Just about everyone who saw "The Matrix" was blown away by it. It came outta nowhere, knocking everyone on their collective asses while they waited for "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (and it may have even contributed to the disappointment many felt after watching that film). After "The Matrix," science-fiction changed, special effects changed, and movies as a whole changed. Though it combined elements from several science-fiction films, it was an original. The movie was awesome, and a sequel was inevitable.
Supposedly, there were many directions that the sequel could go. It was mentioned that the follow-up would be a prequel, while the third film would be the epic finale (combining what is now "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions"). Eventually, it was decided that the two sequels would take place after "The Matrix," and everything from the prequel would be included in "The Animatrix," a series of animated short films that can be downloaded from www.thematrix.com, or you can wait for the DVD, which will be released on June 3. If I'm not mistaken, "The Second Renaissance," which is a two-parter in "The Animatrix," covers what would have been in the prequel.
The first film asked, "what is the matrix?", but it seemed to be asking a more philosophical question; "what is life?" With "The Matrix Reloaded," the question seems to be "is there relevance to the choices we make?" That one can be debated for hours, (especially by those who believe in Chaos Theory and "The Butterfly Effect"), but that's neither here nor there. While "The Matrix" dove deeply into philosophy, "The Matrix Reloaded" dives even deeper. That means that we as an audience have to do more thinking with this film than we did with the original. Hopefully, that's not too much to ask.
I'm pretty sure that some will be disappointed with this movie. They may complain that it's too different from the first, it's too grim, it doesn't really have an ending, the story isn't as clear... for those people, I can only say that they should see it again. Closely pay attention to the smallest detail. There's a point to everything. Even the first quarter of the movie, which is admittedly slow, has a purpose.
I like "The Matrix Reloaded" a lot. I probably even like it a little more than "The Matrix," but it starts slowly, and it IS a bit confusing a times. However, things pick up as soon as "Neo" sees "The Oracle," and it doesn't take a break after that. As for it being confusing, well, there's a lot to think about, but it's all very interesting stuff. The sequel answers some of the questions posed in the first film, but new ones arise. Despite that, the two films are consistent and seamless. There's definitely a big plan, and I'm sure that once the trilogy is complete, it'll all make sense.
There are a lotta great things in the movie, but what I like the most is the relationship between "Neo" and "Trinity." Their bond is the humanity that the movie would otherwise lack. More importantly, I truly care about them and their love for each other. "Neo" and "Trinity" are cold, determined characters, but you can see the tenderness in their eyes when they look at each other. The way they feel about each other is as crucial to the film as the amazing special effects.
"Neo" and "Trinity" are played perfectly by Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss (respectively), and they have great onscreen chemistry. I've been critical of Keanu Reeves' acting in the past, and truth be told, he's not a great actor. He was okay in "Devil's Advocate" and "The Gift," but in "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (two great movies), he was awful. That being said, he found the perfect character to play in "Neo." The character is cold and somewhat wooden, which totally lends to Keanu Reeves' weaknesses as an actor. As for the kung fu, his moves seemed stiff in the first film, but in this one, he's a lot looser. Keanu Reeves is great for these movies, but keep him away from serious drama, especially if it requires an accent. As for Carrie-Anne Moss, she rules. Her presence is the heart of the film, and "Trinity" is my favorite character in the movie. In fact, she's one of my favorite movie characters of all-time. Carrie-Anne Moss was also in "Memento," another great film, and her character in that film is like "Trinity," tough, but soulful. No one is better than her at playing that kinda character. I love "Trinity," and I love what Carrie-Anne Moss brings to her character.
Laurence Fishburne is back as "Morpheus," and as expected, he's awesome. "Morpheus" is a character who commands respect, and Laurence Fishburne can do that with a single look. He's the perfect guy to play that role. In the sequel, you learn more about him, but you also learn how he's perceived by others. Not everyone sees him the way "Neo" and "Trinity" do. Also back is Hugo Weaving as "Agent Smith." How it is that he can come back isn't explained. Actually, a lot of things about him aren't explained, but I'm sure it will all be made clear in "The Matrix Revolutions." In the first film, I was a little weirded out by the way he spoke, but I eventually got used to it, and I'm glad he's back. Hugo Weaving does a great job with the character, bringing a combination of menace and irony. Gloria Foster is a delight as "The Oracle," but sadly, she died while the two sequels were being shot. Apparently, she completed her work in "The Matrix Reloaded," but she never got the chance to work in "The Matrix Revolutions." She's a joy to watch, and her scene with "Neo" in this film is wonderful. I have no idea who's playing "The Oracle" in the third film, but that person will have some VERY big shoes to fill.
