On Matrix: Reloaded

FAIR WARNING: no spoilers in this post, but some details. So first of all, it was amazing. I loved the first one, and while the plot had the brilliant something-for-everyone universalized accessibility of Star Wars, its visual brilliance was limited to the effects. Not so in ‘Reloaded,’ which is an overall masterpiece of cinematography, offering shots to rival any of the directorial masters. The “rave in the cave”/love scene early on the film is nothing less than a beautiful reaffirmation of what it means to be human; it’s a passionate, sweaty, and brilliantly edited passage. The effects are, of course stunning, and the fight scenes are poetry in motion.

But what amazed me more was that, along with evolving the plot, characters, and effects, the Wachowski’s took the philosophy to another level. Audiences may not know it, but they’re getting a philosophy lesson amidst all the beautiful violence and elegant storytelling. Where the first movie posed the sophomoric question, “is the reality we perceive real?”, ‘Reloaded’ questions everything from faith to causality. To put it another way: few movies could effectively have the main character talking with God, keep audiences rapt, and move on without batting an eye. The visual effects, for all their genius, took a back seat to the fantastic writing and direction for this viewer.

I’m eager to go again, and can’t recommend ‘Reloaded’ enough. Come for the bullet time, stay for the Baudrillard.