Review of Matrix Reloaded, The

Introduction

It`s hard to believe that it was in 1999 that the original Matrix was unleashed on an unsuspecting public to almost universal acclaim. Freeze… r…o…t…a…t…e… Explosion of wit… Continue… It was the film that stole Star Wars` thunder with its mix of stunning visual effects, martial arts action and pop psychology. It was like nothing we had ever seen before, and unleashed a revolution in cinema effects that has influenced every action movie since. In many ways, the Matrix set an astounding benchmark for any potential sequel. I`ve taken the opportunity to revisit it prior to the sequel`s release on DVD, and it is a perfectly formed movie. Laying aside for a minute the still powerful visual impact, the story and structure is also compelling. Admittedly it contains references to and is influenced by many stunning films and stories, including The Greatest Story Ever Told. Indeed the Messianic parallel is too obvious to deny. A saviour is prophesied, and when the time comes he is found. After many travails and soul searching he comes to accept the role that is thrust upon him, then he makes the ultimate sacrifice for his people, only to be resurrected into an even more powerful form. Any sequel to the Matrix would be like asking what Jesus did next. With hindsight it`s also easy to see that the Wachowski`s may have written themselves into a corner, making their hero to all intents and purposes invulnerable. Still, with the style and technology of the Matrix films firmly established, a sequel would be a grand opportunity for storytelling, right?

Four years on and after a year of filming, not one but two sequels were upon us. In May, The Matrix Reloaded was released, telling most of a story, as simultaneously were released The Animatrix and Enter The Matrix. A selection of stories inspired by Japanese anime and the tie-in console game that both filled in the gaps of the movie. A marketing triumph or a foolish gamble is up for debate, but the film can still be viewed alone. The DVD release comes a month before the theatrical release of the final chapter.

It has been six months since the events of the Matrix, and with the aid of The One the forces of Zion have been freeing minds from the machines at an unprecedented rate. It`s enough of a threat for the machines to take action, and as the film begins, the machines have begun to tunnel to Zion, to eliminate it once and for all. While the military under Commander Lock are set to make a stand at the gates of Zion, Morpheus believes that the fulfilment of prophecy is at hand. He awaits the call of the Oracle to put into motion the events that will prove the final victory over the machines. Neo on the other hand is himself beset with oracular visions, and is tormented by dreams of Trinity`s death. A visit to the Oracle will set forward a chain of events that will reveal the ultimate truth about the Matrix, and Neo will have to make a choice that will determine the fate of humanity.

Video

Having looked over my review for the first film, seeing the mark I gave its picture leaves me feeling a little sheepish. In my own defence I`ve got to say that it was the first disc I ever bought. Comparing its muddy, washed out transfer to the picture quality of The Matrix Reloaded is like comparing two different worlds.

The Matrix Reloaded has an absolutely stunning 2.40:1 anamorphic transfer, with what is to my eyes a flawless picture. The minute you see those green computer characters scrolling down the screen and realise that they are glowing with a fire and vitality that was completely absent in the first film`s transfer that you realise that you are in for a treat. The colours, the contrast, the sharpness and the sheer depth of the image is simply stunning, with the expansive sets and brilliant visual effects presented with astounding clarity.

The Matrix Reloaded manages this by taking a leaf out of the Superbit book. The first disc contains only the film in it`s entirety (including trailer for Revolutions at the end) as well as the two soundtracks, albeit DD 5.1 only. The extras are presented on the second disc. I get the feeling that it may be time to look at the first film once again to see if it may be given a similar transfer in an updated release, it will certainly benefit from an all round sprucing up.

However the downside to the immaculate transfer is the clarity with which the excessive use of CGI becomes apparent. Distracting in the cinema, here it is downright annoying, and I feel it detracts from the overall score, more on this later. (Of course this time I may be covering my butt for when the inevitable Reloaded beating DVD transfer arrives)

Audio

The sound comes in DD 5.1 English and German flavours. It`s a powerful dynamic soundtrack that is difficult to fault. The dialogue (such as it is) is clear throughout, and the superb action sequences take your speakers for an irreverent test drive. The music is in the same vein of the first film, but the Nu-Metal tracks littering the end-credits rapidly begin to grate.

Features

The extras are somewhat disappointing given the extent of the Matrix phenomenon, and one gets the feeling that there will be a super-duper special edition inevitably. All extras are presented in 4:3 with DD 2.0 sound.

Preload lasts 22 minutes and is essentially a making of documentary, with interviews with the cast and crew. Padded with scenes from the movie and behind the scenes footage, it`s essentially a brief PR piece to set up the film, the operative word being brief.

