May 18, 2003

Matrix Reloaded: Movie and Soundtrack

Went to see the Matrix earlier this afternoon. It absolutely lives up to everything that made the original great. The problem is, its missing what made the original so great - the surprise. The sequel is just as good or better than the original - its just too bad that the surprise element is missing.

I wish I could say the same for the soundtrack. JamesW is running around the office with glowing reviews of this two disc release. I can't get into it. Where the original was a great bookend to the visuals of the movie (and a wonderful counterpoint to the backdrop of mysticism sitting behind the story), this one comes across as a watered down rehash of the original soundtrack - one that doesn't push any new buttons. There's some potential there, but it never really steps forward. What really turns this soundtrack into a disaster are the "made for MTV/radio" tracks that were forced in - Dave Matthews, Marilyn Manson, Fluke etc. - yick. Tracks that get played over the credits aren't part of the movie - they shouldn't be there. Such are merchandising rights I suppose.

The only thing that saves this CD set from itself is the great second disc that highlights the strictly musical tracks of the score. Both "Burly Brawl" and "Main Title" are the standout tracks. The latter because it evokes memories of the first time that the green-tinged opening of the original hit the screen back in '99. Great stuff.

For the $18 that the CD is going to set you back, its probably not a bad idea to grab it just to add it to your collection. You won't wear out three copies from playing it too much, but you will get $18 of value out of it.

Enjoy the movie.

Posted by ross at 05:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack