Unlocking The Matrix

(3 of 6)
Hoping lightning could strike thrice, the studio--Warner Bros., which, like TIME, is part of AOL Time Warner--said yes to the tandem of sequels. "The success of the first one created an environment for the producers to give the brothers a lot of resources," Reeves says. "It allowed them to pursue their use of a virtual camera, the time we got to spend on our fights. They could build whole worlds, like Zion. And they got the shooting schedule that allowed them to put all these things on film."

It was no holiday, those long months spent Down Under; often it was a nightmare. Reeves' sister had a cancer relapse. Fishburne severely sprained his wrist. Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Trinity, broke her leg. Gloria Foster--the Oracle whose pronouncements goad Morpheus to find the One--died at 64 after finishing Reloaded. Aaliyah, the R.-and-B. thrush cast in a major supporting role, died in a plane crash before shooting; she was 22. (Nona Gaye, Marvin's daughter, replaced her.) The attacks of Sept. 11 increased the cast's fear and isolation. Jada Pinkett Smith, cast as Morpheus' ex-lover Niobe, tried to back out because she was afraid to take commercial flights.

But the Wachowskis had earned the allegiance of the first film's cast and crew. Nearly all of them returned for the grueling sequels. It meant more months of arduous training, often under the supervision of Hong Kong fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, who devised the films' fabulous action scenes (he also masterminded the fights in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The result of those workouts shows onscreen: the stars look fitter, more weathered and sinewy than in the first film--their bodies reveal what they've been through. Says Moss, whose hard-earned buffness approaches the Amazonian look Linda Hamilton sported in Terminator 2: "I genuinely wanted to serve these two guys who gave everything of themselves to write this story and then to make it happen."

In addition to the long slog on Sydney sound stages, the team shot on a 1 1/2-mile freeway track built for the car chase at an old naval base in Alameda, Calif. Cadillac was so eager to hitch a ride, it fast-tracked two new models, the CTS sedan and Escalade EXT sport-utility truck, so they could be in the movie. GM engineers even fished spare parts for the prototypes out of the trash where they were due to be compacted.

As the opening date neared, Silver and the brothers judiciously nixed inappropriate merchandising tie-ins. "This movie doesn't fit into the Happy Meals world," Silver says. "And we were very concerned about fan backlash. We haven't beat them over the head with T shirts and board games and coffee cups and underwear. We want everything we do to look cool." The team also works hard to keep secrets secret. Unlike the last two Star Wars films, Reloaded did not find its script posted on the Internet--though there are two complete, fake scripts. Says Silver: "One of them was actually pretty good."

So what happens in Reloaded? You've been very patient, waiting for four years and wading through 240 lines of this story. You deserve a full description of the new movie. WARNING: The secrets are finally out. Gentler Readers who wish to view the film in blissful ignorance may turn this page now. We'll call you when it's over.

1. Obama's Private Prayer 'Leaked'
2. How to Survive Plane Decompression
3. Obama: How to Look Presidential
4. Randy Pausch — Life Teacher
5. Baghdad Outraged by Olympic Ban
6. Beers With More Alcohol Catch On
7. Obama Gets Love from Sarkozy
8. Israel's Debate Over an Iran Strike
9. Why is the IOC Punishing Iraq?
10. Would You Drive 55?