The Matrix Resurrections

[Iceman]

I happened to love it! I'm a big fan of the sequels so I was already on board for it going into weird directions. As with any Matrix sequel it's inevitably not perfect as it has a lot of interesting ideas, great worldbuilding, great commentary raising the mirror to our cultural landscape/entertainment landscape- does all that but has to keep breezing on, and other times stops to exposit but above all else

Spoiler

seeing Neo and Trinity get a happier ending this time was just pleasant to see right now. The action is obviously a step down from the previous movies but I don't think it needed to be as extravagant as the previous movies. It was a smaller scale personal love story and it was suitable for what the story was going for. I commend this movie for treading the retread line carefully. I'd be perfectly happy if there were no more Matrix movies after this but we all know (and the movie tells us) it's gonna go on in some form or another.

Agreed with what’s in the spoiler tag.

 

[BatLobster]

My read is that Neo coded nuMorpheus to shed the Smith side if he accepted the red pill. After Bugs gives him the red pill, the Morpheus coding takes over.

Right, I think that part makes sense (btw the idea of programs being able to take the red pill is awesome), but then the other thing is why his personality is basically the opposite of Morpheus once he becomes "Morpheus". There's a line where he says Neo's whole plan was "crazy-making" but it worked, so I just kinda took it to mean the whole process of combining two personalities into one and then shedding one kinda made him a little cooky. For me, while fun/funny, it just felt a little undercooked in the movie. It just seems like he reaches a level of self-awareness to understand that he's not the true Morpheus and was based on someone else's memory of Morpheus. Then again he has that great line, “Are memories turned into fiction any less real? Is reality based in memory nothing but fiction?”

I think he can be reflecting on this idea himself as much as he's posing that to Neo. Because in essense, he himself is a walking "fictional" version of Morpheus from Neo's memory of who Morpheus was.

It's a bit funky, but kind of interesting too. I think I just wish Morpheus' journey of discovery got a little more attention in the film.

Overall though, the more I think about this film, the more I find myself really appreciating it.

 

[TheVileOne]

You could've just as easily made Mateen II a totally new character and make him someone who is more skeptical and doubtful about Neo. Someone he has to begrudgingly win over. He disappears into the background in the second half of the film.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

When you can't perform do a bunch of meta stuff saying how performing is stupid anyways and should be frowned upon. Then make a poor movie and... guess what? The thing you said in the beginning magically came true.

That's what I got from watching this movie. This was a movie about why the first movie was great, to the point where they even played clips of it throughout.

At one point either Doogie Howser or that annoying office guy even says something about Bullet Time and how you can't do anything that's cooler than that, so they sort of don't, I guess.

But you've completely misread your audience if you thought that what we wanted to see more than anything from a new Matrix movie is the next Bullet Time effect. It's completely disingenuous to claim that that's what the people want to see and then pretty much say "But what people want is stupid, over the top and can't be done so we're not even gonna try"

But then kinda go ahead and try anyway only for people to end up not liking it, but guess what, the first half of the movie was a meta disclaimer about how people can never be satisfied so, prophecy fullfilled.

And why were so many shots and action sequences carbon copies of the original Matrix? Of course you're not gonna be able to make something fresh when you literally copy scenes from the first movie for cheap nostalgia points.

4/10

 

[InCali]

I rather enjoyed it. Not a classic, but I found it rather entertaining. I kind of like reunion movies with characters I liked and am easily entertained. I'm a lousy critic.

 

[DyeLorean]

The cynic in me thinks that they put all that talk about sequels, people not being satisfied and all that just so they could make a low-quality sequel and get away with it by talking about it in the film itself to spark debate.
"It's an inferior film but they're meta about it so it's fine!"

 

[henzINNIT]

I will say, if there was an area of the film I had a lot of hesitation about, it was the new Morpheus.

