The Matrix Reloaded is the 2003 sequel to the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix. It was made back-to-back along with The Matrix Revolutions. It develops on questions raised in the first film and gives them a better in-depth story with conflicting ideals from different characters. While the film received generally positive reviews from critics, Fan reception was more mixed.
Cast[]
- Keanu Reeves as Thomas Anderson/Neo
- Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus
- Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity
- Hugo Weaving as Smith
- Gloria Foster as The Oracle
- Helmut Bakaitis as The Architect
- Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian
- Randall Duk Kim as The Keymaker
- Monica Bellucci as Persephone
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe
- Nona Gaye as Zee
- Ian Bliss as Bane
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
Plot[]
Six months after the events of The Matrix, Neo and Trinity are now romantically involved, however Neo has been having visions and/or dreams about Trinity falling to her death out of a window. Morpheus receives a message from Captain Niobe of the Logos calling an emergency meeting of all ships of Zion. Later on that night, a dance party commences after Morpheus gives a speech on how they will fight on together. While everyone dances Neo and Trinity have some private time but he keeps remembering his vision, but Trinity comforts him saying that he won't lose her. Soon enough, the city receives word that an army of Sentinels is tunneling towards Zion and will reach it within 72 hours. Commander Lock orders all ships to return to Zion to prepare, but Morpheus asks one ship to remain to contact the Oracle. Within the Matrix, the lone ship's crew is encountered by the former Agent Smith, who copies himself over the body of crew member Bane and uses the phone line to leave the Matrix.
In Zion, Morpheus announces the news of the advancing machines. The Nebuchadnezzar leaves Zion and enters the Matrix, where Neo meets the Oracle's bodyguard Seraph, who leads him to her. The Oracle reveals that she is part of the Matrix and instructs Neo to reach its Source with the help of the Keymaker. As the Oracle departs, Smith appears, telling Neo that after being defeated by him, he become a rogue program. He demonstrates his ability to clone himself over other inhabitants of the Matrix, including the new upgraded Agents. He tries to take over Neo's body but fails, prompting a battle between Neo and many copies of Smith. Neo defends himself, but is forced to retreat.
Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity visit the Merovingian, who is imprisoning the Keymaker. The Merovingian, a rogue program with his own agenda, refuses to let him go. His wife Persephone, seeking revenge on her husband for his infidelity, leads the trio to the Keymaker. Morpheus, Trinity, and the Keymaker flee while Neo holds off the Merovingian's henchmen. Morpheus and Trinity try to escape with the Keymaker, pursued by several Agents and the Merovingian's chief henchmen, the Twins. After a long chase, Trinity escapes, Morpheus defeats the Twins, and Neo saves Morpheus and the Keymaker from Agent Johnson.
The crews of the Nebuchadnezzar, Vigilant, and Logos help the Keymaker and Neo reach the Source. The Logos crew must destroy a power plant and the Vigilant crew must disable a back-up power station to bypass a security system, which will allow Neo to enter the Source. Haunted by a vision of Trinity's death, he asks her to remain on the Nebuchadnezzar. The Logos is successful, but the Vigilant is destroyed by a Sentinel. Trinity replaces the Vigilant crew and completes their mission. Agent Thompson corners her and they fight. As Neo, Morpheus, and the Keymaker try to reach the Source, The Smiths ambush them. The Keymaker is killed after unlocking the door to the Source for Neo.
Neo meets a program called the Architect, the creator of the Matrix, who explains that as the One, Neo is himself an intentional part of the design of the Matrix, which is now in its sixth iteration. Neo is meant to stop the Matrix's fatal system crash that naturally recurs due to the concept of human choice within it. As with the five previous Ones, Neo has a choice: either reboot the Matrix from the Source and pick a handful of survivors to repopulate the soon-to-be-destroyed Zion, as his predecessors all did, or go to save the imperiled Trinity, causing the Matrix to crash and killing everyone in it. Neo chooses the latter, prompting a dismissive response from the Architect.
Neo's vision of Trinity comes true as she is shot by Agent Thompson while falling off a building. Before she hits the ground, Neo arrives and catches her. He then removes the bullet from her chest and restarts her heart. They return to the real world, where Sentinels attack them. The Nebuchadnezzar is destroyed, but the crew escape. As the Sentinels catch up to them, Neo realizes he is able to sense the machines in the real world, and telepathically destroys them but falls into a coma from the effort. The crew are picked up by another ship, the Hammer. Its captain reveals that other ships defending Zion were wiped out by the machines after someone prematurely activated an EMP. Only one survivor was found: the Smith-possessed Bane.
Selected Quotes[]
- Morpheus: Tonight, let us make them remember, this is Zion and we are not afraid!!
- The Architect: Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion. Simultaneously, the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness.
- Morpheus: I have dreamed a dream, but now that dream is gone from me.
Critical Reception[]
The Matrix Reloaded received generally positive reviews from critics with a 73% based on 245 reviews with an average score of 6.81/10 on Rotten Tomatoes.
External links[]
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T H E M A T R I X T R I L O G Y
The Matrix |