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Matrix Reloaded: iVillage review
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett SmithDirected by: The Wachowski Brothers
Running time: 138 minutes
Cert: 15
What's the story?
Taking up the tale of Neo, Trinity and Morpheus from The Matrix, part two of this trilogy (the final installment is due out later in 2003) tracks the humans' fight to save themselves from annihilation by the machines. The first part of the movie takes place in Zion, the underground human stronghold, where everyone wears brief costumes left over from Logan's Run and attends a Zion-wide rave. Par-tee! Here, Morpheus is seen as a religious zealot by some and by others as a believer who can save civilization. Neo is Christ-like as The One. The Matrix is launching an attack and some believe only The One can stop it. But first Neo and friends must make contact with the Oracle, and the plot becomes laden with technospeak about renegade programs, the Keymaker and a power-hungry program named Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) whom we know is evil because he is French...
What's it like?
Watching the Matrix Reloaded is a bit like watching a Kung Fu movie: lots of truly amazing action but not much story to hold it together. The original Matrix worked by tapping into the intriguing idea that everything we see around us is just a dream. We discovered the true world along with Mr. Anderson/Neo, and the plot line in the first movie - along with ground-breaking special effects razzmatazz and sharp style - pulled us along. The Wachowski Brothers have transplanted the clothes, the kung fu wizardry, the guns and the sunglasses but forgot to bring along the plot. The good things: skin-tight PVC outfits that make you want to work out more, a more developed love story between Neo and Trinity and weird new powers/special effects. The bad things: Overly long action sequences with a phony, CGI look, new characters who don't fit cohesively into the story and not enough Agent Smith. And just when it starts to get good, it ends. Ultimately, this installment feels like an end-of-season TV cliffhanger where we have to wait til next time to discover how all the pieces tie together.
Conclusion
A fun film to see for those thirsting for more of the gravity-defying martial arts and chic design of the first movie but a little thin for people looking to recapture the mind-opening experience of discovering the matrix again.
Marks out of 10: 6 if you've seen the first one, 3 if you haven't
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Created: 28/05/2003 Updated: 28/05/2003
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