The climactic battle endangering human life is about to unfold, but will the debilitated Neo be able to exert his influence? When we last saw him he was comatose and unplugged from the Matrix. Trinity holds vigil over him as his mind fights for reawakening and a release from the no man's land between the Matrix and the Machine World. Also comatose on an adjoining table is the archevil Bane whose Smith-controlled treachery is not yet known to the leadership.

In this installment a cleverly graphic concept is created to illustrate Neo's isolation in limbo. He's lying in a pure white train station. He meets Sati (Tanveer Atwal), a young Indian girl who introduces Neo to her adoring parents. They explain that they are awaiting the overdue train on which they'll be transported by the Trainman (Bruce Spence) to different destinations, with Sati going to the Oracle as a companion.

When the train, at last, arrives at the station, the Trainman, a scraggly degenerate by appearance, blocks Neo from getting on. He is not to be permitted to escape the state of suspension he's in. When the train leaves without him, he tries a run for it but finds that the tracks are in an endless loop.

Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) learn about his plight from The Oracle (Mary Alice) and that the Trainman is under the control of the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson). With the help of Mifune (Nathaniel Lees) they pay him a visit at his club. While his consort Persephone (Monica Bellucci) is at his side, she (disappointingly) says and does nothing but observe as gun-play backed negotiations ensue. Trinity's hard bargain results in Neo's train trip back to consciousness.

Sentient again, he visits the Oracle, still trying to learn what his role is and how he can bring peace to the real world and save humanity. She is her usual mystifying self, talking in riddles and concepts. But there are two immediate threats (at least). The machines are almost at the door of Zion's protective dome in a major assault to wipe out the humans and, worse, Smith (Hugo Weaving) has grown stronger than ever, a complete runaway from the intentions of the Architect (Helmut Bakaitis). Like a virus for which there's no antidote, he's a threat to Neo, to the machine world and to the Matrix itself.

The machines bore through the concrete dome of the stronghold bringing on a Sentinel invasion that threatens total annihilation despite the Zion military's all out defense. These whip like machines come in numbers for which no defense is sustainable. The battle is fierce and prolongued in an epic struggle thunderously realized in state of the art CGI. The detail of it is characteristically awesome.

When Neo's powers return, and after deep contemplation, he faces his destiny -- a resolution that requires a space ship for a journey to Machine City in order to go before the fearful face of Deus Ex Machina, the thought center of the machines. Against the advice of the Council, Niobe (Jada Pinkett) declares her belief in Neo and his quest for peace, backing it up by giving him her ship while she takes command of Zion's ship for a rescue attempt.

The final showdown between Neo and Smith is a study in flying fury, though the staging of it seems less cleverly choreographed than Trinity's feats of spatial dynamics at the beginning of "The Matrix Reloaded".

Writer-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski have again (and finally?) given us their stylish concepts, extreme action, and extra-dimensional effects that are well done here but not as groundbreaking nor trendsetting as in the first installment. There is a certain tiredness setting in from repetitive outings with these heroes and heroines, making a conclusion welcome.

The wrap-up provides some clarification to parts of the mysteries controlling the competing forces and the nature of Neo's mission as The One. By its sheer complexity, though, there remains enough murky residue to inspire reflection and analysis that might never be fully agreed on by the Matrix-faithful.

In a coda scene, the Architect suggests to The Oracle the possibility of an improved version. Is there a Matrix 2.0 in our future? In a celluloid world, resurrections, like upgrades, are always possible.

See also, "The Matrix Reloaded"

                                      ~~  Jules Brenner