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RobLowe
Reviews
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
What a disappointment!
I can't say I was expecting Reloaded to be as good as the original Matrix. I'd heard Reloaded was stepped down a rung or two from the first movie, but I wasn't expecting a movie this poorly contrived. By trying to stretch a good movie into a series of epic proportions (a la the ever increasingly inadequately named Star Wars trilogy, or the Fellowship of the Ring series), the creators of Reloaded introduced too much repetition, too much melodrama, and way too much reliance on special effects and the action scenes. Add in a groaner of an ending, and Reloaded becomes one of the most disappointing sequels I've seen in a while.
There's nothing unique about Reloaded whatsoever. It's Star Wars meets Superman meets The Chinese Connection meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon meets The Ten Commandments, with bits of pieces of the original Matrix concept thrown in for good measure. I guess the downside of trying to appeal to everyone is the tendency to lean toward what worked before. Hey, this is a sequel, right? But the reliance on concepts from far too many other films warps the feel of the series. In the first thirty minutes of the movie, it seemed like I'd been watching more scenes from a Star Wars sequel than from a Matrix sequel.
There's enough melodrama in this movie to float a soap opera for an entire season. What's with all the personal tension? What's with all the kissing, or the dance-orgy in Zion? What's with the Merovirigian's wife? Melodrama and hypersexualization wasn't the material that made the first Matrix such a good film. The relationships between characters like Morpheus and the Commander, or Link and his lover, just seem inappropriate for a Matrix film. It was the concept of the story and the uniqueness of the action scenes that made The Matrix what it is.
And there's plenty of action in Reloaded, no doubt. The action scenes are by far the strong suit of the movie, with a dizzying array of special effects. The fight scenes play off the unique style of the original Matrix. Reloaded relies so heavily on these scenes, however, that they lose their effectiveness quickly. The fight scene at the playground between Neo and the Smiths wouldn't have been such a yawner if it ended much sooner. The thirteen-minute kung-fu samurai car chase was a little out of its league, too. The repetition of many of the same fighting effects in Reloaded had me checking my watch during a few of the action scenes.
When the ending finally did roll around... well, I'll be honest. It was a total cop-out. If you want to find out what happens to everyone, you'll have to see Revolutions. Most of the viewing public already knew that would be the case, but Reloaded is almost shameless in how it cuts to an ending when it does.
In the end, I am glad I saw Reloaded in the theater. I wouldn't have known what I was missing if I hadn't. Now that I do know what I would have missed, I can be confident in my decision to save Revolutions for when it hits the rental shelves. The visual effects of Reloaded were nice, but nothing extra special, and nothing that couldn't be appreciated just as much at home. The emphasis on melodrama was straight up awful, though, and a lack of the unique features that made The Matrix so entertaining keeps Revolutions from getting half as good. And so, since I gave The Matrix an 8, Reloaded can't get any more than a 4. If Reloaded was meant to be packed with action and melodrama to the point of being corny, the movie may have been a bit more tolerable. But Reloaded takes itself way too seriously to be corny, and thus, it turned into a snoozer instead.
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
ick!
That's about all that can be said about this god-awful movie. There's nothing unique about it at all - just bit after bit rehashed from other teen movies, and they aren't even done humorously. It'd be nice to say the best part about seeing the movie was getting into the theater for free. Unfortunately, not paying for the movie still couldn't justify the time wasted watching it.
Mononoke-hime (1997)
wow
**SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** Intro: Wow. Quite an amazing film.
The plot of Mononoke moved pretty well. It follows the typical "good vs. evil" anime storyline almost to a tee through the first two-thirds of the film, then takes a couple of neat turns in the end. It kept me engaged throughout the entire film.
Though Mononoke doesn't have the best animation I've ever seen, the drawing was quite well done and the movement was rather smooth at most times. I wouldn't put it on the same spectacular level as a film such as Akira, but the detail and flow of the artwork was very respectable.
The soundtrack must be heard to be believed, though some of the voice-actor casting on Disney's part is questionable. The most notable casting miscue was Minnie Driver - she did a good job with her part, but her voice sounds completely out of place with the rest of the cast.
** THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE MAY NOT WANT TO READ THIS **
***
The neatest thing I thought about Mononoke was how it didn't completely follow the typical anime storyline. I would place Mononoke in the apocalypse category, where all life as its known is halted in a great cleansing, and those who survive must put upon the task of starting over with their new lives. Mononoke differs from the typical apocalyptic film in a few ways, however.
Ashitaki, the main protagonist, doesn't get to keep San at the end. She still despises the humans, and she will apparently only give Ashitaki her audience. Although both of them will go about rebuilding their worlds, they will go about it separately, as opposed to rebuilding the world together.
Also, it is not only the good people that survive, but the not-so-good as well. Lady Eboshi was not killed in the end by Moro, although she was punished for shooting her. The monk (Gonza, I believe) also survived, though he was the one responsible for the destruction of the forest at end of the film.
These twists separate Mononoke's plot from most other apocalypse film plots, and those twists help to raise Mononoke from the level of the "average anime film."
ROB
Billy's Balloon (1998)
heh heh
A little sick-minded. Then again, that's what we've come to expect from Don Hertzfeldt. Just one more reason why parents shouldn't leave their kids in the backyard... or on the porch... or anywhere. It starts a little slow, but once things begin to get rolling, it's impossible to stop laughing. Not recommended for those who take things way too seriously. Highly recommended for everyone else.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
eh
At first I wanted to say, "What a disappointment." But after thinking about that for a few minutes, and realizing the movie is nothing more than a 90-minute (if that) South Park episode, I can't really say I should've expected so much in the first place. Starts off entertaining, but it wears off real fast.
La vita è bella (1997)
wow
For one moment, forget history. Forget cheesy Italian actors and forget bad German accents. Before someone accuses me as one of those guys from CODOH, please remember that film is about suspension of disbelief. And when a film does a great job of constructing a story outside of reality, it should be duly mentioned. Bravo, Roberto.