On the Quality of Things, #6
"The Matrix Reloaded" - To sleep, perchance to dream...

by Wade Stuckwisch

The trouble with midnight, mid-week premieres for hotly anticipated movies is that, after a full day of work and an hour minimum in line for a decent seat, it's seductively easy to wind up sleeping through the movie. Luckily, for the most part, movies with midnight premieres are typically of the action/adventure variety, and are fast-paced and loud enough to keep all but the most dazed audience member awake.

After seeing a 12:30 screening of "The Matrix Reloaded" on opening night, I can report from experience that, surprisingly, this movie is not a difficult one to sleep through. Strangely enough, that's among the foremost reasons I enjoyed it.

Prior to critic screenings, all the hype surrounding "The Matrix Reloaded" was centered on one theme: BIG ACTION. Copious ink was spilled detailing the financial and technological expenditure on the movie, from the digital rendering of "virtual actors" to the construction of a multi-million dollar highway loop for the movie's most spectacular action sequence. Given all this hype, I was completely caught off guard by how much of the movie was not devoted purely to action. I'm assuming at this point that I didn't wind up dozing off during the plot-oriented scenes and sleep through a fight sequence. (I'm fairly certain I didn't actually sleep through any scenes, although I definitely did my share of head-nodding due to the late hour.)

The largest part of the movie is actually devoted to expanding and repopulating the virtual world of The Matrix in the audience's mind. Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity's quest to bring down the Matrix from the inside introduces them to a cast of characters, new and old, that weave together a fascinating and twisted story that is half Homer and half Lewis Carroll. The audience, meanwhile, is bombarded with a bevy of new facts, hints and allegations about the world of the Matrix, perhaps more that they may be prepared to handle (especially between the hours of 12:30 and 3 AM). It's this Tolkeinian approach to storytelling (or is that Tolkeinesque?) that, combined with some slyly surreal brushstrokes of character and pseudo-religious/philosophical musings, sets "The Matrix Reloaded" apart from the pack. The Wachowski brothers, in their infinite wisdom, have not forgotten that expensive computer generated effects and an ultra-cool visual style are easily emulated (as they have been, blatantly, by hundreds of movies released since the original "Matrix"), but a good story and a mystery of mythic proportions are hard to match.

That's not to say the special effects, visual design, and action sequences in "The Matrix Reloaded" weren't awe-inspiring, even if there wasn't a fight or explosion every ten minutes. Impatient audience members should find enough thrills in this picture to still make it worth the price of a ticket. But in this age where CGI has blurred the line between live action and animation beyond recognition, a well-choreographed fight or an apocalyptic pyrotechnical display doesn't always have the same impact it did in the age of wires and miniatures. And considering how Hollywood studios bank on repeat theatrical visits to increase box office receipts, making "The Matrix Reloaded" a complicated movie instead of a fireworks display may have been a wise move. As well as making it all the more trippy to the sleep-deprived.

I suggest putting away the hallucinogens and downing a couple shots of NyQuil for this "Matrix" movie. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a nap.

-May 17th, 2003