The Matrix Reloaded
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving
Directors: Andy and Larry Wachowski
The films: It must have a hard thing following up a film that turned the world on its ear. But that's what the Wachowski brothers had to do when working on the sequel to the iconic The Matrix - a film that redefined the sci-fi action genre and whose images have managed to creep into the very fabric of society.
So the weight of expectation meant audiences were waiting for the same ground-breaking effects and mesmerising concepts. Perhaps, then, it was all too much to ask. The Matrix Reloaded is in no way a wasted exercise - you can bet the crowds will be lining up for the final instalment of the trilogy when it opens here on Wednesday regardless of its impact - it's just that the feeling of disappointment with the project is inescapable.
What you get then is not so much of an advance on the first film, but more of the same. And it wears a little thin. Neo (Keanu Reeves, right) is still defining his role as the 'chosen one', Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) still speaks in riddles and Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) still steals the show. The dialogue is inescapably inane - in the true tradition of sci-fi - and everyone involved looks ultra cool but most of it passes you by without leaving much of an impact.