"You have to let it all go, Neo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind."
STARRING
Keanu Reeves
Carrie Anne-Moss
Laurence Fishburne
Hugo Weaving
Directed by the Wachowski Brothers, rated R
Keanu Reeves sums up my feelings about this movie in one word: Whoa. That’s what I was thinking after I saw it the first time, and that’s what I think every time I see it now. This film is amazing. You want action? Get ready for some of the coolest action scenes ever produced. You want romance? This film’s got a romance so powerful it literally brings the dead back to life. You want comedy? Sorry, this isn’t your film (though the Oracle cracks me up, and there’s a hidden joke about Ronald Reagan). However, you’ll probably still enjoy – that is if you have any taste. Heh. Other than that, the Matrix trilogy is also, in my opinion, on of the most spiritual series out there. You’ll have to look at the bottom of this page to see what I mean.
For those of you who for some reason or another haven’t seen the Matrix – what rock have you been living under? – here’s the basic plot. The world we live in is not real. Take a second and think about that for a second.
Good.
Now moving on. Actually, it is the world 2199 and machines have taken over the world. The human race is hooked up to a giant simulation program known as The Matrix. We have no idea what’s going on – as far as we’re concerned, it’s the 21st century and everything is fine. There are a few humans that have managed to escape the Matrix; they spend their time fighting the machines and looking for “The One”, a person mentioned in prophecy who supposedly will have the power to bend the Matrix to his will and save mankind.
Enter Thomas Anderson, a.k.a Neo. One of the freed humans, Morpheus (Fishburne) is convinced that Neo is the one. So he “wakes up” Neo into reality. Now that he knows the truth, Neo must come to terms with the fact that he might be the guy who saves the universe. Lots and lots of cool stuff ensue – are you confused yet? The truth is that it’s impossible to fill in all the details about the Matrix (stuff like the Oracle, agents, phones, operators, sentinels, etc.) and still make sense. You just have to see it all for yourself, and even then you might have to see it more than once in order to fully understand it.
About the action scenes: The humans in the real world often “jack in” to the Matrix. However, since they know that everything is just a program they can use this knowledge to bend or even break the rules of “the system”. What that basically means is that you’ve got people leaping impossible lengths and heights, dodging bullets, and engaging in some awesome kung-fu. Oh yeah.
I honestly can find no faults with this movie. The acting is by all means nothing to brag about, but it’s not so bad that it detracts from the story. Reeves is once again cast in a role that means he has to show no emotion, which is good, since I don’t think he really can. Fishburne is probably the best actor in this one, delivering an incredible performance as the faith-driven Morpheus. Hugo Weaving is also stunning as the villain, Agent Smith. The directing is incredible, especially when you get to the action scenes. Brilliant choreography here. Add to the mixture a revolutionary special effect known as “bullet time”, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a movie.
The pacing is perfect. At no time did I feel like things were moving too fast or slowing down. The Wachowskis were also ingenious in their use of subtle colors to convey certain things – for example, the real world is always tinged with blue, the Matrix with green. It all helps to add depth and atmosphere to the world they have created.
The only thing offensive about this movie is a few cuss words and one brief sexual conversation. The thing that mainly contributed to this movie’s R rating is the violence – there’s a whole lot. Interestingly enough, the violence does not go hand in hand with a lot of blood and gore. I personally don’t have any problem with this; if you do you might want to consider skipping this one.
The Bottom Line: One of my favorite films.
Should I see it? If you don’t mind the violence, then yes. This is a must-see.
This film rates as a 10/10.
Isn’t it amazing how some sequels are better than the original while others are worse? Why couldn’t they just all be better? The Matrix Reloaded, in my opinion, sits right on the line dividing the two options. In some ways, it is better than the original yet in others it is far inferior.
I don’t think I need to mention the acting, directing other such things again since they pretty much stay the same throughout the trilogy (except the directing, which I will explain in more detail in the part about Revolutions).
