The Matrix: Reloaded
Finals can go ahead and shove... oh hello. On a Wednesday night opening in March 4 years ago, my siblings took me to see The Matrix. I didn't know what I was getting into, I hadn't heard about it much save for the bullet time sequence constantly being shown on television. When I left, I had witnessed a seamless combination of storytelling and action that will stand the test of time. Its newest sequel, "The Matrix: Reloaded" builds upon its original in terms of action but leaves a bit to be desired in the storytelling department. Neo has become a seasoned veteran as the One and now finds himself in the midst of a huge battle between the humans down in Zion and the sentinels threatening to kill them all. But he's also troubled by the visions he's getting, including the disturbing image of losing his love Trinity. The oracle soon comes calling for Neo and tells him to find the keymaker. Out to complicate things is Agent Smith, not an agent anymore and now with the power to replicate himself. Neo's quest for the keymaker leads him to the Merovingian, who prevents him access to the keymaker though his companion Persephone leads them to him and they get away after a dazzling freeway chase. The true reason for the keymaker is to access the core of the matrix and according to the prophecy, its destruction will free humanity from the hands of the machines.

The Matrix: Reloaded suffers from the same problem as most other trilogies go through. The middle child has to try too hard to please its big fans from the first one while at the same time lay the foundations for the exciting conclusion. What results in this case is an overloaded movie. You're bombarded with so many ideas that you need time to comprehend them all. Here, a stretched out movie longer than the current 2:15 would have been advisable. That's why with multiple viewings, the movie will probably get better as you understand more of it. That doesn't mean you'll understand it all. All the questions raised won't be clearly answered as the first one, filmed as a stand-alone movie, might have been, but watching it more and more may solve a few things, leaving the rest to be answered in the third film, instead of the first time viewing conclusion of "I'm not sure what's going on."

So, as you're trying to figure out what the heck is going on, a nice action scene pops into play. And there are many of them. It truly is a visual orgy of special effects and martial arts. It's all much more amazing than the first one, but its two signature scenes, Neo against seemingly a world of Agent Smiths, and the freeway chase, suffer from being too long. I know it was cool and all to watch Neo beat up 10-15 Agent Smiths, but once it got to like 100, it seemed cartoonish. So otherwise great visual effects give way to a rushed script that should've spent more time developing the story it wants to tell. The film is all about choices and now we'll wait until November to see if its intended effect does indeed occur. 3 stars