Movie Review: The Matrix Reloaded

Posted on May 18, 2003

When we last saw Neo (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix, he had just defeated Agent Smith (excellently played by Hugo Weaving) and had reluctantly come to terms with the fact that he was The One who would help free humanity from its virtual slavery to intelligent machines. Taking a page from Peter Jackson's book, the Wachowski brothers dispense with any preliminary explanation at the beginning of The Matrix Reloaded. The action just picks up where the first movie left off. So, if you haven't seen The Matrix yet, stop reading and go rent the DVD before seeing Matrix Reloaded. Otherwise, you'll be dazed and disoriented, just like Neo was after he took that red pill in the first movie.

Keanu Reeves plays Neo with a restrained, Gary Cooper-like performance that perfectly fits the moody atmosphere. The dialogue is clipped, funny and jam-packed with pop culture and regional references: from martial arts films to westerns to our current traffic woes. Los Angeles residents are sure to nod their heads sagely in agreement at this piece of dialogue:

Trinity: "The freeway? You said never to go on the 101, it's suicide."

Morpheus: "Well, let's hope I was wrong."

This little gem precedes the most amazing car chase scene in movie history: a spectacular 18-minute adventure set on a freeway, involving, cars, trucks, motorcycles, guns, ammo, martial arts and incredible special effects. Yuen Wo Ping, the fight choreographer who created the effects in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, outdoes himself this time out. Neo -- who has discovered some of the secrets of the Matrix -- is now able to do almost anything while in the virtual reality world of the Matrix; he can fly, he can move faster than most humans, and his martial arts skills are out of this world. At one point, he fights one hundred Agent Smiths, while barely breaking a sweat. He also has some really cool clothes. Carrie-Ann Moss, as Neo's love interest Trinity, looks great in her black patent leather catsuit, drives like a Winston Cup-winning NASCAR driver and makes us believe in her love for Neo and her faith in the prophecy.

Much has been written about the Wachowski brothers' dark vision of the future of humanity, where the machines take over, put us in tanks and use our brain emissions as energy. To keep humans occupied, they are plugged into the virtual reality world which looks just like our current, modern world. But a few people -- those who don't fit in, who always felt that something wasn't quite right about our world -- well, it turns out they were right. The Wachowski brothers slip lots of subtext into this movie which reinforces the idea that our "real" world really isn't real at all, that we are the ones caught in the Matrix; just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

In between all the musings about the nature of reality, the goals of humanity, and the fundamental role of choice in the universe, is some fantastic, thought-provoking entertainment. So, for those who are not into cyberpunk or contemplating the nature of slavery, reality -- virtual or otherwise -- just grab the popcorn, sit in an air-conditioned movie theater with a really big screen and enjoy the best spectacle of the summer.

Director: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Studio: Warner Bros.
Running time: 138 minutes
Rating: Rated R (for sci-fi violence and some sexuality)

Cast:
Neo: Keanu Reeves
Morpheus: Laurence Fishburne
Agent Smith: Hugo Weaving
Trinity: Carrie-Anne Moss
Oracle: Gloria Foster
Niobe: Jada Pinkett Smith
Zee: Nona Gaye
Lock: Harry Lennix
Link: Harold Perrineau
Persephone: Monica Bellucci
Twins: Neil and Adrian Rayment