The Matrix Reloaded: for true fans only.

I have been perplexed that it has taken me so long to gather my thoughts enough to write a review of this film, but finally, after another viewing and after seeing “The Animatrix”, I am ready to commit words to weblog. So here’s my take: “Reloaded” is a great installment in the Matrix trilogy, but you have to be a true fan of the series to really enjoy it.

If you like action, and if you like long, drawn-out chop-socky fight scenes, then you will definitely get a kick out of this movie. But if you didn’t “get” the first film, if the true subject matter of the story…the battle for the survival of the human race….doesn’t interest you, then the movie will probably seem like so much techno-babble.

As for me, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the fight scenes. Yes, they are masterful pieces of fight choreography, but I kept wondering why Neo (who had figured out the whole Matrix/Agents thing at the end of the first movie) insisted on hand-to-hand combat instead of doing that special, superhacker stuff. Leave the fighting for the “other” humans, Neo was supposed to be “The One”. In “Reloaded”, the main way Neo manifests his “specialness” is by flying around like Superman. And it looked as corny as it sounds. My biggest beef is the scene in which Neo battles a league of Smiths. Once the scene gets too crowded, and the Smiths (heh heh, where was Morrisey?) started getting the upperhand, Neo simply flew off. Why he didn’t do that in the first place really bugs me. What bugs me even more was the Smiths’ reaction: they simply meandered off…to where? Where were they going? Home for dinner?

Mrs. Smith: Hi honey, how was your day?
Agent Smith #245: I’m bushed! We tried to kick Neo’s ass again, but he flew away. Got any more apple pie, babe?

Don’t get me wrong, there were some pretty decent special effects going on (the car chase is incredible), but for me the most captivating parts of the film involved dialogue. The gist of this installment is pretty straightforward: the machines are launching a full-scale assault on Zion (the last outpost of humanity, hidden far underground), using a massive army of “sentinels” (the octopus-like robots that nearly killed Neo, Morpheus et al in the first movie). According to Morpheus (good ol’ Laurence Fishburne again), the “prophecy” states that the battle will be over soon…all they have to do is get some advice from the Oracle. Unfortunately, no one knows where she is. And when they finally do find the Oracle, the only help she provides is to send Neo on an adventure to find another clue in the puzzle, which leads to yet another clue, which leads to….well, if I told you, you’d kill me.

Here’s the deal, though. Even if you are a die-hard fan of the Matrix, you MUST see the “Animatrix”, a DVD collection of 9 animated stories, all written by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by some of the greatest creative minds working in Anime today. These short masterpieces provide the backstory for the entire Matrix series, filling in many of the holes and setting the scene for what occurs in “Reloaded” and the third and final installment of the trilogy, “Revolution” (due in theaters this fall). Trust me on this one: these are not lighthearted cartoons. They are complex, sophisticated, violent, gory works of art and they were definitely intended for mature audiences only. While all 9 stories provide much needed information and fresh perspectives of the Matrix backstory, of particular interest are two pieces titled “The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 and 2”. These shorts tell exactly what happened to generate such animosity between the machines and man. It’s nothing like the Terminator series, in which AI (artificial intelligence) agents just up and decide they don’t need humans around anymore. No, instead we get a story of how man had built machines to serve him, and ended up enslaving and abusing the machines until they wouldn’t take it anymore. Some of the scenes in these clips are downright horrifying.

The Matrix has become more than just a movie, so it’s easy to overlook some of it’s cinematic shortcomings…but they’re there. Most of the actors do very well in their roles. Jada Pinkett-Smith’s appearance was much anticipated, and her character (as Morpheus’ former lover) adds a new wrinkle, but not much more. Hopefully she’ll get a better turn in part III. Monica Bellucci added quite a bit of sensual glamour in her role as Persephone, and while some might see it as a mysterious throwaway, upon further inspection it appears that she brings in a whopper of a clue as to what’s really going on. Plus, she got to strut her considerable stuff in a form-fitting latex dress…yum!

Some fans have complained about the “rave” scene, and after watching it a second time, I can honestly say that…I still don’t get it. Even after Morpheus delivered his speech about not being afraid to the people of Zion, I don’t really know why they decided to have a big throwdown in the face of near-certain death. At first, I figured that it was a tribal thing, like they were doing a massive war dance. But when the camera moved in for closeups, it was obvious that the dancers had just one thing in mind: getting their freak on! It was nice to see that the youth of Zion were all hardbodies and could dance fairly well, though. Must be the low-fat diets they subsist on. If someone else has figured out the meaning behind this particular scene, please help a brother out…!

So how did I really feel about “The Matrix: Reloaded”? I’m looking forward to seeing it a third time. I might really figure out who the heck Trinity really is…!

More later…
Paul