The tagline for the new Matrix film, Reloaded, is "Free Your Mind". I think a more appropriate one would be a line of dialogue taken from the Christopher Guest comedy A Mighty Wind: "Hey, Wha' Happened?"

Four years of intense anticipation and even more intense hype has given way to Matrix Reloaded, a flat follow up to the 1999 sci-fi hit starring Keanu Reeves that played like Alice In Wonderland with guns and robots. The original film was everything its sequel is not - involving, exciting, inventive and most of all, fun. While Reloaded does have some gems scattered about in its second half, you may find yourself sitting in a darkened theatre wondering exactly what is the point of that which you are witnessing.

In this instalment of the trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves) assumes greater command of his powers as Zion falls under siege to the Machine Army. Only a matter of hours separates Zion, the last human enclave on Earth, from 250,000 Sentinels programmed to destroy mankind. But the citizens of Zion, emboldened by Morpheus' (Laurence Fishburne) conviction that the One will fulfill the Oracle's Prophecy and end the war with the Machines, rest all manner of hope and expectation on Neo, who finds himself stalled by disturbing visions as he searches for a course of action.

In order to find a way to stop the machines, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) must once again enter the Matrix to find a person who can help them in the war. Along the way, there are both new and old villains to contend with, including the now rouge Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who is hell bent on getting out of the Matrix at all costs.

The 1999 original, written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers, was a unique breath of fresh air in the sci-fi genre - the effects were impressive, the action scenes exciting and the story involving, one that did a fine job introducing its concept: our world is nothing more than an elaborate computer program. It wasn't perfect, but it sure was a lot of fun.

I wish I could say the same about Reloaded. In fact, I consider this movie to be the antithesis of the first film. All of the elements that made the first Matrix unique, save the visual effects and stunt work, work against Reloaded. The directing by the Wachowskis is unfocused and plodding, even - surprisingly - during the action sequences (more on that below). Instead of taking chances with their material, the Wachowskis seem to be playing it safe, rehashing what made the first one such a big hit and serving it up under a different name.

Their screenplay is equally a let-down. It's thin, underdeveloped and full of pretentious dialogue, including a horrible, rambling discourse delivered by a useless character named Merovingen (Lambert Wilson) regarding choice, illusion and chocolate cake (!) that stop the film dead in its tracks. The screenplay also lacks a much-needed sense of humour (where is Joe Pantoliano when you need him?).

Neo is a prime example of the script's failure to realise its own potential. He's meant to be "The One", possessing superhuman powers that pose a serious threat to the machines. Yet, rare does he use them, and the powers he does use we've already seen in the first film. If Neo can do things others can't, like stopping bullets, flying into Agents and breaking their "code", why is he still using kung fu as a fighting technique? Does Neo fulfill his promise, made at the end of the first film, to free more minds from the Matrix? No. Why not? Live up to the film's tagline and have him free his mind! If anything, his mind seems more closed than it did during the first film.

Any of the above would have made up for the almost-unbearable first act set in Zion, home of lame secondary characters, political intrigue that makes CSPAN exciting and a rave/orgy sequence that made me wonder if softcore porn director Zalman King stopped by for a day of directing.

In regards to the action sequences, the one standout being the 17-minute freeway chase towards the end of the film, someone should have also told Andy and Larry that their signature bullet time/wire fu/slow-motion techniques have now become passé. They've been done to death in the four-year interim between Matrix films. They are no longer unique or exciting. The only thing they manage to accomplish is to slow the pace down even further.

Reeves, Moss and Fishburne are adequate even if they are just going through the motions here (you would too if you were given this screenplay). Weaving, the late Gloria Leonard (she died shortly after completing her role) and Jada Pinkett-Smith make the most of their limited screen time and underwritten roles, coming off the best of the bunch, while Monica Bellucci's extended cameo adds very little aside from some great visual splendor.

And it all ends with a weak cliffhanger, one that will be resolved this November with the third and final film, Revolutions. The brief trailer had some interesting scenes, but Reloaded deflated any and all enthusiasm I had to see this series to its end. I would like to hold out hope that Revolutions will justify the mediocrity of Reloaded, but it would have be something quite extraordinary to do that.

Take Neo's advice to Trinity and "stay out of the Matrix".

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