The Matrix Reloaded
| The Matrix Reloaded | |
|---|---|
| The Matrix Reloaded | |
| Directed by | Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski |
| Written by | Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski |
| Produced by | Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski |
| Starring | Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures |
Running time | 138 min. |
| Budget | $127,000,000 (estimated) |
The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of the Matrix series, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15, 2003 and around the world during the latter half of that month. The Matrix Reloaded earned $281 million in the US and $735 million worldwide. The other parts of the second installment are the computer game Enter the Matrix, which was released May 15, and a collection of nine animated shorts, the Animatrix, which was released on June 3. The Matrix Revolutions was released six months after this film, in November 2003.
Overview
The Matrix Reloaded was largely filmed at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, Australia. The freeway chase scene was filmed at the decommissioned Naval Air Station Alameda in Alameda, California. Producers constructed a 1.5-mile freeway on the old runways just for the movie. Portions of the chase were also filmed in Oakland, California, and the tunnel shown briefly is the Webster Tube connecting Oakland and Alameda. Some post-production editing was done in old aircraft hangars on the base as well.
The Matrix Reloaded surpasses the first part of the trilogy in cinematography and special/visual effects budget and scope. However, advancements have also been made in the story and plot of the sequels with scholars saying that the relatively simple tale of "dualism" in the first film has advanced to the level of "complex literature" with the second (Ken Wilber)(this claim is quite unsubstantiated outside of the films own fan base however). Many viewers have also supported this view that that the philosophical insights of the first movie were relatively simplistic, and that they are extremely satisfied with the continuation of the original film's plot and an exponential increase in metaphysical speculation in Reloaded. It is a view held by many that the first film was relatively simple and that its sequels pushed past the boundaries of the first film in terms of the complex philosophical issues the trilogy grapples with. There are also some who have suggested that the sequel adheres more closely to the action genre with less of a focus on the intricate plot and philosophical musings that made the first film the subject of intense fan devotion, but many fans dismiss this arguing that The Matrix Reloaded exceeds the first film in both these areas of philosophy and plot. There are also viewers who believe that the intellectual underpinnings of the films are overrated, which are unfortunately the majority view. A sound thrashing by critics and a big drop in follow-up weekends followed by a very underwhelming performance of the final chapter indicate strongly to the hype machine being responsible for the success of the second sequel rather than the quality of the film itself.
Reloaded earned an estimated $42.5 million on its Thursday opening day in the United States, a new record surpassing the one set in May 2002 by Spider-Man, which took in $39.4 million on its first day. The movie earned $91.8 million over its first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, establishing it as the second-best opening weekend ever after Spider-Man's 2002 record of $114.8 million in ticket sales during its three-day opening weekend. Reloaded garnered the biggest debut ever for an R-rated film, topping by far the $58 million for 2001's Hannibal. Reloaded eventually broke Beverly Hills Cop's 19-year-old record for the top-grossing R-rated film of all time, holding that record only briefly, until it was taken by The Passion of the Christ a few months later.
Most of the main characters from its prequel, The Matrix, are included in Reloaded, including Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). There are also many new faces such as Link, the Merovingian, and the Architect. Filmed simultaneously to the third movie, The Matrix Revolutions, it includes action scenes such as a chase involving over 50 vehicles, including motorcycles and 18-wheelers. In addition, there is finally footage of Zion, the underground city alluded to in The Matrix.
The film was banned in Egypt because of the violent content and because it put into question issues about human creation "linked to the three monotheistic religions that we respect and which we believe in". Egyptian media claimed it promoted Zionism since it talks about Zion and the dark forces that wish to destroy it.
Pirate copies of The Matrix Reloaded appeared on file sharing networks such as BitTorrent and eDonkey2k. Links first appeared on the Digital Update Site within two weeks of its theatrical release. Unlike some pirate copies of new movies, which are covertly filmed from a cinema screen, the Reloaded copy is high quality, and is believed to have been made from a film print. [1]
Plot
The film presupposes familiarity with the storyline of The Matrix.
Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), fresh from her adventures in Enter The Matrix, calls an emergency meeting of all Zion's Matrix operatives. She has successfully recovered the information left by Captain Thadeus (in The Final Flight of the Osiris): 250,000 sentinels are tunneling towards the underground city of Zion and will reach it in 72 hours. Commander Lock, the ranking military officer of Zion, orders all ships and their crews, including Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, to return to Zion to prepare for the onslaught of the machines. Morpheus defies Lock's directive and asks one ship to remain at "broadcast depth" to await word from the Oracle. Morpheus believes that when she contacts Neo, the Prophecy will be fulfilled and the machines will be stopped. Captain Ballard and his Caduceus accept the challenge.
The Caduceus does receive a message from the Oracle, and the Nebuchadnezzar ventures out to allow Neo to contact the Oracle. Meanwhile, one of the Caduceus' crewmembers, Bane, encounters Agent Smith, who seems to copy himself onto Bane. Bane/Smith then leaves the Matrix.
In the meantime, Neo is having trouble sleeping and has recurring dreams about the death of Trinity. Neo is led by Seraph, a bodyguard to the Oracle (he is effectively a firewall who restricts access to the Oracle program), to a courtyard, where he meets with her again and they have a conversation which in some respects parallels their conversation of the first film. She is aware of Neo's sleeplessness, puzzling since that was apparently only an affliction affecting Neo in the "real world." She drops strong hints that everything in the Matrix is not what it seems. She also gives some information on her own nature, revealing that she is in fact a program herself. The Oracle then confronts Neo with a choice: he must either trust her or not. He must "make up [his] own damn mind". Neo chooses to submit to her instruction without questioning "why" he is doing it.
The Oracle explains that there are other self-aware programs beside the Agents that have various roles in running the Matrix. Sometimes these programs go awry, and, somewhat analogous to the free humans, they voluntarily disconnect themselves from the Source, the machine mainframe, and exist in exile in the Matrix. The implication given is that she and Seraph are two such rogue programs. In order to fufil the prophecy, the Oracle tells Neo that he must reach the Source.
To return to the Source, Neo must first seek Keymaker, another rogue program. His keys give access to all the "back doors" of the Matrix. The Keymaker is held captive by the Merovingian, a dangerous program, among the eldest in the Matrix.
The Oracle wishes Neo good luck and exits the courtyard just before Agent Smith arrives. While it appeared that he was destroyed at the end of The Matrix, Smith explains that he and Neo are now somehow connected. Now no longer an Agent, he, like Neo, is free from the rules of the Matrix, and desires to exact revenge. He has gained the ability to convert anyone he touches into a duplicate of himself, and recruits a gang of self-copies to attack Neo, resulting in an extravagant fight scene dubbed "the Burly Brawl." At a stalemate, Neo uses his new ability to fly (first shown at the end of The Matrix) and escapes.
Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus leave to visit the Merovingian, an aesthete who exists in the Matrix mainly for his own enjoyment. He is accompanied by his wife Persephone and the Twins, two albino bodyguards. The Merovingian makes some oblique remarks about cause and effect before refusing them access to the Keymaker. Denied, the trio leave, only to be unexpectedly led by Persephone, who is upset with her husband, to the Keymaker. Trinity and Morpheus escape with the Keymaker by car and are chased onto a freeway by the Twins, who are later joined by two Agents in a 15-minute car chase scene. Neo stays behind to fight a half dozen of the Merovingian's followers, earlier versions of Agents who are described by the Oracle as being similar to "vampires, ghosts and werewolves".
In the real word, the burrowing machine army are a little over nine hours away from reaching Zion. In response, the entire hovercraft fleet is strategically placed for a surprise counter-attack before the army reaches Zion.
Inside the Matrix, having survived the freeway chase, the Keymaker explains how to reach the Source: "There is a building. Inside this building there is a level where no elevator can go and no stair can reach. This level is filled with doors. These doors lead to many places--hidden places. But one door is special. One door leads to the Source." To access the building, its alarm must be disabled and to do that the electricity must be cut. In addition, the core network of the electricity grid must be accessed and the emergency fail-safes deactivated. For 314 seconds, the mainframe can be entered (a reference to Pi or perhaps John 3:14), but the Keymaker warns, "Only the One can open the door, and only during that window can the door be opened."
