Not bad - for a sequel

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2003)

OK, first things first. People don't go to see a Matrix movie expecting high art. They expect to see action: chases, fights, explosions, etc. To that extent, Matrix II delivers. But there is more here to think about.

The Matrix movies are presenting the philosophical conundrum: what if everything we think we see is not actually "real"? In Matrix I, we are exposed to the idea that the mundane daily experience is actually a shared illusion created by machines who are using the biochemical energy of humans, and keeping their minds busy while doing so. This sci-fi explanation seemed laughable at the time (surely there must be a better way to generate energy), but Matrix II starts to go in a new direction that makes the first explanation more palatable, though it itself leaves one waiting for the third film. The barriers between the Matrix and the "real world" start to collapse in Matrix II - and the implications are quite interesting to consider.
The acting in Matrix II is solid. Fishburne is dominating as Morpheus, Reeves is at his best with the kind of understated character he has here, and Carrie-Anne Moss is quite good, also. Hugo Weaving is starting to grow on me as Agent Smith, who in this version has broken free of the Matrix structure and has become an independent agent, so to speak.

For a long section of the movie, our heroes are on a quest to track down the "Keymaker". It is very hard not to think of Rick Moranis barking like a dog in Central Park when this happens! The action sequences in the middle of the film are the best, with notable performances by a pair of albino dreadlocked matrix wraiths. Finally, one point I liked, and which I'm stunned to find criticized by another reviewer, is that a relatively large proportion of the main characters are black. This is somehow offensive? I found it noteworthy, and I liked it. Why must we always assume that sci-fi populations demographically resemble a Connecticut suburb? The great thing about the racial melange in Matrix II is that it is not mentioned at all. They are not trumpeting "hey, look at us, we're mutli-cultural!" They seem to not care about race at all. Isn't this a good thing?