The Matrix Reloaded

The biggest film event of 2003 is here. The Matrix made leather coats, bullet time effects and kung fu utterly cool. There's been nothing remotely as stunning - until now.

With a trillion dollar film budget, an anime series, action figures, video game and even a final movie instalment before the end of the year - this is the big one. But will Matrix Reloaded hold up to its own mass hysteria of motion picture in sequel hype history since Terminator 2 or Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back?

Are you ready to Enter the Matrix?

Wow, what a way to watch a film. I have a seat in a packed cinema outside the home of film magic, at Universal Studios, Los Angeles to see The Matrix sequel in its opening weekend. In retrospect, it's difficult to imagine why the original film was such a difficult sell to studio and distributor execs (who must be eating their shoes a thousand times over), to which the Wachowski brothers were somewhat ushered to make a smaller budget film first (Bound - it was a great one) before venturing on this epic project. Regardless, there's no escape from The Matrix. Are you ready to plug in?

As postulated in the first film, life was deciphered as a series of illusions generated by machines that have enslaved humans in a dreamworld, using them as energy sources without their consent. Neo, a computer hacker, was prophesied by the Oracle as being The One who would bring the machines down with the help of a resistance group of believers led by Morpheus. At the end of the Matrix, Neo realises that he is The One and discovers powers to control the Matrix like no other. The sequel picks up as they head towards the human underground city of Zion - the last surviving human community who are ready for military action to bring down the rule of the machine.

In a very similar beginning to Minority Report, Reloaded begins with the climatic scenario. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is startled by a recurring nightmare about Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) being pursued by an agent during one of her missions within the Matrix. Neo and co head over to an emergency covert meeting held by Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Ghost (Anthony Wong) to devise a way to stop the sentinel machines digging into Zion underground. They travel forth to Zion, where Morpheus faces the panel and public to ask for their faith in the prophecy that the threat of the machine will be ended soon.

Meanwhile, Neo goes in search for the Oracle (the late Gloria Foster) who reveals a number of surprises and bad news upon the horizon that he will have to lose Trinity. He must seek help from the Keymaster (currently imprisoned by the virus twins (Rayments) and a deathly mistress named Persephone (Monica Bellucci) within the Matrix) to come face to face with the man behind the Matrix to get his answer.

Reeves is again awesome as Neo in his portrayal, mixing in a much stronger performance as the leader without losing too much of the vulnerability, eagerness or curiosity of the character from the original. Fishburne and Moss also deliver again in their roles, with their respective prophecy and love stories fleshing out in this one. And what can be said by Weaving's back from the dead 'rebel copying' program as Agent Smith? That man's cool-as-ice dry wit is certainly welcome in the Kikizo camp, for sure. Neo's meetings with the Oracle also add a lot of charm to the performances as it did in the first one, and sets up the story for both this film and Revolutions.

If Reloaded is going to leave any lasting impressions as you walk out of the exit, is that it's the most jaw dropping action film you have ever seen. Guided by kung fu master Woo Ping's awesome choreography, the action sequences and special effects is absolutely second to none, raising the bar way above its predecessor and blowing everything else in its genre out of the water. Fans only have to get a glimpse of the explosive 100 Agent Smith action sequence to be wooed by the film's highly stylised camera work and mind numbingly, pin sharp editing that's so hot, it hurts.

One of the most adrenalin-soaked must-see sequences in film ever (that warrants your ticket price alone) must be the daddy of all action sprints in the film, which begins with a car park escape and snowballs uncontrollably onto the motorway. With both agents and the virus twins tailing Morpheus, Trinity and the Keymaster on their getaway vehicles; the 20 minute segment will have you dodging cars as the camera swings you into oncoming traffic, through the ammo-fuelled shootout orgy onto the wicked kung fu sword battles on the top of the truck. The agent sprinting and crushing each vehicle is superb and so is the bit where the virus twin zaps back into the car. This part of the sequel epitomises the intense eye candy we could only dream of and it's so fast paced that it'll leave you short of breath.

Special effects and kung fu aside, The Matrix Reloaded is far from perfect as you may expect. There will be hundreds of threads on web forums speculating whether they got it right, and the love story will undoubtedly be on top of their list. It's always interesting to see a love story develop in a sequel and in the way that it does in Reloaded. There's lots of kissing, jealously and even some sex - sometimes it lacks spark and sincerity somewhat but it's there to remind us how human Neo is and sets him up to discover his powers in the process for the final act to work.

Most of the second act dips into moments of snoresville, and the complexity of the story and computer jargon means that too much time is taken into explaining the hierarchy and politics of Zion that less attention is given to keeping the beat of the story. We're meant to feel more attached to the people of Zion but we're left twiddling our thumbs while watching love triangles amongst the captains unfold.

So do we take the red pill or the blue pill, proclaiming it to be better or worse than the original? Well, as a sequel, in four words - it's possibly the best ever. The storyline remains intriguing and complex while not too much so that you would be confused. One of the interesting themes that follow through from Jean Baudrillard's simulacra reference in the original is analysed further with the question of choice - and whether this is just an illusion dictated to us by those in power? However, there are elements that are overplayed and it does flip in and out of drama and kung fu too easily at times.

As a film - it's not as good as the original. Not because it does anything wrong - but I suppose because a) we've seen what makes Reloaded cool in the first one, b) it was much edgier and less blockbuster, and has that rawness that sequels never regenerate and c) we feel less excited about Neo's powers because we don't see anything new. If you want to be entertained - you'll love Reloaded. But if you want to be entertained, provoked and surprised - then you'll like the original.

Transistor Sister
Film Critic, Kikizo Movies