Meeting The Maker
Trinity manages to bring the power grid down, while Neo follows the Keymaker's instructions and opens the indicated door. He enters a room surrounded by television monitors (reminiscent of the ones watching him during the interrogation scene in the first film) all showing his image and encounters the Architect. He describes himself as the creator of the Matrix
Neo asks the main question: "why am I here?"
The Architect says that Neo is "the eventuality of an anomaly" that the Architect has been trying to eradicate from the Matrix program. The Architect says that while he has been unsuccessful in elimnate this anomaly "from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision", he has succeeded in controlling it. It is this control system that "has lead [Neo]...here".
Neo responds by saying that the Architect has failed to answer his question, to which the Architect agrees with a slight smile in recognition that Neo was "quicker than the others". The various images of Neo on the Architect's monitors then respond with various reactions ranging from relatively subdued (such as "'Others'? What 'others'?") to uncharacteristically childish ("I want out! I want out! I want out!"). These screens obviously reflect the varying fractals of Neo's mind, splitting his singular consciousness into its many elements and displaying Neo's fractured psyche on those screens.
Neo is caught off-guard by what he is seeing, but the Architect continues as though nothing has happened. He says that "the Matrix is older than you know". He says that he distinguishes each 'version' of the Matrix every time an anomaly like Neo emerges, "in which case, this is the sixth version". Therefore, Neo is the sixth in a series of anomalies or 'One's.
Once again, Neo's fractured psyche continues to be expressed on the myriad of screens, and the camera zooms into one particular screen. In that reaction, Neo says how "there are only two possible explanations - either no-one told me..." and then emphasises the more probably reason, "...or no-one knows".
The Architect confirms Neo's deduction and reveals how these anomalous errors occur "in even the most simplistic equations". Seeing the monitors react once again, Neo suddenly realises why these errors occur: "Choice. The problem is choice."
The Architect proceeds to detail the history of the Matrix and just how this problem of choice affected its design. According to the Architect, the first version of the Matrix was designed to be "perfect", "flawless" and "sublime". However, the humans refused to accept the "perfect" universe and it failed. Thinking that humans needed to have an imperfect world to survive, he created the second version of the Matrix "to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of [human] nature". However, he "was again frustrated by failure".
The Fundamental Flaw
With some reluctance, he admits that the "lesser mind" of the "intuitive program" (the Oracle) was required to help understand why he was failing. Apparently, the Oracle concluded that 99% of the pod-born humans needed to be given a choice to accept or reject the program (the red pill/blue pill scenario of the first film) even if this choice was only a subconscious one. This was the only way the Matrix could ever be stable. However, this method was "fundamentally flawed" which is what gave rise to the "systemic anomaly" (The One, Neo, and his predecessors), and if The One was left unchecked, he would pose a threat to the stability of the system. This was the first of two errors.
The other error to be contained was that of the remaining 1% "who refused the program". Although a minority, the Architect says that their gradual accumulation would give rise to "an escalating probability of disaster".
Neo concludes that this 1% is the population of Zion (i.e. red pill humans and their offspring), and the Architect concludes that the solution they came up with was to terminate the inhabitants of Zion at the same time as the next One emerged.
It now becomes clear that the prophecy was designed merely to get the Zionite rebels to locate the One. But for what purpose?
The Choice
The Architect goes on to reveal that "the function of the One is now to return to the Source" in order for him to integrate with it and "reinsert the prime program" imbedded within him. His final task will be to "select from the Matrix 23 individuals - 16 females, 7 males - to rebuild Zion".
The ultimatum? If Neo doesn't do this, the Matrix will crash killing the billions connected to the Matrix. "Coupled with the extermination of Zion this will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race".
