It ain’t easy being reloaded….

Remember that moment in the original Matrix when Neo, newly re-birthed from The Matrix to the Real World, sits in that barber chair and a big, thick, sharp cable is jammed into the port of the back of his neck, clicking in with the clankiest of mechanical sounds? Remember how that made you flinch, like someone was sticking that thing in your neck?

The Matrix Reloaded puts you right in that chair. Only this time, you are not given the distance that you were in the first film. Reloaded plugs you right in and shoves you into the leap program.

The idea of The Matrix, an artificial reality in which human life lives, unconscious of the greater, more horrifying reality, was explained and re-explained in the original, verbally and visually, until is was as comfortable as a really cool new, but somehow pre-worn-in pair of sneakers. The box was relatively simple. The comfort was that we all could understand it the first time out… and there were really cool new effects in there as well.

The Matrix was created as a stand-alone movie. Yes, the Wachowskis had the idea of a trilogy in their heads. But back then, in 1999, word was that the first sequel would be the prequel and the third film, the final battle. Fortunately, The Animatrix does a magnificent job of establishing the history of The Matrix in The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 & 2. The new challenge of a pair of Matrix sequels required a serious reload, challenging almost every idea of the original with a different way of looking at the characters we knew and loved.

Reloaded starts more than six months after the original film ended. The minds freed from The Matrix have risen from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in that time. (There are about 250,000 free humans, to quote the film.) The threat to Zion’s existence, which is quickly established as the home of the human species near the core of the earth, is now days away. Neo, Trinity and Morpheus are still together. And the debate in Zion rages on… prophecy or practicality? Is Neo a man or a God or something else altogether?

Indeed, Reloaded is a movie of expansive questions about all of the ideas that we found so comfortable the first time around. Some of them seem to be answered. Some lead to more questions. And some just stubbornly stay inexplicable.

There are few things a modern day critic hates more than having to say, “I’m not sure.” Like a child, this unknowingness will lead to bad behavior, as the child/critic attacks the filmmaker/parent for daring to ask questions for which they will not be given easy answers. Later, the same child/critic will write about how the studios and movie stars have screwed up Hollywood and that more complex films have to be made. And then, when someone dares again to make such a film, the child/critic will attack again, angrily denouncing the filmmaker for overreaching. This would be, in my opinion, the modern critic’s contribution to the fear of raising the bar on commercial films in this era. Physician heal thyself.

The corrosive argument that The Matrix was a kind of perfect mixture of classic story telling and philosophy with which we could all connect and that The Matrix Reloaded is a step backwards is simply absurd. I felt that The Matrix was the most accessible piece of quality popular entertainment in the last decade. I still do. But let us chew on where the film leaves us…

Billions of humans are in their mechanical wombs. The tens of thousands of humans who are free live in a hole, deep underground. One human seems to have superhero-like powers. He is The One. He threatens the machines, warning them that they must do the right thing or he will expose them and, one supposes, put them out of business.

Well, that’s pretty simple mythology, isn’t it? Compare it to the journey of Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins, who do not end the first movie seeming to be in control of their futures. I’m not saying that I don’t love the films. But the hero emerges and we assume that he’s going to clean up this very dark mess like John Wayne or Superman. Neo may be able to kick ass in The Matrix, but the murderous machines still outnumber human life in the real world by infinite multiples, they theoretically can kill the billions of people under their control without much trouble and, outside of The Matrix, Neo is as vulnerable as any other flesh and blood human.

The Matrix Reloaded is not nearly as comforting. What happens to free humans when you put The One in their midst? Do all humans think the same way? Cypher may have been killed, but his real world betrayal was a signal of the possibilities to come.

There are other first film issues that demand us to consider them in the new movie. Neo meets The Oracle in The Matrix, not in Zion. Why? Neo seems to have destroyed Agent Smith at the end of The Matrix, but as you have seen in the commercials, he’s back… how can the Matrix ever be destroyed if agents are indestructible? If Morpheus is the man who brought Neo out of the Matrix, what is his journey after he seems to be proven correct that Neo is The One?

We spend much of the first act in Zion, considering the value of human life. The human world is not limited to a handful of people on a ship, running in and out of The Matrix. This Zion is full of the leaders and followers, pontificators and preachers, spiritual and surface humans that we recognize from our daily lives. The clock is now ticking as the machines seem ready to bring the battle to Zion.

Back in The Matrix, there are a lot more questions to be answered. Perhaps the machines have become as complex in their society as humans are. Perhaps the awareness that came with the red pill and the ability to see the code has left Neo ready to learn more about the machines than the first film even considered.

In the third act, some of the rules we think are set are going to change, in a fairly subtle way. But these changes are clearly creating the story arc that will lead us to the third film and to the close of the series.

The final reality is that The Matrix Reloaded is an overload in a single screening. I’m sure there are a few who can do the trick, but the balance of thought and simple relaxed enjoyment of a film leans towards thought the first time out, even for experienced critics. There are so many new ideas and concepts between truly breakthrough action sequences that while you may enjoy every minute, you will need a little time for it to settle in your mind. Then you will be ready to load up again. And trust me, the comfortable clarity that made the first film so accessible will be there for you too.

Another great part of Reloaded, as it was for The Matrix, is the casting. The first time out, the choice of Gloria Foster as The Oracle was the wild card that paid off big. But Carrie-Anne Moss was also a new face and Keanu Reeves had not exactly been burning up the box office charts. This time out there are such inspired choices as Anthony Zerbe, who will be remembered by many for his 70s TV appearances, but who deserves great respect for his masterful work as a stage actor over many years. The Wachowskis also brought about strong actors like Harry Lennix and Randall Duk Kim and Harold Perrineau. Jada Pinkett Smith brings fiery star power. And the find of all finds is Lambert Wilson, who steals the show as The Merovingian. After more than 50 films in France, Wilson is barely known here. You’ll be seeing him again and again, assuming he is willing to take the millions to be the next “Foreign Villain Of The Half Decade.”

The effects and action sequences are simply insane. Nothing has ever come close. Nothing. And they, too, felt more relaxed a second time around. Somehow, by no logic I can summon, I noticed the seams more the first time than in subsequent viewings. There is little point in “reviewing” these scenes because they are so visceral that words could never do them justice. But if you can, consider the context in which they happen.

Cast members, who obviously know what happens in The Matrix Revolutions, have made it clear that there are no boxes within boxes. What is presented is true. What happens is real. I spent three years waiting to see whether Darth Vadar was really Luke’s father. Don’t waste your time wondering this time out. Listen and absorb. Repeat.

One final note before I go… you’ll want to stay through the credits. The gift that awaits you is short, but oh so sweet.

Have a good time and see you on the spoiler page after you’ve gotten reloaded for yourself.

End Part One .. |.. Part Two (Spoilers)

.