Let’s get down to what’s on everybody’s minds: The action. Is it as good as that of the first movie? In terms of scope, yes. For example, in the first movie Neo only had to fight Agent Smith. In this one, however, Agent Smith is back and now has the ability to clone himself. The result is what is known as the Burly Brawl, a fight between Neo and 100 Smiths. You’re probably thinking, but how did Neo get so powerful? The answer is simple: It’s been six months since the first movie, and Neo – now with the knowledge the he is indeed The One – is pretty much invincible. He can bend the Matrix to his will. He even sees things in lines of code.
This is one point that hinders the movie. Gone is the suspense about whether or not Neo will even win a fight: we know he will. He can fly, he can take on a hundred agents, he can stop bullets…it gets kind of boring. The result is that some of the action scenes, such as the Burly Brawl, have no tension around them whatsoever. Sure, it looks really cool, but that alone doesn’t make it interesting. Plus, the Burly Brawl in particular has some shots that are so clearly computer generated it can’t even give the audience a hint of realism. I, for one, prefer the showdown at the subway in the first movie over this scene. More is not always better.
On the other hand, some of the scenes are fantastic. There’s a showdown at Merovingian’s (basically, from what I understood, he’s a deleted program and an annoying French guy – to go into any further would take a long time and just leave you really confused, so you’ll have to watch the movie) chateau that is stunning, and in my opinion the best action scene in the whole movie. What do you get when you combine Neo with a few vampire-creatures and medieval weapons? One awesome fight. Oh yeah. After this there’s an incredible car chase that everyone’s raving about. Now, I’ll be the first to agree that it’s an awesome scene, but I think the critics are giving it too much credit. It does have a few inventive things in it (eg. Morpheus fighting an agent on top of a truck and this same agent crushing a car by jumping on it) but for the most part it’s nothing new. Is it the best car chase ever? Definitely not. Is it the best of the year? Maybe, but the Terminator 3 one is really cool…
Other than the action scenes, the story is a lot different. It turns out that Zion (the last human city) is about to be wiped out by the machines in 72 hours. Whoopie. The human race spends one of their last possible nights alive engaging in an orgy. Meanwhile, Neo and Trinity have sex. Does this have a point? It seems to me like it’s completely gratuitous – although it may have spiritual implications (see below). The pacing is horrible. The beginning drags on for way too long, the middle is cool, but the ending is rushed. And if there’s anything the ending to this movie should not be, it’s rushed. For those of you who haven’t seen it, let’s just say that Neo discovers the “truth” about who he is. And the truth is so mind-boggling, you’ll probably have to watch just this scene on the DVD a few times before you fully understand its implications. Why didn’t the Wachowskis make this clearer? I have no idea.
Character-wise, there’s little development other than the growing romance between Neo and Trinity. We do get some new characters though: Merovingian (whom I already described), his wife Persephone (whom I neither like nor dislike in this film: she’s intriguing), vampire-ghost-creature-thing twins (awesome) and Seraph, the bodyguard of the Oracle (my favorite new character). There are a whole lot more, but I don’t want to give everything away.
In conclusion, Matrix Reloaded is not quite as good as its predecessor, and in my opinion it’s the worst of the trilogy. Sure, a few of the action scenes are cool, but others aren’t. Sure, the story is interesting (most of the time) and it ends with some huge twists, but along the way things get really confusing. If you thought the first one was hard to follow, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
The Bottom Line: Still a good movie, and worth seeing just so you can see the third one and finish the trilogy.
Should I see it? If you don’t mind having your head hurt and can handle some sexual situations, then definitely. You should especially see it just so you can see the third one, which is a lot better.
The Matrix: Reloaded is one of those movies that had a lot of potential, but when everything’s said and done some of it just gets wasted. I give it a 7/10.
This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the conclusion to one of the best science fiction trilogies ever filmed. Is it better than the first? No. Is it still a good movie? Definitely.
