It's a summer of sequels. First, X2: X-Men United, and now Matrix: Reloaded. My review of the former, if you'd care to have a peek, is very positive. I found very little to complain about. My review of the Matrix sequel is a bit more difficult. I'm very conflicted about this movie. I loved, it--overall--but have some very strong misgivings about parts of it.

As one would expect, the action alone is worth the price of admission. The one thing to know going in is that the Wachowski brothers have not pulled anything new out their hats. This is not the movie that will change the way movies are made, as the Matrix was. This is the son of the movie that changed the way movies are made. It has everything that made you gasp and shout in the original, and it's got more of it. If you are going to this movie to see completely new techniques, don't bother. Personally, I got exactly what I wanted: a stronger dose of Matrix-style action presented by the masters.

The characters in this movie, like the last, are nothing to get excited over. They are meant to look cool, to be cool, and they are. Don't ask for much more depth. In all honesty, when you've got Keanu Reeves in the role, don't ask for depth at all. He does what is necessary, but thankfully he wasn't asked to stretch himself. I think the cast around him certainly could, if necessary, offer up acting as astounding and breathtaking as their pictured kung-fu, but I really don't think Reeves is up to it. Having watched Laurence Fishburne since Apocalypse Now, I know he could deliver on whatever is demanded of him. Carrie-Anne Moss did a wonderful job in Memento, and I'm sure she could meet any acting challenge, but that really isn't what Matrix: Reloaded is about, or is it?

My biggest problem with this movie is the pseudo-mysticism thrown into the mix. In one scene, when the counsellor played by Anthony Zerbe--who is forever burned into my memory as the lead vampire in the 1970s adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend called the Omega Man--has a late-night discussion with Neo, that worked for me. I'm guessing this is foreshadowing for Matrix: Revolutions, but who can say for sure. I even enjoyed the lecture delivered by the Merovingian, which seemed like the perfect counter-argument to prophesy, destiny and all that fate stuff.

The further babble perpetrated by the Oracle and the newly introduced Architect seemed contrived. It kind of felt like talking to a philosophy undergrad who tries to use all the philosophy he has learned to impress you. It just doesn't sound right and you tend to wonder if he has an inkling of what he's talking about. Now, I love how the plot has been altered by what these characters reveal, I just take issue with how they revealed it.

And, of course, there's the MTV Dance Party inter-cut with Reeves' tushy that went on just a little too long. That could have been cut by three-quarters and it still would have served its purpose, at least for me. But I'm not the director. Maybe there was a really salient point to all that flesh and sweating--in both scenes of the montage--that I just didn't get. Yes, we are Human and passionate in a way machines will not understand, but how long do we need to dance or procreate to reinforce that point? Honestly, a minute would have done it for me.

But, in the end, I loved this movie. For all that bothered me, there was much more than entranced me. I was tense through the whole battle on the freeway, though my wife considered it too long. I enjoyed Neo kicking the crap out of one hundred Mr. Smith's (said that Mo-Fo back to Rivendell, baby!). The action set-pieces were astounding, the glimpse of Zion excellent, the story superb. I think, overall, I would call this a success, not completely unqualified, but a definite success.

Man oh man, I cannot wait for Revolutions!