I'm into gadgets and technology, and am rather partial to food and theme parks. I'll try to read and...
I'm into gadgets and technology, and am rather partial to food and theme parks. I'll try to read and write more reviews in the coming weeks.
Member since:15.01.2003
Reviews:3
No one can be told how good this film is: you have to experience it for yourself. That may be taking a cliché a little too far, but I will attempt to tell you how good the film is regardless. Rarely does a film shown in UK cinemas get a rapturous round of applause to see it off – this one did. Was it worth me standing outside in the rain to get one of the few remaining tickets? I thought so. Two hours...in proper Welsh rain, complete with thunder, armed only with a brolley and a flimsy green anorak.
I'm not going to give the plot away here – I don't think my fingers would last out that long. However, you should see the first film if you plan on seeing this one. Without the context the first film gives, this one will seem like a stream of pretty, albeit irrelevant, special effects.
This film builds on the amazing foundations of the first, and will once again leave you pondering 'What is the matrix?'. If you had it sussed at the end of the first film, chances are that this one will
pluck out all those ideas and flip them on their head. And probably give them a nice spin for good measure.
The casting for the characters in this film is spot-on, with Keanu Reeves (Neo), Laurence Fishbourne (Morpheus) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) making a welcome return, supported by a range of new characters. You've probably already seen promotional shots of The Twins, who look as if they've been sleeping a packet of flour. Don't let this fool you though – they're not the type of people that go around baking cakes (OK, Steven Seagal shows that really don't want to mess with people who make cakes, but we'll ignore that for the purposes of this review).
Music-wise this film does not fail to impress. The backing track is a little less heavy than the Matrix, and has a more electronic, with an ever-so-slightly Techno hint to it. It is still unmistakably Matrix-style, however, and carries the film well, and adds oodles of tension to the action scenes.
If you didn't enjoy the first film, I would still recommend seeing this one, although you'd undoubtedly get less satisfaction than Matrix junkies. In some ways, this film attempts to poularise The Matrix, by adding spectacular setpiece special effects and a storyline which doesn't really need to be understood to enjoy the movie, i.e people in suits are baddies (I'll probably upset a few people by saying that). It's got all the elements you need for a hollywood blockbuster: huge explosions, high speed chases and intense fight scenes. It cleverly interlaces these with a fairly intellectual story. If you follow along with the story, it immensely improves the film, and it would be a shame to see it for the kung-fu action alone.
One problem I found with this film was that the main characters seem to be invincible. They have some really funky special moves, but all the fights seem like a foregone conclusions. Good guys win, good guys move on to next bunch of bad guys; Repeat until end. Although technically the characters are vulnerable, the film rarely makes a point of this. OK, it's a film set in a computer-controlled version of Earth and isn't meant to be realistic, but I felt that playing on the vulnerability could have made this film a little more gripping. It's not going to lose any stars from me for this, however.
The ending of this film may displease some, as it's of the 'To Be Continued' type. It does finish itself off with fairly tidy conclusion, however, and should have been expected with a sequel coming in six months (The Matrix: Revolutions).
Well, I think that's all my moaning out of the way, which just leaves me say something about the special effects. These really are quite mind-blowing. The 'bullet-time' camera moves of the first film are no longer a new novelty, and the makers of this film realise this. Bullet-time in Reloaded is elevated to a whole new level, and adds to a spectacular arsenal of eye-candy. The camera swirls around the action superbly, capturing every special move the characters pull off.
I would recommend going to see the film, although I may give it a miss if it involves standing in the rain for two hours again. If you enjoyed the first film, pre-book your tickets now. If you disliked the first film with passion, then this probably isn't for you, but anyone inbetween should go along for the ride. It may just change your view on The Matrix.
The Marix: Reloaded is released on 22 May 2003 in the UK, and should be shown at most cinemas nationwide. Check out the official website at http://www.whatisthematrix.com for more information.
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
To be fair they did show Neo's weekness in one of the fight scenes where he started bleeding. But that one with all the Mr Smith's took almost 3 years to film, now thats impresive. Andy :)
evansuk 23.05.2003 20:13
Excellent film, but I agree, they milked it a bit too much with the fighting scenes and the 'to be concluded' ending was dissapointing! :O) - Dan.
The Matrix Reloadeddelivers added amounts of everything that the first film had, with the ... more
exception of surprises. We see more of the "real world" in the "last human city" of Zion and we go back to the 1999-look urban virtual reality of the Matrix for m...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Matrix Reloadeddelivers added amounts of everything that the first film had, with the ... more
exception of surprises. We see more of the "real world" in the "last human city" of Zion and we go back to the 1999-look urban virtual reality of the Matrix for m...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Neo and the leaders of the human resistance discover that Sentinels are burrowing their ... more
way towards Zion. Estimating they have perhaps just 72 hours until an all-out assault Neo must return back into the Matrix and find the keymaker to gain access to ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Sentinels swarm. Smith clones. Neo flies... but perhaps not even a Chosen One gifted with ... more
astonishing new powers can stop the advance of the Machines.Neo. Morpheus. Trinity. They're back for the powerful second chapter of The Matrix trilogy, and exciti...
Advantages: If you were impressed by the special effects of the first film, you'll be blown away by this Disadvantages: If you're after substance, you may be somewhat disappointed.
![The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen edition) [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78498566.jpg "The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen edition) [DVD] [2003]")
May 22nd, 2003
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