Interestingly, when I was younger and saw Empire for the first time, I remember being terribly disappointed by the “ending” and how it left all the larger issues (i.e. the battle) that I actually cared about unresolved.  I think it’s a matter of maturity and experience as to which part of the story one focuses on.

Now, I have not seen Matrix Reloaded yet (waiting for the theaters to be a bit less crowded), so I can’t comment on in first hand, but experience suggests that its target audience will, unfortunately, be more concerned about the battles and such than the personal relationships between the characters.  Having seen Empire many times since the first, I can now appreciate it on more levels.  If what you say is accurate, it’s a shame Matrix Reloaded doesn’t match up.

I’ve got both E&M, somtimes I think too much, I occasionally (mistakenly, I might add!) get the senior discount from young cash register jockeys. And I truly agree with what you’re saying, in that younger movie goers may think it’s an action packed videogame/rollercoaster ride (which it is) and so is by definition GREAT (again, which it is). But after you’ve seen LOTS of movies, you realize that a battle is just a battle (and a kiss is just a kiss as time goes by, altho Matrix Reloaded has one of the Best Kisses At The Movies, with half the sizzle being the onlookers) and the REAL unexplored unknown is the human mind/psyche/soul. Maybe Matrix Revolution will plunge into this arena, where Matrix Reloaded didn’t really go…

BTW, Bob, its GREAT to see a new user who proceeds to LEAVE COMMENTS. Please keep it up.

I saw Reloaded yesterday too and while I thought it was awesome and well worth the money, I enjoyed it less than the first.

One aspect that I really enjoyed about the first film, was watching Neo’s character develop and mature as he slowly learned what he was capable of. In Reloaded, Neo has virtually zero character development–he’s already a superhero well accustomed to his powers.

Another aspect I enjoyed about the first film the puzzlement and challenge of trying to figure out what was really going on when seemingly impossible events (such as Neo’s mouth suddenly being sealed shut) transpired–an “is this reality or not?” theme common to Philip K. Dick stories. Reloaded has a bit of this, particularly near the end, but never that much.

Finally there’s the special effects, stunts and fight sequences. There’s no denying that the Reloaded does a great job of trying to outdo the first film in these areas. But unfortunately, their revolutionary attempt at virtual cinematography, discussed here in a past SFT story, did not live up to the hype. It was amazing, but it was not indistinguishable from reality as the Wired article said. I could definitely tell exactly when it was being used because the texture and details suddenly dropped, creating a plastic look. I wouldn’t have been disappointed in this if they hadn’t said that it specifically wouldn’t have a plastic look common to CGI. Still, it was great to see the first use of a new special effect technique that will undoubtedly improve in the coming years. I have no doubt that eventually it will become indistinguishable from reality.

So all in all, I enjoyed the first film more, but this movie is still well worth seeing, and I intend to see it several more times as well.

For anyone who’s seen the movie and wants to discuss their theories on what the ending means and how the next movie will play out, let’s discuss it under this thread.

So at the end of Reloaded, Neo discovers that he now has powers in the real world too. Some theories:

1. When he visited the architect, the architect sait that he was now changed in some way, by virtue of this visit, but he was still essentially human. Could his mind have somehow become more like the AI’s, so that he can sense the sentinels in the real world? How could he have stopped them like that though? Perhaps because he never entered the real world after leaving the architect. He instead entered a different Matrix that the real world cannot reach, so after rescuing Trinity, he did not go back to the real world but an imitation of it.
2. When the architect said that he was changed now, but essentially still human, he meant because a program replica of Neo was just created. So the Neo we see after he enters the door to the architect is not the real Neo, but a virtual version of him. And this virtual version is still in the/a Matrix at the end of the film.
3. All the humans are still in the Matrix and have always been. Zion is itself in the Matrix. This would explain some story flaws/incongruities. Like how is it that humans can free other humans so easily? Why do sentinels not patrol the waste sludge area where the humans slide down to after being released from their pod? How can the energy produced by humans possibly exceed the energy needed to keep them alive? How can the machines have destroyed Zion so many times in the past and ensured that it got built again by new humans unaware of the cycle? Why would they do this?
4. If #3 is correct, perhaps all the humans are not humans at all, but programs themselves. This would explain how Agent Smith was able to take over the mind of a human in the real world.
5. If #4 is correct, perhaps the entire Matrix is not a construction of machines, but rather a construction/experiment of humans in a lovely world that was never taken over by machines.
6. If #5 is correct, perhaps this experiment is unintentional. A program left running by accident.

So many possibilities…I can’t wait for the final installment to see where they go with this.

I don’t have time to write the pages and pages this could lead to, but I think we ARE leading up to a Matrix-in-a-Matrix in the next movie that’s used to pacify those like Neo who would rebel against the main Matrix that pacifies the other 99% of humanity. One of the main things that makes me think this is that at the beginning of the movie Neo had a pre-cog dream IN THE SO-CALLED REAL WORLD about what was going to happen to Trinity IN THE MATRIX. WTF? Plus the New-And-Improved Smith is able to “upload” himself into a real-world human mind, who is the guy we see lying beside Neo in the closing Sickbay shot? WTF? These things don’t seem logical even in a sci-fi story…

Also, I’ve NEVER bought into the idea that Zion was TRULY at the center of the Earth, yet here it is presented that way complete with burrowing attack robots. Much easier to believe this is just another onion-peel matrix using a fairy-tale human base than true Sci-fi set hundreds of years from now where Zion really is at the core, kind of like the ending of Total Recall.

THe main thing about why I can’t see the depicted real world as being truly real is that the Matrix allows the reconstruction of Zion after the reboots. I think that’s a fake offer used as a motivator to the Neo-of-the-day; why would a REAL matrix allow reconstruction of a REAL enemy human city? I missed something here, maybe. It’s a detailed if not a deep movie, I’m gonna just have to go see it again…

I have to admit I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I read Roger Ebert’s review and he mentioned that most of Zion (based on the extras shown in the Zion scenes) is black. At first I thought he meant African black like Morpheus, but then later it struck me that he might have meant dark-skinned-but-can’t-quite-place-what-ancestry like Tank and his brother (Dozer? I forget the name) in the first movie. Can anyone clarify? The idea of the machines enforcing a racial Benneton-ad Matrix where everyone is of a clearly defined race, versus an utterly mixed-up racial hodgepodge in Zion, is an appealing notion.

Just saw it again. This time, the audience was told in advance that after the credits is the trailer for The Matrix Revolutions, due out November 5. It looks good, but didn’t give away much.

Was how The Architect said Neo was supposed to choose a certain number of men and women to start the new Zion.

Tying this with Neo’s earlier comment about there being no young people on the council made me think that (assuming The Architect is telling the truth) the head of the council might have been the previous Anomoly and the rest of the council his chosen ones.