In the sequel to \The Matrix,"" Andy and Larry Wachowski have thrilled audiences by providing much more action than in the original. The movie contains some of the most spectacular stunts ever filmed and leaves the audience somewhere between adrenaline-pumped and awestruck.
While not much is really explained in ""The Matrix Reloaded,"" the film is able to carry the audience through the laborious parts of the movie by yet again providing some of the best action scenes in movie history.
Neo (Keanu Reeves) has become far more developed since the last ""Matrix""-now he can fly and sense the mere presence of agents. Hugo Weaving also brings an advanced Agent Smith back to life. When Smith confronts Neo for the first time in the park, ""The One"" learns Smith has found a way to copy himself.
As Neo and Smith engage in combat, dozens of Smith clones pour into the park. The battle continues as the aggression and pace of the fight increases, producing a darkly funny yet admirable scene, which results in one of the best hand-to-hand engagements generated in the movie.
Perhaps the most popular action scene of the movie is the freeway scene, which required the Wachowski brothers to build their own highway in the middle of a desert. The scene contains dreadlock-sporting ghosts, car explosions and crashes, a battle between Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and an agent, a motorcycle chase, Neo's new Superman-like power and a head-on semi-truck collision. With that all taking place in a matter of 14 minutes, no one could leave the theater feeling cheated.
Even though many complain that the plot seems to be severed from the action of the movie, any ""Matrix"" fan knows that the plot spans over the entire series of films, into the conclusion, ""Matrix Revolutions.""
While most questions are left unanswered in ""Reloaded,"" the film still has the ability to make you think. The story contains spiritual and philosophical allusions, many of which come at the end of the movie when Neo meets The Architect of the ""Matrix"". Still, the scene has you leaving the theater with a confused, ""Keanu"" look on your face.
All in all, ""The Matrix Reloaded"" is a spectacular, action-packed thriller that whispers for you to ""free your mind.""
Four years ago, there was this little-known movie called ""The Matrix"" that slowly became a surprise hit. Audiences loved the film because it had some of the best action and Computer Generated Images ever seen in a Hollywood film. The movie had an epic scale to it, reminiscent of ""Star Wars;"" this wasn't a story, it was a mythos. Fans soon learned of an anticipated pair of sequels. The four years it would take for those sequels to be made created a media frenzy, hyping ""The Matrix Reloaded"" all the way into box-office record books.
The problem is that while ""Reloaded"" drops?? just as many jaws as the first, it is an extremely flawed and disappointing movie.
The largest of its problems is pacing. With several scenes of dialogue crammed into the opening 40 minutes, the film seems segmented and uneven. Even the other expository scenes featuring The Oracle, The Merovingian and The Architect bring ""Reloaded's"" momentum to a virtual standstill. While the audience is expected to be listening and sifting through the film's pseudo-philosophy, most are left waiting for the next action scene.
Furthermore, what were the Wachowski brothers thinking when designing Zion? It looks nothing like the straggling city most imagined-the massive size and complex design screams of ""Attack of the Clones.""
The Council meetings were uninteresting and out of place, as was Morpheus' speech to Zion's citizens. This was partially because Laurence Fishburne simply does not have a booming voice; his presence in ""The Matrix"" is always that of a quiet and knowledgeable mentor.
In addition, the written dialogue he is forced to deal with does not help; somewhere along the line, the Wachowski brothers forgot the difference between clich?? and cool. Even worse, the rave scene that his speech segues into is easily the most out of place and gratuitous use of sex in the entire film. The scene eats up several minutes to simply get across the fact that Zionites can throw a sweet party.
The film leaves several loose ends and plot holes, and perhaps ""The Matrix Revolutions"" will tie everything together. However, the direction chosen by the Wachowski brothers for these sequels has already seriously damaged how audiences imagine the world of ""The Matrix.""
