The Matrix Reloaded – Review

There’s a slew of people out there that did not like this movie. I am not one of them. The Matrix was truly a mind-blowing movie in and of itself…the plotline, the effects, the fighting style. The philosphical and spiritual presence of the film was indeed apparant and the Asian influences were obvious. This time around, in Matrix Reloaded, Seraph and the Keymaster are both given significant screen time and add lots to the story. As the film opens, you are actually drawn into the Matrix. As the camera sweeps between and in and out of that green programming code, your body feels the motion.

Keanu Reeves was born for this role in this movie alongside Carrie Ann Moss. The two lovebird give some drama towords the end of the film. The Matrix Reloaded is not for those who dislike a lack of finality in a movie; by the end it raises more questions than it answers. For these reasons, claims about a lack of plot is understandable. Its story is steeped more in humanities history then it is in the future, but at the same time, is also steeped heavily in myth and fantasy. As many reviewers noted, the first 30 to 40 minutes are slow and some scenes seem to drag forever. Remember unlike other reviewers here, they aren’t telling you the full story, they are in fact grabbing one aspect and not relating it to the rest of the show. These slow parts should make sense if you remember you are in a fictional world, and keep the story at that.

The groundbreaking FX are in full effect, expanded in some ways and properly contracted in others. The battle scenes, as always, are spectacles. Unfortunately, the human and mystical sides of the story are significantly absent. The first movie presented a close pack of characters that we cared about and were interested in what happened to them. This time there were too many characters and not enough screen time for them all.

It makes you think how we need some kind of purpose in our lives, because without it, we feel empty, which is what the end of the movie is intended to make us feel. The pressure they felt creating this one to make it a ‘commercial’ success obviously didn’t reach the Wachowski brothers, and luckily they kept the original essense of the story intact. For me, the experience of watching this film can be summed up by Neo’s meeting with “The Architect”…though I was fascinated but what was being said, I could only comprehend every third or fourth concept due to the highly-complicated nature of the subject matter. We live in a world of illusion, distraction, economic slavedom and material indulgence. Breaking free from these culturally programmed distractions will enable you to break free from the real Matrix that we inhabit. Too deep for you? Well this is that type of movie. Try not to compare it to the first movie and as a stand alone you have a very cool, slick, smart sci-fi action film.