Brilliant and thought - provoking

Rating: Null/10 (2 June 2003)

Review includes Spoilers:
The Matrix Reloaded stands apart from the original film in so many ways, particularly the structure of the story, the scale of the film and the development of the story and characters, yet it is unable to exist as a film on it's own, and is rather a magnificent companion piece to the original film. It poses questions, which it does not answer, and offers the viewer multiple perspectives of each event that takes place, leaving the story open to interpretation.
The outstanding visual effects aside (which deserve the highest praise from audiences and the film industry alike), the main critique of 'Reloaded' so far has mostly to do with the storyline and character development. Granted that one viewing is not enough to absorb all the information the viewer is presented with, it should establish the train of thought the audience needs to adopt. I personally find that the entire story is easier to 'swallow' if the viewing of the film is coupled with reading various reviews and synopsis of it and watching the first film again.
From what we can derive from 'Reloaded', the entire matrix from the first film is actually built into another matrix, therefore we have the 'computer - generated world' of the matrix and we have the 'real world', which could also be part of the matrix. Various events and dialogue in the film all point to this conclusion. For example, Agent Smith is just a program in the matrix, but when he duplicates himself, he is extracted from the matrix into the 'real world'. If it really was the real world, that scenario would be impossible. Also, near the end of the film, when the freedom fighters are in the 'real world', Neo is able to stop the sentinels using his 'powers', which he only has when he is plugged into the matrix. Then there is the meeting Neo has with The Architect, the creator of the matrix. This scene is so heavily loaded with dialogue that it is nearly impossible to understand everything the first time around. What I did manage to understand (or think I understand) is that Neo is not the first 'The One' - the savior of the human race. Instead he is roughly the sixth incarnation of Zion's savior. In addition to this, the Architect claims that Zion and the previous 'One's' have been destroyed before, and always 'start over' from new. This would lead us to believe that the entire reality of the Matrix is basically 'reset' each time, like closing down a computer program that has encountered an error and then restarting it. Also, the many conversations about choice vs. destiny lead us to believe that, If indeed, everything within the matrix is just a program, then really there is no such thing as choice, as ultimately everything would operate according to it's pre-written program (or destiny).
In relation to the last point, it would be beneficial to note that there are two ways we can now understand the storyline. One, is that everything within the matrix (both the 'computer generated world' and the 'real world') is simply a program or series of programs, including all the people within it. If this were true, then Neo, Morpheus, Trinity and the thousands of other 'humans' are all actually just programs, human simulations that operate within an artificial environment (oblivious to the fact that they are just programs), all created by a programmer who calls himself The Architect. In the scene where Neo meets The Architect, the screens that line the wall, all have various shots of Neo reacting in many different ways. On some of the screens he laughs, on others he uses profanity, and yet others he is just silent. This scenario could lead us to believe that these images are actually recordings of meetings between The Architect and the other 'ones', who came before Neo, and show their reactions to the very same news that The Architect is giving Neo.
On the other hand, if the story is not taking such a drastic twist, then we could be presented with the idea that the 'real word' is actually real, and that Neo is actually a super-human being. The various religious undertones to the film would indicate that Neo could be seen as a Christ-like figure, capable of performing supernatural feats and also resurrecting the dead (Trinity).
The story unfortunately 'ends; on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wanting answers, but ultimately, I think that was the intention of the filmmakers. Hopefully, all these questions will be answered or resolved in the final chapter of this trilogy. Either way, it is extremely interesting and thought provoking viewing, an intelligent mixture of religion, philosophy and science all brought together in a breathtaking display that leaves the viewer with a lot to think about. As such, it is a story you can enjoy long after the projector switches off and the lights come on.