After a 4 year wait, the Matrix Reloaded finally arrived. Not since The Empire Strikes Back have I lusted for a movie sequel. Given that I was only 13 when the Star Wars sequel was released, suffice to say that I didn’t know what lust was. So, you can imagine how much I’ve been waiting for this movie to be released! 😛
As soon as Fandango had the tickets for sale 3 weeks ago, I bought two for the 7:00pm show at the Regal Green Hills 16. With all the hype surrounding the movie, I aimed to be there two hours before to pick up my tickets. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pull away from work that early, so it was 5:45pm before I got to the theatre. I had visions of long lines and hard core fans dressed up as Neo and Trinity. I even packed my digital camera so that I could record it, so imagine my surprise when I arrived at the theatre and there was NO ONE in line. I walked right up to the ticket booth and picked up my tickets. When I looked at the board, only the 9:30pm show was sold out. I was flabbergasted. How could this movie not be sold out for all shows?
After entering the main lobby of the theatre I ambled around waiting for a line, SOMETHING to indicate that I wasn’t insane. It took about 30 minutes, but a line finally started to develop, when I went up to stand in line, that’s when the ticket taker informed me that this was for the 6:15pm show. That’s when I learned that there were shows at least every 30 minutes, which explains why many of them weren’t sold out. Then, when the 7:00pm line finally started, the person in front of me explained that they began showing the movie on the 14th at 10:00pm and again every half hour until midnight – that explained why there wasn’t anyone dressed up. Ahhh, my fanatic love for the Wachowski brothers was redeemed!
I’m not going to review the movie, I’ll save that for the movie section, but I have to say that the Matrix Reloaded was a great movie. Although there’s been some negative comments here and there, the movie delivers exactly what it promised. It’s first and foremost and action movie. Action movies don’t have the best dialog, or the best acting per se. Not every movie is Schindler’s List and to go into this movie expecting that is an idiot. The Matrix Trilogy holds true to the style of Japanese Animation (anime), Japanese Comics (manga), American comics and computer games. Add a heaping spoonful of Kung-Fu and you have all the major ingredients. But, like any dish, if you don’t care for the ingredients, then you’re not going to enjoy the meal. I for one am ready for a second helping! The movie blew me away. In the voice of Austin Powers – I’m spent.