The Matrix Reloaded

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, & Laurence Fishburne

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Contrary to everything we know about trilogies, the sequel to the Matrix is considered to be the best of the three films. The reason is simple, as this is where we get into the heart of the story. The first film was equivalent to the pilot episode of a TV show, where we are introduced to the characters, terms, and locations. In the second installment of the Matrix we are introduced to the real struggle and get a look inside the legendary underground city of Zion. The humans there have learned of a plan by the machines to tunnel through into the city and want to come up with a way to stop them. While Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) believes that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is the key to stopping the whole thing, most of the other are skeptical. In Reloaded, Agent Smith doesn't play as large a role as in the first film, for that matter, neither does the Matrix itself, which makes it almost like a stand alone rather than a sequel. Reloaded isn't just a great Sci-Fi story as it features one of the best action sequences and chase scenes I have ever seen, following the groups interaction with the Merovingian. While the film was great and does top the original, the Directors once again tried to use never before seen special effects. While it worked well in the first film, it doesn't help the second. Many of the fight scenes with the agents become so computerized, that at points they actually seem to be animated, and those scenes hurt the film. Other than that minor inconvenience, I can't find anything wrong with this film. It is Science Fiction at it's best, featuring an perfectly cast group of actors, some edge of your seat intensity, and of course a very unique story. All that makes the Matrix Reloaded one of our must see movies!