THE MATRIX RELOADED [2003] Keanu Reeves ; R 15

After a four year wait, finally 'Neo' is back and Andy and Larry Wachowski have made sure that the wait was worth it. You have to look at this film as being as much as a continuation of the original movie as it is a sequel. With 'Revolutions' (the third episode) only 6 months down the road 'Reloaded' has the tricky task of making people feel comfortable with the whole trilogy idea without doing the original any injustice. With sheer glee I can announce that the Wachowski's have done just that. They have created a sequel that while being very different to the original, is the logical evolution for it, the fans and cinema audiences everywhere. The pay-off though is of course yet to come, this film will no doubt gain even more credibility once the finale chapter is released later in the year, as essentially 'The Matrix 2 & 3' are just one big movie split into two. Could any of us actually take in both at the same time, I think not if 'Reloaded' is anything to go by. It is just as thought provoking as its predecessor was and this time the revelations and information about the Matrix that the film divulges are truly mind blowing, and if that weren't enough... the fight scenes are completely out of this world. The scene where 'Neo' takes on dozens of 'Agent Smith' clones is spectacular to the fullest meaning of the world. The action is so beautifully orchestrated you just can't tell what is real and what is not, it's literally everything the original was and more. Once again the film manages to blend action, drama, romance and philosophy all brilliantly into a couple of hours (well just over) and the end result is so mind blowingly fantastic it will take you a few days just to comprehend what is exactly you saw. The only possible problem with the movie is that it's not as welcoming to outsiders as the original was. Which is where the whole trilogy part comes into it again. You need to have read chapter 1 before you can understand chapter 2, flicking through this book just isn't possible. Should you go and see this? You'd be a fool not to see it at least twice, endlessly watchable. 'The Matrix Reloaded' is quite possibly the best film I have ever seen. See for yourself, this truly is "The One!"

5/5