oughly six months after the close of the 1999 smash The Matrix, things are getting a little hectic in Zion, the last human city. An overwhelming machine army is tunneling toward Zion and will arrive in 72 hours to put an end to the rebellious humans once and for all. Meanwhile, Neo (Reeves) has grown into his powers. With Morpheus (Fishburne) and Trinity (Moss) at his side, Neo is searching for "the source," where prophecy says he will end the war between man and machine in a happier way, and bring peace to the world.
But it may not be that simple. Agent Smith (Weaving) has returned as a kind of computer virus able to take over other people and turn them into copies of himself. He's multiplying at an alarming rate. And the matrix turns out to have all kinds of weird things kicking around in forgotten corners. Discarded, exiled and rogue programs wander the matrix's back alleys and hidden spaces, following agendas of their own. Some will help Neo in his quest; others are quite dangerous.
Worse, as if Neo didn't have enough to deal with, he's starting to see the future himself, a dark future in which Trinity dies in the matrix. As much to find answers to his dreams as to fulfill the prophecy, Neo makes his way to the source. But there he finds out that, even though he's awakened from the illusion of the matrix, things are still a long, long way from what they seem to be.
This DVD version of The Matrix Reloaded comes as a two-disc set. The movie's on disc one, extras are on disc two. These include behind-the-scenes documentaries, including a look at the filming of the highway chase sequence, a trailer for the collection of animated shorts The Animatrix, and a documentary on the Enter the Matrix videogame. For fun, there's the short parody film created for the MTV Movie Awards that cuts hosts Justin Timberlake and Seann William Scott into the action, along with Wanda Sykes sitting in as the Oracle and Will Ferrell as the Architect.
No spoon, but lots of commercials
While it certainly wasn't a universal opinion, many fans felt let down by The Matrix Reloaded. Too overwrought, too pretentious. And what in the world was that Architect guy talking about?
The Matrix introduced the world and the characters. The forthcoming Matrix Revolutions gets to wrap up the story with a bang. The Matrix Reloaded is, well, the middle. Plus, viewers definitely brought expectations to the theater this time. To try and meet them, The Matrix Reloaded goes to 11, but repeats a lot of the same notes. Neo fought Agent Smith in The Matrix, so this time he has to fight a hundred Smiths. And, yes, the philosophy is impenetrable.
The Matrix Reloaded definitely rewards careful viewing, so it's a good movie to watch on DVD. But, just as the matrix has a vague, generic quality—like billboards that just say "Steak!"—this is a pretty bland presentation.
The movie disc has no extras at all, just language and subtitle options. Ideally, there'd be a commentary track with the Wachowski brothers explaining the movie's references and hidden clues. Maybe that's a lot to ask for, but something would be nice.
In fact, the famously reclusive Wachowskis are nowhere to be found here. Even in disc two's making-of features, producer Joel Silver is left to describe "the boys'" grandiose ambitions. Those features all pretty much blend together into a melange of different soundbites from the same interviews, cuts to movie or game footage and candid shots of actors in wire harnesses or motion-capture suits. The next day, viewers will be hard pressed to remember which feature was which.
Worse, almost all of disc two—especially the videogame documentary—is an egregious plug for one thing or another. There's even a feature dedicated specifically to Matrix-themed commercial tie-ins. It's all about as subtle as a hammer. The iconic image from disc two is a Powerade commercial in which an agent just stares into the camera and intones "drink more, drink more."
Overall, The Matrix Reloaded is a movie that shines on DVD and pulls this set into the B range by its own bootstraps. Heaven knows Warner's marketing department didn't give it any help.