Let me begin by talking about the beginning of this film: it sucks. That’s really all I can say about it. The first part involves Trinity, Morpheus and Seraph making a trip to a nightclub in order to meet the Merovingian. Whereas the other two movies in the series opened with awesome action scenes, this one does not. Instead, we wait a few minutes until we get a pathetic attempt to make an awesome action scene. It has people walking on the ceilings – how much more potential can you get? – and yet still manages to seem like what we’ve all seen before. Basically, the good guys just stand in one place and fire away, while Trinity moves long enough to do an exact move from the first movie. Blegh. Give us something original!
The meeting with the Merovingian was horrible – this guy can seriously get on your nerves. Monica Belluchi was present once again as Persephone, but her main purpose seemed only to reveal massive amounts of cleavage. Woohoo, great development here guys (no pun intended).
After the first twenty minutes to half hour, though, things start getting much better. We get a lot of surprising plot twists, which I won’t give away. Agent Smith has now become a virus spreading throughout the entire Matrix, and he is now so powerful he threatens to destroy both the machines and mankind. Neo is the only one who can stop him. Meanwhile, the machines begin their final assault on Zion.
This climactic battle for Zion is the most entertaining part of the movie. It’s perfect. Just perfect. About half of the film takes place in the real world, and this scene was enough to make me forget whatever qualms I had about the rest of humanity (namely, that they had a huge orgy in the second sequel) and want to cheer for them out loud. The visual effects are amazing.
The final fight between Neo and his nemesis Smith is unfortunately not as good as it could be. However, it’s still really cool. We get them fighting in the rain and an abandoned skyscraper (I wish they had spent more time in these two places), the air (oh yeah) and finally concluding the battle in a crater they themselves made. It could have been a lot longer and faster – they moved a bit too slow for me – but there still are some incredible visuals going on here. As to who wins, I won’t give that away. Let’s just say that it ends the only way it can possibly end. Really.
The acting is the same as usual: not bad but not good either. Though Keanu Reeves actually shows some emotion this time around! Good for you, Mr. Anderson. Morpheus’ role is now so incredibly minor it’s a wonder they didn’t just kill him off, and everything having to do with the Merovingian is just dumb. There’s a part where he says, “Bring me the eyes of the Oracle” which immediately caused me to sit up in interest. Unfortunately, this plot idea is never explored, because Trinity ruins it. Argh.
Perhaps the biggest flaw is that I felt there needed to be around one more action scene. As it it, this film gave me the distinct feeling that something was missing. I’m not sure exactly what it was. Perhaps a final showdown between Morpheus and the Twins? It turns out they were killed in Reloaded. That to me is just really irritating, since they were really cool and it looked to me like they survived.
One thing people will not like about this movie is that it does not answer all the questions. And sometimes, when it does answer a question it does so inadequately. An example of this would be the explanation for Neo’s new power. A monkey could have thought up a more creative explanation than this. The ending will probably leave some tremendously confused as to what happened, and what will happen next. It ended in the only way it could end (see below) but the Wachowskis really should have explained a lot more.
Speaking of the Brothers, the directing deserves to be mentioned. The Neo vs. Smith fight is stunning, with the two foes running towards each other in slow motion while fat rain falls from the sky and splashes off the ground. Very nice work here. And the Zion battle scene has some amazing tecnique in it as well (the shot of all the sentinels pouring in comes to mind is an incredible HG moment – I could only gape in astonishment). I’d say the directing here is a tad better than in the others. Plus, unlike in Reloaded, they don’t use the “bullet-time” effect in completely useless situations (such as the freeway).
To sum up, this is a good movie. It has a lot of flaws (mainly found in the beginning) but it is still a great conclusion to a really great trilogy. The final battle scene will leave you speechless in admiration, but the ending may leave you with more questions unanswered than answered. I give it an 8/10.
The Bottom Line: A stunning conclusion to the trilogy.
Should I see it?Yes. Yes. Yes. And did I mention, yes?
