tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post4809796242327814939..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: CULT MOVIE REVIEW: The Matrix Reloaded (2003)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-72502187064204366802011-09-07T23:58:48.885-04:002011-09-07T23:58:48.885-04:00I'm impressed yet again, John, by your insight...I'm impressed yet again, John, by your insight into brilliant films. Like most people, I found these events in the Matrix, surprise after surprise...till I felt light-headed with a what-happening-next kind of dizziness. <br /><br />I've only watched the series once. I kind of want to again, because I want to experience it on many levels. I'm a bit leery though, about the CGI. I'm old enough to remember a time before CGI, and I find it fascinating how those old effects (Trek, Wars, Galactica, etc) still resonate with me after all these viewings, after all these years.<br /><br />In addition to writing a book about the Matrix films, I think it might be interesting to compare and contrast this with Keanu's other major films---the Bill and Ted series and the first Speed. Bill and Ted are just a bunch of partyheads (I think. I've not actually seen them.) who have more-or-less random adventures. But then in Speed, Our Hero had to do a lot of specific actions to save all the people on the bus (and out there on the road). I think the highway chase scene in The Matrix Reloaded pays a bit of homage to the events of Speed. Keanu's character had to figure out what was going on, get into Dennis Hopper's character's head. And then, we go deeper, much deeper, in the Matrix series. The whole series makes you think, spins your head, time after time after time, constantly changing everything.<br /><br />Seems to me that it is time for Keanu to make another picture that would somehow fit into this sequence. I think he's actually a pretty good actor, because I found his police officer and Neo to be very engaging characters.<br /><br />And it is very interesting that the police officer is all about law and order but has to think outside of the box to beat the bad guy. Get in the bad guy's box, then outfox him. Neo already thinks outside of the box, but everything gets crazier after that and you expect him to choose a certain way...red pill or blue pill, Trinity lives or dies...but the films constantly outfox you.<br /><br />I also see some semblance to another sf film that Keanu's supporting actor in Speed, Jeff Daniels, did in Timescape/Grand Tour: Disaster in Time. That was another film where he had to change his way of thinking. You could also look at a number of roles of Jeff's where the need to change perspectives comes up--Arachnophobia, Speed, Fly Away Home, Pleasantville, Timescape... I'm sure in other films too, but these ones I'm familiar with and they have high re-watchability (I've seen Speed and Fly Away Home a good dozen times each!).<br /><br />Okay, signing off, now.<br /><br />Gordon LongPDXWizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10884427889989897626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-85760035077905913602011-09-07T22:49:59.170-04:002011-09-07T22:49:59.170-04:00I believe that RELOADED was doomed to fail from th...I believe that RELOADED was doomed to fail from the get-go. After the first film, everyone was expecting big things - the cinematic equivalent of the Second Coming. The hype and the stakes were very high. How could any film live up to the promise of all the advanced hype? <br /><br />Like yourself, I like how the Wachowski brothers upped the ante on the famous bullet time technique by applying it to an impressive car chase sequence. This is easily the most impressive action sequence in the movie and maybe in the entire series. I think the problem with this film is that you're starting to see it getting gradually crushed under the weight of its own importance, which would be more evident in REVOLUTIONS. With RELOADED, we start to see almost too much plot and mythos being fed into the film so that by REVOLUTIONS it became too much for the casual viewer and you got such a nasty backlash.<br /><br />I always enjoyed RELOADED and was left frustrated by REVOLUTIONS and I still think the second film holds up remarkably well. The third and final film not so much but it has been some time since I've watched it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-7618466248342800992011-09-05T17:43:57.735-04:002011-09-05T17:43:57.735-04:00John, another nice review. Philosophically just ...John, another nice review. Philosophically just as interesting, but not sure the second film was nearly as entertaining as the first one. I have seen the first film many times, and have been aware of the Baudrillard book hiding the software for some time, but after watching Reloaded recently for the second time I noticed another philosophical reference that points backward. This time not hiding the software but the Key-Maker. -r<br /><br />Schopenhauer kind of rediscovered a lot of eastern thought using western concepts and starting points.<br /><br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=uiSaACnYA44<br /><br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parerga_and_ParalipomenaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-28235795530723790282011-09-05T10:22:33.508-04:002011-09-05T10:22:33.508-04:00-->
