The Matrix Reloaded, 2003. Iron Lion Zion.

The Matrix Reloaded was released on May 7th 2003 and was written and directed by the Wachowskis. It was the sequel to The Matrix 1999, with the third instalment, The Matrix Revolutions following six months later on November 5th 2003. Neo Keanu Reeves is back as Reloaded raises the battle between humanity and the machine army into an all-out war. Trinity Carrie-Ann Moss and Morpheus Laurence Fishburne return in their quest to save the human race from extinction. Unlocking the secrets of the Matrix is the last line of defence for the city of Zion. Inside the mainframe, Neo must search for the architect and help the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar stop the army of sentinels that are now just seventy-two hours away from heading towards death and destruction within the walls of Zion.

Alejandro Jodorowsky once said, “You want to make the most fantastic art of a movie? Try. If you fail, it is not important.” There will be more coming from Jodorowsky in my following review, but this comment has instantly changed my sensibilities towards cinema in a substantial way. It would be harsh to say that Matrix Reloaded is a failure. The film made over six hundred million at the box office and was left sitting amongst giants. However, twenty-one years ago, this film did not make the impact on me that I had hoped for. Today, I am left asking myself if that feeling of disappointment is nobody’s fault but my own.

Looking back, maybe the writing was on the wall for any movie that came after The Matrix. I’m not 100% sure if this is correct, but I seem to recollect some grumbles inside the cinema when Neo flew away at the end of the film. However, that grumble may have just come from one person, me. How can one tiny grumble, about fifteen seconds of a movie stand out so much? So, how many grumbles would that leave for Reloaded? Ten, fifty or a hundred? My feelings towards the film in the past have felt that way. It’s funny how the human mind works and how TWO, yes, TWO grumbles can ruin an entire film.

Neo is once again confronted by Agent Smith Hugo Weaving. Neo meets the Oracle inside the Matrix, and before he can leave, the resurrected agent wants to see his old friend. Smith is now a rogue program that can clone himself over the inhabitants of the Matrix, including newly upgraded agents. Smith wants to clone himself onto Neo, and a massive brawl erupts. In theory, a fight containing multiple Smiths and an all-powerful Neo should be spectacular in every way possible, but it fails for two reasons.

The first reason is my only real justified criticism of the film. The computer-generated imagery used within this sequence and throughout the film completely ruins the tone and aesthetic of the Matrix universe. Basically, it’s animation, and as much as I love the characters of Neo and Agent Smith, you no longer feel their presence on screen, and it feels very much like watching a cartoon. You are talking extremely fine margins here, and the film still looks beautiful. But it’s those subtle moments that can elevate or diminish a scene very quickly. My second reason is a little unjustified but it is annoying all the same. Do you know what else animated cartoons also have in them? Wacky sound effects! During this brawl, you have the sound of a bowling ball hitting a strike as agents get smashed against the wall. I understand this all seems petty and it probably is, but I don’t feel like I’m in the story anymore. I guess it looks like I am simply tearing this movie apart. But we are far from done here, and I believe I am starting to understand the bigger picture.

I say the bigger picture, but I am still none the wiser on why I would go back and see how The Matrix Trilogy holds up. I have always known that I might not be the best critical thinker. On the other hand,  I have always enjoyed and consumed movies, so I need to try and understand why I love them. I am learning to be more critical because I am now starting to understand how these films work from a different perspective. I used to believe The Matrix was a perfect film, and it should have remained a standalone story. I have heard the same story about the original Star Wars in 1977. Today, I believe that George Lucas and the Wachowskis don’t think that way, and thankfully so. Highly creative people are going to go big or go home. Unfortunately, The Matrix Reloaded went big, and it felt like I was left to go home.

I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. The Matrix was pretty simple in its execution and was a very unique cinema experience. The movie does a great job of showing you how things are in this world and doesn’t go deep into the why. Watching The Matrix Reloaded is very much like training in the construct. The story is complicated, the exposition is dense, and you may need a nap after an hour or so. In that respect, it’s a virtual experience like no other. Neo is now a god among men, Zion is on the brink of destruction, and the Matrix no longer feels like a working simulation anymore. It would have been nice if Neo could have jumped over a few more buildings for a while, but it never stops long enough for that.

That isn’t to say Reloaded isn’t any good. The Bully Brawl sequence on the highway is brave, beautiful and a brutal reminder of why I came to love this story in the first place. I can’t say I’m one for a romantic story, but I guess everything comes down to love, loss and all the emotions that come with it. Neo and Trinity help deliver that in a way that is both relatable and authentic. Being Inside the Matrix still excites me as a viewer. However, I have to say, I enjoy technology but trying to understand the workings of a computer-simulated world just isn’t that appealing to me. I can just about understand the importance of the Oracle and the Key-maker but there are so many doors getting slammed in this film that it started to bring back unpleasant memories of life with my ex-girlfriend. I think it’s the moments when the mainframe imitates life that I enjoy, the subtle moments.

Subtle moments like the Merovingian Lambert Wilson giving an innocent bystander an orgasm with computer coding alone. Or his wife, Persephone Monica Bellucci trading a kiss with Neo to remember what real love feels like. My favourite and most confusing scene in the film is the introduction of the Architect Helmut Bakaitis. The confusing part is that I still don’t fully understand what he is trying to explain to Neo. Hopefully, the third film can help me with that a little more. However, the iconography is outstanding and allows Neo to meet his maker. A philosophical question that humanity discusses all the time. The days of bending spoons are over, and we are deep inside the Matrix now, with no way back. Choices are made, paths have been chosen, meanwhile, the war rages on.

 There is so much happening in this film that it’s difficult to discuss it all, but the third film should give me a chance to bring it all together in a way that I feel satisfied. I will say that Reloaded doesn’t feel as overpowering as it did upon its release. Maybe I just needed twenty years to digest it a little easier. Alternatively, The Matrix Overloaded would have felt like a better title for the film for me. Terrible jokes aside, timing seems to be an issue for me, and the way this film was released only six months before the Matrix Revolutions slightly ruined my way of viewing it as a stand-alone movie. However, this time around, I seem to have embraced it more closely, and I’m glad I started this project now. I do notice it’s easy for people to dismiss movies as rubbish or wasteful if they don’t enjoy them anymore or they don’t turn out exactly as expected. But I always wonder if the fault is mine somehow. Sometimes, it can be a bit of both, but when this is all over, I will know I gave it as much time and effort as I could. That’s all I’m looking for in life. Anyway, take care, and I hope you will join me as I go further into The Matrix Universe.

What are YOUR thought about The matrix reloaded? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, thank you for visiting my site. Adios.