Good idea to get Reloaded

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2006)

When released in 2003, The Matrix Reloaded found itself in much the same position as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace did in 1999. Riding on the coattails of an enormously influential property, expectations for Reloaded were sky high, and much as was the same for Phantom Menace, Reloaded simply couldn't deliver on the outrageously high bar that was set for it. Most critics and viewers look on with Reloaded with a certain amount of disdain and disappointment (Entertainment Weekly recently rated it among the worst sequels of all time), but the film is improperly maligned. While hardly the breakthrough film that the original Matrix was, Reloaded is entertaining in it's own right, albeit with some noticeable chinks in it's armor.
Opening some time after the conclusion of the Matrix, Reloaded reveals that the machines that control the planet are massing and burrowing into the Earth to reach the last human city Zion and eradicate the remnants of mankind. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) believes that the same ancient prophecy that directed him to find Neo (Keanu Reeves) also for-tells that Neo will defeat this new threat and Zion will be saved. Neo must travel back into the Matrix to consult with the Oracle (Gloria Foster, in her final role) to discover the truth of what he is to do, and quickly discovers there is a new threat within the Matrix: Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), a computer program designed to hunt down individuals in the Matrix not under machine control, whom Neo destroyed at the end of the Matrix, has returned and now is no longer connected to the machine world. He is copying himself into other parts of the Matrix, so that there are now hundreds, if not thousands, of Smiths, all after the destruction of Neo.
Neo discovers that he must reach the Source, the prime code of the Matrix, but to get there, he needs a person named the Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim), who is being held by an evil program known as the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson), while at the same time, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) are constantly being pursued by the agents of the Matrix.
The Matrix Reloaded is a complicated film, that is for sure. Where The Matrix was a fairly straightforward picture, without too much in the way of convoluted machinations, Reloaded is a film that is not easy to completely decipher during a single viewing. Writers-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski are obviously full of ideas, and they use Reloaded to present some of these ideas. However, they do not pull this off in a perfect manner. There are several scenes in Reloaded where characters will engage in lengthy conversations about various metaphysical or philosophical issues, and while the underlying ideas are interesting, the film comes to a grinding halt during these scenes. Does the audience really care about these complicated ideas that are presented in a rather unentertaining manner? A film with good ideas is certainly welcome, but The Matrix Reloaded occasionally dips into the arena of academic discussion, and that is not what delivers a rousing good time at the movies.
Add to that the fact that Reloaded's plot isn't exactly as tight as a steel trap. At times it is difficult to decipher exactly what the heroes are fighting for or trying to accomplish. It would seem the Wachowski brothers have an idea of their overriding goal, but it comes across in a haphazard and confusing manner at different points in the movie. More than one viewer may find themselves scratching their head throughout Reloaded's running time.
All that being said, Reloaded does manage to deliver in the action set piece department. There are no less than three major action sequences, the most impressive of which has been dubbed the "Burly Brawl," during which Neo and multiple Agent Smith's face off in a lengthy all-out martial arts marathon. The visual effects in this sequence occasionally falls a bit short, with several moments appearing all too obviously computer generated, but for the most part the Burly Brawl is an engaging sequence. The others, including a multi-vehicular chase, are stunning. As for the film's other visual effects, something for which The Matrix was noted, the work is, on the whole, polished and exceptional. The effects may not be quite as photo-realistic as, say, the work in Minority Report, but it is still effective.
The Matrix Reloaded is a flawed film, that is to be sure. It doesn't match The Matrix for it's storytelling conservation and simple freshness, and the film often gets bogged down in it's desire to address a multitude of issues, but it is still and entertaining piece of science fiction-action cinema, and does not deserve the extensive drubbing it has received and perhaps some distance from the hype will allow the Matrix Reloaded to be re-evaluated with a more unbiased eye.