Perhaps the most anticipated movie sequel of all time, 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded wasn’t called Star Wars. To this day I can’t decide if the Wachowski siblings’ blockbuster sequel belongs to summer 2003 hits like Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Bad Boys II and… 2 Fast 2 Furious as the ultimate guilty pleasure or as a truly outstanding follow-up to the classic original. Anyhow, it’s still the most underrated Matrix film and far better than you might remember.
Perhaps the most anticipated movie sequel of all time, 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded wasn’t called Star Wars. To this day I can’t decide if the Wachowski siblings’ blockbuster sequel belongs to summer 2003 hits like Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Bad Boys II and… 2 Fast 2 Furious as the ultimate guilty pleasure or as a truly outstanding follow-up to the classic original. Anyhow, it’s still the most underrated Matrix film and far better than you might remember.
First off, “Reloaded” starts off on a fantastic note, as Trinity kicks the snot out of a group of unsuspecting guards before jumping headlong out the window, leading to this nifty sequence:
So far, so good.
Immediately we begin our first battle sequence, where Neo faces off against three agents, then does “his Superman thing” and shoots into the sky. That’s what we all wanted, right? Neo demonstrates his unique godlike abilities amid techno music and moody green colors – this is the sequel we’ve been dreaming of for four years.
Morpheus continues to advance Neo’s journey as the One, but is presented here as a controversial prophet whose philosophical views clash with those of Zion’s military leaders. The bottom line is that 250,000 machines are digging in Zion and mankind’s only chance of survival lies in a well-worn religious ideology. Either Neo is the one or people are screwed. As simple as that.
This, of course, leads to the much criticized rave sequence in The Matrix Reloaded, in which Morpheus begs the citizens of Zion to dance the night away to tell the machines, “We’re still here!” The scene made me laugh at the theater , but I haven’t thought about it too much. Sure it’s silly and over the top, but the scene also illustrates the essence of humanity. People feel compassion, energy, and exhilaration; We also stink, sweat and get tired quickly. We are everything the machines are not, which is one of the ultimate conflicts of the trilogy – a human’s ability to choose and a machine’s innate obedience. Who deserves to rule the world?
We switch to a short action beat where Agent Smith infects Bane. “Oh god,” says Bane. “Smith will do,” the agent quips. I’ve always found that part to be quite significant. In the original film, Smith has no choice. He remains stuck in the Matrix, at least until he destroys Zion. His inability to make up his mind drives him crazy. When he is then exiled, he makes the first choice of his existence and returns to the Matrix. This sense of freedom infected his mind and drove him to recreate the Matrix in his image. Thus, when he compares himself to God, Smith, freed from his obligations, certainly believes that he is more powerful than his creators.
Neo then repeats all of the above during his conversation with the advisor. People need machines and machines need people. One cannot exist without the other. In essence, this gives us the first clue to the most glaring problem of this war: no one can win. The only way forward is to find an amicable agreement that allows people to decide at the same time. choose what Live in or outside the Matrix? Working with or without machines? To know the truth?
As far as I can tell, Neo’s entire journey revolves around his desire to decide. His love for the Trinity blinds him to his preordained obligations and opens his eyes to the clearest path. Man must have a choice, otherwise he will cease to exist. The problem with the Matrix and the One is that they are programs based on the illusion of choice and can only sustain humanity for a limited time. Hence the constant need to start over.
Neo effectively finds a clearer path. no he chooses The clearer path that allows people to break free from their shackles and start anew in the real world, where they have the right to choose for themselves. Ironically, in this way, machines can now thrive alongside humanity. In fact, in The Matrix Resurrections we see machines working alongside humans in a prosperous environment.
That being said, Reloaded has some smart ideas up its sleeve if you take the time to think about it. Granted, the execution is a bit stiff, but if you want to, there’s a lot to consider here. For many, the Zion sequences were too Star Trek-esque, riddled with tacky sets, ridiculous costumes, and poor acting. The general public wanted the Matrix. In that sense, The Matrix Reloaded doesn’t disappoint.
Approximately 40 minutes into the film, after another conversation with the Oracle about choice, Neo confronts Agent Smith in the film’s first major action set – the legendary Burly Brawl.
