The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Expectations are dangerous. As someone who thinks the original Matrix is a perfect movie that still holds up the same way it did when I was blown away back in 1999, I’ve also been one of those individuals that would’ve been perfectly happy if it had ended at the closing credits of the original, Rage Against The Machine song blasting. Each subsequent entry since then has been a minor letdown though most would agree that The Matrix Reloaded does contain some breathtaking action after a rough 45 minute start (sorry I’m one of those who can’t get behind the Zion orgy rave sequence). The third film is mostly just fine and well, the latest installment is yet another step down in more of a significant way than I was prepared for. The ideas are all there but they didn’t come together the same way that they have before.
For the fourth entry in this intellectually engaging franchise, the first 45 minutes here did at least bring a smile to my face on occasion though I couldn’t help but also think, this is kind of silly for a Matrix movie. At the same time, I almost felt an out-of-body experience to the proceedings. Couldn’t help but think how personal was this going to be for Lana to the point of having characters on screen talk about franchise expectations and reboots (LOL). I guess I hadn’t anticipated the meta-level self-awareness to a degree that is on par with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare or Joe Dante’s Gremlins 2. “Reboots sell, don’t they?” At the same time, the film thankfully doesn’t take itself too seriously in a way that I thought would irk die-hard fans. Yet, the more I sit with this film as a whole, the more I think it simply doesn’t cohere into something truly satisfying. Others feel the opposite and I’m open to their input.
The Matrix Resurrections starts out by recreating / borrowing something old to begin anew. A familiarity with The Matrix and its sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, comes in handy when entering the new film, as the first task Wachowski, Mitchell, and Hemon go about resolving in Resurrections is extricating Thomas Anderson — better known as Neo — from his fate in Revolutions. Slowly, they reveal how Neo, seemingly deceased alongside his love and partner Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), may or may not have survived to once again become Thomas Anderson, a blank slate who has trouble telling what’s real and what is not. In fact, The Matrix as we know it is not just a simulated reality, but in fact, a video game universe designed by Mr. Anderson.
Upon this discovery, we actually see clips of the original Matrix interspersed throughout, including by videogame executives who proclaim things like, “Bullet time, wasn’t that cool?!” In my mind I was thinking, maybe Lana and her team could’ve just gone completely meta and made The Matrix in this movie an actual movie that everyone saw in this alternate reality. Thomas is asked to make a sequel to the Matrix video game trilogy, one that his parent company — also named Warner Bros. — will make with or without their input. Was the Matrix trilogy a series of games of his making? Or did they really happen, and he is once again a prisoner of the Matrix? Why is there a woman named Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss) in this world with him, one who strongly resembles the deceased Trinity of his fiction? I think about halfway, we start getting answers but we also get an eye-rolling, fan-service-level of familiarity without the freshness, clarity or originality.
We are also introduced to an alternate version of Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Agent Smith (Jonathan Groff). Sadly the absence of both Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving is felt here because they brought so much to the original trilogy in ways that overshadowed Reeves throughout. Honestly, in this film, I almost felt like Reeves was doing a parody of Neo early on but that may have been intentional. Tonally, it just feels off and by the time we get to the midpoint revelation of what’s taking place, it really does feel like a tired retread of the original rather than its own entity outside of the incredibly beautiful relationship established between Neo and Trinity. Keanu Reeves gives an impression of self-doubt in character and performance throughout here that I sadly couldn’t buy into. You wonder if he isn’t absolutely convinced about returning to this cult character after two decades especially after turning John Wick into its own franchise in a similar fashion (guess they couldn’t change his hair in this since he may have been filming the fourth entry in that other franchise). Carrie-Anne Moss is more in sync with her role even after all these years and she was clearly born to play this role and relishes the opportunity to return. Jonathan Groff is pretty solid as some kind of replicant Agent Smith and Priyanka Chopra exudes courage and calm in her short but significant role. Jessica Henwick is really the standout this time around as Bugs, giving a distinctive flavor to an otherwise stale recipe. She seems committed and assured throughout in a way that made me wish we could’ve learned more about her story rather than Neo’s. But there are moments where a 2021 Matrix film does hit home, including a bit of dialogue like: “If we don’t know what’s real,” one character asks Neo, “how do we resist?”
Perhaps the only truly successful plot points within The Matrix Resurrections are Neo and Trinity’s enduring love story and the film’s expansion to franchise lore. I know the world of Twitter and the queer community seem to embrace this experience far more than I did but something felt off nearly the entire time for me. Perhaps I just feel “off” in this reality with which we’re currently presented in the midst of a pandemic that played into my feelings a little, trying to watch another Matrix movie rather than fully immerse and invest myself the way I did with these films. It made me want to go back and revisit the other two masterpieces from The Wachowski’s which for me are Bound and Cloud Atlas. The latter of which I know has flaws but unlike the latest Matrix installment, I was able to overlook them and embrace its overall themes and ambition. There’s a particular moment involving a reappearance of the Merovingian character being interspersed that was intolerable and frankly that whole action set piece was sloppy and unengaging as it went on.
One would suppose that the big emotional payoff does involve an arc for both Neo and Trinity and certainly a particular epiphany and revelation is the highlight but everything else that surrounds it simply didn’t complement the proceedings. There’s no denying the goosebumps and thrills I get out of what ultimately becomes of Trinity’s fate though. I must admit having a woman cover “Wake Up” at the end was a heartfelt touch. But at the same time, the concurrent fight with the exiles is where I think the film starts going downhill. It wasn’t very interesting and didn’t really have any stakes, so we’re supposed to derive tension from Smith pulverizing Neo downstairs and seemingly needing help from the others, but the audience knows Neo is going to pull it off, so there is no real suspense as to what will play out. I know it’s not fair to compare this to the original film and to do so is missing the point, but I still watch the first one and feel tension throughout.
SPOILER: The moment where I felt connection to this story again was when Trinity + Neo essentially became “the one” together. I think if that could’ve been this movie at the midway point and we watch them kick ass together more than just in the final act, I would’ve loved that more. If there is a sequel, it could be a situation where I’ll appreciate this as a new origin story and love to watch them as a team take on a new adventure together. But that doesn’t come until way late in the game.
As somebody who was formed deeply by a love of The Matrix and the movie year 1999 in general, it’s a bit sad to stroll away from The Matrix Resurrections with the impression that fandom and audience influence may have soured its legacy badly for Wachowski. Perhaps both Wachowskis were needed for this world they established and their energies together is what made even the other two sequels work more often than not. This time out I was left underwhelmed and it could also simply be the case that my mind is not in tune with this franchise anymore for better or worse. Lana is obviously tremendously talented and philosophically astute. Sense8 is a show I also feel strongly about and look forward to revisiting. There’s no doubt that this is a flawed movie but the blemishes stuck out for me way more than usual rather than just giving in and letting the experience wash over me.
Another sad fact is that the action sequences here are poorly executed and unmemorable as mentioned, clearly a highlight from past entries. I guess I wanted the awe and wonder of the original to really hit home and provide the ultimate euphoria. All that being said, part of me doesn’t want to dismiss this interesting experiment from Lana to where I watch it again to see if maybe I warm up to it now that I know what I’m in for. There’s no denying the power of a moment late in the film where a different hero emerges that definitely rings true as a personal statement for Lana herself. Lots of fans of the franchise seem to be loving this sequel in ways that I am truly astonished by. Perhaps I’m stuck in my own Matrix-like simulation of not being able to simply believe that this one is a worthy addition to this innovative series of action films. DM for my mailing address and you can send me some red pills if desired.
