3. The Matrix Reloaded/ Revolutions (2003)
Sequels To: The Matrix or as advertisers would have us call it, last generation's
Looper. And yes, I'm counting them together because they were shot back-to-back.
Who Made It?: Andy and Larry (now Lana) Wachowski, who directed the original
Matrix and the cult lesbian noir
Bound.
Why Was It Made?: The Matrix was a huge critical and commercial hit, scoring $463m on a budget of $63m. It put the Wachowskis on the map, won four Oscars and popularised the 'bullet time' style of action scenes, involving slow-motion and multiple camera angles.
Why Are They So Bad?: The
Matrix sequels aren't exactly awful, but they are a crushing disappointment compared to the original. While both have moments of either spectacular action or mind-bending philosophy, neither of them strike the perfect balance between the two that
The Matrix managed, nor do they have the discipline that separates a full-throttle ride from a meandering cruise. The philosophical moments are more impenetrable, thanks to heavy-handed dialogue and wooden acting, while the action sequences are visually impressive but go on far too long. Eventually the rules are broken so many times that it becomes boring, and the ending is a massive anticlimax.
What Happened Next: The Wachowskis went on to write
V for Vendetta and
Ninja Assassins (both directed by James McTeigue), and contributed rewrites to Oliver Hirschbiegel's
The Invasion. They later directed
Speed Racer and
Cloud Atlas (with Tom Tykwer).