Sandro Unloads On Reloaded

Don't believe the hype. Matrix Reloaded is a crushing bore.

Good luck staying awake during the snail paced first hour.

Then there's a bizarre dance scene in the middle when a hip hop rave is intercut with a sex scene.

Things pick up in the second half when we finally get to the action and the stunts.

But as impressive as the fight scenes are, they make about an much sense as the confusing plot.

Hero Neo has developed the power to fly - so why does he stick around for a punch up whenever the villains are chasing him when he could just as easily zoom up up and away?

But who cares anyway? Special effects don't matter a hill of beans if you don't care about the characters - and that's the main problem here.

Leading man Keanu Reeves is no candidate for the Royal Shakespeare Company and he isn't helped by an uninspiring supporting cast including Carrie Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne ands Jada Pinkett Smith.

Yes, the movie packed cinemas in America at the weekend - and has taken a mighty $135.7 million in its first four days on release. But moviegoers were much more excited before seeing the film than they were afterwards.

When I saw it in LA on Saturday night, the sellout crowd were so hyped up for the main feature that they impatiently booed all the trailers and cheered in delight when Matrix Reloaded began. But afterwards they left in silence with many feeling let down.

Let's hope the Matrix gets rebooted before the third film in the trilogy, Matrix Revolutions, opens in November.

Sandro Monetti