_Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision._

WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME CORNEL WEST SHOWS UP IN THIS WTF

I must've been sleepy or something my first watch, because I didn't remember nearly any of this movie, when it's probably just as good as the first one!

Reloaded, despite being a much more blockbuster approach in terms of visuals and action, goes into even meatier territory than its predecessor. The first film almost created its own weird fusion of Christ and Buddha, the eventual creation of someone who has reached enlightenment past the system, now a possible guiding force for the revolution that will change the world as it is known. A messiah. But the film almost immediately criticizes this view, similar to Dune. If an eternal anomaly always exists, it could be used as a puppet to control a population. It's bright in that it points out that a seemingly "perfect" top-down system of control will always have resistance, but the resistance is possibly a controlling factor.

The Architect sequence is just bold, I swear there's nothing else like the Wachowskis in this industry. All the TVs representing different realities of the same meet-up, the Architect basically showing off how calculating and cold he is. Just an immediate flip from the blockbuster direction to something more similar to the reveal of the first movie, cold and revealing, in a white void... but not quite. The idea that free will is something controllable, the whole creation of Neo as the One a manufactured symbol, even as far as his love interest. As the quote says, he is to balance out an equation, a false savior in its 6th cycle that will continue looping seemingly forever... what do you even say to that? The Architect is wrong, though. Despite his belief that he knows how everything is working, choice as a quandary surpasses him. Neo, with his improved knowledge of the system that requires him to have fake powers to be controlled, makes those powers real, this time even apparently in the real world. The choices that make humans human surpass the systems.

Of course, not everything is answered in this film, and to be honest it's tough to gauge this on its own since it is entirely tied into its sequel, with even the HBO MAX release literally having a trailer and "To be continued" at the end of it.

There are some other philosophical explorations here. Determinism? Get the fuck out of here. I love how the French guy who I forgot the name of goes on and on about cause and effect, how we're all actually at the whims of impulses, but he is immediately proven wrong just a scene later as a pompous prick, who can't even understand what his own effects are. For someone who believes he is above it all... he's not.

I had a problem with the romance in the first film, which still sticks around here as being frankly unbelievable with no chemistry (Keanu actually not the problem, actually showing some cool acting chops in the alternate realities), but I do like what it symbolizes, love as a controlling force, engineered to have Neo make the seemingly "wrong" decision at the end, the one that removes Zion and humanity as a whole. It makes sense for her to lose agency, probably one of the only times the "Hollywood badass women with no agency" is justified, but in an industry that still has a lot of those, I still find it a bit frustrating.

I wasn't big on the pacing of the first act, which seemingly grinds to a halt, with the weird separation between action and exposition, but I do like the ideas it creates too. The rivalry in belief, with the pious vs. the non-believer. The restrictions of the Matrix getting carnal freedom, an orgy a celebration of what is now available to them, as opposed to the claustrophobic and controlling nature of the Matrix (a nice parallel to the fake French guy's manipulative idea of lust). Neo, despite being above the system at the start, being restricted by his fate and role and others rely on him, that he has to be the One.

Visually, the film reinvents itself from the get-go. It still has its Hong Kong influences, but the grunge has left, instead fully blockbuster, for better or worse. It's a downgrade for scenes like the highway, where the fights on the trucks are well executed, but the motion of the cars just not very complex and as visually stimulating as other directors like Bay. However, it's a flat out upgrade for scenes like the group fight between the Smiths and Neo, the cleanest action I've EVER seen of a group fight. Is there any group fight with choreography like that? Even at a baseline level. Films like the live action Batman struggle, with stuntmen having to fill dead air with some kind of action (or getting hit by nothing)... this has none of that problem. I like how the fight scene against the mooks before the freeway have the camera always show what the hit people are doing, justifying every movement and understanding exactly when they come back in and why. If there's an American blockbuster that has action like this, I want to know about it.

Speaking of the Smith fight, I like the role he fills for this go-around. Neo understands there is no spoon, but Smith, despite being freed, believes there is still a spoon, that there is still a system. His belief that a machine still needs a purpose means that he has one, he is freed but because of his own concept of reality is not freed. And thus his belief that he is still trapped has one resolution: destruction and greed. He will supposedly end the system by being everything. Hugo Weaving also does a terrific job at making his lines also very quotable, like "me, me, me". Charismatic as hell.

Don't understand the hate on the CG for this film! Sure, it looks unrealistic, but I am unmoving that it had terrific direction in terms of editing and framing. The sequence where Neo is moving as fast as light to save Trinity near the end is fantastic, just visual creativity at its finest. I like how its "constraints" look more like the product of the Matrix's controlled physics, just like the first movie, while shots of Zion at night look gorgeous.

Wasn't quite as huge on the score this time around, unfortunately. Not sure if the Wachowskis became unbased or if it's a home release issue, as every time the score was present, it was drowned just as fast as it was introduced. The soundtrack is a direct improvement, not necessarily being better picks as much as there are less bad ones though. Rage Against the Machine in the credits is fantastic, although Session by Linking Park time traveled me into the mid-2000s... love it. Deftones and Juno Reactor also great picks throughout.

While the film has had lower lows than the previous film, it had higher highs, sometimes even better ideas than the first. I think it's smarter about its big concepts, and still doing a good job walking the many ideas. I can't wait to see how it does the landing. But regardless, what here is just as good the first one, if not better.