The Matrix Unfolds is a six-minute bit that takes an overall look at the Matrix phenomenon, the films, the anime and the game. All of which is repeated in further detail elsewhere on the disc making this extremely redundant.

Perhaps the most impressive piece is the Freeway Chase. 30 minutes of documentary footage regarding the creation and filming of one of the most expensive and massive car chases ever conceived. Filming of the stunt sequence alone took longer to shoot than most movies and involved building a freeway from scratch. If only my local town planners were so adept and motivated. This is probably the most rewarding extra on the disc and invites repeated viewing.

On the other hand, the most cynical extra is this, Get Me An Exit, which is a 10-minute look at the corporate tie-ins with the movie. 10 minutes of the making of the adverts for heaven`s sake. I`m not even going to mention the brands, but just to p*** their marketing department off, until I saw this extra, I though the mobile phones had been supplied by a completely different manufacturer. So much for your product placement.

The Animatrix Trailer is just that, a 5-minute trailer of the 9 animated tie-in films, including the Final Flight Of The Osiris, which sets up the scene for The Matrix Reloaded.

Enter The Matrix: The Game, takes a look at the making of said game from Shiny Entertainment. Normally this would seem superfluous, but as both the Animatrix and the console game tie in very closely with the film, it`s well worth watching. Also, since the game contains an hour of footage shot with the film actors for inclusion with the game, it can be seen as an extension of the film. You can find out what Niobe was doing while Morpheus and co were looking for the Keymaker. There is also a hint as to why the Oracle changes appearance in Revolutions, prompted by the passing of actress Gloria Foster.

The Web Links on the original Matrix disc hid a wealth of DVD ROM material that was a treat for PC owners. Alas on this disc, the web links are just that, links to the official site.

Finally there is the MTV Movie Awards sketch, which inserted Stifler and the Trousersnake a.k.a. hosts Justin Timberlake and Seann William Scott into key scenes of the film. Expecting the worst, I found this 10-minute sketch to be quite funny and irreverent.

But the bottom line is that there is no audio commentary and there is only one decent documentary. A film like the Matrix has a wealth of material that could provide hours of background footage, the martial arts training alone that the actors had to endure could fill a whole disc, not to mention the effects and stunts. I would have hoped for a Phantom Menace type documentary at least.

Finally I have to take issue with something Joel Silver says twice with glee in the extras. He claims that this is the first time that a story as the Matrix Reloaded has been told in multiple media. It`s not as LucasArts did it with Shadows of the Empire, a computer game, graphic novel and hardcover novel that purported to tell the story between Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back from three viewpoints. It wasn`t exactly an unmitigated success. With the Matrix Reloaded, the move smacks of marketing and profiteering, as well as cheating the audience somewhat. After watching a 2-hour film to be told that the rest of it can be seen if you buy a computer game, as well as another DVD is a little insulting. Especially when from all reports, the computer game failed to reach any standards of game play other than sales. It`s also a little unfair to audiences who miss out on little titbits like the first Machine City being called Zero-One. I mean, Zero-One… Zion, it can`t just be a coincidence, but you have to watch the Animatrix to pick up on nuances like that. It should have been bundled with this disc as part of the extras.

Conclusion

First let`s get one thing clear, which is I like The Matrix Reloaded a lot. It`s an amazing visual accomplishment that that is relentless in its supply of thrills and spills, but as a sequel to the first film it is adequate at best. It`s popcorn for the eyes, chewing gum for the mind that supplies a hit of intense flavour but little or no nourishment. If you are a fan of the Matrix, you probably already own this, and if you are considering buying this then I can heartily recommend it as a stunning piece of visual entertainment. But…

This is where I take my gloves off and start picking at the frayed edges, of which there are many. It readily becomes apparent that the Wachowski`s have managed in 4 years and 2 films what it took George Lucas the better part of 30 years and 4 films to accomplish. Whereas the first film had a complex story, rich in cultural references and possessing a unique originality, the sequel seems designed for marketing and visual effect only. I had hoped that with the technology and style firmly established in the first film, they would make the effort to tell an exciting and interesting tale. After all, you can`t invent bullet time again, and the stunning revelations and unique worldview that so enraptured audiences of the first film can`t be repeated. Alas the producers went for bigger, better, faster, brighter action and stunts, choosing to neglect the narrative. At least George Lucas has a story to tell with his prequel movies, The Matrix Reloaded lacks any story whatsoever.

