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 Ladies
and gentlemen, it's time to take the red pill...again.
That's right,
folks, The Matrix Reloaded, the long-awaited sequel to
1999's groundbreaking sleeper hit that grossed more than $450
million worldwide, is finally here. As for whether or not it was
worth the wait...well, I guess that depends on how confusing you
like your movies to be. There's no doubt that die-hard fans and
techno-geeks who re-booted the first movie over and over again
will happily download the sequel's jaw-dropping special effects,
but as for the rest of us, the film is so complex, cerebral and
confusing that your brain might just shut down from information
overload.
It is only
a matter of time before the mechanized sentinels invade the city
of Zion, the last human enclave on Earth. The citizens of Zion
fully support Morpheus's (Laurence Fishburne) conviction that
Neo (Keanu Reeves) is the chosen One who will put an end to the
war with the machines, but Neo has his own doubts after being
haunted by disturbing visions of the future--visions which foreshadow
the demise of his true love, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). Conflicted
by varying degrees of passion, truth, faith, knowledge and purpose,
Neo will eventually be forced to make the ultimate choice, or
Zion will fall and humanity will cease to exist.
Fans of the
first movie will be happy to know that, at least on a visual scale,
The Matrix Reloaded delivers big-time. Where the first
film was a thinking person's action movie that combined elements
of technology, martial arts, special effects and Japanese anime
for a style that was all its own (and the Wachowskis' inventive
"bullet-time" photography didn't hurt either), the sequel
definitely advances to the next level. Some standout scenes include
a spectacular battle between Neo and more than 100 Agent Smiths
and an awesome freeway car chase that, at more than 15 minutes,
will go down as one of the greatest in motion picture history.
The problem
is that if you look past all the bells and whistles, you'll find
a film that's not as tight, as focused or as free-flowing as the
first movie. Never mind that the last 20 minutes felt choppy and
ended with an anti-climactic cliffhanger, but some scenes go on
far too long while others don't seem to add much to the plot.
That's especially the case with Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who
was previously defeated by Neo and is now hell-bent on getting
his revenge. Even though he's featured in one of the film's best
scenes, he's not really essential to the overall story (at least,
not yet), and he feels more like a running joke to make the fans
happy.
The Matrix
Reloaded is also hampered by an incredible amount of exposition.
Then again, so was the first film, but at least Morpheus explained
the whole concept of the Matrix to Neo (and the rest of us) while
showing it to him (and us) at the same time. This time around,
the exposition is much more tedious and confusing (and, dare I
say it, boring), especially during an 11th-hour revelation where
Neo is forced to play the ultimate game of "Let's Make a
Deal" with a Donald Sutherland lookalike (don't ask!).
There's no
doubt that the Wachowski Brothers have a vision, but where they
once seemed inspired, now it feels like they're just showing off.
And when they aren't trying to push the boundaries of special
effects, they're recycling old science fiction cliches. For example,
after so much anticipation to finally see what Zion looks like,
it merely resembles the same post-apocalyptic outpost we've seen
before in The Road Warrior, 12 Monkeys and Waterworld.
It's also
worth mentioning that at no point did I ever get the impression
that anyone was in any danger, especially Neo. Now that he has
embraced his status as the all-knowing, all-powerful One, he's
virtually indestructible to the point where, no matter how many
Agent Smiths are thrown his way, you know he's going to win. There's
no real threat, and that keeps an already cold film from making
a significant emotional impact.
The first
Matrix gave Keanu Reeves the role of his career, and for
good reason. Reeves is hardly known for his dramatic range, and
since his character was largely reactive (instead of proactive),
he wasn't really required to "act." Of course, he kicked
ass during the fight scenes, and to that extent, his performance
in Reloaded pushes him to the next level. Not only does
he share a steamy love scene with Carrie-Anne Moss, but he also
switches roles with Laurence Fishburne, who is more vulnerable
and insecure than he was the last time around.
The supporting
characters don't seem to serve any real purpose, except to (hopefully)
introduce elements for the third (and final) film. That goes for
the beautiful Monica Bellucci, a Matrix trophy wife who will do
whatever it takes to feel emotions, and Jada Pinkett Smith, a
rebel ship captain who has a mysterious past with Morpheus. Only
the razor-wielding, teleporting Twins have much to do, as they
provide something different to the film's key fight scenes.
If The
Matrix Reloaded doesn't feel like a complete movie, that's
because it's not. It's only half of a movie. The other half, The
Matrix Revolutions, doesn't open until November, so in the
meantime, Reloaded will have to be judged as a single body
of work. As it is, it's cool, but it's not inspired. Then again,
I should mention that I didn't really "get" the first
Matrix until I saw it a few times, and my opinion here
is based solely on a single viewing.
To that extent,
I guess I'll have to take the red pill...again.
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