15 Movies That Thought They Were Smart But Totally Weren't
13. The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a mildly enjoyable sequel to a classic and maybe not quite as bad as you might've heard, but its many awe-inspiring action scenes are still dragged down by its over-ambitious and self-indulgent script.
The infamous Architect character is what everyone remembers, but really the entire film is pretentious as hell. Most of the script consists of poorly-written philosophical conversations which don't really say anything (since it's mainly characters asking a question and being answered with another question) and go around in circles.
Given that this is also a pretty silly movie involving flying martial arts, Keanu Reeves fighting an army of CGI Hugo Weavings, that bizarre orgasm gag and... the Zion rave (let's not even think about that, it's too painful), these messy philosophical ramblings are very jarring indeed. The ridiculous third-act twists don't help either.
The original film had a great story and worked because it kept things simple. Unfortunately this one just got too complicated and while writer-directors the Wachowskis' ambition was admirable, their intellectual reach exceeded their grasp.