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Summary:
Neo takes on greater control of his
extraordinary powers as Zion falls attack to the Machine Army in this second
chapter of the Matrix trilogy. Only a matter of hours separates
the last refuge of people on Earth from
250,000 Sentinels programmed to destroy everything human. But the
citizens of Zion, strengthened by Morpheus’ conviction that the One will
fulfill the Oracle’s Prophecy and end the war with the Machines,
rest all their hopes on Neo, who finds himself unnerved by
disturbing visions of Trinity's death.
Neo and Trinity choose to return to the Matrix with
Morpheus and unleash their arsenal of extraordinary skills and
weaponry against the systematic forces of repression. But
there also exist powerful figures within the Matrix set
on stopping them at all cost, as well as those with
ambiguous motives. Also, the now exiled Agent Smith
is set on revenge against Neo, disobeying the system that has
called for his deletion. On Neo's quest to further
unravel the Matrix, he will confront greater resistance, a
greater truth and a impossible choice.
Review:
The second Matrix movie finds itself
building upon the solid groundwork layed out from the first
hugely successful movie. A new universe for mankind was
develpoed in the first Matrix, and this sequel, along with the
forthcoming trilogy endcap, hope to fully develop that
world. The biggest problem with the second movie is that
it's not a complete movie in itself. Which may be
greatly forgiveable, depending on the final installment.
In Matrix Reloaded we get the first glimpses of the last
human bastion Zion, only talked about in the first. The
portrayal of the city is a mish mash of a technologically
advanced sci-fi city and a primal, backwards tribe. This
combination is a bit awkard, especially in such scenes as the
rave-inspired party at Morpheus's speech and Neo and Trinity's
superfluous sex scene.
One of the biggest reasons for the success of the first
Matrix was the advance in special effects it showcased, namely
bullet-time and time trails. These new techniques were
fresh and captivating. Since it's unveiling, it has become a
staple in movie magic. The second matrix builds upon those
techniques, using them on a greater scale; most notably in the
100 Agent Smith fight. However, nothing new is introduced.
Even Neo's new use of flight, which is explored greatly in the
film, was revealed at the end of the first movie. Granted, not
every movie can be revolutionary, but the first movie set a
high bar, and it would've been nice to see a new effect, but
really just a greater exploration and visual use of Neo's
supposed unlimited power.
On the whole, I do not feel this film will dissapoint the
fans, and it will definitely delight the masses. In
combination with the final film, due out in November, my only
hope is that it's able to complete what the first
groundbreaking film started.
See this movie if you're a fan of:
The Matrix (1999)
The Animatrix (2003)
The Terminator Series (1984, 1991, 2003)
X-Men/X2 (2000, 2003)
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