I actually thought the idea that he was something Neo coded from Morpheus and Smith and the whole modal concept was really neat. The two things I'm still a little unsure about is...if he was a combo pack of Morpheus and Smith, why exactly did the Morpheus side win over when it came to becoming self-aware? Just because? And...why does this new personality who seems absolutely nothing like Morpheus (or Smith), still identify as Morpheus? Why not just assert a new identity of his own? Like, I understand the meta, thematic reason for him to be kind of mocking the previous Morpheus' lines and stuff, but I don't understand what his deal is as his own intelligence and why he has that attitude about it? That's the only area of the movie where I think the meta is pushed a tad too far. I just think I needed more understanding of what is making this Morpheus tick.

I did really dig the idea of Morpheus/programs being able to interface with the real world, so that was really cool to see.

Considering that they lost Weaving as Smith, perhaps the solution could have been to go even further and fully combine Smith and Morpheus 2.0. Manteen takes over as Smith, Neo's new boss, who has been redesigned to be like Morpheus so Neo will more easily follow. He can be red-pilled just like he is in this, but perhaps with more made of his contradictory states.

 

[BatLobster]

When you can't perform do a bunch of meta stuff saying how performing is stupid anyways and should be frowned upon. Then make a poor movie and... guess what? The thing you said in the beginning magically came true.

That's what I got from watching this movie. This was a movie about why the first movie was great, to the point where they even played clips of it throughout.

At one point either Doogie Howser or that annoying office guy even says something about Bullet Time and how you can't do anything that's cooler than that, so they sort of don't, I guess.

But you've completely misread your audience if you thought that what we wanted to see more than anything from a new Matrix movie is the next Bullet Time effect. It's completely disingenuous to claim that that's what the people want to see and then pretty much say "But what people want is stupid, over the top and can't be done so we're not even gonna try"

I think this part has been misread as crapping on the audience, when I don't see it that way. To me that was clearly a shot at the corporate-driven IP and reboot-driven landscape that were are currently living in. They are depicting corporate executives there, not every day fans after all. They joke about it needing to be mindless action, but then they also cover the other side with the absurd "Ideas are the new sexy." The whole thing is some of the sharpest satire I've seen in a film this year, and I just watched Don't Look Up.

I think ultimately Lana was simply interested in making a different, more personal film with this.

And honestly, that whole part of the movie transcended being meta to me and just became awesome. In a world where filmmakers can pretty much put anything they want on screen if given enough money, a big budget franchise film doing this:

Spoiler

pretty much had as much of an impression on me as much as whatever the hell the visual equivalent of the "next bullet time" would've been. The whole thing honestly felt like a Black Mirror episode. So it passed my smell test for good thought-provoking sci-fi and social commentary.

From a narrative standpoint though, it was a great way to get me to sympathize with Neo. Being gaslit that badly by this new Matrix, having his life/memories turned into fiction, once again feeling trapped in a life that feels empty and hollow despite everything around him looking all shiny, colorful and pretty...it's VERY twisted and bleak. You can go two ways with it and be angry with Lana Wachowski for doing this to Neo/The Matrix, or you invest in the story and sympathize with Thomas Anderson's predicament. I went with the latter. Neo deserved so much better after all he had gone through, and thankfully the film gives him that in the end.

 

[BlackFox]

Well, glad I finally got to see this for myself, it is intriguing when a movie splits opinion and I can certainly see why, there were things I really liked and some things that I really didnt but overall I was entertained and think its far more interesting and thought provoking Matrix film than definitely the last one or perhaps even two films, more of a thinking man's Matrix if you will and perhaps thats where a lot of the problems lie as well but to use a gaming term that seems appropriate, 6 months more in development and this could have been really something really special.

The biggest weakness most surprisingly is the action, especially with

Spoiler

Neo

getting whacked with the nerf hammer and I think a lot of people come to a Matrix movie expecting that to be the main thing so they are going to be disappointed, there are some cool moments that feel very Matrixy and I liked the ideas and concepts more than the execution at times. The train fight looked like it could have been something really awesome but the camera work and editing was all over the place and this happened throughout the fights, odd camera angles and positions made it hard to see what was going on with so many close ups and quick cuts. The most frustrating thing was seeing

Spoiler

Chad Stahelski

show up (great to SEE him though) when he could have been behind the camera and sorted all the action out, frustrating.

