The Matrix reloaded [DVD]

Can Neo save Morpheus, Trinity, the community of Zion and himself from the evil machinations of the Matrix? Find out in this sequel to the spectacularly successful “The Matrix” - a film which rewrote the terms and references (re-appropriating Hong Kong kung-fu flicks) of the action/sci-fi genre. In this instalment the residents of Zion receive news of an imminent invasion; controversially the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar (Neo et al) decamp to see the Oracle and perhaps fulfil the prophecy - that the One will deliver salvation to all. The action components of this film are entirely satisfying - witness an unforgettably awesome freeway chase scene; Neo combating multiple Agent Smiths; Trinity’s balletic death-defying leap; and Neo’s speed flights across time and space. But whilst the technical ingenuity enthralls, the narrative is only sporadically comprehensible with an increasingly portent tone, dabbling as it does in quasi-religiosity (check out Neo’s fetching monastic robes), tribalism, biblical and mythic traditions. Detrimentally the dialogue is often uselessly cryptic, obfuscating narrative progression, which in itself is stymied by dead-end threads and ill explained interactions. But that still leaves what the Wachowskis do so well - clever wirework, CGI and bullet-time slow motion - in other words, action aplenty. And be assured that “Reloaded” has that in spades.