One of the best works of cinema ever. The first one is the best, but the second and third aren’t too shabby. Not only are the action sequences revolutionary - the entire trilogy is practically a giant HG moment - but it also manages to make the audience think. That's something not many films today are able to do, especially in relation to Christian issues. The trilogy is definitely worth a 9/10 overall.
Note – I would recommend seeing the movies before reading this section, as there are huge spoilers. See what parallels you can pick up, then check to see if you are right. Also, if you find anything new that I do not have listed here, please let me know. I will constantly be updating this page as I receive ideas and watch the movies again in the future.
• The whole idea that mankind is trapped in a fake reality and connected to machines. This is clearly a metaphor of the Christian belief that we are enslaved by sin and born into bondage.
• The war between mankind and humans represents a spiritual war.
• Neo is “the One” and clearly a Christ-figure. Just as Christ was the one who came to free mankind from their sins Neo is the one who will rescue them from the machines.
• Neo’s real name is Thomas Anderson. Thomas here could be reference to one of the disciples who did not believe Jesus had risen again until he had physical proof. In the same way, Neo constantly struggles with the disbelief that he is the One, and is always looking for proof that he has the ability to “save the world”. Anderson comes from the root “Ander + son” which means “son of man”. This was often used in the Bible to refer to Jesus.
• Cypher is Judas.
• Many people have pointed out that Morpheus is similar to John the Baptist, paving the way for Christ (Neo).
• Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus could be interpreted to make up the Holy Trinity – Morpheus being the Father, Neo the Son and Trinity the Holy Spirit.
• The freed humans live in Zion, which in the Bible was the holy city of God. It is home to all those who have been freed from slavery (sin).
• In the first film Neo is shot in the arm and leg, just as Christ was pierced by nails in his hands and feet.
• At the end of the first film, Neo dies and is resurrected. Many people have said this is a metaphor of Christ. However, others have pointed out it could also be related to Buddhism, where the old self has been killed and replaced by a new knowledge of self – the old Neo has died and is replaced by the Neo who now knows himself to be The One.
• The name of Morpheus’ ship is the Nebuchadnezzer, after a Babylonian king.
• Smith is a symbol of sin. In Reloaded, we see that he now has the ability to “infect” other people, just as we are all infected by sin.
• The orgy at Zion has been compared to a worship service. Mankind is celebrating its freedom from bondage, or sin. Also, the Neo and Trinity sex scene has been interpreted to be the kind of intimacy that the Holy Spirit (Trinity) has with the new man (Neo) as described in books such as Song of Solomon. I, however, think this might be overdoing it just a tad – the same point could have been made in a much less graphic manner.
• One of the more interesting references: the license plates are actually references to Bible verses. For example, in the car chase the license plate on Trinity and Morpheus’ car is DA203. This means Daniel chapter 2 verse 3: “The king said to them, ‘I had a dream and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream’” (This is very similar to Morpheus' comment, "I have dreamed a dream, but now that dream is gone from me"). In the same way Neo is having disturbing dreams. Also, the license plate on the twins’ pickup truck is DE2852 – Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 52: “And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.” Furthermore, the license plate on the car Agent Smith pulls up with in the beginning of Reloaded says IS5416 – Isaiah chapter 54 verse 16: “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for it's work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin.”
• The Architect is the “father” of the Matrix. Some people think he is a representation of Satan.
• There were five previous Neos, which could be seen to be “false prophets”. However, this may also have something to do with Gnostic Christianity in which Jesus was the sixth of five holy people (I don’t know all the details).
• Smith is described in Revolutions as the “balance” of Neo. In the same way Lucifer/sin was the opposite of Christ. He was pure, sin was everything impure. Neo is love, Smith is pure hatred.
• One shot shows Neo apparently walking on water.
• When Neo dies his arms are thrown outwards, as if he is on a cross.
• The death of Neo kills Agent Smith, just as the death of Christ conquered sin.
• Neo’s death brings peace between mankind and machines, just as Christ died to bridge the gap between between Jews and Gentiles.