The first part of the movie was very meta, perhaps a bit too much at times but I liked a lot of the themes and common Matrix ideas of people want to be controlled rather than be in control of their lives (very relatable in 2021!) and the Analyst was a good idea of a character but damn if I cant see past the Barney Stinson in NPH, I just cant take him seriously enough in the roll, its not that he's bad per-say just a very different tone to the rest of it. As for the guys trying to replace Hugo Weaving and Laurence Fisburne, yeah you were onto a loser from the start, there's only one Agent Smith and Morpheus but I guess they had to for action purposes use younger guys, just made it feel a little cheaper.

The first part also suffered from some really bad, over acting from some of the supporting cast in the

Spoiler

gaming office

that Neo worked in, they stood out like a sore thumb.

Some other quick pro's/con's and general thoughts:

Trinity's moment was pretty epic, loved that she got her moment to shine.

Christina Ricci should have been used way more.

Jessica Henwick was the best new addition by far, loved her Bugs character,

Spoiler

more like Morpheus as a captain ready to disobey orders than actual Morpheus in this.

also had the best action scenes.

The ageing of some characters looked very 90's and plain bad.

Too many call backs and flashbacks to the original, made some parts extremely predictable.

Some practical effects looked pretty good with the

Spoiler

helicopter fight

at the end and other parts looked like really bad green screen like the

Spoiler

bike chase

just very uneven and choppy quality effects.

Overall I did enjoy large parts of it, its very uneven and some really sloppy decisions, especially in the action, casting and editing areas hold it back from something that while could never have reached the heights of the first film could have got a lot closer to it. It still has more to offer than some of the sequels but it is very different from them in a lot of regards, which is both good and bad in various aspects. With a bit more time and care taken in certain areas they could have had something really special but a lot felt rushed for some reason.

 

[#root]

I think this part has been misread as crapping on the audience, when I don't see it that way. To me that was clearly a shot at the corporate-driven IP and reboot-driven landscape that were are currently living in. They are depicting corporate executives there, not every day fans after all.

I agree with that, at no point did I think the movie or Lana was ****ting on the fans. It was definitely the studio executives or hack writers maybe that they were aiming at.

I have to say even though I think this could’ve been better, I still have a really strong urge to watch it again. Now that I know what the story is and how it unfolds, I can focus on the details of how Lana chose to tell that story.

Edit: Damn, I just remembered the bummer that was Christina Ricci’s cameo . I had been so excited to see what her role was ever since it was announced. I’m mainly a victim of my own expectations but if they hadn’t announced it, I probably would’ve been really excited to see her pop up. I just thought they would give her a small but at least a little less inconsequential role.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I think this part has been misread as crapping on the audience, when I don't see it that way. To me that was clearly a shot at the corporate-driven IP and reboot-driven landscape that were are currently living in. They are depicting corporate executives there, not every day fans after all. They joke about it needing to be mindless action, but then they also cover the other side with the absurd "Ideas are the new sexy." The whole thing is some of the sharpest satire I've seen in a film this year, and I just watched Don't Look Up.

I think ultimately Lana was simply interested in making a different, more personal film with this.

And honestly, that whole part of the movie transcended being meta to me and just became awesome. In a world where filmmakers can pretty much put anything they want on screen if given enough money, a big budget franchise film doing this:

Spoiler

pretty much had as much of an impression on me as much as whatever the hell the visual equivalent of the "next bullet time" would've been. The whole thing honestly felt like a Black Mirror episode. So it passed my smell test for good thought-provoking sci-fi and social commentary.

