10 Movies That Were Condemned On Religious Grounds

6. The Matrix Reloaded

When The Matrix Reloaded was first released in the West the biggest criticism it faced was how inferior it was to the original. The Matrix remains today one of the greatest sci-fi action movies to emerge from Hollywood in decades - a perfectly paced high concept movie with a distinct visual style and some of the most memorable action sequences ever. Reloaded, on the other hand, seemed to little more than a cash in - a typical sequel which was made with the all-too-familiar ethos of "bigger, louder, dumber", in which cool fights were replaced by cartoonishly over the top CGI-laden brawls and chase sequences that appeared to be lifted straight out of a video game. At the time of its release the Egyptian government had far more important concerns than the artistic and commercial merits of the Wachowski's sequel, banning the movie not only because of the violence but because it tackled "religious themes". The Egyptian censors believed that a film about the search for the creator and controller of the human race may causes "crises", which assumes a poor ability on the part of the Egyptian population to distinguish between science fiction fantasy and their religious convictions. The film was also criticised for "promoting Zionism", although this political aspect to the condemnation was led more by the Egyptian press than the censors, proving that the media can be just as reactionary as religious organisations when it comes to posing as moral arbiters of decency and good taste.