Filled with many profound and powerful scenes, aided by superlatively heartfelt performances, and wrapped up beautifully in an understated yet resoundingly expressive score, this film is an unparalleled achievement in insightful, emotionally intricate cinema.
Oh wait a minute, that’s The Hours.
As expected, The Matrix: Reloaded was much like the first Matrix film, only more so. The fight scenes were amazing to watch. I worry that the third Matrix film is coming out in only six months — maybe it won’t be as ground-breaking as the first two.
I was surprised at the twists in the plot at the end, after Neo meets the Architect. Things aren’t as they seem. It sets things up nicely for a number of possible ways to continue in the third film.
The films’ premise raises a number of philosophical questions that aren’t really explored in the movies. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the official Matrix website has a Philosophy section, containing essays inspired by the movies’ treatment of issues like religion, free will, ethics and so on. The essays mostly adopt a scholarly tone and are thoughtful and interesting, but some are nevertheless poorly argued. Michael Hanley’s “Reflections on the First Matrix” is particularly woolly as he tries to show that the Christian Heaven is actually a Matrix.
By way of contrast, I found a screenplay of The Matrix: Reloaded as a gangsta rap video.