From a narrative standpoint though, it was a great way to get me to sympathize with Neo. Being gaslit that badly by this new Matrix, having his life/memories turned into fiction, once again feeling trapped in a life that feels empty and hollow despite everything around him looking all shiny, colorful and pretty...it's VERY twisted and bleak. You can go two ways with it and be angry with Lana Wachowski for doing this to Neo/The Matrix, or you invest in the story and sympathize with Thomas Anderson's predicament. I went with the latter. Neo deserved so much better after all he had gone through, and thankfully the film gives him that in the end.

I couldn't have said it better. I feel like some people believe what Lana did was "butchering", but really it was the opposite. This was not meant to look or feel like the other Matrix movies. Even a quote from the cinematographer shines light on how Lana viewed this movie. It's not the same as the others, and never intended to be. The movie is partially a satire, while also being about Neo and Trinitys love for each other.

I think there's a lot of meaning behind this quote here for the whole series.

I'm not trying to convince others to like this film, btw. Just stating how I feel.

 

[BatLobster]

@Gothamsknight well said man. 100%. I've always really enjoyed the train station scene in Revolutions too, so to see threads from that pay off 18 years later was really satisfying. Rama Kandra says that he is a Power Plant Systems Manager, so I always felt that he might've had something to do with whatever the machines would do to Neo's body in the Machine City. I could just easily imagine the studio version of this movie completely ignoring all of that stuff in favor of something dumbed down.

And yep, beyond choice, the central theme in the films has always been love. Or perhaps it might even be posed as the ultimate 'middle way' to the binary of free will/choice.

I saw this in theaters again last night. Yeah, I think I love this movie now. That doesn't mean I think it's perfect. But I love that it exists.

If this movie wasn't bombing, I would've said that maybe the best way forward would be Lana, David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon continuing to write scripts and maybe just let James McTeigue direct if Lana doesn't want to devote all that time to it again. It was a good combo for V for Vendetta and I think he'd be able to deliver the type of action the fans want. But yeah, I don't know. In a way it feels like this series has said everything it wants to say, and I definitely feel like Lana intentionally wrote the story into some corners. I actually think the series is at the point where the most meaningful extensions of that world would be comics or even novels. Deeper explorations of world and themes than you can do in a movie. IMO it's for a niche audience now.

Btw, this also isn't the first time the series went meta. I forgot about this comic:
Get It?

 

[Gothamsknight]

@Gothamsknight well said man. 100%. I've always really enjoyed the train station scene in Revolutions too, so to see threads from that pay off 18 years later was really satisfying. Rama Kandra says that he is a Power Plant Systems Manager, so I always felt that he might've had something to do with whatever the machines would do to Neo's body in the Machine City. I could just easily imagine the studio version of this movie completely ignoring all of that stuff in favor of something dumbed down.

And yep, beyond choice, the central theme in the films has always been love. Or perhaps it might even be posed as the ultimate 'middle way' to the binary of free will/choice.

I saw this in theaters again last night. Yeah, I think I love this movie now. That doesn't mean I think it's perfect. But I love that it exists.

If this movie wasn't bombing, I would've said that maybe the best way forward would be Lana, David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon continuing to write scripts and maybe just let James McTeigue direct if Lana doesn't want to devote all that time to it again. It was a good combo for V for Vendetta and I think he'd be able to deliver the type of action the fans want. But yeah, I don't know. In a way it feels like this series has said everything it wants to say, and I definitely feel like Lana intentionally wrote the story into some corners. I actually think the series is at the point where the most meaningful extensions of that world would be comics or even novels. Deeper explorations of world and themes than you can do in a movie. IMO it's for a niche audience now.

Btw, this also isn't the first time the series went meta. I forgot about this comic:
Get It?

I'm still mad I didn't go see it in theaters haha, but it is what it is. I'm already 3 watches in at home, and I'm sure a 4th is on the horizon soon.

