ATe Mid Sgan a

www.michigandaily.com

MONDAY
MAY 19, 2003


Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? Morpheus? Right on!
By Ryan Lewis realistic brawls and normal explosions whether Neo is truly "the One."
Daily Flm Editor were no longer enough - if it didn't Certainly the Wachowskis' penchant
have the style and flash, it wasn't for action becomes apparent in the
worthwhile. In every facet of the mass Zion scenes, because the film drags ter-
media, from movies, to commercials, ribly and loses focus in the time spent
Four years ago, an unsuspecting to music videos, 360-degree photogra- dawdling in the sacred city. Plot
populace entered theaters and became phy was a must. becomes muddled in endless questions
enveloped in the world of a film Always envisioned by the brothers as that find no answer and the annoyingly
unleashed with nearly zero anticipa- a trilogy, the success of the first film contraction-less speeches of Morpheus.
tion. Those audiences viewed what provided both the want and the means Superfluous scenes like the rave jux-
has become part for the follow-ups. The public spent taposed with Neo and Trinity inter-
of the new can- The Matrix years salivating for more, and the stu- coitus are devoid of pertinence
non of block- Reloaded dios doubled the funding to provide and, therefore, do little more than
buster action newer, sleeker special effects. prolong the time between each
films. The story At astoe For those select few who neglected amazement.
and visuals the Quality 16 to see the frast installment, don't expect Finally, Neo receives a
masses were Warner Bros. Films an introduction. Fantastic visuals fill message from the Oracle,
privy to became the opening scenes in bullet time inter- and the ship returns to
one of the most beloved, most sam- mixed with quick cuts of the ever-beau- the outer world. Back
pled and most analyzed cultural phe- tiful Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) in the Matrix, Neo
nomena at the end of the century. battling agents, climaxing with a seem- receives instruction
That same blessed thrall of moviego- ingly fatal bullet wound. on how to fulfill
ers everywhere finally finds fulfillment Soon enough, the action cuts off as his destiny, and
in one of the most highly publicized Neo (Keanu Reaves) awakens from the the story
and anticipated sequels in cinema's his- nightmare. Morpheus (Laurence Fish- resumes with
tory: "The Matrix Reloaded." burne) and his slim numbered crew the purpose of
Directors Andy and Larry Wachows- return to the last human haven of Zion finding the
ki reset the bar for action/fighting/sci- to discover that the machines are bur- Keymaker to open
ence fiction films with the release of rowing down from the surface for a the door of light.
the original "Matrix." Innovative fight final battle to destroy mankind. For the Re-enter Agent Smith (Hugo
choreography and the debut of bullet first time, we discover that doubters Weaving). Defeated by Neo,
time forever changed cinema. Stiff, exist amongst the population as to Smith went into exile instead

of submitting to self-destruction. Back
to exact his revenge/duty, he now has
the uncanny ability to replicate himself
using any human form within the
Matrix. This brings about the incompa-
rable and aptly-named "Burly Brawl."
Expectations abound,
this fight sequence is
nothing
jj n short

breathtaking. Fans and everybody else
will find the anticipation shattered and
bested beyond what was once deemed
impossible, much thanks to fight cho-
reographer Yuen Wo Ping and his team.
Not only does the pioneering Universal
Capture process make each individual
Smith snarl and grimace look unques-
tionably real, but also the battle, the
choreography and the cinematography
incomparably one-up the original.
Luckily this translates into forgiving
the fact that the scene itself is pointless
to the story other than to reintroduce
the specific anti-Neo.
New characters like Monica Belluc-
ci's Persephone, the Twins (Adrian and
Neil Rayment) and Niobe (Jada Pinkett
Smith) are more than welcomed,
adding interesting subplots to rejuve-
nate the story after its initial lull. The
other highly-discussed chase sequence,
not to mention the altogether more-
real-than-Superman flying of Neo, and
the climactic finale twist and turn
"Reloaded" into a worthwhile and -
meaningful extension of the
Wachowskis' amalgamation of philo-
sophical questions, anime and numer-
ous other influences.
Although "Reloaded" does provide a
strong case to stand on its own, it finds
fault in having neither a beginning nor
a concrete denouement. Since the
brothers originally planned "Reloaded"
and "Revolutions" as one story bro-
ken into two movies, audiences must
suffice with what basically serves as
little more than a two-plus hour pre-
view for "Revolutions."
Hopefully viewers will be satis-
fied with the open-endedness of the
story. The onslaught of
eye-candy makes even
"The Matrix" look
dated, and I even found
myself saying "Wow!"
at some points. Even
though the story
struggles through
the first hour and
falls short of its
intricately woven
predecessor, the
questions posed
linger long after the
end, and the payoff
makes it all worthwhile.

HEALTHY, MEDICATION-FREE VOLUNTEERS,
AGES 18-45,
ARE NEEDED FOR A RESEARCH STUDY INVOLVING VISITS TO
THE HOSPITAL AND BLOOD DRAWS.
COMPENSATION MAY BE UP TO $200.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL AMY AT 647-8354.