the action scenes were awesome just like in the first one, but this one was so much more complex than the first one and with tons of new characters that is hard to keep track; bottom line, the first one was better
Commander Lock: "Not everyone believes what you believe." Morpheus: "My beliefs do not require that they do." Characters are always talking like this in "The Matrix Reloaded," which plays like a collaboration involving a geek, a comic book and the smartest kid in Philosophy 101. Morpheus in particular unreels extended speeches that remind me of Laurence Olivier's remarks when he won his honorary Oscar--the speech that had Jon Voight going "God!" on TV, but in print turned out to be quasi-Shakespearean doublespeak. The speeches provide not meaning, but the effect of meaning: It sure sounds like those guys are saying some profound things.
That will not prevent fanboys from analyzing the philosophy of "The Matrix Reloaded" in endless Web postings. Part of the fun is becoming an expert in the deep meaning of shallow pop mythology; there is something refreshingly ironic about becoming an authority on the transient extrusions of mass culture, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) now joins Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Plato of our age.
I say this not in disapproval, but in amusement. "The Matrix" (1999), written and directed by the brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, inspired so much inflamed pseudo-philosophy that it's all "The Matrix Reloaded" can do to stay ahead of its followers. It is an immensely skillful sci-fi adventure, combining the usual elements: heroes and villains, special effects and stunts, chases and explosions, romance and oratory. It develops its world with more detail than the first movie was able to afford, gives us our first glimpse of the underground human city of Zion, burrows closer to the heart of the secret of the Matrix, and promotes its hero, Neo, from confused draftee to a Christ figure in training.
As we learned in "The Matrix," the Machines need human bodies, millions and millions of them, for their ability to generate electricity. In an astonishing sequence, we saw countless bodies locked in pods around central cores that extended out of sight above and below. The Matrix is the virtual reality that provides the minds of these sleepers with the illusion that they are active and productive. Questions arise, such as, is there no more efficient way to generate power? And why give the humans dreams when they would generate just as much energy if comatose? And why create such a complex virtual world for each and every one of them, when they could all be given the same illusion and be none the wiser? Why is each dreamer himself or herself, occupying the same body in virtual reality as the one asleep in the pod? But never mind. We are grateful that 250,000 humans have escaped from the grid of the Matrix, and gathered to build Zion, which is "near the Earth's core--where there is more heat." As the movie opens, we are alarmed to learn that the Machines are drilling toward Zion so quickly that they will arrive in 36 hours. We may also wonder if Zion and its free citizens really exist, or if the humans only think so, but that leads to a logical loop ending in madness.
Neo (Keanu Reeves) has been required to fly, to master martial arts, and to learn that his faith and belief can make things happen. His fights all take place within virtual reality spaces, while he reclines in a chair and is linked to the cyberworld, but he can really be killed, because if the mind thinks it is dead, "the body is controlled by the mind." All of the fight sequences, therefore, are logically contests not between physical bodies, but between video game-players, and the Neo in the big fight scenes is actually his avatar.
The visionary Morpheus, inspired by the prophecies of the Oracle, instructed Neo--who gained the confidence to leap great distances, to fly and in "Reloaded" destroys dozens of clones of Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) in martial combat. That fight scene is made with the wonders of digital effects and the choreography of the Hong Kong action director Yuen Wo Ping, who also did the fights in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." It provides one of the three great set pieces in the movie.
The second comes when Morpheus returns to Zion and addresses the assembled multitude--an audience that looks like a mosh pit crossed with the underground slaves in "Metropolis." After his speech, the citizens dance in a percussion-driven frenzy, which is intercut with Neo and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) having sex. I think their real bodies are having the sex, although you can never be sure.
The third sensational sequence is a chase involving cars, motorcycles and trailer trucks, with gloriously choreographed moves including leaps into the air as a truck continues to move underneath. That this scene logically takes place in cyberspace does not diminish its thrilling 14-minute fun ride, although we might wonder--when deadly enemies meet in one of these virtual spaces, who programmed it? (I am sure I will get untold thousands of e-mails explaining it all to me.) I became aware, during the film, that a majority of the major characters were played by African Americans. Neo and Trinity are white, and so is Agent Smith, but consider Morpheus; his superior Commander Lock (Harry Lennix); the beautiful and deadly Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), who once loved Morpheus and now is with Lock, although she explains enigmatically that some things never change; the programmer Link (Harold Perrineau); Link's wife, Zee (Nona Gaye), who has the obligatory scene where she complains he's away from home too much, and the Oracle (the late Gloria Foster, very portentous). From what we can see of the extras, the population of Zion is largely black.
