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The Matrix 2
Well, I've had a night to digest The Matrix 2. You'd never know it from the following, but I really did enjoy this movie. Fantastic eye candy, great score and pretty people. What's not to love? If you haven't seen it, go see it!
But, the movie brought out the critic in me. Betcha didn't know I could be this picky. Well, okay. You knew.
This is long. I just couldn't stop writing. This was more of me wanting to get my thoughts down about some of the points that bugged me. Proceed at your own risk. Seriously.
Let's just start towards the beginning. Oh boy. The bash-you-over-the-head symbolism. First, the grateful kid that we never saw again. Okay, I would have been fine with him underscoring the messianic theme (actually, at first I thought it was a really nice touch). Unfortunately, they didn't stop there. Next we get the hoard of people offering gifts and wanting Neo to bless them (or something). And then the gathering a place they called the "temple" (or church or whatever - forgot what they exactly called it.) Not enough? Okay then. Let's cut to a shot of a table filled with religious trinkets (mainly of Jesus but throwing a few other religions in there as well.) GET IT?!!! *whimper* Yes! For the love of Neo, we get it!
The cutting between the Neo/Trinity sex scene and the dancers felt off to me. Visually I can see why...no, I really can't. Don't know why they did it. The love scene was *beautifully* shot and I would rather have just seen Neo's dream intercut with it. Made it all about them and Neo's lovely angst. The dancing scene was frenzied and gratuitous. The sex scene was *not* frenzied and *not* gratuitous. It was however passionate, intimate and a fantastic moment between these two - resolving the scene with desperation. Why were the dancers in there again?
Speaking of which - I thought all the "plugs" were taken out of Neo (except the head one) in the first movie. Did everyone still have these plugs in the first movie? I thought everyone just had the head ones.
The pacing of this movie - oy. Towards the middle-end I felt like yelling, "quit yapping!" The middle of the film was completely dominated by long, heady dialogues/speeches. I think it's the first time in a movie where I was *begging* for another fight scene. But I'll give them that this movie was in essence, act two of the arc. Act two is what furthers the plot. Act two is where things can start to go horribly wrong. It can have an anti-climax (which is what this did). Act two is basically a bitch if you're trying to get it to stand alone.
I gotta mention it - Neo reviving Trinity. Okay, most of that scene was *great*. I totally buy that he would reach in to start her heart - *anything* to get her back and he had that power. Very cool. It's just that...uh, the second she opens her eyes, she jumps up and kisses him. I don't think it got the reaction in the audience I was with that the makers were looking for. *wince* People in the theater laughed. (Actually, I let out a short bark myself - I couldn't help it - it was involuntary.) Who knows, maybe we're all just a bunch of cynical bastards down here, but I thought that part was cheesy. Not that they wouldn't kiss, it's just the way it was shot. I think the timing of it made it more comedic than dramatic.
Fate vs. free will. Did you catch this as a theme? Too subtle? ;) Got this from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nandamai's blog. No, she didn't write it. It came from The Matrix Essays Blog
It was this confusing logic dialogue between the two that began to make me to think that Zion is/was still part of the matrix. Then all of a sudden Neo can control sentinels in the "real world." Hmm. Very suspicious. Of course, the makers of the movies can really take this in whatever direction they want. Possible alternatives:
Whee! I love that this movie made me put on my thinking cap!
But, the movie brought out the critic in me. Betcha didn't know I could be this picky. Well, okay. You knew.
This is long. I just couldn't stop writing. This was more of me wanting to get my thoughts down about some of the points that bugged me. Proceed at your own risk. Seriously.
Let's just start towards the beginning. Oh boy. The bash-you-over-the-head symbolism. First, the grateful kid that we never saw again. Okay, I would have been fine with him underscoring the messianic theme (actually, at first I thought it was a really nice touch). Unfortunately, they didn't stop there. Next we get the hoard of people offering gifts and wanting Neo to bless them (or something). And then the gathering a place they called the "temple" (or church or whatever - forgot what they exactly called it.) Not enough? Okay then. Let's cut to a shot of a table filled with religious trinkets (mainly of Jesus but throwing a few other religions in there as well.) GET IT?!!! *whimper* Yes! For the love of Neo, we get it!
The cutting between the Neo/Trinity sex scene and the dancers felt off to me. Visually I can see why...no, I really can't. Don't know why they did it. The love scene was *beautifully* shot and I would rather have just seen Neo's dream intercut with it. Made it all about them and Neo's lovely angst. The dancing scene was frenzied and gratuitous. The sex scene was *not* frenzied and *not* gratuitous. It was however passionate, intimate and a fantastic moment between these two - resolving the scene with desperation. Why were the dancers in there again?
