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The Matrix Reloaded Blows Away Audiences With Both Barrels
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| Brian Dukes, Up & Coming Weekly, May 21, 2003 |
May 21, 2003 |
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Multiple Agent Smiths reach out and touch Morpheus
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Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski, The Matrix Reloaded is the long-awaited sequel to The Matrix, a movie which not only set the bar for all sci-fi/fantasy flicks to come, but shattered the scale. Reloaded is no different, picking up where the original left off, though the film takes audiences much deeper down the rabbit hole than could have ever been expected.
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Without giving much away, Reloaded is bigger, louder, better than the original, building both on the story and the special effects. Also affected is the film series' philosophical and religious undertones, pitting man against machine in the ultimate battle for supremacy.
In Reloaded, Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 "squidies" discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. Bummer, huh? On top of all this, Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams, as well as figure out the mystery of the matrix before it's too late. That's about as bare bones a plot synopsis as I'll give, because core fans will already know what to expect, and this is really a movie for them. Newcomers who haven't seen the original won't know what they're getting themselves into and don't belong in the theatre - go rent the first and then come back.
As a good sequel should, Reloaded takes all the elements from the first film and magnifies them, enlarging both the scope and range of one of the most original story lines written in popular fiction, ala the Wachowski brothers. Reloaded also manages to bring back all the major players, including Fishburne, Gloria Foster as the Oracle, Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves, and, of course, Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith.
The film also introduces Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe and Anthony Zerbe as Councilor Hamann. There's also cameos by Roy Jones, Jr. as Ballard, and Cornel West as Councilor West. An added pair of evil characters are played by twins Adrian and Neil Rayment, who have some neat powers that further raise the martial arts and sci-fi ante, as do the martial skills of Seraph, a guardian of the Oracle, played by Collin Chou.
While it's obvious that the f/x and action sequences are cranked to the max, it's the story that gets a tremendous boost. Though the film drags in places, because it focuses on dialogue necessary to exploring the plot, there is plenty of action to keep things interesting, interjected healthily in between the explanations and philosophical meandering.
In fact, the scenes where 100 Agent Smiths attack Neo, and the Freeway rescue scene are two of the most intense, and action-packed scenes ever filmed, featuring effects and martial arts moves never seen before ... ever. It's a whole new level of beatings that are being delivered.
The only criticisms I offer are leveled at the Zion rave scene, which dragged on, and offered a love scene between Neo and Trinity. While I understood the reasoning behind the scene, it could have been shorter. The cave scene also includes an oration by Morpheus which comes off as self-serving and corny.
Again, if you aren't a fan of the first film or a fan of philosophy or religion, then you won't appreciate Reloaded, which offers twofold scoops of these elements, so be prepared.
Indeed, this is not your father's Matrix, and if all you're expecting is butt-kicking and big guns, then you're going to miss the point: which centers around the nature of the world around us and the reality we accept. Also examined are the conflicting philosophies of Fate versus Free Will, with the subject of choice taking center stage - as opposed to the first film's differing definitions of reality. This movie is a test of faith, I think, to accept this as not only a sequel but a whole new book, not just another chapter in the same story.
Filled with double meanings and metaphor, Reloaded goes above and beyond the original, questioning all you've come to believe about the world (both real and machine-generated) of the matrix and what you think you know.
The Wachowski brothers haven't only Reloaded, but they do so with both barrels and blow away audiences with a story that touches on an epic scale akin to The Iliad.
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©Up & Coming Magazine 2009
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