Why 'Matrix' Sequels Are Better Movies Than We Remember

Want an action sequence that shocks you? Queue up the opening sequence of any movie in the Matrix franchise. This delivers action that makes other movies look weak.Matrixfranchise.Matrix ReloadedThis movie delivers on this front.

The film's opening sequence shows Trinity running from an agent, mostly in bullet time. The switch from Trinity's phone call to her jumping from a high-rise building is thrilling. This starts the shocking moments inReloadedandRevolutions, and this reminds viewers the Wachowskis kept their edge after the first film.

The opening sequence ofRevolutionsThis sequence follows the first one. Though not fully packed with action, it shows Neo and Agent Smith sharing the Matrix without being plugged in. We also meet the new Oracle; this matters, even if the reason stays unclear until later.

The main critique of the Matrix sequels is thatthe Matrixsequels justfeel bloatedand try to copy everything that made the first movie great. The sequels have ideas—some unfinished—but they are not copies of the original. Both follow-ups, specificallyReloaded, eitherinvert many themes from the original filmor twist them with clear parallels.

For example,ReloadedIt opens with Trinity outrunning an agent, then gets shot in the stomach, forcing her through a car. This moves away from the first film's events, and it is the last thing the audience expects. The final moments ofRevolutionsshow a black cat—something the audience thinks isa bad sign—but Sati, a child-form computer program, picks up the cat.

The films twist the original film's main idea—free will—by showing Neo lives the same life, following the same program six times. While the sequels look like the first film, that seems to be the Wachowskis' point.

All of theMatrixfilms hide philosophical ideas inside action movies. The first film used a small cast of six or seven people. The sequels feature huge crews of different ships, people standing in for code lines, and Zion government members.

The Wachowskis made Neo's fellow freedom-fighters show the audience the group's diversity. People of many races and genders appear on screen, making the sequels different from action films then and now.

These choices may be a criticism of the casting system that places only Caucasian actors in big-budget movies whileignoring actors of colorMore women and people of color in the sequels' casts give a more real look at the world's population.

Both Matrix sequels feature action.Matrix sequels feature a variety of action.Reloaded features various action sequences.Reloaded ends with a three-act fight where Morpheus fights an agent on a semi-truck. Because it's a Wachowski film, the truck crashes into another truck as Neo saves Morpheus. This moment is one of the trilogy's biggest wins.The movie ends with a three-act fight scene. Morpheus fights an agent on top of a semi-truck. Because it's a Wachowski movie, the truck crashes head-first into another truck as Neo flies Morpheus to safety. This moment is one of the trilogy's biggest victories.

RevolutionsRevolutions is known for its philosophy, but it delivers action just as strong as other films.ReloadedReloaded may have a truck fight, butRevolutionsRevolutions finishes with a giant mech battle, mirroring Neo defeating Agent Smith across a planet of clones.

Zion is a place only mentioned in the first Matrix film.However, the Matrix filmdoes not mention Zion; howeverReloadedandRevolutionsThese films spend more time in Zion than in the Matrix. This lets the audience see real-world struggles and compare them to computer-controlled reality problems.

People in Zion agree they do not want to be used as batteries. But they disagree on the best path for the last human city. Some citizens think humans need the machines to survive; others want to fight the "squids" with force.

Many people in Zion ignore Neo and reject Morpheus's ideas. This makes Zion more interesting; its residents have unique goals instead of being a uniform group of freedom fighters.

The Matrix sequels contain dense writing.The Matrix sequels have dense dialogue.The Matrix sequels feature dense dialogue.The Matrix sequels have heady, dense dialogue.The sequels discuss free will and how we repeat actions and make small changes. Actors must make these science ideas feel real, even if the audience misses some words, they must grasp the feelings.

Laurence Fishburne, who plays Morpheus, can deliver long monologues without sounding flat. Fishburne and Helmut Bakaitis, who plays the Architect, do heavy work and show these hard ideas without sounding like an information dump.

