The Matrix Reloaded is stunning, absolutely thrilling -- and a giant leap forward from the original. This sequel is not just reloaded, it is an entirely new arsenal.
The Wachowski Brothers, Larry and Andy, were armed with more weapons, including a far bigger budget, for their two sequels. Warner Bros. and partners ponied up a reported $310 million for both Reloaded and the final installment, The Matrix Revolutions, which is due in theatres Nov. 7.
Critically, the mysterious co-writers and co-directors were not just being indulgent with the money when they shot the two sequels as one giant project on set in Australia and California. The new money is obvious on screen. There are more fantastic fight sequences, including a scene in which the Christ-like Neo (Keanu Reeves operating at a sublime level) fights his nemesis Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and 99 Smith clones in what has become known as the Burly Brawl. It is really more of a martial-arts ballet than a brawl and it is beautiful.
So are many of the other major battles -- most of them almost bloodless -- and so are all the remarkable one-on-one confrontations. With the long cloaks, leather, and dark shades on the great ensemble cast, the movie looks slick and plays cool. Technically, it is even more sophisticated than The Matrix. The filmmakers have gone beyond the "bullet time" style of the original to enhance the eye candy and intensify the "real" world as well as the fantastical ones.
Also ramped up are the spectacular chase sequences which, of course, are an integral part of a trilogy in which the good guys -- Neo, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and new characters such as Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) -- have to outrun the bad guys while searching for The Truth about the Matrix, the computer system which has run amok and threatens humanity.
And Reloaded is actually about something, although some viewers may be vexed when the story abruptly ends with the words: "To be concluded." This is no different from being held in suspended animation at the end of The Two Towers, the second installment of Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings film trilogy. In the case of The Matrix trilogy, the final payoff comes more quickly, in six months instead of a year, although we had to wait four years between the 1999 original and Reloaded.
The Matrix was always part of a trilogy, at least in the Wachowski Brothers' heads, even though making the full set of movies depended on the surprise success of the original. This conceptual part is important: It means the trilogy has integrity and the sequels are not just exploitation.
Wrapped up in that idea is another Truth: that The Matrix Reloaded is the nearly perfect hybrid of action, art, sensuality and sexuality. There is also, of course, philosophy, religion, pop culture and even cliche (the Wachowskis delight in having their actors mouth old saws while exploring retro-future philosophies).
This is The Bible without the begats, the Holy Trinity blended with other world religions and mythologies, from Buddhism to Greek legend. This is fun. This is challenging.
Some may dismiss it all as bogus philosophizing. That is missing the point, surely. The Matrix and its first offspring tap into something profound and manage to make it matter for a new generation, many of whom don't go to any church and don't willingly read many books. The Matrix is a cult religion itself -- yet it threatens no other religion.
(This film is rated 14-A)
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