V For Vendetta felt like a Wachowski film in a way, so I'd be totally down for that, but I also feel like there's something nice about Lana having overseen everything with the franchise and with her seemingly not interested in a 5th, I find it unlikely. People forget, but she oversaw both Enter The Matrix and Matrix Online in the early 2000s. I kinda forget if she was involved with Path of Neo, but I do know she also had a big hand in the Matrix Awakens unreal engine demo too. If she wants to distant herself, maybe it's best there are no more movies. At the same time though, I'd be so down for a TV series with new characters. it all depends really.

 

[BatLobster]

I'm still mad I didn't go see it in theaters haha, but it is what it is. I'm already 3 watches in at home, and I'm sure a 4th is on the horizon soon.

V For Vendetta felt like a Wachowski film in a way, so I'd be totally down for that, but I also feel like there's something nice about Lana having overseen everything with the franchise and with her seemingly not interested in a 5th, I find it unlikely. People forget, but she oversaw both Enter The Matrix and Matrix Online in the early 2000s. I kinda forget if she was involved with Path of Neo, but I do know she also had a big hand in the Matrix Awakens unreal engine demo too. If she wants to distant herself, maybe it's best there are no more movies. At the same time though, I'd be so down for a TV series with new characters. it all depends really.

Yup, the Wachowskis co-wrote and directed Path of Neo as well. My personal read is that Lana is open to another video game moreso than another movie at this time. But she's also said she was done before, so who knows. Maybe in 2040 we'll get a fifth film with Neo/Trinity in their 70s.

I do wonder if Lana is secretly overjoyed that the movie is bombing because it decreases the chances of WB moving forward with other films for now.

It can't feel great to have your creation held hostage by a studio like that, but at the same time I guess James Cameron has had to endure that with the Terminator franchise, so it is what it is. I'm just so grateful that we haven't (yet) had to watch The Matrix turn into Terminator. Every piece of content out there is Wachowski-approved, which is pretty rare, love it or hate it.

 

[Karelia]

Yeah, I kinda wish I went to the theater to see it now as well. Oh well. I'll buy it on 4K when it drops. Hopefully they do a cool steelbook or something.

 

[BatLobster]

It's not too late! If you're enjoying the film and you have the time/money to spare I'd still recommend checking it out in a theater with big sound and a big screen. It's always nice to be properly immersed in a movie, and I think the third act hits a lot harder in a theater.

But I mean, it just shows what a failure releasing this movie on HBO Max was for WB. It even caused people here who are huge Matrix fans to decide to watch it at home, because it's really hard to argue with that convenience, especially if reviews are mixed. Now imagine a just casual fan...and, yeah.

 

[samsnee]

I think there's a lot of meaning behind this quote here for the whole series.

I'm not trying to convince others to like this film, btw. Just stating how I feel.

That picture is trying to be deeper than it is. Yes. Love is a word. Words are used to describe things. It’s how people communicate.

 

[BatLobster]

That picture is trying to be deeper than it is. Yes. Love is a word. Words are used to describe things. It’s how people communicate.

The entire point is it's a machine basically telling a human, "your side didn't invent love and we are capable of that type of connection too."

Pretty awesome.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Yup, the Wachowskis co-wrote and directed Path of Neo as well. My personal read is that Lana is open to another video game moreso than another movie at this time. But she's also said she was done before, so who knows. Maybe in 2040 we'll get a fifth film with Neo/Trinity in their 70s.

I do wonder if Lana is secretly overjoyed that the movie is bombing because it decreases the chances of WB moving forward with other films for now.

It can't feel great to have your creation held hostage by a studio like that, but at the same time I guess James Cameron has had to endure that with the Terminator franchise, so it is what it is. I'm just so grateful that we haven't (yet) had to watch The Matrix turn into Terminator. Every piece of content out there is Wachowski-approved, which is pretty rare, love it or hate it.

Yeah, I agree haha. I kinda felt like this movie was Lanas way of saying "this is my franchise", evne if they had decided or do decide to move on without her in the future. There are more stories to be told for sure, but it's her baby.

