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A Warner Bros release. Written and directed by the Wachowski brothers; starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss. Released to DVD on October 23, 2003. 
Where Hollywood tends to err is in the belief that the second film in a series has to out shoot, out bang and out do the original to succeed. This rationale comes from the flawed logic that the audience is expecting more from a sequel, so to do anything on the same scale as the original would effectively disappoint the original’s fan base, lowering the overall box office take. So budgets get increased, chase scenes get longer and the overall feel of projects become bigger and louder than the original’s. And in this respect, The Matrix Reloaded succeeds; it is a far more Bruckheimer movie than the first Matrix. Keanu Reeves returns as Neo, a former computer hacker who is now leading the growing rebellion against the machines (computers) who enslave the human race. With the final film in The Matrix trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, arriving in theatres in December, it should come as little surprise that the humans gain absolutely no headway in their battle against the computers. As a matter of fact, they actually go backwards in their endeavor, since certain previously given suppositions turn out to be false prophecies. The Matrix Reloaded is a fun movie to watch, in much the same way that Pirates of the Caribbean or Bad Boys II are fun movies to watch. The filmmakers tell us what to think and we think precisely that, enjoying unbelievable stunts along the way. This is such a departure from the original Matrix though, where the viewer’s questions about the movie inevitably turned introspective, that the material in this second installment comes across as something of a letdown. With all eyes focused on generating more revenue, someone forget the fact that it wasn’t the special effects and gun battles that drew viewers to The Matrix; it was the crisp writing, clever situations and the creation of a parallel universe that mirrored the talons of corporate America that captured the attention of movie goers. Sadly, The Matrix Reloaded presents the viewer an all out action movie with little heart and a greater emphasis on fight sequences than dialogue. Those fight sequences are on par with some of the best in Hollywood history–at times my jaw would drop at what directors Andy and Larry Wachowski were capable of doing (with considerable help from second unit director David Ellis)–but I was hoping for a little more intelligence from the script than I got. Good or bad, The Matrix Reloaded was unabashedly, whole-heartedly empty fun.
chris neumer yes, it's true: Keanu Reeves is making big money thanks to The Matrix series. Not only has it been reported that he earned $30 million for Reloaded and Revolutions, but he also gets 15% of each film’s box office take. |
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