Neo tries to call the Architect's bluff saying that humans are necessary for machines to survive, but the Creator merely rebutes that claim by saying that machines are prepared to accept "certain levels of survival" and re-states Neo's dilemma: is he willing to let all of humanity die by not complying.
The Architect is then intrigued by Neo's reaction. He says that the previous Ones were "designed" (implications of genetic engineering, cybernetic enhancement and doctored life experiences) on the basis that they develop "a profound attachment" with humanity, but he says that Neo is curiously different. His attachment and his thought is currently focused on one particular individual - Trinity. As a side-note, he adds that she entered the Matrix to save Neo at the expense of her own, and shows Trinity being attacked by an Agent just as he had seen in his dream. As far as the Architect is concerned, there should be no denying logic - Trinity will die whether or not he enters the Source.
And so Neo is presented with the choice of two doors: "The door to your right leads to the Source and to the salvation of Zion. The door to your left leads back to the Matrix, to her, and to the end of your species. As you so adequately put - 'the problem is choice'."
Despite all logical reasoning, Neo chooses to try and save Trinity over the rest of humanity. This could be seen as Neo failing to serve his role as saviour because of his attachment and could be interpreted as "Love" over "Karma". Another way it could be viewed is that this was a plan deliberately instigated by the Oracle in order to get Neo to break the cycle for a reason only she knows.
The Architect sarcastically passes one final conclusion.
- "Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness."
The Architect assures Neo that they will never meet after this moment, and with that, Neo leaves the conduit between the Matrix and the Source/machine mainframe/machine world to save Trinity.
Trinity is shot, just as in Neo's dream, and he manages to bring Trinity back from the dead before returning to the real world.
The Revolution
Morpheus is dismayed that the Prophecy has been unfulfilled. Neo tells Morpheus that the Prophecy is just "a lie", "another system of control". Morpheus refuses to believe it, and echoing the words of his mentor in the first film, Neo says "I know it isn't easy to hear, but I swear to you it's the truth". Neo could be seen to be bringing his mentor Morpheus out of his own 'Matrix'.
The Nebuchadnezzar comes under attack by Sentinels and the crew must abandon ship. Outside, in the sewers, they run from the sentinels, but Neo senses something has changed. He can "feel" the Sentinels' presence, even though he is no longer in the Matrix. Somehow he disables the sentinels utilising something resembling an EMP with a gesture similar to when he stops bullets, but then falls unconscious and enters a coma. The crew is rescued by another craft, the Mjolnir (the Hammer, a reference to the hammer of Thor). The film concludes with the news that the surprise EMP counter-attack with carefully-positioned ships has failed because someone set off an electromagnetic pulse early and five hovercraft were immediately disabled and they were quickly overrun by the machines. The only survivor of this massacre is revealed to be Bane who is possessed by Smith's conscious...and now lies comatose mere feet away from Neo in the Hammer's medical facility.
Discussion
In this film, Neo returns the favor to Trinity by bringing her back to life this time. The scene used visual effects which some see as illustrating a healing energy coming from Neo, that merges with the rapidly fading energy of lifeless Trinity. It could also be seen as another manifestation of Neo's ability to manipulate items (in this case, a human heart) within the Matrix.
There are various references to philosophy, mythology and computer science. The scene in which Neo fights Seraph is a simultaneous reference to the spirituality of martial arts and to challenge-response authentication. It is also suggested that the Oracle is actually an oracle machine. A cleverly constructed technical detail is Trinity's use of an ssh exploit, which had not yet been discovered (and thus fixed) in 1999 (the year which The Matrix simulates), to break into a computer. The "hidden floor" full of doors is floor number 65, which is a multiple of 13.
Characters throughout the movie continually remind us that Neo is still only human. At the beginning the Agents say, "Only human." The Merovingian says, "You see, he is just a man," when Neo's hand bleeds briefly. The Architect tells Neo, "You remain irrevocably human...". This is also conceivably another parallel drawn between Neo and Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Christ often refers to himself as the 'Son of Man'.