Cameron should've done Terminator Dark Fate haha. That movie was bad, but I don't really get why Cameron was involved if he wasn't gonna direct it. All the more reason The Terminator films should've ended at T2. I have a strong soft spot for Terminator Salvation though.

Yeah, I kinda wish I went to the theater to see it now as well. Oh well. I'll buy it on 4K when it drops. Hopefully they do a cool steelbook or something.

It's not too late! If you're enjoying the film and you have the time/money to spare I'd still recommend checking it out in a theater with big sound and a big screen. It's always nice to be properly immersed in a movie, and I think the third act hits a lot harder in a theater.

But I mean, it just shows what a failure releasing this movie on HBO Max was for WB. It even caused people here who are huge Matrix fans to decide to watch it at home, because it's really hard to argue with that convenience, especially if reviews are mixed. Now imagine a just casual fan...and, yeah.

I'll be grabbing the 4k as soon as i can, that's for sure. I'm hoping for some commentary as well for this.

I actually had my ticket to see this, but had to get a refund to do some personal circumstances. After watching it at home, it is harder for me to gather the drive to go to the cinema, even though I totally think that's the proper way to view the film. But I might still do it if I can!

 

[Daywalker89]

This was a welcomed surprise. I watched in the cinema and was totally engrossed in this film. Quite enjoyed it. Not as good as the original obviously (Could tell the difference in class in that projector screen) sits inbetween Reloaded and Revolutions for my personal rank but honestly this wasn't a train wreck as perceived. The themes talked and shown throughout had me " open " so to speak. Not sure where they can go after this one though. Im hoping its done and dusted but knowing this movie industry anything is possible.

 

[BatLobster]

The first act of this movie is such a fun trip. I think the thing that hammers home the brilliance for me is I feel like The Matrix is the literally ONLY current big sci-fi franchise where you can actually justify that direction in-universe in way that actually makes sense. That alone makes me happy that they it actually went there.

 

[Gothamsknight]

This was a welcomed surprise. I watched in the cinema and was totally engrossed in this film. Quite enjoyed it. Not as good as the original obviously (Could tell the difference in class in that projector screen) sits inbetween Reloaded and Revolutions for my personal rank but honestly this wasn't a train wreck as perceived. The themes talked and shown throughout had me " open " so to speak. Not sure where they can go after this one though. Im hoping its done and dusted but knowing this movie industry anything is possible.

The first act of this movie is such a fun trip. I think the thing that hammers home the brilliance for me is I feel like The Matrix is the literally ONLY current big sci-fi franchise where you can actually justify that direction in-universe in way that actually makes sense. That alone makes me happy that they it actually went there.

The fact that it "feels right" is one of the things that makes it awesome to me. It may not be a lot of peoples cup of tea, judging by reactions, but it's true to Lanas vision and that is one of the reasons I love it.

 

[TheVileOne]

Ghost in the Shell: Innocence is still my favorite Matrix sequel

 

[TeeKay]

This movie shouldn't have been made and would have turned out a lot worse had Lana not directed it. I'm convinced this was a major F U to the studio. Didn't the producer basically admit that the movie was happening with or without Lana?

 

[BatLobster]

This movie shouldn't have been made and would have turned out a lot worse had Lana not directed it. I'm convinced this was a major F U to the studio. Didn't the producer basically admit that the movie was happening with or without Lana?

Yeah, it was happening with or without her. And we knew they were developing a movie with Zak Penn writing.


I think the movie clearly has some shots at the studio. I mean even something naming the main new character Bugs. It would be like naming Rey Minnie or Belle in The Force Awakens. It's pretty dang subversive LOL.

I do think Lana had genuine things she was looking to express and explore with this film, while at the same time putting the story in a place where it feels pretty complete and would be difficult to move the story forward from there. I don't think she burned it to the ground, but it also feels pretty clear that she's uncomfortable with the idea of someone else stepping in to mess with this story and I can't blame her.