Now, some roll their eyes at this scene, while others, like me, bend back to justify their existence. Why didn’t Neo fly away? In truth, he could and probably should have. I’ve always thought of this scene as another example of Morpheus’ statement in the original film about dodging bullets. However, Neo doesn’t fight back with bullets, instead repelling waves of Smiths, unaware that he doesn’t have to fight any of them. We see in Revolutions that the only way to stop Smith is to choose not to fight him. At this point in the story, Neo isn’t ready to make that decision and doesn’t realize the full extent of his journey, so he attacks Smith head-on, hoping his godlike powers will prevail.
I think there’s also a special “holy shit, this is getting out of control” aspect of this brawl that’s worth considering. Neo sees Smith, knows he’s a threat, tries to stop him, realizes it’s futile, and flies away before things get out of hand. In other words, there are many ways to justify the sequence other than calling it an awesome action beat with some dodgy CGI.
However, we get more mumbo jumbo about choices from the Merovingian explaining them in terms of love and sex. Is love a real feeling or just a pre-programmed desire in our brain that kicks in at the right moment? Does Neo love Trinity or are his feelings just a result of being the one? It’s all fascinating, but the Wachowskis could have trimmed the monologues to make them more coherent.
The entire film could last about 45 minutes without missing a beat.
The Matrix Reloaded jumps ahead a bit too much
The problem with The Matrix Reloaded is that it feels too much like a finale. We entered this world just a few years ago and are already close to the finish line. A proper sequel to The Matrix, in which Neo learns the true extent of his powers as he continues to explore the system and deepens his love for Trinity, might have served Reloaded/Revolutions well. As it is, jump in Reloaded Feeling like you arrived 30 minutes late. The film spends much of its first hour telling us about the events of the past few years. There isn’t much forward thrust. Each conversation is a repetition of the previous conversation, and they all end with the same conclusion: the choice is the solution and the problem. We get it.
Imagine a sequel that picks up where The Matrix left off and concludes with Smith’s reappearance and the arrival of the machines in Zion. Talk about the ultimate cliffhanger.
A strong ending makes the sequel special
Fortunately, “Reloaded” picks up speed in the second half and offers the kind of action spectacle that everyone wanted to see. The Autobahn sequence is the stuff of dreams, and while it drags on and on, it’s still incredibly exciting to watch. The same goes for Neo’s fight against the Merovingian henchmen. We know what’s at stake – the Keymaker – and now we can sit back and watch our heroes achieve their goal against all odds.
From now on, The Matrix Reloaded is more like a video game. We have to do something to achieve something so Neo can do his thing. In this case, our crew must break into a building, turn off the power, and enter a door at the perfect moment for Neo to fulfill his purpose. Obstacles clog her paths and Trinity is forced to go into the Matrix to save her friends. (All of this is exciting, especially when you combine it with Morpheus’ great speech.)
Eventually, Neo enters the door and has his now-famous conversation with the Architect. Again, there’s a lot of dialogue and big words, but this scene irrevocably just reinforces the ideas presented previously. Choice is the problem, kids. Also, Neo isn’t the one. Well, yes he is, but he is not. The One is just a product of the system designed to restart the program once it gets out of control.
My question is: does an iteration of Smith always appear with every One? Or was his return an unexpected event? It would have to be the former, right? Because otherwise Neo wouldn’t have a chance to fight the machines, right? Smith is key in his dealings with the giant robot-faced thing in Revolutions. If he didn’t exist, Neo wouldn’t be necessary. Does that mean Smith didn’t have a choice either? Did he follow his programming by returning to the Matrix and fulfilling a prophecy the Oracle had set? Or is this the first version of Smith to actually choose to return, which is why everyone is actively pushing for Neo to make the right choice in this breakthrough? My head hurts.
Doesn’t matter. Neo tells the Architect to fuck off, saves Trinity because he “loves her so damn much”, then reveals the truth to Morpheus and destroys some Guardians in the real world before passing out. Fin.
As you can see, there’s enough ideas, mind-bending action, and philosophy to keep you entertained for hours. Unfortunately, none of this is as groundbreaking as 1999’s The Matrix. Still, it’s enough to make it the most underrated Matrix film worth revisiting.