Speaking of which - I thought all the "plugs" were taken out of Neo (except the head one) in the first movie. Did everyone still have these plugs in the first movie? I thought everyone just had the head ones.
The pacing of this movie - oy. Towards the middle-end I felt like yelling, "quit yapping!" The middle of the film was completely dominated by long, heady dialogues/speeches. I think it's the first time in a movie where I was *begging* for another fight scene. But I'll give them that this movie was in essence, act two of the arc. Act two is what furthers the plot. Act two is where things can start to go horribly wrong. It can have an anti-climax (which is what this did). Act two is basically a bitch if you're trying to get it to stand alone.
I gotta mention it - Neo reviving Trinity. Okay, most of that scene was *great*. I totally buy that he would reach in to start her heart - *anything* to get her back and he had that power. Very cool. It's just that...uh, the second she opens her eyes, she jumps up and kisses him. I don't think it got the reaction in the audience I was with that the makers were looking for. *wince* People in the theater laughed. (Actually, I let out a short bark myself - I couldn't help it - it was involuntary.) Who knows, maybe we're all just a bunch of cynical bastards down here, but I thought that part was cheesy. Not that they wouldn't kiss, it's just the way it was shot. I think the timing of it made it more comedic than dramatic.
Fate vs. free will. Did you catch this as a theme? Too subtle? ;) Got this from
nandamai's blog. No, she didn't write it. It came from The Matrix Essays Blog- "Choice is the problem... If you consider destiny and free will not as a "versus", but as opposite polarities, or two sides of the same coin, then they are both present and ever working with one another. For example, if darkness did not exist, then light would have no definition either. The Matrix argues that there is no free will, that all things are supposed to be the way they are...through causality or destiny or whatever. But Neo reveals the power of choice to alter the destiny the Matrix has planned for him, even though that planned destiny has led him - through causality - the whole way. Free will exists because destiny does, and vice versa."
It was this confusing logic dialogue between the two that began to make me to think that Zion is/was still part of the matrix. Then all of a sudden Neo can control sentinels in the "real world." Hmm. Very suspicious. Of course, the makers of the movies can really take this in whatever direction they want. Possible alternatives:
- Everyone is still in the matrix. Always have been. The Architect realized certain people would never accept the "1999 matrix" and so created a "real world" where they wouldn't question it because they thought they were free. Somewhere, Neo/Trinity/etc. are still batteries.
- Ditto on the point above, except they aren't human batteries somewhere. They're all programs running around. They just don't understand that they're programs.
- Zion was real. Neo/Trinity/etc. are real and are now running around. As above, The Architect realized certain people wouldn't accept the "1999 matrix" and so really let them go. The problem is that The Architect seems to have control over Zion - they've destroyed and rebuilt it 6 times. Why risk really letting them go when it could be a safe fabrication within the matrix? [ETA - and how could Neo control the sentinels?]
Whee! I love that this movie made me put on my thinking cap!
There is no spoon.
Yeah, in spite of it, I still really liked the movies.
Well, we did -- he runs into the temple, and later gives Neo the spoon.
Should have been more specific. I realized it was the kid with the spoon. It's just that they made a big deal out of him at the beginning and then he disappeared.
unless you've seen the Animatrix, apparently. We learn all about him in one of the shorts.
Never even *heard* of Animatrix. Why am I picturing Pokimon?
But it's quite possible that the real reason I got so into this scene (these scenes) is that if you play Juno Reactor immediately followed by Fluke at a very loud volume I will love you and be your whore forever.
Hahahaha!!
Yes. Definitely. Way too much speechifying. Drove me batty the first time -- but the second time, I found that I was so interested in what they were saying that I didn't mind. Except for Morpheus' speech. Blech.
Hmm...that could have been my problem. I was expecting non-stop special effects. If I saw it a second time I'd know what was coming and wouldn't be waiting for the next fight scene.
Oh yeah. Definitely cheesy. And it's really too bad, because it's such a gorgeous scene (both the way it was filmed, and what it says) otherwise! And god I wish they had left out that stupid "I guess now we're even" line. DUH! We get it!
I don't think I even heard that line. Probably drowned out from the laughing. Seriously though, you could tell there was this uncomfortable vibe in the theater during that part (laughing - think I even heard an "oh brother") - as in "did I really see something that cheesy in Cool Summer Movie?"
Am totally still going around and around on the fate thing in my head and have not had enough tea yet to contemplate it.
*contemplates both tea and no tea*
This is the solution I *want* to believe, but yeah, it doesn't all fit. Boo-hoo.
It will seem like a big cheat if/when they turn out not to be human yet, but still in the matrix. But who knows what'll happen with this.