A worthy sequel

Rating: 10/10 (18 September 2014)

Trying to describe it is futile. Just go see it.Between the money scenes, we get characters standing at attention and burping prophecies and deep thoughts at each other. A solid followup to a truly genre-transcending film. As sequels go, The Matrix Reloaded is every bit a dynamite film. The dazzling 14-minute chase includes cars, motorcycles, a couple of 18-wheelers - and nonstop martial-arts battles and leaps inside and on top of the vehicles. That scene alone will justify the price of admission for many. High budget, high concept, high drama and high level action are the highlights, but Reloaded has loads of love, too, and much more: it's sci-fi with ranch, for one thing. Death defying stunts, by the dozen. Multiplying Agent Smiths who can morph you into another Smith at the poke of a hand into your ribcage. Fight sequences that draw no blood but demolish buildings. Highway mayhem shot with speeding motorbike-cam. And if you want to get Reloaded with the mystical/spiritual side of The Matrix, this one's for you, too, peppered with profundities and set in an apocalyptic tomorrow where machines threaten to annihilate humans. This is not a totally original concept, I grant you, but the brothers Wachowski have made something new out of the idea, layering Reloaded with philosophical and mystical references. You don't have to dig deep to find any number of references drawn from Christian mythology, like Neo's long black robe, seemingly pilfered from a priest's locker, his disturbing visions, his appellation as The One, his moment of doubt, his healing powers, names of other characters like Trinity and Morpheus.I can't wait to see what the Wachowski's have in store.