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What is The Matrix: Reloaded?

It is the highly anticipated sequel to the sleeper hit The Matrix which went on to become the most influential sci-fi movie in recent times.

It is also the middle part of the Matrix trilogy which picks up from where the first movie left off and precedes The Matrix Revolutions due in November 2003.

And of course, it is the movie event of the year for many a movie maniac (and Trinity wannabe) such as myself.

Written and directed by brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski, The Matrix: Reloaded follows its predecessor's footsteps by re-introducing an aesthetics of cool that has since become a Matrix trademark and re-hashing a hyper-kinetic dialectic that blends the works of Lewis Carroll and cyberpunk guru William Gibson with Greek mythology, philosophy 101, Eastern and Western religion, Hong Kong chopsocky cinema, super-hero comics and Japanese animation amongst others.

In this second chapter of the Matrix trilogy, Zion, the last human enclave on Earth, is under siege from the Machine Army and its 250,000 squid-like Sentinels. Despite the news of impending disaster, the citizens of Zion are emboldened by Morpheus' (Laurence Fishburne) conviction that Neo (Keanu Reeves) will fulfill the Oracle's (the late Gloria Foster) prophecy and end the war with the Machines.

Following Morpheus' rousing speech, the citizens of Zion inexplicably break into a song-and-dance routine lifted from Eddie Murphy's Coming To America, and hold an impromptu rave that would put even the most "e"-lated of gay raves to shame. In the meanwhile, Neo continues to be haunted by disturbing visions of the future which hint at the demise of his true love Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Set predominantly in Zion, the first hour of The Matrix: Reloaded is unfortunately wasted on much macho-posturing between Morpheus and his rival Lock (Harry Lennix), repeated tonsil hockey action and a mangled sex scene (no thanks to the local censors) starring Neo and Trinity, and scenes of political wrangling amongst the Zion elite which is about as interesting as a session in Parliament (garish costumes notwithstanding).

It is only when Morpheus, Neo and Trinity choose to re-enter the Matrix in their fit-for-the-catwalk sleek costumes designed by Kym Barrett that the movie really comes alive. On the advice of the Oracle, our fashion savvy trio sets out to retrieve the Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim) who holds the system passwords to access The Source of the Matrix. But in order to complete their mission, our heroes must first confront the oldest and meanest program in the Matrix: The Merovignian - played with delicious relish by Lambert Wilson as a French-swearing Pepe Le Pew who thinks with his crotch.

From then on, the action proceeds like a roller-coaster ride and movie audiences are treated to jaw-dropping special effects and mind-bending combat sequences featuring martial arts choreographer Wo Ping Yuen's signature balletic fighting style and gravity defying wire works.

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One particularly outstanding scene is the much anticipated Burly Brawl where Neo confronts his old enemy Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) who does an Attack Of The Clones with his ability to multiply himself by taking over other Agents and rebels as well. In this CGI enhanced scene, Neo - looking good as his coat swirls about dramatically - fights 100 replicas of Agent Smith while the camera spins around the combatants at hyper-sonic speed.

The other standout scene is the seamlessly executed 14-minute steeplechase down the 101 Freeway in which Morpheus and Trinity try their best to protect the Keymaker from the twin henchmen of The Merovignian and a group of Agents leaping in and out of bodies in vehicles. Destined to go down in history as the best car chase on the big screen, the freeway sequence contains high speed carnage and mayhem on a scale a hundred times that unleashed by a whimpering Sandra Bullock in Speed.

In addition to action-drenched scenes, The Matrix: Reloaded also introduces new characters that expand the Matrix universe while providing more eye candy. On the side of good, there is Link (Harold Perrineau), computer expert onboard the Nebuchadnezzar and his perpetually worried mother hen of a girlfriend played by Nona Gaye (who replaces the late Aliyaah). There is also Niobe (Jade Pinkett Smith), Morpheus' ex-squeeze and captain of the Logos, who packs a mean kick and has a hairdo resembling sprouting shitake mushrooms.

On the side of evil, there are the silver-clad albino duo known as Twin One and Twin Two (Neil and Arian Rayment) who can dematerialize and pass through solid objects while spotting mops-for-tops dreadlocks. Then there is the emotion vampire and trophy siren wife Persephone played by sex-on-legs Monica Belluci who should be commended for being able to utter her lines while walking around in a shrink-wrapped sin-inducing dress.

Action scenes and interesting new (albeit underdeveloped) characters aside, The Matrix: Reloaded is unfortunately hampered by an incredible amount of fortune-cookie talk and techno-gibberish so confusing and complex that one would be hard-pressed to decode all the information in one seating. The talk-till-you-drop scenes involving the Oracle and the Architect (Helmut Bakaitis) are so mind-bogglingly confusing that one really needs Cliff Notes to guide one along. In fact, when Morpheus turns to Neo at the beginning of the movie and says: "This is going to be difficult" - he has no idea how prophetic he really is.

Despite its flaws, The Matrix: Reloaded remains a great blockbuster movie with its cast of super cool heroes, babes and villains, its brilliantly insane action sets and its pioneering special effects. And considering the pent-up anticipation, the pre-release marketing hype and the massive Matrix fan base, The Matrix: Reloaded will undoubtedly be The One for many moviegoers worldwide.