In theaters

THE MATRIX RELOADED, written and directed by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski, 138 minutes, rated R.

Four years have passed since “The Matrix” unloaded its $456 million head trip in theaters and now, with the release of its eagerly anticipated sequel, “The Matrix Reloaded,” there’s good news to be had, particularly for those who enjoy style over substance.

For instance, some will be relieved to know that slick vinyl pantsuits are still very much in vogue, as is the potentially hazardous trend of wearing one’s sunglasses at night.

Better yet, everyone from the last film looks just as sedated and as cool as you would expect, which is important, especially since the entire Matrix juggernaut, created by the Wachowski brothers, is as much about style as it is about its groundbreaking special effects and our diminishing role in the virtual world.

To that end, the film doesn’t miss a stylish trick. Indeed, when one fights in “Reloaded,” one doesn’t cheapen the proceedings by bringing a bare chest and dirty dungarees to the party. Instead, one comes impeccably attired, tailored and groomed, so pulled together that the very idea of something coming untucked, a hair falling out of place, a smudge of dirt appearing on a collar, a wrinkle forming along a crease, is as unthinkable as shopping for one’s knickers in the bargain bin.

Occasionally, blood does enter into the equation, soiling a shin or splattering across a forehead, but when that happens, note how each splatter looks as if it were crafted by the swift genius of Jackson Pollock’s hand.

Furthermore, also note how well the actors wear their blood. Had these people been around in 1976, when poor Carrie was walloped with pig’s blood at the prom, it’s clear that with the help of the Wachowskis’ considerable flair, she would have turned her sloppy undoing into a smart accessory and not gone home alone.

This new “Matrix,” which the Wachowskis wrote and directed, supersizes everything that was super about their smash, 1999 cult hit. It’s a film of excess and restraint, proving you can have both in a blockbuster without embarrassment, though it is fair to say that the brothers are more inclined to unleash the former than embrace the latter.

Following “X2: X-Men United,” “Reloaded” is a sequel boosted immeasurably by its convoluted predecessor.

The first film, a fantastic-looking bear riddled with a mother lode of literary and cinematic references, pop psychology, New Age ideas and trippy slang, was merely a primer for all that’s to come. Now, armed with the required viewing of that film, audiences can fully enjoy the Wachowskis’ vision of human survival in a machine-dominated world.

Picking up soon after “The Matrix” left off, “Reloaded” follows Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Link (Harold Perrineua) in their all-out attempt to save the world’s last human inhabitants – now moshing to a tense technovibe in the underworld city of Zion – from extinction by the machines.

Joining them is Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), a potent pixie with a mean chop and a vicious kick who once had an affair with Morpheus but who now finds her religion, so to speak, in the capable hands of Commander Lock (Harry Lennix).

To stop the machines, Neo and company must find the Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim), physically hack into the Matrix’s mainframe and reach the Architect. That will prove nearly impossible to do, particularly since Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith is back on the case and he now can duplicate himself a hundred times over.

Joining him are evaporating albino twins (Neil and Adrian Rayment) with the sort of dishwater blond dreadlocks that suggest they truly came to tangle, and the Eurotrashy Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and his brooding, undulating wife, Persephone (Monica Bellucci), who give the film the comedic jolt it needs.

With his lover, Trinity, at his side, and Morpheus close behind, Neo gives Agent Smith and his lackeys a series of fights to remember.

And that’s just what “Reloaded” becomes, an often breathtaking array of action sequences that are so exuberantly entertaining – highlights include a 14-minute-long car chase involving Morpheus and Trinity, and Neo’s gravity-defying battle with dozens of morphing Agent Smiths – it’s impossible not to get swept up in the considerable excitement the Wachowskis generate.

More literal and streamlined than its predecessor, “Reloaded” might disappoint those hoping for more answers to the first film’s underlying mysteries, but it must be viewed for what it is – the middle film of a trilogy. Think of it as a shot of adrenaline to the heart of the series, a movie intended to offer a heavy-breathing break from the heavy-handed psychobabble before the Wachowskis address all our questions about Neo’s destiny in “The Matrix Revelations,” which drops in November to conclude the series.

How will that film play out? At the end of “Reloaded” is a two-minute primer that says nothing much, but which – you guessed it – nevertheless can’t be missed.

Grade: A-

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6, and are archived on RottenTomatoes.com. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.