The Neo Wave

Despite the emotional turmoil, the production carried on. No days were lost. No one stopped working. There were even moments of joy: Fishburne proposed to actress Gina Torres (who has a small role as Zee's sister), and castmate Neil Rayment designed their diamond-studded wedding bands. And through it all, the Wachowskis kept shooting what would turn out to be one of the most involved productions in Hollywood history. ''I don't think there's a scene without an effects shot of some sort,'' says cinematographer Pope. ''I mean, wires had to be removed, some door opened up to some place that didn't exist, people morphed into something else. You'll see.'' In the end, there were more than 1,000 effects shots in Reloaded. The first film had 412.

Even with all those fireworks, Silver says the final cost for the two sequels was a mere $300 million. ''By doing them both at the same time, we saved a fortune. It breaks down to about $100 million in visual effects, $100 million in above-line costs, and $100 million in below-line costs,'' he says, referring to the money allocated for salaries and then for the actual production. ''Those are good numbers to make two movies.'' Of course, it's his job to say that. Insiders claim that the budget for Reloaded and Revolutions ended up significantly higher than the studio and the producer are willing to admit.

Not that it matters, really. Sure, Joel Silver has good reason to show a journalist those tracking numbers. While there is no doubt The Matrix Reloaded is lusted after by all kinds of fans -- young and old, male and female (but mostly young and male) -- it is an R-rated movie, and the fact is, no R-rated movie has ever grossed more than $235 million domestically. (That would be 1984's Beverly Hills Cop.) And in Hollywood, you never know. Look at Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, which grossed $120 million less than Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. For that matter, look at The Phantom Menace, an utter creative disappointment. Right?

But we're talking about The Matrix here -- and the Matrix has everyone. No one doubts that Silver and Warner Bros. will make their money. Or that Reeves, Moss, and Fishburne will see their stars burn brighter. What is worth watching isn't box office, tie-ins, copycats, or Internet fansites. It's the Wachowski brothers themselves -- and whether they have managed to craft something so insanely new as to alter the face of pop culture. Again. * (Additional reporting by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh)

''We like kickboxing. We like guns. We like blowing stuff up. We

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''We like kickboxing. We like guns. We like blowing stuff up. We like action movies,'' says Larry Wachowski. ''But we always wanted more from them.''

The cast had to ask, ''Which German philosophers do we need to read in order to comprehend this?'' says Weaving