The Zion rave is inReloadedReloaded is described asone of the silliest momentsin 2000s filmmaking. The six-minute dance breaks out because the people of Zion celebrate their humanity; the sequence is avant-garde but serves the story.

The people writhe, sweat, and grind together in a moment of triumph. They know conflict could cost them lives, so they let loose before facing reality. The scene flips inRevolutionsMorpheus and Trinity blast through a rave in the Matrix, trying to stop the Merovingian.

The Twins get much marketing. They look cool, but they offer interesting parts of the lore.MatrixAt the start ofReloadedNeo visits the Oracle. She tells him there were earlier Matrix versions. Some code remains as "ghosts" and "werewolves."

Like Neo, these ghost twins pass through doors, heal themselves on command, and become invisible. Their powers let them use the Matrix boundaries. These characters raise the stakes realistically without starting the Neo and Agent Smith fight too soon.

Near the end ofReloadedNeo meetsthe Architect. He revealseverything about the Matrix is wrong. Neo rebelled against the Matrix computers many times. Each time, they wiped out the world and restarted.

This scene revises the first film's story. It references the Tibetan Wheel of Life.the Tibetan Wheel of LifeIt asks how much of Neo's rebellion stems from free will. Is Neo free to fight the machines, or is he just following his programming?

The Architect and the Oracle discuss the cycle repeating. The Oracle believes Neo changed his path at the end ofReloaded, and he opened the world to something new.

The Matrix sequels can feel heavy and dull. They are also fun. Their action is inventive and intense. Humor runs through the films. Neo's fight with the Smiths includes bowling pin sound effects. People in Zion cheer code lines showing action scenes in the Matrix.MatrixSequels can be fun. Their action is inventive and intense. Humor runs through the films. Neo's fight with the Smiths features bowling pin sound effects. People in Zion cheer on lines of code during action scenes in the Matrix.

The villains shine in both sequels. Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith acts overly much. Lambert Wilson, who plays the Merovingian, uses a cake metaphor to describe cause and effect. Agent Smith appears in the real world at the end of the second film.

What does a hero do aftercompleting their journey?In many ways,Reloadedcreates a new hero's journey. Agent Smith is placed where Neo was in the first film. He wakes up free from the Matrix and starts his own journey. Neo faces new tests that are often more about thought than fighting.

The sequels do not critique the Western story model. They show how the model shifts and what being a story's "hero" means. Smith thinks he is his own hero, though he hunts the world's end. Neo wants to break the Matrix cycle, letting Zion start a new journey.

As "the One," Neo saves Zion. That is what "the One" means.The MatrixIt leads the audience to believe.ReloadedandRevolutionsNot everyone in Zion believes Neo saves them. Viewers know Neo is the messiah. Many characters who did not see him in the Matrix doubt the prophecy.

Hundreds of people in Zion believe Neo and worship him like a god. Neo himself finds this uncomfortable. The sequels show what being a messianic figure means: Neo avoids his followers inReloadedbut he accepts his fate inRevolutionsTo talk to "Deus Ex Machina," the god in the machine, the two gods must meet. Only then can the Matrix reboot and Zion be saved. The sequels focus on the struggle of being "the chosen one."

Agent Smith enters the real world and needs a body to hide his consciousness. He takes the body of Bane, played by Ian Bliss, who gives an impressive performance as a fake Smith with a strong Hugo Weaving impression.

Bliss shares Weaving's physicality in key scenes, despite different body types. The performance is fun and engaging. The Wachowskis found someone who could nail Agent Smith's mannerisms.

The Wachowskis could easily have made a sequel toThe Matrixthat looked and felt like the first film but lacked heart.ReloadedandRevolutionsThey may be messy and flawed, but they show the filmmakers' willingness to take risks—and maybe damage their legacy—to try something new and have fun.

The sequels discard the first film's mythos, putting side characters first. Both films let Neo sit on the sidelines for time, giving Trinity and Morpheus room to drive the action.

By the trilogy's end, the whole story changed. Most main characters died. The program behind the Matrix ends the cycle with a shrug. The Wachowskis would not have done this if they played it safe.