Like many sequels, The Matrix Reloaded has a burning desire to go bigger than its predecessor in every way possible. It wants to double down of the philosophical themes as well as provide more pulse-pounding action than you can shake a stick at. It's an admirable sort of ambition, the kind that runs deep through both the hits and misses in the filmography of The Wachowski Starship. But ambition on its own just can't quite sustain The Matrix Reloaded, which ends up falling quite short of the first Matrix movie.
