fighting in office buildings, city streets, and subway stations kept the movie grounded in ways the sequels didn't match. The Defense of Zion doesn't hold as much weight when you're constantly reminded it's two minor characters yelling at a green screen.

[@tonyclemens4213]

The freeway chase is still one of great action sequences.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

I really loved Reloaded. It was way better than the weird way the internet has decided that the sequels are bad. 🤔 The entire trilogy was absolutely wonderful, and it's a wonderful variation on any typical "hero's journey". 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@scotthallgv]

The sequels were fantastic, but they had the unenviable task of living up to expectations. The first Matrix film set the bar so high that the majority of the audience had unrealistic expectations for the 2nd and 3rd films. I read complaints on message boards all the time where people would deride the sequels for not being as good, without realizing they were natural continuation of the original. I love all 3 entries in the trilogy and think they are all fantastic films but I do understand that not everyone has the same mindset and level of understanding as I do and therefore might not get into the deeper aspects of those films and appreciate them as I and others do. Cheers.

[@devox3291]

I dont love the third film. But i dont go around talking trash about it just because i dont like it. It has a lot going for it. And it makes me happy when people enjoy it. I dont like when people dismiss the 2nd film too easily and flippantly when it outperforms the average movie by leaps and bounds. I like this retrospective for the balance and fairness and information on the subject. And your comment too.

[@fufu5068]

Can't wait for Resurrections retrospective

[@z5m2]

Wow 127 to 159m in production budget? Nowadays building that freeway alone would be a big chunk of that haha

[@edwardpolenzani1039]

I think the original Matrix is the most well rounded all around movie. The sequels have some flaws but I really admire their ambition and thought they had some great ideas. They didn’t necessarily NEED to continue the story, but since they did I thought what they gave us was very thought provoking and cool

[@chrissennfelder7249]

Reloaded's main problem is that it doesn't have to exist. The ending of Matrix 1 is perfect, as it leaves everything to the imagination of the viewer.

[@sabasman]

How about a complete analysis/retrospective of Snowpiercer?

[@Enite]

Maybe it's the KZbin landscape right now, but I feel like this review/retrospective doesn't really add anything to conversation surrounding The Matrix franchise. Maybe I'm just jaded that so many videos on KZbin seem to cover such similar subjects without much (if any) variation/addition. Doesn't seem like a lot of research was put into this video, nor was there very much thematic exploration/deconstruction. I personally know how hard it is to generate content for KZbin, so please know I understand the pressures and weight that each video has - not to mention the personal doom of a looming deadline - but I was hoping for something that didn't feel like a retread of surface level "making of" or reception that we can find in dozens of other videos about this movie. Wished you'd dove deeper and tried to find a unique perspective to discuss the film or explore/analyze. Well made video, and maybe that's just the content that works for you/you're interested int, but I would LOVE to see you take bigger leaps/deeper dives into untread territory and not stay so safe.

[@Valbruch]

I was disappointed when the movie came out but it grew on me a lot over the years. It may not be as good as The Matrix but it's still a very enjoyable movie. The highway scene is one of the best parts of the whole trilogy.