That scene, which you rightly single out, i...--><br />That scene, which you rightly single out, is amazing. It's a fundamental core, and everything flows towards it (prior to its viewing) and then away from it <br />afterwards, much like the cycling of a storm system. Watching the first film again after this one, one perks with an additionial layer of emotion as we are brought into that initial interrogation room with Neo - the scene initially <br />framed as the view from one of the Architect's myriad of monitors - a <br />realization lost on the first-time viewer but shockingly there on a return trip. If the films can be peeled like an onion, then this one scene is a second impossibly larger onion nestled within the first. It is dense and wholly fascinating. The seeds of my "Inception-ist" interpretation of many of the later visuals begin here.<br /><br />It's true the CGI didn't date as well, but generally I'm willing to overlook it in this case. It's icing on a well-baked cake. Maybe it isn't as tasty as the first bite, but still - the cake underneath is still just as delicious.<br /><br />Such a fascinating review. Thanks so much! I look forward to seeing what Revolutions has in store.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-39510618953320396652011-09-05T10:21:10.292-04:002011-09-05T10:21:10.292-04:00I'm going to start off by saying I'm a lon...I'm going to start off by saying I'm a long-time and avid video gamer. I mention this because while I've been enjoying greatly the religious/philosophical discussion here (I'm not well versed in Bhuddist ideology, so that's been especially fascinating) I think that given the very nature of the film, the touches of the 'game' need also be examined - <br />particularly as we're in a world now where the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) experience is so prevalent, and even back when these films were made, had a dedicated following. We are dealing with virtual space, and I think that should be brought into a discussion wherein the nature of reality takes the spotlight.<br /><br />I'll freely admit that while I've watched the first of the series the most, and find much to enjoy in the third, that ultimately I find the second to be my favorite of the three. On a surface level, the positively amazing set-pieces are pure adrenalized eye-candy. The Neo vs. Multi-Smith combat is great fun and the unrelenting highway chase keeps me riveted every time. It's not mentioned as much, but I also very much enjoy the intensity of that tightly contained "combat in the round" in the Merovingian's domain, which has distinct visual echos of the prominent 'fighting' game genre (much like the dojo training sequence in the first film). I'm also a fan of Juno Reactor and find their music fitting here.<br /><br />Additionally - this is absolutely a movie that richens with repeat viewings, from details like the intricacies of the ghost twins' movements and actions and the rules that accordingly govern them, to the simple visual density of the Architect's chamber.<br />-->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-6048500198247529192011-09-05T08:32:02.854-04:002011-09-05T08:32:02.854-04:00Hi Le0pard13:
I loved your comment on The Matrix ...Hi Le0pard13:<br /><br />I loved your comment on The Matrix Reloaded, and found that you added several new insights to my own understanding of the film.<br /><br />For instance, I definitely saw Smith as the Satan figure, both a renegade and a part of the "system," but I like how you parsed Neo in terms of the Christ metaphor (he is sixth; and on the sixth day, God created Earth). That's a nice connection that I failed to excavate. There's probably a whole strictly Christian reading of these films that I haven't enunciated clearly, but your point is leading us there, I think.<br /><br />I also agree with you about how emotionally powerful this film is. Trinity and Neo's powerful, passionate relationship is something for audiences to hold on to, especially when the metaphysical talk gets happy. We all understand the nature of love; and like you said, we all wish we had the power to keep love (and our loved ones...) alive forever. Beautifully put.<br /><br />I can't disagree either about CGI. It gets better all the time, but I was shocked on this re-watch of Matrix Reloaded to see how obvious the digital characters and CGI effects are. It's a shame. Matrix Revolutions does a better job of hiding the digital figures, in part by employing tons and tons of rain and lightning as visual obfuscation. Whatever works, but here, the CGI HAS aged poorly.<br /><br />Great and valuable comment, my friend.<br /><br />All my best,<br />JohnJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-7078243237892995572011-09-03T16:59:29.388-04:002011-09-03T16:59:29.388-04:00Part 2
