Yes, there is a spoon.

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2003)

It's been a long wait, but The Matrix is back. No spoilers, but I will include some specifics here that may not agree with those whose sole joy of the theater rests in their being surprised. If you want to know nothing about this movie, stop reading now.

There, for the rest of you, this: The Wachowski Bros. have nailed it again. The story picks up some months after the conclusion of the first film. A new operator, Link, played by Harold Perrineau, has replaced Tank at the controls of the Nebuchadnezzar, Neo and Trinity are sleeping together, and good old Morpheus is still doing the serious leader stuff. If you don't know what I am talking about, and I seriously doubt that, then you haven't seen "The Matrix" yet. Trust me, rent or buy the DVD prior to seeing "Reloaded". It will help.
It will also hurt - here's why: Unlike the original with its stunning opening bit with Trinity in the hotel room, this movie starts slowly. The Wachowskis have a story to tell here, and it just takes a bit of time to get rolling. During perhaps the first 45 minutes of the show, I was beginning to think that "Reloaded" was stumbling into the same hole as the Star Wars movies. It was beginning to feel self-absorbed, ponderous, overly serious, and cautious. I am sorry if this comment hurts the feelings of the Star Wars fans, but that is how I see that whole thing going. The Matrix, on the other hand, is decidedly not tripping down that particular rabbit hole. Things do pick up, and when they do, hold on.
There is much to tell about the film, but I want to call attention to one character you will meet: The Architect, played to the hilt of pomposity by Helmut Bakaitis. This guy personifies pedanticism. And if any of the words in this last sentence gave you a problem, just wait until you meet the architect. This guy is your worst freshman philosophy nightmare, straight from the pit of hell and Oxford, humorless as a cold razor across your palm. Some films are rated R for violence, some for sex -- and you will find a bit of the latter and a passel of the former in this film -- but you will not find another movie anywhere with a stream of vocabulary like this guy spouts. The film board should have a proviso added to the ratings system that includes `Rated R for Incomprehensibility, no one under 17 admitted without a thesaurus'. While the architect was onscreen, I couldn't help thinking, looking around the theater at all the teenagers.
The thing is, the Wachowskis are peeling an onion here. Layer after layer it goes, and when you think you have gotten somewhere, another layer is discovered. The Architect reveals some startling information to Neo, but is it really true, or just another layer of the onion? What is reality? What does it all mean, Mr. Natural?
My guess is, the kids will figure it out faster than me, and good for them. Good for you, too. Be sure to see this film if you liked the original, and don't get antsy during the first act, it gets real hot soon.