The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Movie Review

After the mind-blowing experience of the film, I decided that I will watch the entire series. So, The Wachowskis shot the two sequels of the film, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions at the same time. They then edited two films of it and released both of them in 2003. I see good praise for both of the films. So, how are these films? In this review, we will talk about The Matrix Reloaded and tomorrow I will give my opinion on The Matrix Revolutions. Here goes:

The Matrix Reloaded is the second instalment in the Matrix franchise with Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss reprising their roles directed by the Wachowskis. When Zion is threatened by an attack, the One with Morpheus and Trinity try to rescue Zion. Can Zion be protected? Find put in the film.

The screenplay of the film is a little under when compared to the original. It has a very good plot. The writers try to expand the world of Matrix by introducing us to Zion. Zion is a mix of Rastafarianism with machines. Then, they tried to develop some new characters like Commander Lock, Councillor Hamann etc. But, they are weakly developed. The old ones though get good development. Neo is trying to make a choice between Trinity and Zion. It makes for a solid character growth in Neo. Morpheus and Trinity have lesser character development but in important scenes, their characters get critical motives. Another downgrade this film gets in its storytelling. Clearly, the directors lean more towards the action scenes and due to that I was left puzzled with some of the aspects in the film. They needed more attention. Credit where it is due, the staging of the action scenes in this film is ambitious. They really took risks with some of the action. Some worked well whereas some worked partially. Overall, this film is very good as it is but it fails to reach the level of its predecessor. 

The acting does not need anything to say. Like in the first film, the recurring cast members Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss give amazing performances. The new cast too give good performances. Jada Pinkett Smith as Captain Niobe gives a good performance. Other new additions like Harold Perrineau, Randall Duk Kim, Monica Bellucci, Lambert Wilson and others give apt performances for the film.

If there is one thing that this film does a good job more than the original, it is the technical aspects. The cinematography of the film took new heights. The wide angle shots and slow motion have improved from the original but this time they got the rotations. Slow-motion rotations. They look stunning. The editing this time around needed to be sharper as the film suffers from slower pacing. The VFX of the film has improved considerably. Barring the Burly Brawl scene, the film has some of the most mind-bending stuff in the stuff with slow-motion truck clashing, bullet-time improvement etc. The action choreography like the original uses Japanese techniques to the fullest use as they are marvellous to look at. The set design, makeup, costumes of the film have swagger in them and are really good.

Overall, this film is very good but could not reach the heights of the original. Watch this film for its amazing action and a good cliffhanger.

IMDb Rating : 7.2/10

My Rating : 7/10