you can't compare Matrix to Lord of the Rings... infact Lord of the Rings is actually a Book and the script isn't being played out as an adaptation, if you read the book you'd see it happen almost word for word. It was the promise to keep the movies as true to JRR Tolken novel as you can within the visual film medium.
that aside though, no not as many scenes within the Matrix:Reloaded were done to protect the continuity between CG and Reality, however as i've mentioned before can you tell me when they actually changed? Because after the first few things with it - i started to look closer at what was going on rather than at the action sequences themselves, and on a 60ft screen you can see as much detail as sitting a foot away from an HDTV ... and i don't think i could tell you when they were blending the scenes, just when it was 100% obvious there were and weren't using it.
So i have an idea that actually like the first one they've made the effects specifically NOT to look real.
there are still a good few sections where if i didn't know better i'd of been fooled by how they've done it, and i'd be surprised is anyone here actually noticed them too - i know alot of people talk a big talk about being able to really tell the difference, but i was in the cinema next-to someone who also thought he knew the difference and what i saw was he could only tell the difference when they wanted it to seen.
i think everyone has been getting too wrapped up into thinking about the effects, and trying to see hwo good the effects are - that well you've ALL miss the entire story and next time you see it you'll already know the effects so you'll sit there and see say the Oracle scene and think "What? She said that?? but that would mean?..." and those cogs will start turning a mile a minute.
and yeah there are so many subplots, but they're all part of the same big plot and following them all would be bloody hard to do but that is how deep the story really is in the film.
Although the effects are in there to pull in the masses, if you left the cinema confused as hell then you only went in to see the effects and it is as simple as that.
what you have to remember is the difference between when they're in the Matrix and when they're out. This time around they wanted to really show the differences in the worlds, they also wanted to show a depth of plot. What most people have gone in and gone "christ thats just weird..." £50 says what they've just missed is a plot point.
be impressed or not, quite frankly it is getting tiring trying to explain the points about the movie, especially without giving anything away to those who haven't already seen it - because i think that has spoilt it alot too... its like if you didn't know about the car scene (like myself) i'm sure thats why i thought it was bloody impressive, because i knew about none of the special effects used.
I hate it when people give away plots and sequences especially the best bits of a movie. yet most of ya'll have been enthrawled watching CNN or something to find out all about it - and then wonder why your disappointed...
its because the channels make out like it is ALL about the special effects, tell you or even show you the best parts of the film then you go in looking for those effects and when you see then you think. "oh well that wasn't as impressive as i'd though"
its just a dead point really but you'd think after so many years people would've learnt, that said alot of people weren't impressed at the StarWars movies either ... personally i thought they were both pretty good too, way i see it your watching a movie no really there to find continuity error, or try to tell if something is real or not.
even the most perceiving eyes in the CG business won't be able to tell the difference when he is too engrossed in the story to give a damn about effects.
a good example in SW would be the Driod Factory, real and unreal ... unless your paying attention you won't notice, and the fact they're both trying to get out with thier lives draws your attention away, and so the entire scene looks pretty convincing.
although no doubt some nerd will come up and go "well actually i could tell the difference in all of the areas in that film too."
all i have to say to people like that is get a bloody life, you pay £6 or $10 just to see a movie, just to sit there and see how much you can see that is wrong with it?
i mean FGS what the hell do you do on your offdays poke dogs to see if they'll bite you?
when i pay money to see a film i'm there to enjoy myself and watch a story unfold - i'm not there to see if i can see a landrover in the background of middle earth, or try to see if in one scene harrison ford is turning a cog left but in the other he's turning it right... quite frankly i don't give a flying sod, as long as it is consistant enough (SPIDERMAN director/producer should listen up) then i'll just watch it for the movie it is rather than what o've been told it should be.
Within the Epic battle of the fates the Shadow and the Angel will meet. With it will harbinger the very fight of good vs evil!