10 Terrible Movie Sequels That Prove Bigger Definitely Doesn't Mean Better

The Matrix seemingly came out of nowhere to turn both the action and sci-fi genres on their respective heads, and became the single most influential movie to come out of Hollywood at the turn of the millennium thanks to an aesthetic and use of cutting-edge visual effects that would spawn a thousand pale imitators.

Expectations were sky-high for back-to-back sequels Reloaded and Revolutions, but even bullet time wouldn't have stopped the franchise from disappearing up its own a*se as the Wachowskis doubled down on the pseudo-philosophical nonsense and chin-strokingly deep meditations on existence that didn't dispel the notion that despite their strength as visual storytellers, they were hugely lacking as writers.

Warner Bros. sank $300m into the epic shoot for Reloaded and Revolutions, a far cry from the modest $63m they'd shelled out for the original. Fans and critics found themselves massively disappointed, with box office takings dropping by over $300m between the second and third installments despite them being released just six months apart.

It didn't help that much of Reloaded's CGI looked dated even by the time Revolutions came along, and let's keep our fingers crossed that next year's Matrix 4 will finally mark the long-awaited return to form that we should have gotten seventeen years ago.