There are quite a few new characters who have been added to the sequel, the most significant one being Jada Pinkett Smith as "Niobe." She was the female lead in "Menace II Society," "The Nutty Professor," and several other movies, but she's still known as Will Smith's wife. Hopefully this movie (as well as the next one) will change all that. She's awesome to watch, and I like her character a lot. You may be surprised to know that Jada Pinkett Smith wrote a comic book story for an issue of "Menace", published by Awesome Entertainment. I never read it, so I have no clue about her ability as a comic book writer. Still, that's pretty interesting, isn't it? In this movie, her character was once romantically linked with "Morpheus," but now she's seeing a military leader named "Lock," as played by Harry Lennix (he played "Aaron" in the dark Shakespearean film, "Titus"... he was also "Randall" in Spike Lee's film, "Get on the Bus"). He's a great actor, and he does a really good job in the movie. Harold Perrineau Jr. ("Augustus Hill" from the HBO TV series, "Oz") plays "Link," a character who seems to have taken over for "Tank" from the first film. I've been a fan of Harold Perrineau Jr. ever since I saw him play "Mercutio" in Baz Luhrmann's take of "Romeo + Juliet" several years back. In this film, he's the character that the audience can most relate to, often saying and doing things that express how the audience may be feeling. There's one part where his reaction to an event in the film had the theater audience erupt in applause. He seemed to outwardly express how we were all feeling inside. His wife in the movie, "Zee," is played by Nona M. Gaye (daughter of Marvin Gaye... she played "Belinda Ali" in "Ali"). This is the role that was to be played by Aaliyah. I thought that Nona M. Gaye's performance was very good, though the role is pretty small. It would have been interesting to see Aaliyah play it, but sadly, she's no longer with us. For some reason, Roy Jones Jr. is in the movie. In case you don't know, Roy Jones Jr. is a championship boxer, and very possibly, one of the best ever. To be honest with you, his acting isn't all that great, but I'd never say that to his face.
The beautiful Monica Bellucci plays "Persephone," and unfortunately, she's in the movie for just a few minutes. Bellucci was one of the stars of the brilliant and disturbing movie, "Irréversible," as well as "Brotherhood of the Wolf." In "Bram Stoker's Dracula," (the one with Keanu Reeves), she had a small role as one of the brides of "Dracula." In this film, she plays the wife of "Merovingian," who's played by Lambert Wilson, and lemmie tell you, the guy almost steals the movie. He's fun to watch. Then there's Collin Chou, who plays "Seraph." This was the role offered to Jet Li, which he subsequently turned down so he could make shitty movies like "Kiss of the Dragon," "The One," and "Cradle 2 the Grave." Jet Li needs to fire his agent right now! Collin Chou is no Jet Li, but he's still very impressive. I've never seen him before, but I know that he's been in lotsa Hong Kong kung fu flicks, and this is his American debut. He's not in this movie very long, but I'm sure his role is a lot bigger in the third film.
The Wachowski Brothers (Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski) wrote and directed all of the "Matrix" movies, and their talent is incredible. When I saw "Bound," their directorial debut, I never thought they were capable of this. I mean, I love "Bound," it's a fantastic movie, but it isn't anywhere near as ambitious as "The Matrix." By the way, for all the comic book geeks out there, the Wachowski Brothers wrote several issues of a comic book series called "Ectokid" for Razorline, Marvel Comics' short-lived line of comic books created by Clive Barker. The artist was Steve Skroce, who ended up doing storyboards for "The Matrix."
When "To be concluded..." appeared on the screen, I was kinda pissed off. I WANT MORE! MORE!!! On the plus side, the wait for "The Matrix Revolutions" is only six months. Speaking of that, be sure to stick around after the credits roll (which lasts for about 8 minutes). What follows is a nice little treat, and trust me, you'll be kicking yourself if you miss it.
"The Matrix Reloaded" is deeper, darker, and more puzzling than the first film. Is it better? Hard to say, but I'd say yes. With the first film, I was blown away because I didn't expect it to be that good, I didn't expect the effects to be that cool, and I didn't expect the story to be that interesting. Walking into the second film, I expected all of that and more, so the surprise is gone. That aside, I think that "The Matrix Reloaded" is more interesting than "The Matrix," and it gets the viewer more emotionally involved in the stories and the characters.
This is a great movie, and I'm gonna see it several more times. Yes, it starts slowly, but believe me when I tell you that you're gonna walk outta the theater very satisfied. Prepare yourself, though. This one requires that you do more thinking than you had to do during the first film.
Scale of 1-10: 9