It has become commonplace for science fiction epics to feature one or two African-American stars, but we've come a long way since Billy Dee Williams in "Return of the Jedi." The Wachowski brothers use so many African Americans, I suspect, not for their box-office appeal, because the Matrix is the star of the movie, and not because they are good actors (which they are), but because to the white teenagers who are the primary audience for this movie, African-Americans embody a cool, a cachet, an authenticy. Morpheus is the power center of the movie, and Neo's role is essentially to study under him and absorb his mojo.
The film ends with "To Be Concluded," a reminder that the third film in the trilogy arrives in November. Toward the end, there are scenes involving characters who seem pregnant with possibilities for Part 3. One is the Architect (Helmut Bakaltis), who says he designed the Matrix and revises everything Neo thinks he knows about it. Is the Architect a human, or an avatar of the Machines? The thing is, you can never know for sure. He seems to hint that when you strip away one level of false virtual reality, you find another level beneath. Maybe everything so far is several levels up? Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time tells the story of a cosmologist whose speech is interrupted by a little old lady who informs him that the universe rests on the back of a turtle. "Ah, yes, madame," the scientist replies, "but what does the turtle rest on?" The old lady shoots back: "You can't trick me, young man. It's nothing but turtles, turtles, turtles, all the way down."
Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. During this, Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams. Not a bad sequal although it could of been better than this. Great acting by all the cast memebrs of this film. The directing by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski was amazing. The action scenes were great as well as exciting to watch. This film was a great sequal.
Sadly to say, this trilogy is one of those that the first installment is the best. The sequels are just mediocre. They were decent, but no where near as good as the original.
Big, big delusion. After the so great first one the directors sweared that they had originally planned a sequel just they had kept in in secret. The truth is.. It was nice to see the plebs in the movie during the speach of papa snurf at the end.
I loved the Matrix sequel for how it portrayed the Matrix as filled with renegade programs. It felt to me like the Wachowsky Brothers were building the Matrix into its own mythology. Unfortunately, that all fell apart in the last installment.
I used to be obsessed with The Matrix back in the day, and so I was completely blown away by this when I first saw it, mostly because it was a sequel, not necessarily on its merits as a film. I dunno.
not a bad movie, i enjoyed it the action is solid. The plot however is sketchy and they really dont do it justice. Good movie for the intelligent however i thought it was a tad complicated for the average person to enjoy.
A very questioning movie. What, who, how, when, and where? Will Keanu ever learn? I found this movie to be hillarious because he wouldn't stop asking so many questions. Good though despite the incesant questioning.
Not as good as the original, but still good. With some outstanding fight scenes and wonderful special effects, Reloaded is a good movie; the only downfall is that there is too much talking.
It's worth watching, for the great fight scenes, a great car chase and great special effects. Plenty of action and leaves you hanging for the final chapter, you just can't help but want more.
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The fight between man and machine continues in "The Matrix Reloaded," which is probably the best of the Matrix Trilogy movies.
"Neo" (Keanu Reeves) leads the people of "Zion" in what leads to the "Agents" attacking from the surface of the planet. However, one of these "Agents" is able to make his way into the human subterannian city.
Like the other movies, the acting is not as good as it could be. They are, however, much better than the other movies. None of the actors stand out, but at least some of the actors don't appear to just recite their lines in a cold manner.
One performance that stands out, but not by much, is by Laurence Fishburne. His performance is a little lighter, and more physically demanding than in the movie prior to this one.
The fighting scenes are spectacular. The only problem with them is that they look poorly choreographed, and many of the hits that land on persons in these scenes don't look like they would cause the slightest bruise or laceration. Another big problem with the fight scenes is that it is pretty obvious that the actors are wearing harnesses, as the people's movements are really stiff in the upper body.
The script has some holes in it. It also has poorly writen dialogue, which is part of the reason the performances of the actors are not that great.
Some of the questions from the previous movie appear to be answered, while others are presented. And the ending makes you want to see the next movie.
If you have seen the first movie, you may want to take a look at this one. Just be warned that you will have to see the next movie in the trilogy when you see the end of this one.
This movie may be the only one of the trilogy worth taking a look at.
You want it to be so much better than it is. You're lost for half of it and desensitized by all the visuals early into it. It benefits from the first film's magic. However, when a roomful of 20 people who are "cool to wear my shades in the dark" are on screen you cannot take this seriously.
I wish they had never made a sequel to 'The Matrix.' It really ruined the idea... but at least it offered some more fodder for discussion and some entertaining action sequences.
MCT:August 20, 2008
MCT:August 15, 2008
MCT:August 12, 2008
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MCT:August 1, 2008
