Synopsis: Picking up a short while after the first movie ended, this sequel to the Matrix finds Neo, Trinity and Morpheus rushing against time to save the last human outpost of Zion from complete destruction. 

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Michelle Snow

Director: The Wachowski Brothers

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Monica Bellucci, Harold Perrineau and Gina Torres

When the first Matrix movie came out in 1999, it was a huge hit. It was innovative, action-packed with fight scenes never really seen before in a box-office smash. And soon everybody had Matrix-inspired scenes in their action movies. But many filmmakers forgot the other side to the Matrix. The philosophical side. The side that made you choose between the red pill or the blue. So upon word that there were sequels being made, everyone got excited [including me]-because who best to top the Matrix than the team who brought it to us in the first place?
The plot also sounded exciting. The last human refuge, the city of Zion that was mentioned in the first movie, was now under attack by the machines of the Matrix. It is up to Neo [Reeves], Trinity [Moss] and Morpheus [Fishburne] to find a way to protect Zion from being destroyed. Added to the mix are Capt. Niobe [Pinkett Smith], a former flame of Morpheus, Persephone [Bellucci], a woman who helps the trio reach the Matrix core and Link [Perrineau], the new captain of Morpheus' ship. Agent Smith [Weaving] also returns, though it's unclear as to what his true role in the Matrix is-other than to be a thorn in Neo's side. 
Having just left the theater, I'm still at odds as to whether this movie is a worthy successor. Yes, the action sequences were better-and more plentiful. In the first movie, there were more explosions and gunfire, where the Matrix Reloaded relies a lot on hand-to-hand combat scenes. So many that at times I felt like I was watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Matrix. And that was part of my problem with the movie. It felt like it was trying so hard to top the action of the first movie that every action scene screamed "I am the Matrix, hear me roar". 

I also felt that the philosophical element that made the first movie so balanced was relegated to a long speech near the end of the movie and scattered metaphors elsewhere. The most overblown of the metaphors was the love scene between Neo and Trinity. I get the feeling it was to epitomize the human aspect of the battle but not only did I not feel any sparks between Reeves and Moss, but I was a bit let-down at the random breasts that were shown as the love scene was intercut with a joyous celebration of the Zion people getting all hot and sweaty in the common area. It felt like gratuitous nudity rather than metaphor for human passion.

There are some good points to the movie though. The freeway action sequence two-thirds of the way through the movie is by far the best action sequence I've seen on film in a while. It's intricate and all over the place, and just makes you sit on the edge of your seat at the near misses. Capt. Niobe is a welcome addition to the plot as another tough female character and Pinkett Smith really conveys a "don't mess with me" attitude in tune with Niobe's mission in the movie. It was also pleasant seeing Agent Smith again-all dozen or so of him-though I hope his true purpose to being brought back will be more fully explained in the next movie. Gina Torres [Fishburne's real-life wife], fresh from her role as Jasmine in the recent season of tv's Angel, also pops up in an unexpected cameo in Zion.

But I have the feeling that a lot of the things that went unexplained in this movie will be resolved in Matrix Revolutions. While it makes it easier to let some things slide, it also proves to make understanding this film a bit difficult at times.

I would say this movie is worth viewing if you enjoyed the original movie. But don't go in expecting anything from it. Go into the theater with an empty mind and realize that this is technically only the first half of the story, which will be concluded this November with Matrix Revolutions. Enjoy it for what it is rather than what it should be and have faith in the Wachowski brothers that all will be sorted out in the end.

8 out of 10