Existentialism can also be seen throughout the movie, as so much emphasis is put on choice and self definition rather than predestination. Neo insists he is not governed by causality or rules, through such actions as bringing Trinity back to life or sitting when the Oracle says she knows he will stand. The architect attributes the imperfectness of the Matrix to human's stubborn will to defy reality and authority, a theme which can be seen throughout many of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels, and Jean-Paul Sartre's plays. The film does however place an emphasis on human need to use logic and causality when the councillor relates to Neo the irony that they are dependent on the same machines that threaten to control them (the machines symbolic of causality and reason).
In the Architect scene, some of the screens show images from Neo waking up in the real world. It is unclear how these images supposedly from outside the Matrix could be known to the Architect inside of the Matrix, unless perhaps the Architect can read Neo's memories.
The Unix utilities Nmap and sshnuke appear during one scene, in which they are used to shut down a power station.
Soundtrack
Don Davis, composer on The Matrix, returned to score Reloaded. For many of the pivotal action sequences, such as the "Burly Brawl" he collaborated with Juno Reactor. Some of the collaborative cues by Davis and Juno Reactor are extensions of material by Juno Reactor; for example, a version of Komit featuring Davis' strings is used during a flying sequence, and Burly Brawl is essentially a combination of Davis' unused Multiple Replication and Juno Reactor's Masters of the Universe (which also appeared in its original form in The Animatrix).
Rob Dougan contributed again, licensing the instrumental version of his eponymous Furious Angels, as well as being commissioned to provide an original track, ultimately scoring the battle in the Merovingian's chateau.
As with its predecessor, many tracks by external musicians are featured in the movie and its closing credits, and the soundtrack album. Leitmotifs established in The Matrix return, and some used in Revolutions are established.
Cast
The cast of The Matrix Reloaded is largely the same as The Matrix, with only minor additions.
The character of "Tank" from The Matrix did not return, reportedly due to actor Marcus Chong's salary demands and conflicts with the Wachowski brothers. The character's role of ship's Operator is taken over by newcomer Link, Tank's brother-in-law. In passing, Tank is mentioned to have been killed; no details are provided, but it is possible that he died shortly after The Matrix due to wounds inflicted by Cypher.
Actress Gloria Foster died during the editing. Her role of "The Oracle" is reprised by actress Mary Alice, here and also in subsequent sequels and video games. Her change of appearance is specifically addressed as a programmatic quirk in Enter the Matrix.
Additionally, Aaliyah was originally cast to play the part of "Zee" until her untimely death in the summer of 2001.
- Christine Anu as Kali
- Helmut Bakaitis as The Architect
- Monica Bellucci as Persephone
- Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson
- Essie Davis as Maggie
- Sing Ngai as Seraph (as Collin Chou)
- Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus
- Gloria Foster as The Oracle
- Nona M. Gaye as Zee
- Malcolm Kennard as Abel
- David A. Kilde as Agent Jackson
- Randall Duk Kim as The Keymaker
- Harry J. Lennix as Commander Lock
- Matt McColm as Agent Thompson
- Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity
- Robyn Nevin as Councillor Dillard
- David No as Cain
- Harold Perrineau Jr. as Link
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe
- Adrian Rayment as Twin #2
- Neil Rayment as Twin #1
- Rupert Reid as Lock's Lieutenant
- Keanu Reeves as Neo (aka Thomas A. Anderson, see Aeon for info on The One)
- Frankie Stevens as Tirant
- Steve Vella as Malachi
- Clayton Watson as The Kid
- Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith
- Cornel West as Councillor West
- Bernard White as Rama-Kandra
- Lambert Wilson as the Merovingian
- Anthony Wong as Ghost
- Anthony Zerbe as Councillor Hamann
External links
- The Matrix Reloaded Official Website
- The Matrix Reloaded at IMDb
- The Many Meanings of The Matrix, Larry Wachowski in a dialogue with Ken Wilber.
- Newsweek: The Matrix Makers - A look behind the scenes at the Matrix sequels (possible spoilers).
- The Matrix Reloaded or Overloaded? review from Socialism Today.
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