While there are better films out there than 'The Matrix', in its genre and as an overall film, it is still a great, impeccably made and awe-inspiring film and ground-breaking in its visuals and sound. It was followed by two sequels, neither of them being absolute travesties but at the same time neither are close to the same level.

Under review is its first sequel 'The Matrix Reloaded'. A film with some great merits that come close to matching how 'The Matrix' executed the same merits. It also suffers from some major flaws, that make it both disappointing and frustrating. Granted the Wachowskis had a mammoth task to follow and it was such a high standard to compete with, so it was always going to be touch and go as to how it was going to come off.

Starting with its good things, once again while not revolutionary 'The Matrix Reloaded' looks wonderful. The production design is still audacious, the special effects dazzling and uber-cool, very slick editing and cinematography that's both clever and imaginative. Once again the music score is hypnotic and haunting, the use of sound having a real sense of eeriness.

'The Matrix Reloaded' benefits from some astonishing set pieces, that benefit from looking great, breathless stunts, a great sense of paranoia, energy and tension and, while rather underused, the villains are interesting.

Acting varies with Keanu Reeves still oozing super-coolness, Carrie Anne Moss bringing strength and vulnerability and Hugo Weaving a commanding presence. As charismatic as Laurence Fishburne is he does take it too seriously here with too much of a heavy approach.

Which is a general problem with 'The Matrix Reloaded' in feeling too heavy and the tone being too serious. It also feels bloated, trying to do too much and also incorporating too many themes and characters, some being not that interesting.

Its writing is messy as well, with so much of the dialogue being cheesy and stilted. The pace surprisingly plods, especially at the beginning that feels endless with scenes that serve little to no point or drag badly, and the finale is convoluted.

In summary, not an awful film but for a reload/sequel it's vastly inferior, even for expectations being so mixed. 5/10 Bethany Cox

It's a little while after The Matrix. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) believes that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is the key to defeating the machines. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) is now with Neo. Meanwhile the machines have start digging, and will breach Zion in 72 hours. Also Agent Smith is now free from the code and is even more powerful.

It's a good start to the second installment of the series from the Wachowski brothers. There's a ticking clock. It's leading to a big battle. We're going to see Zion for the first time. Agent Smith is even more powerful. But then we get to Zion.

Zion is a sweaty mess. And for people with 72 hours to live, these people go have a dance party. Instead of great running battles, the first half is a very, very excruciatingly slow grind. The program world has some interesting ideas, but that also gets too slow at times. There are too many slow expositions. There is generally too much talking and not enough doing.

I still love the kung fu fighting. The addition of the twins is quite nice. The first fight against the Agent Smiths is a disappointment. It turns into a CGI video game. That's never been cool in a movie to keep switching from real stunts to CG animation cartoons. Other fights are much better. Even the later fight against the Agent Smiths is pretty good.

The best part is the big highway chase. That is an amazing bit of movie-making. It's a super fun time.

And I like Colonel Sanders. He's uniquely original. He's certainly memorable.

Overall the first half is a major drag. The movie gets better in the second half. It's a disappointing sequel, but still has great sequences.

Of all the big-budget sci-fi sequels that are winging their way across our cinema screens in 2003, the two MATRIX sequels are amongst the most highly regarded. So how does THE MATRIX RELOADED stand up to the ground-breaking original movie? I would say very well; as a film it comes in just under the bar raised by the original's formula, only losing out because the originality of the first film's plot and world are now familiar. This is a film immediately cursed by being the middle of a trilogy: it has no real beginning and no real end. The plot is a major hurdle which even fans will find themselves struggling to overcome. For the first hour and a half, nothing much plot-wise happens at all, then most of the plot is crammed into about ten minutes of screen time, then there's a ludicrous cliffhanger ending which isn't worth much. The result is a film which drags somewhat at the beginning (clumsy out-of-place "rave" sequences, a lengthy and non-too-appetising love scene between Reeves and Moss) and gets far too complicated at the conclusion, with this viewer lost by the endless philosophical debates about human choice.

Still, this matters not: the series has not yet lost the "cool" factor. ALL of the major players from the first film are back; Carrie-Ann Moss is particularly well served in scenes that flesh out her character nicely. Keanu Reeves has rather less to do than previously, but he does indeed look "cool" and he gets to fly like Superman, which is pretty good in my book. Laurence Fishburne is also back, beefier than ever, but is pretty much wasted this time around. Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) also returns after being destroyed the first time, although he has less screen time here; well, more in a way, but let me come to that. Newcomers include the imposing "ghost twins" and alluring French beauty Monica Bellucci.

Most fans of the series will be looking for hard-hitting action scenes and in this respect the film does not disappoint. In fact some of the best action in the past ten years plays out in this movie. Whether it be incredible kung fu fighting or the seventeen-minute car chase, this movie kicks backside. Two lengthy moments stand out in my mind as highlights: the playground fight between Neo and the Smith clones, which is simply incredible and just gets better and better, leaving me breathless; plus the aforementioned car chase which is incredibly and possibly the best of its kind ever seen in a movie. The special effects are top notch and offer plenty of never-before-seen techniques, progressing wildly from the original movie. So, in a nutshell, THE MATRIX RELOADED is worth watching for the fantastic action alone. Just don't expect a mind-bending plot like the first one offered.