Back to the Matrix.

I saw "The Matrix Reloaded" earlier this week. Enjoyed it. Probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read the Stuart Klawans deconstruction of the film (in the June 9 issue of The Nation) first. Following are two paragraphs from that article to give you the flavor.

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With their new film, The Matrix Reloaded, the Wachowskis take on the theme of choice, or the lack of it. I draw this conclusion tentatively, since the movie is uncommonly talky yet incomprehensible. Very long, mostly wordless fight and chase sequences alternate with scenes in which characters explain what's been happening; and these explanations sound like, "Abba gadda choice. Have zacha power taya. Understand kala mana, anomaly sa'ah." Listen with your ears out of focus and you almost catch the drift: The cybermessiah known as Neo (Reeves) may fight against the machines' domination, but all the while he's dependent on machines for his food, his water -- even for the air he breathes. What's more, he wonders whether his rebellion has been anticipated and countered in advance, by an opponent who comes to the chessboard with far more computational power than he'll ever muster. Could the enemy in fact be playing with both sets of pieces? Is Neo's revolt part of the system?

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My point is, The Matrix Reloaded moves more heavily than its predecessor. At times, the picture even grunts with effort, as when it builds up to the sex scene between Neo and Trinity. The whole first act of the movie seems devoted to getting the two of them naked, a process that requires the Wachowskis to intercut a full-scale orgy, featuring thousands of people bumping and grinding in the Temple of the Stalactites. Dreadlocks are flung about; piercings are flaunted (by "piercings," I mean the jack-plugs that are Matrix cyberequivalents); and a group of primitavist drummers bangs away like the road band of Stomp, until slowly, slowly, Neo pushes himself toward Trinity's bed. As the close-ups loom, you might notice that Trinity has a long face, with thin lips and a pronounced chin -- not unlike Neo's. Another instance of repetition: Keanu Reeves seems to be kissing himself.

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There is considerably more, but I don't want to completely spoil the movie for those who haven't yet seen it.

Last night, prompted by something nagging at the back of my mind, I pulled out the video of John Leslies's 1989 porno film "The Chameleon." I have always regarded this as one of the best porn films ever made. Now I am struck by the parallels to the Matrix.

The Chameleon is science-fiction. Like The Matrix trilogy it is about the nature of reality and illusion and it is about choice. It is the inverse of The Matrix Reloaded in the sense that there is little violence and a lot of sex, but it is parallel in that long, mostly wordless sex sequences alternate with scenes in which characters explain what's been happening. The explanations sound like they mean something but are mostly incomprehensible. Very unusual for a porn film of any vintage is that the sex scenes all advance the plot instead of being gratutious.

I think I should have added "The Chameleon" to my list of favorite science-fiction films that I posted in the original Matrix thread on May 21.

My all time favorite virtual reality film is still "Abre los ojos" ( http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/o/open_eyes.html ) which Tom Cruise remade as "Vanilla Sky" ( http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/v/vanilla_sky.html ).


-- Modified on 6/6/2003 2:56:53 PM