Matrix Reloaded

[mihal_04]

A muddled 'Matrix'
By Mary F. Pols


The cult classic "The Matrix" has been reloaded, which according to the hype,
should thrill everyone from Burlingame to Baghdad. Unfortunately, "The Matrix
Reloaded" often feels like the Matrix Overloaded.

You walk out of this marathon of special effects feeling both overstimulated
and underwhelmed. This time around there are more Agent Smiths (many more),
more sunglasses, a tour of the last safe haven for man and even some
unplugged sex. Along with that comes a television-style cliffhanger and
enough confusion to fuel furious debate in chat rooms from now until
November, when "The Matrix Revolutions," the final installment of the
Wachowski brothers' trilogy, will be released.

In the first movie, which seems sparse and clean in comparison with this one,
we learned that practically the entire human race had been fed a pack of
virtual-reality lies and was being used as an energy source by artificial
intelligence run amok. Fortunately, rebel leader Morpheus (Laurence
Fishburne) tracked down a prophesied savior named Neo, aka The One (Keanu
Reeves), giving fresh hope to humanity.

Neo has been busy since we saw him last. He's freed many minds from the trap
of the Matrix. He's honed his powers and can now fly like Superman, with his
fist leading the way (embarrassingly, in his long black robes, Reeves looks
like the Flying Nun). He can perform surgery with his bare hands. And he's
gotten it on with sexy cat lady Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).

On the downside, Neo is having troubling dreams, and the machines have
located Zion, the last stronghold of free men, and are rapidly burrowing
toward it. Time to check in with the Oracle, played with deft humor by Gloria
Foster (sadly, Foster died recently