I've been re-watching these films with...Part 2<br /><br />I've been re-watching these films with my children this time. Certainly, my son finds the aspects of action and tech the most intriguing. However, my daughter is very much caught up with characters and their intense feelings. I sense she was, like me, dreading the scene of [spoiler] of Trinity's death (foretold in the absolutely spectacular lead sequence at the start of the film). That it was another act of sacrifice made it even more moving. And that is why Neo's choice with the Architect resounds with many viewers, and is the antithesis of logic… and more to the point, of being human. Their equivalent Jesus and Lazarus moment still gets to me (I ask you, who wouldn't want that power to save a loved one?). Beyond all the tech and computer programming I recognize in the films, it's the part which speaks to me the most. Especially, with this, the most debated installment in the trilogy.<br /><br />It's easy to why it is that. While the first film was complex and mind-blowing, it's more reachable and understandable by audiences. RELOADED really makes you work to understand it. That's a plus and a minus, and not everyone's taste in tea. Still, like you and others (along with me), it makes the trilogy even more interesting because of all that. As well, and not to its benefit, it's amazing to me how dated its CGI has become in a relatively short time. I agree with you that its ending, too, remains problematic with that <i>unfinished</i> feel. It is less a second installment that the 'first' of a two-parter. It left audiences stunned, and not necessarily in a good way. Too bad because what the Wachowski Brothers put out here was more than the sum of its parts.<br /><br />Can't wait for the next week and REVOLUTIONS, John. This was a wonderful review and examination. Well done. Thanks.<br /><br />p.s., I love the party scene opposite the 'holy' sex sequence between Neo and Trinity (done under the religious 'dome' framing). To me, it's the most unassuming and natural expression of marriage and bonding between two people. Although, I admit it took me awhile to come to that conclusion.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-47426718547307451682011-09-03T16:58:54.996-04:002011-09-03T16:58:54.996-04:00I'm very much with you and your analysis of TH...I'm very much with you and your analysis of THE MATRIX RELOADED and its meanings, John. As you pointed out, the film succeeds very much like the noted 'sequels' from other franchises, and especially with the darker tone it exemplifies. The Wachowski Brothers did something rather unique, too, that shows up with this installment. With each film in the trilogy, they presented something totally unexpected and unanticipated by the audience (even one as large and wide generated by the first film). People were given the 'parameters' in the first story and built their expectations on it (maybe even more so because of the cross of tech and religious themes within THE MATRIX -- both have fervent followings that border on zealotry). As much as people discussed the first film, because of the change-up the W Bros. threw at them with the second, RELOADED upended many presumed carts byway of this "mind job" story-line.<br /><br />I really love the emotional context in this film. The passion that entwines it all keeps me coming back to it. Neo's love Trinity, Smith's <i>hatred</i> for Neo… even the Oracle's (mother-like) pride for Neo, really cuts to the core the differences between the machine and human worlds. However, it also shows the way out of the 'cycle' (reboot) of control the machines have built with the Matrix. And as you've also noted, the tremendous amount of theological symbolism used in the films is thoroughly ingrained in the storyline. No surprise the filmmakers used this sixth version of 'The One' to break the controls and bonds on the humans in the tale. Remember, (paraphrasing) from Genesis, 'on the sixth day God created man'. Neo is the ultimate human. His Christ-like character was introduced with THE MATRIX, but it comes into play with the RELOADED film (even though, it is mixed most interestingly with Hindu, Christian, and some Greek mythology, ideas and qualities).<br /><br />(to be continued)le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.com