The Matrix Reloaded – Film Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

“The Matrix Reloaded” suffers from way too many sophomoric mistakes. It is littered with the trappings of a sequel. Which means that even though it does “deepen” the overall story arc begun in The Matrix, the film itself ends up becoming a major disappointment. That doesn’t mean that film is without value. Certainly, The Matrix Reloaded is filled with passages which are ripe for discussion – and I remember having a great many conversations about the film, and the series, after its release. So to give credit where credit is due, I applaud this movie for being able to generate as much discussion as it has – discussion is always a good thing. But that is primarily where the value of the film ends. The problems include a severe letdown in acting, overblown special effects and action sequences and ridiculously contrived and ponderous dialogue scenes. The Matrix Reloaded is, in a word: pretentious.

Not that pretentious is always a bad thing, mind you. But in the interest of objectivity, I think it’s best to call the film what it is: an attempt to seem smarter, hipper, more cutting edge than it ends up being. The fact is, despite the adulation that Reloaded receives from its many supporters, it is simply not an example of competent filmmaking. From start to finish it is riddled with decisions that seem intent on taking everything that worked in The Matrix and expanding it all to some bizarre caricature of what it once was. You cannot do that on the one hand and on the other ask people to take you seriously. It’s a bit like dressing up in a rhinoceros costume and standing on a dark street corner preaching philosophy. You’re more likely to be picked up for solicitation than to convert anyone to your point of view.

Of course, Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity are all back in this film. But in the first hint that things are not quite right, each of these characters is severely diminished from the previous film. Neo is asked to carry a lot more of the burden of this film’s narrative and Keanu Reeves is, quite simply, not up to such a task. As a wide-eyed newcomer in The Matrix, his performance was serviceable, if not truly compelling. Here, as the Messiah, and the savior, as The One, Reeves’ performance is utterly at a loss. Even if Neo is supposed to be finding his way, unsure of himself as The One, Reeves’ performance should at least capture the imagination of the audience and elicit a measure of empathy for such a crisis of confidence and purpose. But that doesn’t happen in Reloaded. Instead, Neo comes off as, simply, a deer in the headlights – even when he supposedly has things under control.

There are some interesting characters, such as the Merovingian, Persephone, and the Keymaker. In fact, the Merovingian scenes are some of the most interesting in the film, especially when he professes his ire toward the Oracle. But not even the Oracle can match her own performance from the first film.

Trinity, who managed to pull off a strong, feminine character in The Matrix manages to be a nonfactor in this film – even though her character directly influences the film’s climactic events. There is little to no growth from her, as a character. But the biggest tragedy of the film, in terms of character, is Morpheus. More than simply stagnating, Morpheus’ character actually manages to atrophy in this film – long before he has his own crisis of faith. Whereas Morpheus quite literally carried The Matrix on his back, his performance in Reloaded is forced, flat, and hollow. Nothing epitomizes Morpheus’ fall from prominence more than what was supposed to be his most epic moment: his speech to the assembled masses of Zion. Instead of a William Wallace, or even an Aragorn, Morpheus sounded more like Elizabeth Swan. It was a truly cringeworthy performance from an actor who was much, much better in the previous film. Put simply, I think Morpheus either mailed in his performance, or he tried way too hard and come off as shallow.

And that, ultimately, is the critical flaw of Reloaded: trying too hard and coming up empty. As an example, look no further than the film’s central action set-piece: a *twenty* minute blitz of fight scenes, car chase scenes, motorcycle chase scenes, more fight scenes, and a superman-like rescue. Twenty minutes – from the time Persephone leaves the Merovingian alone with Neo to Neo’s rescue of Morpheus and the Keymaker – in which we learn one bit exposition: the Agents of the system are more interested in the Keymaker than they are in either Morpheus and Trinity.

And that is by no means the only example of a scene that tried too hard to be something more than it ended up being. There was the insipid fight between Neo and hundreds of Agent Smith copies. For what purpose? The real narrative came by way of the dialogue preceding the fight. The melee hardly served any purpose other than to say, “hey, look at the cool movie effects we can come up with – and keep looking until your eyes bleed because we don’t know when to quit.”

The other prime example of excess is the rave sequence – the one intercut with the intimacy of Trinity and Neo. This one, at least, was attempting to be symbolic – about the vitality of humanity. And actually, that’s a worthy concept to symbolize, especially when you are contrasting humanity against the cold, calculating, emotionless enemy of machines. But like the action sequences, this one went on for way, way too long. And it was so stylized, so contrived, that it sabotaged its own message. Imagine going back to the street corner and adding a tutu to the rhino costume – you’re still not going to get your message across. And as for Neo and Trinity – as you watch them together, I defy you to figure out which one is which. You may be able to, but not without looking a lot harder at the scene than you really want to look.

Overall Grade: C+

So even the most compelling scenes are sabotaged by poor performances or contrived circumstances. This is not the way to make a movie. I give Reloaded its due credit for the attempts at a more complex subtext to its overall narrative. But since the overall narrative is presented so incompetently, the film’s messages don’t necessarily deserve to be heard. If you choose to wade through the much to find a rogue pearl of wisdom or philosophy, more power to you. Just don’t expect everyone else to be as eager to get their as dirty.

Topics: Film Review, Sci-Fi
Filed under: The Matrix