Don't be put off by the poor first 45 mins.

Rating: 8/10 (27 June 2003)

Well, where to begin? The massively-anticipated first sequel to 1999's block-busting, genre-reinventing, boundary-pushing The Matrix is finally upon us after four years, accompanied by as much hype as you can shake a pair of shades at (Note: if you're not familiar with the original there's about as much point in reading on as there is in seeing this film, i.e. none).
The first thing you notice about Reloaded is how being a $200m pre-sold major summer blockbuster buys you so much more than being a $70m sleeper hit (if there is such a thing); compared to this, the original seems so low budget and - and this is a strange comment considering we're talking about a film that dealt with the future of mankind - so small-scale. One man's journey to discover his destiny has become a battle to save humanity, and Neo is not our everyman in this strange and overwhelming world, but our superman.
The virtually unlimited budget for Reloaded has given writing/directing siblings the Wachowski Brothers the means to show us everything they couldn't afford to last time. The creative freedom seemingly afforded to the Wachowskis has given them cart blanche to try our patience with an opening 40-odd minutes - based in the `real world' of Zion - that is so slow, so talky, so determined to show us every nook and cranny of their fictional universe, that the entire film threatens to keel over and die. As everybody knows, Reloaded is but the first half of a single, extra-long sequel (the second part, Matrix Revolutions, was shot simultaneously and is out in November). One could argue that, viewed in this bigger picture, this scene-setting is necessary and percentage-wise takes no longer than the setup of any other film but sorry guys, it's just done badly. After all, the two full hours of setup in the first part of the 10 hour-plus Lord of the Rings saga managed to inform and entertain, a failed balancing act that is sadly the Wachowskis only bum note in the saga thus far.
Thankfully, when the plot finally chugs into gear and we return to the Matrix, all is swiftly forgiven. The trademark reality-defying kung-fu is simply breathtaking, the special effects blending almost seamlessly with flesh-and-blood actors to create action sequences that take the Bullet Time motif and up it to a new level of audience-adrenalising mayhem. It's the classic sequel adage of `the same, only bigger, better, more'. Whether laying waste to a stately mansion, wreaking havoc on a busy freeway, or The One taking on 100 Agents singlehanded, the money is all up there on the screen with some world-class, kick-ass action. Despite all the pixel manipulation, though, the biggest thrill comes from the fact that Keanu and co. are - with the help of wirework and months of intensive training - blatantly doing all that fighting for real. It's an irony that would bake the noodle of the Oracle herself.
Ah yes, noodle baking; the very thing that made the original so stand out from the crowd. Kung fu and SFX aside, Reloaded spits out a last reel revelation so head*bleep*ing that it requires - nay, demands - a second viewing, and will send you staggering out into reality debating the implications till long into the night. But then what is reality anyway? What is the point of implications? I feel dizzy. Despite its faults (and did I mention the new characters that I hope to God get more to do in Revolutions?), that's so rare these days that to allow yourself to be unfairly influenced by the poor first third would be a crime.
For me the most thrilling part of sequels - good sequels of course - is, having spent 3 or 4 years with one's imagination permutating seemingly infinite possibilities about where they could take the story next, when the real thing comes along it turns out to be nothing like you expected. As it has been pointed out, I was probably going to love Reloaded even if it turned out to just be Keanu Reeves reading the script in front of a camcorder for two hours. Luckily I don't need to fake my enthusiasm. Reloaded may be less visually stylised than the original, and may lack its smooth-flowing narrative, but the fact that I haven't even touched upon the sly visual humour, in-referencing of other movies, and the fact that for all its whizz-bang factor, it's a movie above all else about love, goes some way to proving that it succeeds far more than it fails. Managing to convert you from a state of massive disappointment after 45 mins to a state of mental contortions, with pupils dilated in pleasure, after 130 mins is no mean feat and ensures that, with part 3 promising a direct continuation, who knows where we'll end up come November. I for one can't wait to find out.