UNNECESSARY MOD
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THE MATRIX: RELOADED--part two of what became a trilogy--is an ambitious fantasy, weighed down by some consistency and continuity problems. Foremost among those is the fact that the original tour de force THE MATRIX didn't warrant any sequels. The prior film can easily stand on its own. No continuing adventures of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus are even slightly necessary.

That being said, THE MATRIX: RELOADED is passable as a middle chapter because it reveals new enemy machinations while fleshing out the "Matrix" settings, including Zion (perhaps Zion gets too, um, fleshed-out ...). A thrilling car chase is now in the mix too, which is the high point of this movie.

Yet, throughout this spectacle, it's impossible to forget THE MATRIX: RELOADED had been awkwardly forced to exist to milk a brand name. For instance, the reintroduction of Smith and the replacement of Tank are dubious at best. I mean, there's no convincing justification as to why Smith could not have stayed dead, and why Tank could not have stayed alive--as seen at the end of the previous film.

While it's true that THE MATRIX: RELOADED satisfies the earlier episode's parameters in some ways, its deviations are very flagrant. And not just the ones involving Smith and Tank. The abrupt theme change, from Questioning Reality (then) to Questioning Fate (now), is among the worst deviations.

To change a theme is to crucially change a story's significance. Therefore, sequels generally shouldn't do so without good reasons. Here, I'm uncertain there was any good reason. That's why this chapter's reveal of The Architect, however interesting, ultimately seems to hurt the saga.

Nevertheless, you might like this movie if you are either: a connoisseur of imaginative action scenes; or a returning fan who understands the backstory and enjoyed its metaphysical/action mix. However, this time, you won't even get hints of answers to the metaphysical questions ... instead, you'll just be promised a future "enlightenment payoff" which the final chapter, THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS, shall fail to deliver. Hence, that third installment, not necessarily this second installment, decisively spoils the "Matrix" legacy.

POSTSCRIPT -- In case you're wondering, I give six hearts to the full "Matrix" saga, as a whole. Basically, the franchise peaks early, then it languishes.