This is the comment I sent in to IMbD about "The Matrix Reloaded".

Fie on the naysayers. (no spoilers)

    Normally, I don't post my comments here. This is because I write reviews at my homepage and don't bother posting here. However, some noggins need knocking this time.
    I didn't expect anything from the first movie, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. Apparently, that is how most people felt. Then, with this movie, everybody went into "This movie can't possibly be as good as the first." Good for them, but those of us who strove to maintain objectivity got more out of Reloaded than those.
    My perfect example: There was a half row of idiots behind me in the theater, snickering at every character development scene throughout the movie... from the first second of the flick. I wanted to turn around and tell them "I'm glad that you felt it necessary to spend money to watch a movie which you had already formed an opinion about. Now could you please let the rest of us enjoy it?" This is a symptomatic case, I think.
    As far as the movie itself goes: Reloaded makes the first movie even better. This is a much more cerebral movie than the first, so I don't expect it will enjoy as much acclaim. This is too bad, but the lowest common denominator always rules at the movies.
The viewing experience I can most identify Reloaded with is "Eyes Wide Shut". For the first two-thirds of the movie, you think you know what's going on and it isn't all that exciting. And then, in one second, your brain is blown away as you are finally presented with the point of the movie, and it rules.
    Reloaded is one of the best movies of the past five years. "The Matrix" built up hopes for the continuation of the series, but I doubt anybody had any real idea of what the Wachowski brothers could do. Reloaded is superb, and I would recommend it to any thinking moviegoer.

Here's my reply to an email I received from an IMdB user who saw this comment.

On Mon, 19 May 2003 16:44:19 -0400 ,<snip> wrote:
>About the movie the Matrix

I assume here that you mean Matrix Reloaded

>I was wondering what you thought about the movie,

Well. I thought the movie was fantastic, and it really was much more than I would ever expect from a Hollywood film.

>did it change the prospective on how you view life and the world.

It will change my perspective if it gains the respect it deserves: As a film more deserving of acclaim than its predecessor.

>What is the illusion and reality n the matrix?

Good question. The recursion (multiple layers of "matrices") is the obvious answer, but I doubt that the makers of this film would stoop to anything that simple and trite. I do believe that the matrix is a construct to control humans, and that the real world (the world of Zion) is real. However, in Reloaded we see not only Neo learning to affect the real world with his messianic powers (which we were led to believe were relegated exclusively to the matrix), but we also see Agent Smith entering the real world.
Not to put too fine a point on it, Smith has gone from representing absolute order (as an agent in the first movie) to representing absolute chaos. What does this mean? In both cases, he is evil. Morpheus represents faith, Trinity represents love, and Neo is destined to represent balance. To do this, he must do away with chaos.
The point: The illusion of the matrix is fate. We are hammered with the idea (from both the machines and Morpheus) that there is no choice, no free will. Yet Neo and Trinity have both managed to escape "fate" several times. (I will accept no "fate moves in mysterious ways" argument here, because that devolves into dues ex machina)
In other words, Neo is a messiah in the sense that he sees beyond the program; he makes his own choices and will, thusly, truly set humanity free.

> What is the relationship between the Matrix and Waking Life?

I haven't seen that movie.

>Thanks
>Stiamo

Thanks for the email. If you want to read more on my views of "The Matrix: Reloaded" check out my Web site. I have a pretty big review there, much bigger than my imdb comment. I also have other movie reviews.
Thanks again,
-Eric