decent sequel

Rating: Null/10 (7 July 2003)

By combining groundbreaking special effects with a heavy dose of religious symbolism and allegory, the original `Matrix' (1999) quickly became a cult classic, generating a legion of fanatical followers almost immediately upon its release (films often have to wait many years to attain a cult following, but `The Matrix' did not). More than just a movie to many of its fans, `The Matrix' has become something of a religious icon, an object to be studied over, memorized and worshipped by the faithful as if its text were some sort of pop culture, New Age scripture and its creators the enlightened gurus of our technological time.
In `The Matrix Reloaded,' Keanu Reeves returns as Neo, the Messiah/Christ figure set apart to help overthrow the massive computer program that has taken over the world. The many allusions to the Bible and Greek mythology - particularly in the names assigned to various characters and places in the film - are really only window dressing for all the eye-popping CGI effects that are the true justification for the film's existence. And, indeed, the special effects are mighty impressive, a quantum leap over those in the original film, but all this technical wizardry does come with a bit of a price. Some of the action scenes are so over-the-top in fashion and style that they actually end up draining the film of much of its inherent suspense. When characters can do ANYTHING and get away with it - defying all laws of physics and gravity in the process - then they lose that quality of vulnerability that makes the audience care. We watch these sequences, dazzled by their brilliance, yet we do so as detached outsiders and not the insiders we would be if the characters' lives seemed more threatened. Perhaps a few more ground rules - i.e. who can be hurt and how - would be in order to take care of this problem.
Despite that flaw, and despite the fact that the sequel lacks the sense of unraveling mystery we found in the original, the Wachowski Brothers deserve credit for churning out an enjoyable big budget action film that at least tries to create an interesting world and doesn't just settle for tired old stereotypes and clichÃ©s. Special praise must go to the art directors who have done a spectacular job visualizing the city of Zion, home base to the resistance forces who are hell bent on defeating the evil machines that have reduced humanity to a perpetual dream state located inside a computer mainframe. We will even forgive the filmmakers for turning Zion - however briefly - into a giant milling mosh pit early on in the film. The idea of machines taking over and crushing our humanity has been a staple of science fiction ever since the dawn of the industrial age. Still, `The Matrix' movies have found a clever way to tap into our specific paranoia related to the cyber world in which we find ourselves living.
Although `The Matrix Unloaded' is an entertaining film in its own right, anyone unfamiliar with the original will most likely be totally confused by the action on the screen, since very little attempt is made to explain the intricacies of the plot to the uninitiated. As a result, anyone who dares venture forth to see this second installment without intimate knowledge of the first had best beware.
To be continued.