The Matrix:
Reloaded
(2003)
review by Head Cheeze

If the original Matrix was the cool, sleek, and revolutionary brainchild of the brothers Wachowski, Reloaded would have to be it's geeky, clumsy and loud step sibling. So relentless is this film's desire to pound your senses into as much pulp, it's at times easy to forget what it was we liked about the first film so much. When Keanu Reeves let slip his signature "woah" in the first film, we were right there with him. In Reloaded, there's simply no time for such simple observation. While The Matrix redefined action cinema, Reloaded simply exists to make sure we don't forget that fact until the final chapter wraps it all up.

The film opens with a scene of Trinity (Moss) gliding through the night sky on a motorcycle, crashing it into a security booth of a high rise, and engaging in a bout of wire-Fu with a cadre of guards. Suddenly she is besieged by Agents who chase her through the window of the skyscraper, and a slow motion bullet time gunfight in mid-air ensues. It's familiar and exhilarating all at once, and is proof positive that we have entered Wachowski country. However, once we leave the Matrix, the energetic opening salvo becomes a distant memory as we become mired down in the comparably less exciting "real" world of Zion. It's funny, because I think we're supposed to marvel at the underground metropolis, but it's nothing we haven't seen in a million anime or sci-fi flicks before, and, to be honest, I'd rather live in the Matrix than that dump.

Anyway, it seems that the Matrix is planning a full on assault on Zion, and it's up to Neo, Morpheus (Fishburne), and Trinity to seek out the Oracle (Gloria Foster) for guidance. Neo finds out that he must seek out the Keymaker if he's to stand any chance of saving Zion, but to get to the Keymaker, the trio will have to fight their way past the Matrix's agents, dreadlocked albino assassins, and hundreds of Agent Smiths (Weaving), who is now a rogue program who replicates himself at will.

Reloaded is a servicable middle chapter in The Matrix trilogy, and it does certainly raise the bar in terms of sheer explosive eye candy, but when the film isn't wowing us with epic fight scenes, it's lulling us into a coma with excruciatingly long and stupid technobabble monologues. Morpheus, a character who defined cool in the first film, has become a pardody of his former self, with his only purpose seemingly to be Neo's personal cheerleading squad. Everytime Fishburne opened his mouth I started cracking up because it was painfully obvious that it was time for another Neo pep rally. Speaking of Neo, he's pretty much in Luke Skywalker/Return of the Jedi mode here. He's grim, gritty, and conflicted, confident in his skills, yet tortured by visions of what's to come. Of course, all of this means nothing since Reeves has only two facial expressions; vacant and bemused. Much of Neo's fighting sequences are done with a CGI Reeves who somehow looks more lifelike than the real one. Weaving does his Agent Smith schtick delivering Freddy Krueger-like zingers as he gets his ass kicked over and over and over and over... The only actors who don't seem to be zonked out on horse tranquilizers are Moss, whose Trinity is given more to do than sulk and slink this time round, and the excellent Harold Perrineau (OZ), who plays Link, the Nebachanezars new helmsmen/comic relief. Other characters are introduced here and there, but few have anything significant to do other than praise Neo or doubt him.

Visually, Reloaded is stunning stuff, but the organic feel of Wo Ping's wire-Fu is lost here amidst extensive CGI and combat scenes so epic that one has little time to appreciate subtle nuances. Still, one can't help but be impressed by the magnitude of it all, even if it is a bit disorienting. While the film excels in the occular stimulation department, it's a mess of incomprehensible geek-jargon when it comes to narrative. When Neo confronts the "Architect" of the Matrix it's like reading Dr. Seuss on acid. Not a wise scripting decision when the scene is supposed to be revelatory.

While Reloaded is certainly not nearly as vital a contribution to cinema as it's predecessor, it's still an entertaining popcorn flick. This may prove disheartening to those who felt that this series had the potential to replace Star Wars as the ultimate in nerd mythology, but something tells me hardcore fanatics will justify every shortcoming of Reloaded with the same ferocity Star Wars fanatics defend The Phantom Menace.

The Matrix Reloaded has the distinction of being the middle chapter in a trilogy, which gives it a sort of "free pass" until the final chapter, Revolutions, shows us whether or not the payoff was worth all of the effort of the setup. While it's certainly not a bad film (actually, it defied my expectations), Reloaded is a classic example of overachievment. So intent is Reloaded with topping the first Matrix, it loses sight of why we loved that film in the first place.