The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 movie written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to The Matrix (1999). It is a prequel to The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Resurrections.

In this movie, humans and machines are at war. The machines have taken over everywhere except for the city of Zion, which is buried four kilometers below the surface of Earth. In this world, the machines have created the "Matrix", which is a simulation of the real world that most humans are now unknowingly trapped inside. A few hundred humans have been "unplugged" and see the real reality, which is dark and barren. The humans find out that the machines are digging to invade Zion, and they want to stop Zion from being destroyed.

One group of humans, led by Morpheus, believe in something called the prophecy. They believe that The One (a human named Neo) will save the humans. Another group, led by Commander Jason Lock, does not believe in the prophecy, so he wants to try to defend Zion with ships and humans.

Neo is called to see the Oracle. After he meets the Oracle, he gets into a fight with Agent Smith. Smith was an Agent fully connected to the Matrix. Agents are programs that are more powerful than most humans because Agents aren't limited by human capabilities. However, Neo defeated him at the end of the first movie. Smith says that he has new powers. He is able to touch someone, and that someone becomes part of him. He and hundreds of these clones try to defeat Neo, but Neo beats them after a couple of minutes, showing that Neo has become a lot more powerful than before.

Smith later touches someone named Bane, who is already free from the Matrix, and catches him right before he is leaving the Matrix. Now, Smith controls an "unplugged" human, making him very dangerous, especially because no one can tell he is under Smith's control. As Bane, Smith tries to kill Neo outside the Matrix, which would be easier than in the Matrix, but another human interrupts the attempt when he comes to say goodbye to Neo. Later, the humans line all of their ships together. They hope to trigger their EMPs all at once to stop the machines. Smith/Bane, on one of these ships, triggers the EMP before they are supposed to and ruins the attack.

Neo and his crew try to fulfill the prophecy. They pick up a man named the Keymaker. They must get into a special room within a certain time limit. The power must be cut. The machines, which just beat back the surprise attack, attack one of the ships and the power comes back on. Trinity, Neo's girlfriend, gets into the system and turns off the power again.

Neo meets a man named the Architect. He tells Neo that the prophecy is not true and that the machines will destroy Zion. It is The One's job to let it be destroyed and to pick new people to form a new Zion. The One must also touch the source. Neo learns that Trinity is in trouble and will die. Instead of doing what the Architect tells him, he saves Trinity.

Morpheus is not happy that the war is not over yet. He says that the war should have been over when The One touched the source. Neo tells Morpheus what the Architect said. The machines attack the ship that Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo are on. They escape. Neo uses his powers to disable all the attacking machines, but falls unconscious. Another ship picks them up. The movie ends in the ship hospital room, where Bane and Neo are lying.

• Keanu Reeves as Neo
• Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus
• Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity
• Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith
• Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe

The response to this movie was big. It made $91 million in its first weekend at the box office, beating out the $50 million record set by Hannibal (2001) for an R-rated movie. Its final total of $281 million in the United States was the highest ever for an R-rated movie until The Passion of the Christ (2004) beat it with $370 million.

• The Matrix Reloaded on IMDb