I a'polar'gize...
Reloaded was tedious in far too many sequences for me to give it a hearty thumbs-up. I do give it a thumbs-up, though. The martial arts scenes were great and transferred well over to DVD; during the Burly Brawl you can see Neo's CGI foot stepping onto the side of Smith's facequite humorous!
The scene with the Architect took some discussions to muddle through.
Was I afraid they'd opt for a Matrix-within-a-Matrix (e.g. 13th floor) ending? You betcha. Did they? You betcthey didn't.
<pirate voice>Arr, there be spoilers ahead!</pirate voice>
<font color="grey">
Yes, there was much symbology with Christianity, Buddhism, and Transcendental Meditation. The directors've always acknowledged that.
When Agent Smith called the Oracle 'Mom' I immediately thought of two references: Oedipus & Lucifer. In Reloaded the Architect admitted to being the father of the Matrix and alluded to their being a Mother. The Oracle seems to fit this category (even though the Architect said "Please" to Neo when Neo asked this question to him. I think the Architect was saying more like, "Uh, that's a given.") So, if Smith was her son, then it could be that Neo was also her son. Cain & Abel. Cain's offering to his parents was not what they wanted (spreading himself throughout the entire Matrix and beyond). Abel's offering (Jesus-like ultimate sacrifice) was to intervene for the masses. His proposal was accepted.
Also, Neo was intervening not only on behalf of Zion, but two other interdependent races. The sentient programs within the Matrix and the Machines without. If he had freed everyone from the Matrix then it would have killed all the programs within. Also, the Machines were still dependent on humans for energy. So it satisfies them as well.
99% of people will not wake up from the Matrix. Granted, if you had Neo fly around and alert everyone to how he was superhuman, you'd get a lot of converts. But is that really the right way to go about things? Wouldn't it better if they questioned on their own and came to their own conclusions? Apparently Neo thought it was.
By leaving those (like Cypher) still encased in the Matrix, he wasn't forcing anyone's hand. Yes, that meant that there would still be humans who were nothing but batteries for the great Machine, but it would also mean that at least they all had the choice. Which was the deal struck with the head machine guy at the end.
In that part where Neo makes his offer to destroy the Smiths in the Matrix, there was more Christian-specific symbology. When Neo was invigorated by the machine, there was an undeniable cross-shape emblazoned on his chest. Also, after he died, the machine said, "It is done." Which is what Christ was supposed to have said on the cross before he gave up the ghost.
It's my belief that the Oracle was playing on Neo's desires for her own benefit. (Duh, of course.) But get thisin Reloaded, the Architect said that Neo's love was for Trinity instead of Zion. The Oracle knew that Trinity had a great affinity for all of Zion, so she would be a great pawn to get Neo to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Oracle's ulterior motives weren't all that sinister though; she wanted Zion to live as well as the Matrix to continue. So she needed an interlocutor between the Matrix and the Machines. Neo fit the bill.
And, finally, by her saying to Sati that they'd see Neo again someday, it doesn't lend itself (necessarily) to another sequel, but to her beliefs. Seraph asked if she knew all along; she didn't, but she believed. Since she also believes that they will see Neo someday, it stands to reason that, in her mind, she knows it will come to pass. Because, hey, she is the Oracle.
And when the Architect is asked whether he will honor his word about freeing all those 'that want to be freed' he replies, "Of course. Do you think I am human?" This is not him giving a vague answer so he can have a way out and just kill Zion tomorrow morning. This is him, as a machine, governed by 1's & 0's, saying that when he makes a decision he sees it through to the end. Which is not the case with humans, naturally.
</font>
So, yes, I did enjoy this movie quite a bit. Perhaps I've read far too much into it than should be. But I'm under the impression that's what the directors wanted anyway.