So before you start freaking out and wondering who Patti is, let me just clear the air and inform everyone. Patti is Jared’s wife and a very nice person to boot. I don’t draw her in the comics often because… hey, man. That’s my best friend’s WIFE!

Seriously though it more likely because I would hate to have her speak a line of dialogue she found offensive or make her the butt of any jokes. Even though I know she would be good-natured about such things.

As is such, today’s strip was an honest-to-goodness real life declaration on Patti’s part. I thought it insightful enough to put into cartoon form.

It’s true that when we went to see The Matrix Reloaded, we were forced to sit in the second row. And for the entire running time of the film, we were subjected to a distorted picture due to our proximity. When it was over, my back was stiff from looking up for so long. I honestly don’t remember some parts of the movie because, at that low of a perspective, the quick cuts were even MORE of a blur.

When are theater owners going to realize that packing in their audiences like sardines diminishes the movie going experience? It’s more than likely I’ll have to see The Matrix Reloaded again just so I can have another crack at understanding it all.

And now THIS is the part where I segue into my opinions of the film (WARNING: SPOILERS CONTAINED WITHIN)…

I’ll be honest and admit that I didn’t think Reloaded would have split the fan base so severely into the camps that adored it and the camps that loathed it. But after thinking about it over the weekend, I’ve come to determine neither of them are right. It is not the end all, be all of sci-fi nor should it be the focus of your utter contempt.

I think the source material is great and the concept of The Matrix is top-shelf. But the execution this time around was average.

My complaints are similar to a lot of the others you’ve probably read. I felt many of the fights scenes didn’t serve to push the story, but were mere exercises in “Lookie what we can do!”

The 100 Agent Smiths fight was impressive and I liked the way they kept ratcheting up the insanity. But, inevitably, it wore out it’s welcome.

I wasn’t impressed with Zion. I felt it looked a little too CG. Actually, it looked a little to Attack of the Clones for my tastes. Especially when the hoverships were docking.

I REALLY had a negative reaction to Morpheous’ speech to the masses and that weird rave they threw in celebration. The sex scene they threw in also felt out of place.

And speaking of sex, that whole scene with the smarmy French guy and the piece of “Coded Cake” was just – icky. It didn’t prove anything. It just creeped me out.

But to be far, after that scene, the movie really started picking up for me and there were several scenes that I enjoyed.

Obviously the freeway chase scene is a classic and they’ll be figuring out ways to outdo it for years to come. I got a real sense of danger from what was going on during that chase – the hallmark of any great action sequence is when they can get you to think people are under the real threat of death.

I also enjoyed the fight between Morpheous and the agent on top of the 18 wheeler. When he does that handstand on the edge of the trailer… Wow!

I liked the twins. I thought they were interesting villains and was curious how their whole intangibility trick worked.

And I really, REALLY enjoyed the scene where Neo makes it to The Source and converses with The Architect. The way the explained how “The One” came to be and how they’ve already destroyed Zion 6 times coaxed a very Keanu “Whoa” out of me. Did anyone else notice how The Architect was dressed and groomed in a manner similar to that of Sigmond Freud?

As time goes on and I think about the movie more and more, I realize how much I liked it. I probably liked it more than I originally thought I did. I’ll probably see it again if anything to correct the distorted experience I had the first time around. This time I want to make sure I’m seeing EVERYTHING.