THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003) *** It's a good movie, it's fun, I enjoyed it. My only complaint is that it's obvious that they could have very easily made an even better one. The philosophical punch of the first Matrix is pulled, compensated by radically increased choreographed ultra punch-outs designed to engender video game fantasies. The fight scenes are cool, and well done, but they tend to go on about twice as long as I'm amused by them. They do make me laugh, though, and that's unquestionably part of the goal. The Wachowski brothers shoot the scenes in a reflection of the film: not with undiluted originality, but borrowing things that work and giving them an individual twist. The entire (fun, impressive) plot is a mélange of Christianity, dream prophecy, cybernetics, Star Wars revolutionary milieu, Bruce Lee, Superman, Nietzsche, trance culture... I'm not complaining, but while the Wachowskis do the fight scenes particularly well (Keanu Reeves' clerical garb is a masterstroke), they do other things at least as well, and I could do with more of that. The sets are brilliant, but even though it looks so cool that it couldn't have been shot badly it's difficult to imagine another director getting as much punch out of the religious revival rave segments. Laurence Fishburne's speech is perfect, nicely abbreviated, I mean just incredible...it reminds you of Martin Luther King. Could there be a higher complement? Keanu is so perfect for his role, but so are the secondary characters: Harold Perineau, Nona Gaye, Monica Bellucci. Carrie-Anne Moss sneaks up on you, too, just when you think she's not adding much you realize that she's standing in the middle of a bunch of assassins, wearing a skintight black plastic suit and shades, doing flips and kicking their asses, and you're not thinking "bullshit"...that's pretty good.
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