Saturday, June 14, 2003
Egypt bans US sci-fi hit Matrix Reloaded
Agence France-Presse Cairo, June 11
Hollywood's latest science fiction hit Matrix Reloaded has been banned in Egypt for threatening to offend traditional religious views on the creation of mankind, the country's chief censor said on Wednesday.
Director of artistic censorship Madkur Thabet said, "Despite its excellent technical level, the film was banned because it deals with subjects like human existence and creation.
"And these are questions linked to the three monotheistic religions that we respect and which we believe in," Thabet added. "These questions have in the past provoked crises and tension."
He said the decision was taken by a "committee of university professors and cinema experts."
In addition, he said, "the film has too many scenes of violence at a time when we are trying to fight this phenomenon."
The distributors of the movie have the right to appeal the ruling to a committee within the culture ministry.
Egyptian censors banned the original Matrix in 1999, but the distribution company obtained permission to show it after appealing it to the ministry commission.
The sequel took 91.7 million dollars at the US and Canadian box office -- the second-best weekend opening ever, box office trackers Exhibitor Relations said May 18.
The Matrix Reloaded -- the second in a planned trilogy -- had the best opening of all time for an R-rated film, the label given to movies not recommended for children under 17.
The film is a dark fantasy, which retains the mix of Eastern philosophy and Western mythology, spectacular fight scenes and lavish special effects that made the 1999 original such a hit.
Reeves, who plays the series' Kung Fu kicking, shades-wearing hero, Neo, is back as part of the band of rebels who battle intelligent machines in a future in which humans are enslaved within the Matrix -- a virtual reality that looks very much like Los Angeles today. It was released by the US studio Warner Bros.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2003. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without prior permission