Revolutions Unraveled

When the Wachowski brothers first introduced us to The Matrix, the world stopped and gave their undivided attention. Now, with the second and third instalments revving their engines for next year's release, that old Matrix magic is stirring once again. Stills, reports and all manner of tasty nuggets have leaked out over recent months, but the latest issue of Movieline has surpassed them all with a no holds barred dissection of what's in store. Warning: If you have a fear of Matrix spoilers then best look away now! Giving a comprehensive breakdown of the sequels' plots, Movieline describes Reloaded as picking up almost exactly where the first film ends. However, while Neo has come into his powers 'The One', the machines have an ace up their sleeves as well: they have discovered the location of the last human city, Zion, deep within the Earth's core. While the humans' metal masters plan an all out attack, Neo, Morpheus and the gang must track down the Keymaker, a man who controls all of the doors into the machine world. His bodyguards, the white-clad Twins, are just two reasons why this straightforward task is not going to be as easy as it seems. Revolutions, following six months after the second film's release, promises to be one long battle between humanity and the machines with the earth and, ultimately, survival as the prize. The climax of Reloaded apparently takes the form of a frenetic freeway chase as our heroes try to make their getaway with the captured Keymaker. With agents materialising left, right and centre, the sequence boasts kung fu battles atop speeding vehicles, a motorcycle chase through oncoming traffic and more insurance write-offs than Direct Line would know what to do with. This finale aims to redefine the cinema action set-piece. "It's going to make 'The Fast and the Furious' look like 'The Slow and the Dimwitted'," says cinematographer, Bill Pope. For the full article, get your hands on a copy of the 6 January issue of Movieline.