Plot
Neo, Morpheus, Trinity and the rest of their crew continue to battle the machines that have enslaved the human race in the Matrix. As their quest unfolds, Neo learns more about his super-heroic abilities, including the ability to see the codes of the people and things around him. Simultaneously, more humans are waking up out of the Matrix and attempting to live in the real world. As their numbers grow, the battle moves to Zion - the last real-world city and the center of human resistance.
Analysis
Finally, after all the media hype and hullabaloo that surrounded The Matrix sequel at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the mortals of this world get to scramble over the weak for a front row seat for The Matrix Reloaded. While everyone was expecting a continuation of the ground breaking visual style that had been established as the Wachowski brothers trademark in the first, was anybody prepared for what was about to happen. Hold tight, the roller coaster ride is about to come off the tracks!
The story needs little introduction so I will spare the preamble, all that needs to be know is that Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are once again battling against the mechanical world that they have found themselves in after unplugging their minds from the subconscious world know as The Matrix. Neo has honed his abilities even further whilst his love for Trinity grows stronger and together they continue to try and unlock the secret that lies at the heart their world.
So did the second movie do an Xmen 2 and improve on the first films presentation? Well it sure wasn't going to be easy, with the runaway success that the first movie enjoyed, but I' am glad to say that this film is more of the same, and as far as the action goes, then sum. The now much copied and almost obligatory 'bullet-time' sequences that adorn every action film of late are all still here but are now executed on a much grander scale with the help of mucho CGI meddling. It is hard to explain just how excellent the action sequences are and once the first 30 minutes of story setting is out of the way you will be treated to a sequence that see's Neo fight against 100 identical versions of his favorite agent, agent Smith. The familiar sound of "Mr Anderson" resounds from the lips of the rock steady Hugo Weaver and once again it's game on in an epic comic book style beat em' up. After a little more story setting (notice I'm not spilling many beans), we are once again treated to what has to rank as one of the finest motorised action sequences ever to grace the silver screen. Cars, bullet-time, trucks, guns, bullet-time, police, explosions, bullet-time and more bullet-time make the 15 minute segment both engaging and breathless. Trust me, this is the highlight of the movie.
Ultimately what we have is more of the same as far as story progression goes. Well, that's what I first thought but, as the end of the film crept steadily towards me, I realised that the evil Wachowski's had a cunning plan and heaved a Neo sized spanner in the works towards the back end of the film. I wish I had never heard the name 'The Architect' as it is with the introduction of this character, with about 15 minutes until the end of the film, that screwed it all up for me. I obviously can't say any more than that for risk of flaming should anyone read this that hasn't watch the movie but I felt that the twist at the end of the story was unnecessary and just left things hanging in an overly confusing way. I just hate it when a film does not round of it's story within the viewing period and this is exactly what we have here.
| Key Area | Rating (out of 5) | Comment |
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Action
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Amazing set pieces that hurtle along with an electric pace. Every single scene that intends to increase the heart beat succeeds in doing so almost to a dangerous level. As mentioned the two stand out sections have to be the moment that see's Neo fight 100 Agent Smiths and the freeway chase.
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Tension
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The tension is injected during the chase scenes, of which there are quiet a few, but you never feel the tension as fear.
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Violence/
Gore |
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The violence is plentiful in any one of the multitude of fight sequences. You do however only see a few brief shots of blood and even they are subtle. Expect loads and loads of fists in the face and boots to the throat all done in a great comic book style.
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Bare Flesh
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NONE
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A few scantily clad computer programs. Watch out for Monica Belluci's dress though, heavenly.
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Plot
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A continuation of the first but with a massively annoying plot twist at the end. The makers would claim it was an attempt to add another dimension to the film. I would claim it is merely a way to ensure people will see the third film. Having said that, I'll be first in line for a ticket come November.
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Verdict
There's a saying that goes well with this film:- ' Love the first, love the second. Hate the first, then you must be a freak!' Although I have a gripe over the handling of the story, it sure isn't a good enough reason to stay away. The action is outrageous and the atmosphere is thick enough to try your own bullet-time madness. You still around, get and see this now. |
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Facts, figures and boobs
| 1. | There were several injuries on the set: Carrie-Anne Moss broke her leg training for a wire stunt, Laurence Fishburne fractured an arm in another training incident and Hugo Weaving put out a disc in his neck while being pulled back on a wire. |
| 2. | GM donated 300 cars for use in the production of the movie. All 300 were wrecked by the end. |
| 3. | Gloria Foster died before the end of shooting the second Matrix film. She had done most of her scenes for Reloaded but had not done any for the third film. |
| 4. | The 2-mile loop highway was built specifically for this film for a chase scene on the decommissioned Alameda Point Navy Base at a cost of over $2.4 million. |
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Movie Pictures
(Click picture to enlarge) |
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| What other people thought of this film: - | |
| Peter Brown |
The only reason The Matrix: Reloaded had a poor ending is because it has to be continued for the 3rd and most exciting installment.
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| Roan Mcleod | Surely if there were ever a film that needed a sequel this was truly The One. There is a story to be told here and I think the directors done a good job in following on from the very successful first film. It’s always difficult to introduce new characters but to tell the story it has had to be done. The showing of Zion and the people who live there was the boring part of the film but it was necessary to give the viewer the mind set that there are more people involved than just the main characters we seen in the first film and to aid the build-up of the final film to follow. The whole Matrix phenomenon has opened the door. There are many films that set new standards in filmmaking and this is one of the best. As it goes for action this film far exceeds the first, the fights scenes were fantastic, imagine Bruce Lee in his prime doing a film like this “phew” the mind boggles. The potential for development makes me impatient for the next instalment. All good, even despite the poor ending. |
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