8. The Matrix Reloaded
If youve ever heard of the term exposition dump, youll know whats coming next. To those of you who dont know what it is, let me clue you in an exposition dump is the very obvious attempt by the writer to explain exactly whats happening at this moment in the plot by having a character say lines almost directly to the audience. They tend to be frowned upon in writing circles because its a horrifically clunky way of showing viewers whats going on. Usually, writers will attempt to weave the world-building information into everyday conversation, giving us tidbits that build a unified whole. Yet for every writer who manages this, there a Matrix Reloaded that fails to leap over the bar so spectacularly it might as well have worn cement shoes. Theres a reason everyone hates The Architect hes the embodiment of this exposition dump at its most ridiculous, sitting there with his Colonel Sanders beard only because the Wachowskis couldnt figure out a more organic way of introducing the twist about the One. So instead of subtlety, we got a giant sledgehammer of explanation that dominated the final act and everything look ridiculous as a result. The worst part? The twist wasnt half bad if theyd have found a better way of introducing it into the narrative, we probably wouldnt have looked down on Reloaded quite so harshly.