Conspicuous Looking Heroes In Black
THE MATRIX RELOADED

RATING: B+

Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Harold Perrineu, Monica Bellucci, Harry Lennix, Nona Gaye, Anthony Zerbe. Music by Don Davis, Edited by Zach Staenberg, Director of Photography Bill Pope, Produced by Joel Silver, Written and Directed by the Wachowski Brothers.

Rated R, Running Time 135 Mins., 2.40:1 Anamorphic Scope Aspect Ratio.

Ever heard of The Matrix? I'm sure you've heard someone refer to it in some form or other. Phrases like "We're all trapped in The Matrix", "They fight like in The Matrix" or "Those effects were just like The Matrix" have been uttered by many moviegoers. One film from its producer Joel Silver advertised its star, Jet Li, as "a one man Matrix." Whether it was its groundbreaking effects, expertly choreographed fight sequences or its breakthrough as the first "Cyberpunk" film, "The Matrix" has indeed become a part of American pop culture. Like many other science fiction odysseys before it, the Matrix has influenced many imitations that tried and failed to capture what made it a success. It wasn't eye-popping visual effects and kick-ass fight sequences that captivated audiences but the wonderfully constructed story they helped to tell.

In 1999 directors Andy and Larry Wachowski brought us their sleeper hit "The Matrix." and with the expertise of producer Joel Silver they successfully brought the look and feel of comic books to life. The story of The Matrix is their original idea, not based on any published comic book, but observing the look and tone of the film, comic fans will notice the influences of artists such as Frank Miller, Alan Moore and the father of "Cyberpunk", author William Gibson.

What is The Matrix?

The story of The Matrix is that of Thomas Anderson a.k.a. Neo, (Keanu Reeves), a lonely computer programmer/hacker who discovers that the world he lives in is a computer generated simulation. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), two rebels who live in the real world, reveal to Neo that machines have dominated the earth and the free human race has gone into hiding. Humans like Neo have been grown and used by the machines as slaves. Their bodies exist in artificial wombs as a source of energy, while their ignorant minds live in a virtual simulation know as "The Matrix". Morpheus has long believed that a messiah known as "The One" will fulfill a prophecy to destroy the Matrix and set the human race free. Patrolled by lethal sentient programs such as Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), the Matrix becomes a deadly place for Neo where he must learn to defend himself in various forms of combat and realize his destiny as "The One."

What is The Matrix Reloaded?

"The Matrix Reloaded" takes place several months after the events of the first film. The human resistance has learned that the machines have discovered the hidden location of Zion, the last free human city. Zion has been protected for almost a hundred years deep near the earth's core, but the machines have begun digging. Neo has accepted his destiny as "the One" but he hopes to make contact with the Oracle (Gloria Foster) so that he may make some sense of his nightmares involving his girlfriend, Trinity. Neo has proved that he is an "anomaly" amongst the resistance movement with his ability to fly, fight and move faster than any person or agent within the world of the Matrix. Many have come to worship Neo as a messiah, making him feel self-conscious. Others like Zion's Commander Lock (Harry Lennix) choose to ignore prophecies and rely on weapons and strength against the machines.

Morpheus still believes in Neo and with the help of his former girlfriend Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith), Captain of a sister ship, he sets out to prove it. They learn the existence of sentient programs who have existed within the Matrix since its creation. These programs have chosen to either take advantage in the Matrix or hide in exile out of fear of deletion. The most valuable amongst these programs is the Keymaker, an old man who has the ability to create back doors that can lead to different parts of the system. He can also give Neo access to the mainframe computer that may hold the answer to his question of what the Matrix really is. Unfortunately the Keymaker is being held captive by another program called the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) who chooses to exist as an evil tycoon and has a squad of lethal bodyguards to boot. With time running out for Zion it all comes down to Neo making a grave choice. But he better choose quickly because Agent Smith is alive and out to get him. Make that over a hundred versions of Agent Smith.

