THERE are millions of casual fans of The Matrix - people who saw the film on its original release, and maybe again on video or DVD, but who haven't bought the script book, mulled over the film's philosophical implications or spent weeks hobbling about with groin strain after attempting to replicate those justly famous action sequences.

I saw The Matrix at the cinema when it was released in 1999 and loved it. The martial arts inspired action sequences were breathtaking, like nothing I'd seen before. The film reeked of style and intelligence; it looked great and had something to say for itself. It was also entrancingly original.

No wonder expectations for the second instalment of the trilogy were high.

It pains me to report, then, that about halfway through The Matrix Reloaded I was confused to the point of boredom - and beginning to think that maybe I'd grossly overestimated the first film.

In order to understand Reloaded it's an absolute prerequisite to know The Matrix back to front and inside out. Anyone without an encyclopaedic knowledge of the first film, or even the spin-off series of animated films, Animatrix, to which various references are made, is likely to feel extremely bewildered.

Unlike the Star Wars films, which tie up with each other but can be appreciated in their own right, watching Reloaded is like walking into a film late and realising that all the important plot points have already been explained.

If you haven't seen The Matrix - or, like me, are sieve-headed enough to have forgotten most of it - you won't have a clue what the Matrix actually is or why Keanu Reeves is wearing a grubby T-shirt one minute and flying about in shiny leathers the next.

Yes, I know it's supposed to be some kind of elaborate metaphor for the nature of existence and is therefore likely to be a little on the mentally challenging side, but I always thought one of the basic rules of good storytelling was clarity.

Admittedly, the film is a visual feast, with stunning action sequences and intricately imagined environments.

Overall, though, it is a hugely disappointing follow-up which will only dilute the reputation of the original.

I give it: 4/10

ANDREW WHITE

BLACK PVC outfits: check. Breathtaking action sequences: check. Philosophical 'deep' metaphors: check.

The Matrix Reloaded was never going to be as good as The Matrix. 'Becoming' superhero films are always more compelling than ones where the hero has already established that they're something special, the same as almost all romantic movies are about people getting together rather than being together.

But as far as sequels go, Reloaded presses all the right buttons.

Despite serious concerns that it was going to be obviously computer generated, most of the action looks very real, with just a few unfortunate moments that look more like the special effects in kids' flick Jumanji than seems appropriate.

And there is plenty of crowd-pleasing action - some of which caused the audience at the screening I attended to applaud - from the already renowned scene in which Neo takes on 100 Agent Smiths to Trinity burning the wrong way down a motorway on a motorbike with agents in lorries in hot pursuit.

The Wachowski brothers were obviously under pressure to up the ante, especially in the fight scenes, and they definitely rose to the occasion, coming up with new baddies, including the Twins who, despite their history as handymen on Carol Vorderman's Better Homes were surprisingly good, and giving Agent Smith the ability to copy himself.

The have also upped the philosophy, which lets the movie down a little. Basing the film on a philosophical premise worked well in The Matrix but Reloaded features too many scenes in which people go off on monologues about choice, why we are here, power and the meaning of life.

But luckily these are more of an add-on to the film and you don't have to read Descartes back to front to enjoy the movie.

And anyway, the confusing bits give you a great excuse to watch the film again.

I give it: 9/10

SALLY CHURCHWARD

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Second instalment of The Matrix trilogy. Neo and the other rebel leaders embark on a race against time, with just 72 hours before probes destroy Zion and its human inhabitants. Neo must also work out how to save Trinity from the dark fate he foresees for her.

CAST:

Keanu Reeves - Neo

Laurence Fishburne - Morpheus

Carrie-Ann Moss - Trinity

Hugo Weaving - Agent Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith - Niobe

Monica Belluci - Persephone

Harold Perrineau Jr - Link

DIRECTORS: Andy and Larry Wachowski

SCREENWRITERS: Andy and Larry Wachowski

RUNNING TIME: Two hours approx.