Creating a sequel to the superlative sci-fi action blockbuster The Matrix was always going to be a Herculean task. The Wachowski brothers set themselves such a high standard to compete with, that the second chapter in their epic man-versus-machines trilogy was never likely to match the impact of the first. To their credit, the brothers succeed in equalling the original's awe factor here, adding a handful of fantastic - though underused - new villains and delivering an array of astonishing set pieces, as Neo (Keanu Reeves) and his associates fight to save Zion, Earth's last human enclave. Disappointingly, however, such elements fail to lift a film that suffers from stilted dialogue, cheesy scripting and a surprisingly plodding pace. Had the Wachowskis centred their storyline within the "anything's possible" world of the Matrix, as opposed to the drab and inactive confines of "reality", they would have struck gold again. Instead, they produced a mediocre stopgap until the final instalment, The Matrix Revolutions.

The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.