10 Movies That Would Be Outstanding If They Weren't So Long

4. The Matrix Reloaded

Length: 138 mins If there is one thing a sci-fi action movie featuring a kung-fu Superman should not be, it's a grind. Unfortunately for the second installment of The Matrix, that's a pretty fair assessment of its pacing. About halfway through this movie, when the confusion and tediousness really starts to set in, most in the audience are left with this nagging question: Do the Wachowski brothers actually know what they're doing, or are they as lost as the rest of us? Because for much of The Matrix Reloaded (and to a lesser extent, Revolutions), it appears as if the characters are all just treading water. There's a lot of vague "profundities" posed that aren't nearly as interesting as the filmmakers think they are ("We are all here to do what we are all here to do" -- stunning insight from The Oracle). The longer the movie drags out, the more abstract the proceedings become and the more difficult it becomes to care about how this will all end. Especially when we know this is all just an overly complicated set-up for the final installment of the trilogy. All this does is create an overwhelming amount of kinks for the next film to unravel.