Quite brilliant, but clearly the second in a trilogy

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2003)

You'd need to have seen the first Matrix to make head or tail of The Matrix Reloaded, but it doesn't detract from the Wachowski brothers' genius. There are engrossing themes but not all are sewn up in the same way the first one's were. But some questions you may encounter this time are: how deep is the Matrix?; are Neo's powers part of his fate, or one that he chooses with his free will?; does civilization end to begin again with a new v. 2·0 of the program or can we, indeed, steer us away from destruction?; and what is reality outside the Matrix (I won't elaborate on this, but it's an issue I was left with in the closing moments)? Maybe these are appropriate things to be thinking in 2003.
That, and how beautiful Monica Bellucci is.
But this sequel does not appeal to the (remaining) senses as deeply as the first film had done. I didn't walk away from The Matrix Reloaded with the same, 'What if that were our reality?'  the same immersion  as the first one gave me. Instead, it was a few hours' worth of stunning set pieces that had me marvelling at the movie's special visual effects, a great score, and General Motors' product placement in the car chase scene. But I was not immersed. So often you come out of a film bringing a bit of its world out with you. Not here.
Maybe it's the absence of surprise that comes with a sequel. I don't blame anyone for that: it's perfectly natural. In fact, I applaud the Wachowskis for not detracting from the movie's original style, tying it in to the spirit of the Matrix and understanding fans' demands. I applaud them for giving us more of their world. And that may be the aim, for with this bridge (do not think of The Matrix Reloaded as a film that can stand alone), they have sufficiently whetted my appetite for the finalé.
In some ways, while the first one could even be seen spiritually, the second reverses some of the ideas to generate doubt within the illusion of the Matrix  and the third may bring clarification.