_The Matrix Reloaded_ would have made sense if the filmmakers had posed the following question clearly: are the premises of _The Matrix_ -- the idea that Neo is the One who can save humanity, and the mode of resistance to the Matrix is to fight within it by freeing one's mind from its "reality principle" -- themselves part of the Matrix, a simulacrum of resistance that makes the Matrix work?
The plot of _The Matrix Reloaded_ could have gone like this:
(A1) an action sequence loaded with special effects and choreographed kung fu, in which Neo battles Agents of the Matrix to free a number of human beings from "the Machine" -- near the end of the sequence, Agent Smith drops a hint of Neo's function, which is completely lost on Neo (B1) a developing conflict between Neo, who begins to act as if he is the One, and Morpheus, who begins to doubt his own initial belief that Neo is the One, with Trinity torn between her love of Neo and her respect for Morpheus' judgment, growing out of (A1) (A2) an action sequence loaded with special effects and choreographed kung fu, in which the Nebuchadnezzar narrowly escapes destruction, interrupting (B1) (B2) Neo's triumphant return to Zion + his rise to power -> a developing conflict between Neo and his followers (especially the ones personally freed by Neo) on one hand and the other denizens of Zion on the other hand, within which (B1) unfolds further, with Morpheus now doubting whether Zion needs anyone to be the One -- in the mean time, Agents _may_ have infiltrated the minds of some members of Zion through their dreams, blurring the boundary between illusion and reality, propaganda and prophesy, etc. -- paranoia develops among denizens of Zion (A3) an action sequence loaded with special effects and choreographed kung fu, emerging out of (B2) (C1) Neo meets Oracle in the course of (A3) -- Oracle gives an ambiguous message, another hint of Neo's function (A4) an action sequence loaded with special effects and choreographed kung fu, during which it dawns on Neo that he is a dialectical twin of Agent Smith in the Matrix, which explains Agent Smith's indestructibility -- at the same time, the very existence of Zion is threatened by Sentinels outside and political conflicts inside that are exacerbated by the paranoia about Agents' infiltration, continuing from (B2) (D) the film ends with several open-ended questions regarding what Neo can and will do with his realization that his mode of resistance was programmed, what the other denizens of Zion will do about their conflict with Neo and his followers, what Morpheus will do with his doubt about Neo and the necessity of the One, and what Trinity will do about her internal conflict.
The above plot probably wouldn't have worked in reality, though, as it assumes that Keanu Reeves can act. :-> -- Yoshie
* Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://solidarity.igc.org/>