An Impressive Sequel
Matrix Reloaded is one of those rare films that is a sequel with the quality and impact of the first film. If you think about it, these moments in film aren’t especially common. The Empire Strikes Back is an example of a sequel as good as its predecessor, but the point being that most sequels just aren’t as ‘good’ as the film they are following.
That said, Matrix Reloaded continues a few months after the end of the original Matrix and sees the battle between humanity and machines continuing. Keanu Reeves is back as Neo, perhaps the role that will define his career, and by now he has learned complete ‘control’ of the Matrix. The other stars that made the first film as great as it was, including Carrie-Ann Moss and Laurence Fishburne, are also back.
The plot is about the impending doom of the humans who have been freed from the grips of the Matrix and are taking shelter in Zion, an underground base. Unfortunately, the machines are digging in, determined to locate and destroy the humans. With only seventy-two hours until the disaster, Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and their allies must find the Keymaker and get to the source of the enemy before its too late.
Understandably, the first film had to spend much of its time introducing viewers to the characters and to the unique world of the Matrix. In Reloaded, however, that much has been established, so the Wachowski brothers were able to spend much more time on the relationship between the characters (especially Trinity and Neo) and in having fun with the sci-fi nature of the Matrix itself. The result is a film with a great deal more action and ‘awesome’ sci-fi scenes. At the same time, the movie doesn’t lose its connection with its characters and the result is a superb sci-fi experience.
The Blu-ray
I think it’s far to say that The Ultimate Matrix set is still regarded as one of the most impressive Blu-ray releases to date. Each of the main films featured outstanding presentation quality. That is exactly what you will get with Matrix Reloaded on this standalone Blu-ray. The visual quality is simply incredible. The blend of CGI and ‘real’ film is potent and the technical quality is what I wish every HD/Blu-ray release could be. The audio is similarly amazing and is presented in TrueHD 5.1. I still think the Matrix films make perfect demo material to impress your friends or to test out your home theatre setup.
There are a whole lot of extra features on this release too. I won’t go into explicit detail on these, but the complete list includes:
-In-Movie Experience: A really cool picture-in-picture feature that features cast and crew and storyboard art and other goodies that plays while you watch the film.
-Written Intro by the Wachowski brothers.
-Two Audio Commentaries: Philosophers Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber and also Critics Todd McCarthy, John Powers, and David Thomson.
-Behind The Matrix Documentary: Four featurettes
-Enter the Matrix: The Game Documentary (28m)
-Enter the Matrix: Twenty-three live-action scenes that were filmed for the game based on events in Reloaded.
-Car Chase Documentary Gallery – Nine featurettes
-Teahouse Fight Documentary – Two featurettes
-Unplugged Documentary Gallery – Five featurettes
-I’ll Handle Them Documentary Gallery – Four featurettes
-The Exiles Documentary Gallery – Two featurettes
-POD “Sleeping Awake” music video
-Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
To the summary…