Spoilers

I don`t normally do this, but I feel that the plot of Reloaded is so thin, that any further discussion will inevitably contain spoilers, so consider that fair warning. The film lasts 2 hours, or 2 hours and 10 minutes if you include the end credits, yet for those 2 hours nothing of narrative value actually happens. As the film begins, machines tunnelling from the surface imperil Zion, as the film ends, machines tunnelling from the surface imperil Zion and Neo lies in a coma. So what the two hours accomplish is to tell the tale of how Neo falls into that coma, with the aid of loads of kung fu, bullet time, pseudo philosophising and hedonistic writhing. What Reloaded actually is, is an exercise in exposition. This film acts solely as filling between the two slices of bread that are The Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions. In between the action, we are drip fed revelations of the nature of the Matrix, tantalised with truths and half truths about the machine world and the human world up until the revelatory confrontation between the Neo and the Architect, which is incidentally laden with the most ponderous, unwieldy dialogue since Anakin Skywalker professed his love to Padme in Attack Of The Clones.

Indeed the dialogue and the philosophy of the Matrix have transformed from the elegant simplicity of the first film to pop psychology of the worst kind. Some of the lines that Laurence Fishburne has to spout made me feel sorry for the actor. Fortunately some awesome butt kicking opportunities compensate him. He gets to utter some of this drivel in Zion in a scene reminiscent of Paul Atreides address of the Fremen in David Lynch`s Dune, but the speech is more suited to Bill Pullman`s President in Independence Day. This is followed by the hedonistic writhing I previously mentioned, in a dance that obviously pays homage to the Rippers` prayer in Tank Girl with music that sounds like French Kiss by L`il Louis. It`s a scene that speaks of extravagant excess on the parts of the filmmakers and adds little if anything to the film itself.

Neo is somewhat problematic as a character now. Rendered indestructible in the Matrix and now donning a Nehru jacket gone horribly wrong, it`s hard to generate any sense of peril towards him in the film, something that is problematic as he is the central character. He`s constantly doing his "Superman" thing, but there is no Kryptonite in the Matrix. Although his laconic observation of "upgrades" when confronted with the new improved Agents hints at more of an obstacle. The film tries to get over this by giving him time constraints, he has to get to a certain place in a certain amount of time to save the day, but it isn`t enough and I feel there are really only two action scenes where the character of Neo impresses, fighting the Seraph and fighting the Merovingian`s goons. It`s actually far more thrilling and exciting to watch the action scenes with Trinity and Morpheus, as there is still the sense that they can be beaten.

While much of the film fails to stand out in terms of characterisation, there are a few bright points, Hugo Weaving reprises his role as the new improved Agent Smith, free of the system and following his own agenda, with some initially interesting new abilities, the strange speech patterns are still there as is the subtle menace. The high point has to be the introduction of the Merovingian played by Lambert Wilson, a deliciously self centred and self-gratifying creature that lights up the screen. His little byplay with Persephone played by Monica Bellucci does much to enliven the unwieldy script. Also of interest are the albino dreadlocked twins, who briefly bring a little cheek to the film, as well as a compelling final performance from Gloria Foster as the Oracle. On the downside there is a constipated performance from Harry Lennix as Commander Lock that is far too distracting for words, in an apparently pointless triangle between himself, Morpheus and Niobe.

Finally, if the Matrix Reloaded establishes one thing, it`s that CGI humans aren`t good enough yet to fool anyone. If there were any moments that pulled me out of the cinema experience kicking and screaming, it were the blatant uses of CGI in some of the stunt sequences. The Burly Brawl was a prime case in point. For much of it, I was greatly impressed with the sweeping camera work, the multiple Agent Smiths and the fight choreography. Then all of a sudden we switch to CG and anyone who accuses Keanu Reeves of being wooden should hang their head in shame. Plastic CG Keanu looks absolutely nothing like real Keanu. It`s the Yoda moment from Attack Of The Clones all over again. And what is the point of CGI bullet time. The original bullet time concept was an amazing development that allowed audiences to get a close up view of the action. Doing the same thing in CGI is not only a cheap rip-off of an expensive optical technique, but it only highlights just how fake your CG character looks. This happened far too often for my liking.

The Matrix Reloaded is an amazing sensory experience, which I don`t hesitate to recommend. But you can`t get away from the fact that in an attempt to go one step beyond the original the story has been neglected in favour of visuals, and what story there is, is stretched wafer thin. After two hours of exposition and kung fu, I just hope that Revolutions has a story worthy of the first film and gives meaning to the second.