Matrix Reloaded

[andrewducker]

Lots of people have complained about the special effects in The Matrix Reloaded. I can definitely see their point, there were definitely moments when I spotted a glitch or two. But seeing as the whole films was one long special effects sequence and I was put off for about 3 seconds in total, I can't really complain too much...

[Poll #144490]

And here's a Matrix Quiz to give you a giggle afterwards.

Comments

[thepaintedone.livejournal.com]

The only one that I remember noticing was a brief long shot of the car chase (I think an agent was shooting into the car) where the PVC clad person rapidly adjusting the steering of the car as it went down the highway quite clearly didnt have the physique or poise of Trinity.

But then burly blokes in bad wigs driving stunt cars is an old tradition in movies :o)

[andrewducker]

There was a few fractions of a second during the Brawl where Neo's movement was fractionally off and too smooth. But other than that there really wasn't much that put me off.

[gnomatron.livejournal.com]

Basically, the entire fight between neo and the agent smith's looked fake to me. At times some of the simths were clearly guys in masks, and at other points all texture and shading seemed to vanish from neo's face, as well as all the fluidity and natural aspect to his motion.

The whole film suffered a bit from neo being so powerful, too. You're given a demonstration of his strength in the first film, and if he's really as strong as he appears to be, then why none of his new opponents should present any danger, bar perhaps the many smiths... I don't mind suspension of disbelief, but not within the framework of the film.

[andrewducker]

Well, to be honest, he never did seem (to me) to be in any danger during the film _except_ when the smiths were trying to convert him. Other than that, the various attacks seemed to merely keep him occupied while people ran away or got things done (or attacked his companions).

[gnomatron.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, but he seems to expend an undue amount of effort on things that ought not to be troubling him at all. If he can stop bullets, surely he can just fly thm back at people, too? Anyway, if there's no sense of danger, well, what's the point? Even when his friends are in danger, he flies in - literally - and rescues them, in a rather weak display of deus ex machina... It just makes most of the film seem a bit... not quite dull, but pointless.

[andrewducker]

Aah, I didn't think the action sequences were the point, so to speak. After all, they all occur in the Matrix, which we know isn't real - why would we have any sense of suspense over physical actions that occur there?

But then again, I was one of those people who wasn't blown away by the first one (I think Equilibrium was a better action movie than The Matrix).

I figured that the action scenes were more about the normal humans trying to survive for long enough for Neo to find things out - Neo who is still moving from point to point without any real direction except that given to him by others.

For a film that mentions choice so much, he seems to be making very, very few of them - something I'm hoping will be important in the concluding part.

[gnomatron.livejournal.com]

Well, people can actually die in the matrix, so there is definitely potential for real suspense there. I loved the first one at first, but over time it lost a lot of it's interest for me. It's influences are too obvious, and too shallow; it draws inspiration directly from fairly light-weight sources which in turn draw their inspiration from much more interesting places; it makes for a rather vapid and watered-down experience, in terms of mental inspiration, anyway. As an action film, it was damn good, but yes, overshadowed by other films of the genre. It may have had cutting-edge effects, but they're not all that important. Look at seven samurai for proof; 50 years old and still amazing.

FX

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

For me it wasn't a matter of how much I believed because they were largely what I was there for. I was expected lots and lots of fx and unrealistic scenes and crazy flying leaping gravity defying stuff. And since that is what I got, mission accomplished.

I saw Equilibrium a few days later and the fight scenes were very different. Some were more unreal, although with a worked out explanation, and others, (particularly the one near the end) were absolutely real-time stuff. I must say I actually yelped and grabbed the chair and was flinching with every shot. Not only were the characters in the combat in danger with every move, but the story put the characters in danger. I wasn't sure who was going to win, by action or by plot.

I go to different films for different reasons. If the love movies gives me a "two kleenex" story and the zombie movie gives me legions of the un-dead, then I'm fine. Mix them up and you had better have a very good story or I am out of there.

Katja

[moniqueleigh]

I had several moments during the fighting (especially vs the Smiths) that I just had to force myself to remember to "ignore the bad fx." My biggest issues: coat & skin texture changes, physiques changing mid-motion (esp muscle-type bulges where no human being has muscles), Trinity's bad timing on the jump to the trailer, etc.

*sigh* I like the movie well enough; I just kept getting distracted with the obvious bits of 3D. As I've said in a few other places, galoot could have done a much better job with many of those fx with less computing power (software & render farm).

[wordofblake.livejournal.com]

My main problem was all the Hugo Weaving's aswell. Some of them looked more like Queentin Tarantino than Hugo Weaving, some of them looked like a badly stretched face.

Which sucked as I was really looking forward to that bit