Reloaded, but this time the shot only clips the target

Rating: 7/10 (20 June 2005)

Neo flies. Trinity dies. Morpheus cries (almost). These are just three of the many scenes of The Wachowski Brothers' "The Matrix Reloaded", one of the most anticipated sequels of the last decade.
The film begins with Neo, played by Keanu Reeves. Neo is plagued by nightmares involving the death of lover Trinity (Carrie Anne-Moss). He believes he is seeing the near future. After a few neat CGI-filled scenes that show that to us, we find Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) (the latter of whom is being ridiculed by some fellow humans for belief in "The Prophecy") on their way home to Zion. There they learn that the amount of sentinels has increased greatly. The war is coming, or so we are told.
Morpheus meets with his rival, stern Commander Lock (Harry Lennix). The two are constant competitors after Lock stole Morpheus' love, Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith). They fight about what to do, what's coming, and what to believe.
So do we. With "Reloaded", what began as a single successful film becomes an updated "Star Wars"-esquire trilogy, with a seemingly unbeatable first film, a middle piece, and a battle-filled climax. Many watchers will be put off from this film's lack of progression storywise, but that's meant to be. It's the centerpiece for the story, and it's unfortunately quite hard to do much with the centerpiece ("The Empire Strikes Back" still wows me).
What Andy and Larry have done is left open our questions from the first film. Oh yeah, they added some new ones too. And I get the feeling "Revolutions" doesn't clear them up either. Ugh.
"Reloaded" is every bit as entertaining as the original film, if not a little more confusing at times. There's enough action and excitement to keep anyone in their seats - especially the scene around the end of the picture, in which Morpheus and Trinity struggle to keep the Keymaker out of reach of The Twins and/or the Agents. And, all of this occurs on what's got to be the most realistically vicious freeway I've ever seen.
One thing that I deemed unnecessary was the amount of sexuality. There was a fair amount of sexuality (including nudity) and too much sappiness throughout the film. Carrie Anne-Moss and Keanu Reeves making out? I don't know about you, but that's not my idea of a good time. Generally, things like this occur when the previously careful directors become more comfortable and popular ... which isn't always a bad thing.
The CGI animation is spectacular. There's a slight drop in martial arts action from the first film, but the action sequences here are really fun. Of course, they're accompanied by another great punk/metal/rock soundtrack and a fast-paced score from Don Davis.
One last note: Neo flies. Yep, he flies. As one of the Nebachudnezzar's crew puts it, "Uh-oh - he's doin' the Superman thing again." This happens about three times throughout the film, and while it does have a sort of cheesy and annoying feeling to it, I can't help myself but to find it fun. And funny.
Overall, "The Matrix Reloaded" comes nowhere near being as good as its predecessor, but it's a fun time at the movies, and definitely a recommended watch. Now for "Revolutions".