"The Matrix Reloaded" is indeed an exciting thrill ride full of tremendous action, eye-popping f/x, wonderful performances and those humorous moments you get just when you're trying to catch your breath. Be warned, this film ends with an unsatisfying cliffhanger that will be resolved in the third feature, but getting to it is a lot of fun.

What about the cast?

Of the entire cast I think that much credit should go to Reeves. He gets a lot of criticism for his performances and is endlessly compared to his role in the "Bill and Ted" films, but he puts in the hardest work here. He is involved in a tremendous amount of fight choreography that must have taken a year to practice and we've only seen the first of two films. The character of Neo still hasn't changed and he still has much to discover. Reeves doesn't project that "Whoa" quality he's famous for but he gives Neo a wonderful sense of awe and purpose. He's carrying an entire trilogy folks, so cut the guy some slack because he's up to the task and proves it. It seems like the more work he has to put in the more focused his performance becomes.

Laurence Fishburne again proves he is the man, but this time Morpheus isn't always the deep voiced badass he appears to be. As the story expands so does Morpheus' role and Fishburne manages to give the character some vulnerability as he comes to learn that maybe every thing he believes in isn't entirely the truth. He's taken what could have been a generic mentor role and made it one of cinema's most memorable characters. I can't imagine anyone other than Fishburne as Morpheus. Not even Sean Connery or Val Kilmer who turned it down.

Carrie-Anne Moss also shines again as Trinity the lethal leather clad babe that every guy would love to have as a girlfriend. Sorry guys, she's devoted to Neo. Maybe if you can fly and alter reality she'll look your way. I enjoyed the way more of the romance is explored because now she and Neo are completely open with one another. There is a sex scene between Neo and Trinity inter-cut with a celebration amongst the citizens of Zion that looks too much like Mtv's Spring Break. It was nice to see a romantic element that was missing from the first film but the love scene runs too long and took me out of the movie. I felt like I was watching an episode of "Red Shoe Diaries."

Hugo Weaving is another actor much credit should go to. If you've never seen him in "Pricilla, Queen of the Desert" or "Lord of the Rings" then you really don't know how versatile this stage veteran is. He's so deliciously bad as Agent Smith that I can't hate him. I light up every time he shows up, hanging on every word of his perfect diction. I love to hear him call Neo "Mister Anderson!" Like Reeves he too pulls off some difficult fight choreography, playing many versions of himself.

Rounding out the supporting cast are some memorable performances from Harold Perrineu as Link, Morpheus' reluctant "operator", the amazing voice and presence of Harry Lennix as Morpheus's rival Lock, Nona Gaye as Link's girlfriend Zee, Italian femme fatale Monica Belluci and surprisingly a restrained Jada Pinkett-Smith as Morpheus' former love interest Niobe. I had much apprehension to her taking part in the series but not one ounce of her celebrity personality comes through and she is convincingly this character. I thought Belluci was a real hoot too as the Merovingian’s wife who is attracted to Neo because she's pissed her cheating hubby uses a digital version of "Spanish Fly" on women. It was also a real treat to see to late Gloria Foster as the wise yet very sly Oracle. It was a real shame to lose her as well as R&B singer Aaliyah who was originally set to play Zee, but you can still glimpse her in the Zion crowd scene if you look hard enough.

What about the action?

Of the many action sequences in "The Matrix Reloaded" two come to mind as the most powerful. The first is a freeway chase involving Morpheus, Trinity and the Keymaker being pursed by agents and the Merovingian’s bodyguards, particularly the Rayment twins, Adrian and Neil. These albino silver dredlocked misfits may look a bit freaky but their abilities are lethal, surpassed only by Neo. These twins can heal instantly and can amazingly travel through solid matter like ghosts. I really hope we'll see more of the in the third film. The chase involves over two hundred cars being demolished and is probably the best auto pursuit on film with the exception of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." That classic chase worked because of its simplicity but the complicated freeway pursuit here also works because it is broken down into many exciting parts. When Trinity tells Morpheus "You told me taking the freeway was suicide," you'll soon understand why.

