Skeptics worry that The Matrix: Reloaded will fall into the pit of mediocrity. However, when the end credits roll, those skeptics will be proven wrong.
Granted, Reloaded is far from perfect. The first 45 minutes of this sequel are badly acted, written, and staged that the final 95 minutes have some heavy lifting to do. It?s as if the Wachowski Brothers, who wrote and directed the film, dug themselves a deep grave, and were only able to stop from falling in because of the best special effects money can buy.
For those of you who can?t remember the first Matrix film or didn?t see it, there is no help in this new installment. We are thrown right into the action as we see Trinity, Neo?s new squeeze, firing guns at some devious agents and falling to her death. It?s only Neo having a nightmare.
The first 45 minutes of the film is set in Zion; these scenes are awful. The acting is over the top, especially from Laurence Fishburne, who plays Morpheus. In fact, all the actors go over the top, except Keanu Reeves (Neo), who cannot express emotions of any kind.
The writing in the first third of the film is atrocious and there is no action to speak of. The only scene of any interest is a ?rave? scene where all the Zion citizens dance with each other. Intercut with this is a scene where Neo and Trinity have some crazy sex.
Once Neo is summoned to see the oracle (an all-knowing fortune teller) and go back to the Matrix, the movie kicks into gear. Immediately after his meeting with the oracle, Neo encounters his nemesis, Agent Smith. Neo and the audience thought Smith was destroyed at the end of the first film, but he?s come back with the power to duplicate himself and a thirst to kill Neo. The appearance of Neo?s former foe leads to a fantastic, yet completely unreal fight scene where Neo has to fight 100 versions of Agent Smith.
The oracle tells Neo to find the keymaker because finding him is the only way Zion will not be destroyed. Finding the keymaker, however, leads to one of the most memorable chase scenes in film history: a 14-minute car chase with a huge pile-up of cars, trucks, sedans and motorcycles. This all leads to some interesting twists and turns, and a cliffhanger conclusion.
Again, it seems that action and special effects is what Larry and Andy Wachowski do best. Their writing, especially in the first third, is cringe-inducing. It seems obvious that these brothers are writing Morpheus as the new Yoda, with his backwards talk and philosophies, but the character comes across as pretentious and annoying.
The acting is all right, but nothing too impressive. Reeves is fine as the strong, silent Neo. His main function isn?t to talk or emote; it?s to fight and glare. Fishburne seems to be trying to overact. His over-enunciation is annoying, but the dialogue is no better. As Trinity, Carrie-Anne Moss does fine. She?s the strong and silent type and plays that well. The only real acting asset here is Hugo Weaving. His Agent Smith is extremely intriguing. Weaving really does a great job as a very evil computer program multiplied by thousands.
One other notable star here is Lambert Wilson as the merovingian, the man who holds the keymaker hostage. His performance, short as it is, is very funny and caustic. His French demeanor gives him the best line in the film, which refers to cursing in French. He says, ?It?s like wiping your ass with silk.?
Monica Bellucci, the Italian film star, has a small but vital role here, as Persephone, the Merovingian?s wife.
The Matrix: Reloaded is not a great film, but it is good. If you can overlook the first third of this movie, you?ll find the last 95 minutes a rousing roller-coaster ride. Also, a word of advice: Stay through the lengthy end credits and you?ll see a trailer for The Matrix: Revolutions, which will hit theaters in November.
Josh Spiegel is an entertainment reporter for the Web Devil. Reach him at joshua.spiegel@asu.edu.
