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The Matrix Reloaded... I was originally going to not write an op on this, as it's just so confusing and it would be a case of the blind leading the blind, but I'll have a go anyway!
If you haven't seen the Matrix, then here's a quick summary: Neo (Keanu Reeves) is a computer programmer. He meets Morpheus, who is the one who inform him of The Matrix. The Matrix is much like a computer programme, controlled by machines, where we (normal humans) are living, completely unaware our whole lives are just one big hoax.
There are a group of people who have escaped from The Matrix and are desperately trying to put an end to it, and have a way of dipping in and out of the real world and The Matrix. They believe that someday, a certain someone, The One, will come along and destroy it. Morpheus thinks that Neo is that someone who will save the world.
Confusing? Completely! My description is a bit cloudy but you can get the gist of it!
Anyway, The Matrix Reloaded is set a few months on from The Matrix, and Neo is much more in control and confident. He has also changed, and looks much like a priest in his get up!
The machines are now trying to get to Zion, the only city on earth where the humans are
in control of their own minds, in an attempt to destroy it completely. Neo has to stop them in 72 hours, with the help of Morpheus and his girlfriend, Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss).
New characters come in the form of Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith, Will Smith's wife), Morpheus' old flame, who doesn't really have a huge role in this. There is also Persephone, played by Monica Belluci (the face of Astor cosmetics!). She is the love-starved woman who blows the brains out of her husband's bodyguard, and in return for a kiss from Neo, leads the trio to the Keymaker, who in turn, takes them to the Oracle.
Even if you haven't seen this film, you've probably seen photos of the Virus twins - played by builders/decorators Neil and Andrew Rayment of Carol Vorderman's Better Homes on ITV1! They sport dreadlocks, matching sunglasses and snow-white skin. I think the only line they said in the film was "I am extremely aggravated" from one of them!
The beginning dragged on slightly, with just the preparations and setting down the foundations for the storyline, but after about an hour, it really kicked in!
I heard hundreds of millions were spent on the special effects for Reloaded, and it shows! The highway scene in particular was amazing and was definitely the highlight of the film. The highway was especially built for that scene, apparently for £68 million, and it stretches over two miles! The fight scenes are truly stunning and I caught myself holding my breath at one point! On paper, they sound silly, but they really do amaze you! The scene where Neo is slugging it out with hundreds of Agent Smiths, and he is using a lamppost as a weapon, is one that definitely stands out.
You are hit with facts very quickly to get the film going, so you don't really have time to absorb them, which is just as well really, because the more you think about it, the more ludicrous and unbelievable they sound!
In between all the fighting scenes, the characters try to get down to some serious philosophising. It just doesn't work! This is essentially a sci-fi action thriller, and squashing in deep and meaningful parts into it doesn't fit in and the film doesn't flow as well as it could. There are a few witty one-liners here and there, but don't go expecting a comedy!
This film was good, but very different to the original. The special effects budget was clearly higher for this film, due to the success of the prequel, but the overall quality of the film was suffered - maybe the makers put too much attention on special effects and not on the actual script?
There was also a sex scene which I didn't really think was necessary to the plot. It didn't actually show anything, but with the background music, seemed a bit more like a softcore Channel 5 'erotic drama'! I don't really want to see Trinity having an orgasm, thanks!
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishbourne, and Carrie-Ann Moss were all flawless as Neo, Morpheus and Trinity, but the script was lacking, and no matter how good the actors, you can't make a good film out of a poor script! Also, all the action was in the last half of the film - the first hour dragged on far too slowly for my liking!
This op is a bit murky really, but my thoughts on the film: a good film let down by the script. It's an inventive idea, but I'm not sure whether it works.
I think a shortened script (less faffing about!), less deep and meaningful parts, and some more explanation of what is going on, would improve the film no end. However, if you just sit back, ignore the holes in the script and watch the film, then it will make a hugely enjoyable two hours, purely because of the special effects!
It is rated 15 and runs for about two hours.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
Sorry, a mistake in the previous comment:
The budget for the movie was 83milion £ (not hundreds) and
the highway chase costs 31milion £, not 68milion £. Please be a little more exact with the facts.
adicos 11.06.2003 09:46
The budget for the movie was 83milion £ (not hundreds) and the highway chase costs 31£, not 68£. Please be a little more exact with the facts.
pleaseratemyreview 04.06.2003 19:43
I think im going to have to see this if for nothing else, just because of all the hype! Yesterday i saw an advert for an animated matrix DVD called ANIMATRIX. Sounds really pathetic to me! Great op ¬¬¬JIM¬¬¬
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: More arse kicking kung foo shenanigans. Awesome!!! Disadvantages: More arse kicking kung foo shenanigans.Hang on, didn't we see that in '99?
Advantages: Eye-popping visuals, much more smoother plot, and one of the best car chases I've ever seen Disadvantages: Some people may think its more recycled than reloaded
eve6kicksass 19.10.2003 (19.10.2003)
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Review of The Matrix Reloaded (DVD)
![The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen edition) [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78498566.jpg "The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen edition) [DVD] [2003]")
May 27th, 2003
(Jun 3rd, 2003)
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