In 1999 'The Matrix' blew our screens away with a piece of science-fiction entertainment that was slick and stylish - with a definite emphasis on the style - but most importantly this was an action film that made you think. It was a film that stood out as something new and different, and in my opinion would have been much better if the Wachowski brothers had left it that way. The trick with 'The Matrix' was just that - and it's a trick that really only works once. Once you know what 'The Matrix' is, and that Neo is the one who has the capacity to destroy it, what other possible surprises are there? 'The Matrix' truly shocked with its originality, but by its position as the second film within the trilogy, 'The Matrix Reloaded' just can't deliver the same thing. Maybe the Wachowski brothers know that, and that's perhaps why they are trying to baffle us with their barely penetrable techno-speak. The only 'surprises' come from the next ambitious action sequence - in all honesty it was a slice of style that was a little too rich for me to swallow with ease...

There is no doubt that Andy and Larry Wachowski have a very clear image of how their worlds look, and that they have managed to translate this to the screen effectively. Characters within the Matrix are often dressed in one of a number of colours - black, white, cream or burgundy - and in materials that appear almost tactile on screen - leather, latex, and PVC. These materials and colours give a very distinctive look which contrasts against the world that most resembles our own. However within the 'real' world these characters tend to merge much more with their surroundings as they are dressed in duller and more organic looking materials.

Although many of the action scenes are very impressive, such as the tense chase along the Freeway which has Trinity speeding through on-coming traffic and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) fighting an Agent on top of a truck, they also occasionally seem to be too long and a little too style conscious. In the case of this particular scene the characteristic use of speeding and slowing film whilst altering the direction of the camera did not seem as seamless as in the original. When dealing with a human's actions this technique seems impressive, but when dealing with a spinning car, it feels a little too contrived.

That said, the kung-fu scenes such as the one with veteran martial arts star, Jet Li, do satisfy. Choreographer, Yuen Wo Ping, who worked on the first film and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', has really developed the skills of the Western stars much further - and it is a credit to him and them that Keanu Reeves does look credible against Jet Li. It is just a shame that the film feels as though it lurches from action sequence to action sequence without even these scenes being consistently spot on.

Although obviously a large number of characters needed to be introduced before the final film, there really were too many of them for us to become truly concerned about the fate of the last human city. Established characters also seemed underused, and I was personally disappointed that impressive personas such as Morpheus were not given more screen time. The one character that appears to have been given more of an opportunity for development is Agent Smith. The contained and self-controlled performance Hugo Weaving gives provides the film with the majority of its amusing moments, as he delivers lines that betray Smith's increasingly dry humour. It will be interesting to see whether the final film will give more opportunity for character development, and whether the potential of new additions to the cast, such as the twin albino assassins, are fully realised.