Parents' Guide to

The Matrix Reloaded

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Second Matrix movie is violent but still exciting.

Movie R 2003 138 minutes
The Matrix Reloaded Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 22 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 16, 2022
age 15+

This film deserves many re-watches...it is quite good.

I saw this film when it was released in theaters in 2003. I, like many people before me was not very impressed. I thought the film had some bright spots, but in general I lamented how it was "not as good as the first one". I recently re-watched it in preparation for The Matrix Resurrections and I have to admit that I was a silly 27 year old that did not appreciate storytelling and character building. Although it is clear that they had a much bigger budget that they expeditiously used to make a lot of very long fight scenes it is also clear that the Wachowski's had a vision for their world that they created and had generously invited us all to observe. I appreciate this film a lot more on the re-watch.
LelandCGI23
LelandCGI23 Adult
June 20, 2020
age 14+

Really Good Movie.

Great

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 22 parent reviews

What's the Story?

No refreshers to bring us back into the world of the original Matrix -- THE MATRIX RELOADED literally starts with a bang as a woman in black breaks into some sort of secure facility and fights off the guards. And just like that, we're back in a world where the machines use humans for fuel, lulling people into thinking that they're living mundane lives so that they won't realize that they're merely an energy source. Only a few humans know the truth, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) believe that one of them, Neo (Keanu Reeves), is "the One" who's destined to defeat the machines. The action shifts back and forth between Zion, the city where the humans who resist the machines live, and the illusory "city" maintained by the computer program called the Matrix.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (22):
Kids say (74):

This movie lives up to fans' expectations in many ways, serving as a bridge between the chapter that sets up the conflict and the chapter that resolves it. The Matrix Reloaded has some narrative weaknesses, but there are electrifying fight scenes, an audaciously dystopic vision, zillions of explosions and car crashes, a steamy love scene, and visual effects that continue to raise the bar.

Some of the action sequences will simply knock your socks off. The Matrix's Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) has learned how to multiply, and Neo has to fight a hundred Smiths, each with its own version of Weaving's magnificently cocked eyebrow. Real-life twins (and black belt karate instructors) Adrien and Neil Rayment play dredlocked albinos who can turn themselves into ghost-like wraiths out to destroy our heroes. And there's a heart-stopping 14-minute chase and crash scene on a freeway. But the movie's most powerful scene doesn't have fancy special effects or explosions. It's the conversation between Neo and the Oracle (played with endless warmth, wit, and spirit by the late Gloria Foster). The movie also taps into epic questions of destiny, causality, identity, and choice.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this second installment in the Matrix trilogy compares with the first. Is it as exciting and innovative? What impact does the movie's violence have?

  • Is Neo "the One"? What does that mean? Who or what is the Oracle?

  • Whose choices led to the conflict between the humans and the machines?

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