The second major action sequence is the "big brawl" between Neo and multiple versions of Agent Smith. With this fight scene choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping again proves why he is the king of Hong Kong cinema martial arts. Many films have tried to copy his fighting style since the first Matrix but few have succeeded because their stories did not take place in a computer generated dream world and they didn't have his expertise. Only "Crouching Tiger..." which he choreographed and the comedic "Charlie's Angels" (choreographed by his brother) have pulled it off. The balletic combat between Reeves and the many versions of Weaving prove that what we saw in the first Matrix was just "foreplay."

What about the effects?

The filmmakers know that the "bullet-time" slow-motion 3-D effect they pioneered has been abused and copied so many times since the original film that they have decided to use similar yet different visual effects to tell the story. With slow-motion and three-dimensional virtual camera moves we are able to follow fight sequences through and around characters and even travel from wide "helicopter" shots to extreme close-ups. These effects aren't as groundbreaking as bullet-time but they work because they help tell the story and are so subtle you don't notice them all. Some of the transitions between the digital and real actors are noticeable, but you will be able to suspend disbelief. And wait until you witness Neo fly, it is a pure treat. Seeing the shockwave he emanates when he takes off was pure comic book heaven for me. If they wanna top this with a new version of Superman, good luck. Kudos to Oscar winner John Gaeta and his effects team as well as composer Don Davis whose kinetic score once again travels smoothly from orchestral to techno.

What are you trying to say?

Much credit should go not just to the Wachowski Brothers for their vision, but to producer Joel Silver who saw a good thing when it was first presented to him and kept it from becoming another soulless Hollywood studio extravaganza. After viewing "The Matrix Reloaded" I was overwhelmed, there was just so much to take in. I was a bit disappointed with the original film after initially seeing it because it wasn't the film I thought I was getting and I was left with many unanswered questions. After subsequent viewings I came to love the film and consider it one of my favorite popcorn movies. I say popcorn movie because let's face it, film's like these will never be on the artistic level of say "The Godfather" or "Citizen Kane." I have no doubt that I will enjoy "The Matrix Reloaded" even more after viewing it again and again. Its a wonderful piece of escapism. I just wished they had explored more, because with a story of this magnitude there are so many avenues it could take. Sure, it kicks ass in the action and effects department but so does "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Unlike those films "The Matrix" series asks few questions, questions such as the meaning of existence, can we exist as the same people in the digital world and can we separate the lines between fantasy and reality?

If we were given a choice, like Neo, to exist in the real world would we want to? Knowledge is power and the knowledge that the world we live in is a fantasy is a power that one may be tempted to abuse. Why exist in a bland apocalyptic world when one could take advantage and live like a king with the power that Neo exhibits in the digital world. Neo is fighting for something he believes in, freedom for the human race, but is what he wants right for everyone. None of these questions are raised and instead we are given more of the battle between humans and machines. David Cronenberg’s “eXistenZ” was released around the same time as the first Matrix and it asked similar questions as well as the idea of man combined with machines.

I truly hope that at least one of these ideas is touched upon in the final installment, "Revolutions." "Reloaded" itself is not truly a complete film because films two and three are meant to be viewed together as a whole. They only scratch the surface with the religious subtext which doesn't go beyond names like Morpheus (the God of Sleep) Trinity (the Holy Trinity), Nebachanezzer, or the fact that Neo is a Christ-like figure. "The Matrix" is so much more than kung-fu and visual f/x. These films have great potential to go down in history as classics instead of a popcorn series like "James Bond," the type of films that are a roller-coaster for two hours and then you forget about on the ride home. When an idea as wonderful as "The Matrix" is presented to me I get excited and don't want to see it fall into something generic. I want to see it reach its greatest potential. This series has the makings of a great mythology much like the Star Wars films...and I do mean the original trilogy.

What is The Matrix Revolutions?

Make sure you stay after the credits for a short preview of the final film that hits in November, "The Matrix Revolutions." But, I'm sure you already knew that, didn't you?

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