I'm tentatively hoping this could be what the matrix decided not to be.
I really enjoyed the film, and had I the wherewithal I'd watch it in 3D a few more times.
I too was pleased that they didn't draw much of the plot from the "Boy whose father left him now has to grope through life as the bad boy then has to drag his father through the mud to make him atone for his sins" device. They did have to go for the "father gives up his life for his son", but in a way I believe that Kevin was also doing it for his own creation, and to propel his son into a position so that his creation could be further realized.
I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonably complex storyline and cast of characters - it wasn't overly complex, but it was more than the typical action popcorn flick.
I was also happy as an electronics/computer geek to see the digital world re-imagined. They could have gone overboard with the programs-as-living-creatures and made significantly more forced/contrived analogies between the real world and the grid. I'm glad they didn't go further than the original movie, and in fact it appears they pulled back somewhat from how far the original went in that direction.
I'm really glad they didn't try to integrate the internet and modern technology as a driving force. As a geek I'm interested in what really comprises the grid in the real world, but I'm also afraid they'd really muck it up if they tried to explain what it meant for, for instance, my iPhone.
I was amazed at the digital Jeff Bridges. I decided to stare at him for a few seconds near the middle to the end, and I could tell that the movement of his face was not entirely natural (the lips sliding over the teeth problem and not matching the speech was the most noticeable aspect of it). But it was stunningly easy to put my attention back onto the whole screen and not notice it at all, or be bothered by it. Sure, they used image capture techniques to capture the motion, and given that it was held in the grid world which being CGI might have also held up the suspenders of disbelief, but honestly I'm thinking that we're finally climbing out of the uncanny valley - to have a feature film where one of the major actors is nearly 100% CGI faced is amazing.
The music was very well done, and fit the environment perfectly.
I believe we can expect to see this as a rebooted franchise. They hedged their bets and finished the plot such that the movie could end there, but they left a lot of openings that would allow movement in a number of directions.
I was really disappointed at the battery packs on the back of their costumes. They obviously need a good EE to help them design a solution into the identity disc holder so there wouldn't be an ugly, boxy bump on their back. Bleah.
And it was worth watching it in 3D. It wasn't in-your-face amazing, but it was used to good effect to describe the environment in a way that can't be had on 2D. I suspect more films are going to be done this way - the movie set extends beyond the screen, rather than the movie coming out of the screen to meet you (which always felt visually weird, since you then had to integrate the theater with the movie).
So... yeah. Awesome film.