Highly entertaining futuristic sci-fi sequel

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2003)

In an age of high tech special effects laden sequels, sagas and trilogies, the movie- goer's payoff most often comes almost exclusively from a film's visual extravagances and ingenuities rather than any discernable 'new' storylines, or insights. Most stories have already been told and retold and in this respect the Matrix Reloaded, in its basic plotline, is no exception. The idea of machines taking over humanity has been explored intensely in films throughout the last thirty years (i.e. Colossus: The Forbidden Project, Terminator, Terminator 2, Virtuosity, and Artificial Intelligence to name just a few).
However The Matrix Reloaded, sequel to the original blockbuster hit The Matrix, transcends the trap of most high tech futuristic films and sequels with its powerful combination of suspense, martial arts action, special effects, philosophical leanings and yes, a few new plot-twists. The small group of humans, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) and now Neo (Keanu Reeves) who penetrated the Matrix and freed themselves of its eerie and often confusing control, have now managed to free thousands of people and are preparing for yet another much larger and potentially cataclysmic confrontation. While much of the film's focus is on the visual artistry of fast action martial arts showdown sequences between these rebels and the agents of the Matrix, the film's underlying theme is never lost with the constant intercutting of its non-action plot-driven dialogue on not just how to understand and defeat the Matrix, but broader more fundamental questions with regard to human trust and human control. In fact, the film repeatedly dangles these questions just out of reach of the protagonists, much to their bewilderment and consternation.
As Neo, the young naïve yet gifted one with seemingly limitless physical control, Keanu Reeves is once again well within his limited acting range. He is balanced beautifully by Carrie Ann Moss, whose Trinity provides the spark in their relationship and Laurence Fishburne, who as the faithful Morpheus summons his considerable talents to play a role which in lesser hands would fall into the abyss. Rounding out the cast are a myriad of colorful performances, notably Harold Perrineu as Link, Hugo Weaving as agent Smith, Gloria Foster as the Oracle, and French actor Lambert Wilson as Merovingian.
The Matrix Reloaded is not for those who require deeper meaning to be told in strictly conventional ways. It is futuristic sci-fi fantasy in its highest form; problematic, probing, and highly entertaining to watch.