Reloaded

“The Matrix Reloaded” is a powerful Sci-Fi tour de force. The current crop of sequels lined up this summer has absolutely no chance of surpassing this film in terms of visual imagery and engaging storyline.
The original “Matrix” blasted out of nowhere four years ago and was everything George Lucas’s “The Phantom Menace” wasn’t. Blending zen mysticism, apocalyptic storytelling and eye-popping martial arts action, the movie became an instant phenomenon, especially when it hit the DVD market. Its “bullet time” effects and stuttering use of slo-mo in the middle of fight scenes was copied again and again.
The sequel, coming out under huge expectations, is also an immensely entertaining adventure, combining action and story on a level that’s rare for any film. It develops its world with more detail than the first movie was able to afford, lets us see the underground human city of Zion, gets closer to uncovering the secret of the Matrix, and elevates its hero, Neo, from confused draftee to a Christ-like figure in training.
The machines still keep most of humanity hardwired in cocoons, knowing only a dream of reality that is really a computer program. Now established as the one destined to release mankind from enslavement, Neo (Keanu Reeves) is seen by many of the free humans living in Zion as their savior. Others doubt his mentor Morpheus’ (Laurence Fishburne) enduring faith in the prophecies about Neo.
When machines discover Zion and start digging through the earth’s crust toward it, it’s up to Neo, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus to plug in and find a way into the mainframe computer that runs the Matrix before time runs out.
The film’s action scenes are completely out of control. They combine the wonders of digital effects with the choreography of the Hong Kong action director Yuen Wo Ping, who was responsible for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Everyone will be talking about the scenes where Neo battles a hundred duplicates of the now-free-range Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), and a later the high octane highway chase scene, with Trinity racing a motorcycle through oncoming traffic. These scenes are instant classics that raise the bar the way “Terminator II” did twelve years ago.
The Wachowski Brothers continue to extend their provocative arguments about people vs. machines, free will vs. preprogramming, by combining Eastern philosophies and addressing the potential evilness of technology. Their intellectual, existential probing is vital to the movies’ depth and lasting power. These themes remain relevant in an age where many children would rather play “Madden 2003” than go outside, and many young people stay home and watch “The Bachelor” instead of going out on a real date.
There has been a fair amount of criticism that the film is not as good as the first one, which is entirely unfair. The sequel is at a inherent disadvantage because it does not have the shock of the first film: revealing the existence of The Matrix.
“Reloaded” is essentially the first part of a five-hour long sequel. It ends with “To Be Concluded,” a reminder that the third film in the trilogy arrives in November. Its ending isn’t a cliffhanger other than the fact that the central conflicts remain unresolved, it’s almost like an intermission. “Reloaded” should be celebrated for what it is, and not what it doesn’t measure up to. As far as middle films in trilogies, it’s far better than “The Two Towers” or “Attack of the Clones.”
Simply put, this will be the best film in theaters for most if not all of the summer, one that completely engrossed and fascinated me for over two hours. By taking the action scenes several steps further as well as building on an entire new world for us to contemplate and learn from, “Reloaded” represents escapism at its best.
“The Matrix Reloaded” will be one of the biggest films of all time. It’s everything that a big summer movie strives to be. This is a must see film. (Score: A, Rated: R)

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