The Matrix Resurrections

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah, love was the power of it. If you find that hokey, fine, but it's more thematic and emotional, which is another thing the Matrix dealt with. In the end, the core of the stories dealt more in emotional ideas than intellectual. If you're looking for a scientific explanation of how love creates energy, you're not gonna find it.

It's the same as explaining how Trinity's love/kiss for Neo resurrected him in the first film.

 

[BatLobster]

Yeah, people seem to easily overlook the fact that Neo is literally resurrected from death and becomes The One all because of a kiss in the original film. There's a very fairy tale sort of quality to it all.

The logic of the machines drawing energy from humans was always kind of shaky too, but if you're going to run with that idea it also makes some sense that peak emotions would generate more power. Which is also a good metaphor for the modern day internet and social media.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Yeah, people seem to easily overlook the fact that Neo is literally resurrected from death and becomes The One all because of a kiss in the original film. There's a very fairy tale sort of quality to it all.

The logic of the machines drawing energy from humans was always kind of shaky too, but if you're going to run with that idea it also makes some sense that peak emotions would generate more power. Which is also a good metaphor for the modern day internet and social media.

In the Animatrix, Second Renaissance, when the machines won the war, a deal was made between them and the human race. I don't remember the exact sentence but it was something like that : surrender your flesh and the humans agreed (they had no choice though).
The machines held true to the deal.

 

[Lily Adler]

In the Animatrix, Second Renaissance, when the machines won the war, a deal was made between them and the human race. I don't remember the exact sentence but it was something like that : surrender your flesh and the humans agreed (they had no choice though).
The machines held true to the deal.

And then promptly blew them up, but that's neither here nor there.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

And then promptly blew them up, but that's neither here nor there.

Yeah they did, that sealed the deal.

Edit:
Victorious, the machines now turned to the vanquished.
Applying what they had learned about their enemy the machines turned to an alternate and readily available power supply: the bioelectric, thermal and kinetic energies of the human body.
A symbiotic relationship between the two adversaries was born.
The machine drawing power from the human body an endlessly multiplying, infinitely renewable energy source.
This is the very essence of the Second Renaissance. Bless all forms of intelligence.
Your flesh is a relic, a mere vessel.
Hand over your flesh, and a new world awaits you.
We demand it.

 

[Persona]

I mean it's all subjective, but it sounds like those who enjoyed this more really liked the meta stuff and the fact that it was a smaller more personal story for Neo and Trinity aswell as the romance between those two.

I can kind of understand where they are coming from too, but I just found this movie lacking on so many levels and when you can't even deliver on the action sequences in a franchise that set the bar when it comes to awesome, groundbreaking action sequences than that's a huge problem for me.

I guess I just expected a lot more from a new Matrix movie or had too high of expectations because I was really disappointed that not one action scene in this movie was as memorable as the Highway chase from Reloaded or the DBZ/Superman fight between Neo and Agent Smith in Revolutions

Yeah, I get the contextual defenses, but there are just so few levels to the movie that impressed me or that I actually enjoyed. The only aspect I really loved was Jessica Henwick, ha.

The meta-textual stuff could have worked but it was so poorly written and insipidly shot (and the acting was not great in these sections, too), I felt like I was watching a bad sketch parody of The Matrix.

I've heard arguments that because of the meta aspect, the action isn't "supposed to be good." Well, then the action should have been perfunctory. Instead, so much focus and time is spent on it, it's honestly kind of a drag to watch other than a few moments. Like, you really can't help but miss the action from the other films when you spend so much time watching inferior action that has all these callbacks to amazing sequences.

I will say that in terms of theme, core simplicity (though the plot is still way too convoluted), and overall vibe, I do prefer it to the other Matrix sequels, and Bugs is my favorite new character since the original. But I definitely miss the quality of cinematography, direction, mise en scene, editing, action, music, villains, etc. etc. of the OT.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Pretty much. Like the first Matrix. It’s a standalone but the sequel threads are there if you want them.

I think the Wachowski have been burned too many times with their non-franchise starters Speed Racer and Jupiter Ascending which were both intended to start their own trilogies lol

They should have got the rights to Gatchaman and done that instead of Speed Racer.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I was VERY disappointed and bluntly, bored by this movie for reasons others here have already stated.

I get what Lana wanted to do with this movie but it really fails at engage us or even enlightening us to the current state of this world.

Which... That's not a huge flaw. It has a bunch of half baked themes and commentaries on society wrapped in a slick production design married to an emotionally distant screenplay and dialog...

So in other words... A Matrix movie.

I wouldn't have been so underwhelmed however if it had executed what the story here is about well but it just doesn't. The crux of this literally came down to "Trinity's choice" and she is sadly barely a character here. It is a very hollow film because her voice, what she's going through is not on screen in any way. I can hand wave a lot as from the first film... There was always a lot to wave away. Not showing us Trinity's story but making the climax all about her and choosing to get out was head scratching. I could forgive perhaps all the rest of the opaqueness with so much else but yeah, Lana made the choice here to sideline Moss for a lot of material that didn't add up to as clever a meta commentary as she thought.

I am honestly surprised more don't talk about how this movie designed as a love story practically erases the voice and POV of the original trilogy's main female protagonist.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah sidelining Trinity was really weird. I don’t understand that at all. Especially since she was also noticing something was wrong with her reality but instead of experiencing that with her (like we do with Neo) she just talks about it. A bit of a head scratcher that a director as experienced as Lana doesn’t understand the “show not tell” rule when it comes to filmmaking. I know I would have loved to have spent more time with Trinity than whatever they were trying to do with NotMorpheus or that cringe-inducing Merovingian scene.

 

[elgaz]

Yeah, people seem to easily overlook the fact that Neo is literally resurrected from death and becomes The One all because of a kiss in the original film. There's a very fairy tale sort of quality to it all.

It's a recent thing, but I enjoy watching reaction videos on Youtube, and in particular, reaction videos to the original Matrix film from people who have never seen it. In a way it's reliving the first viewing and sense of wonder to it.

I've noted in many (especially those where the reacter is female) them referring to "True love's kiss!" when Trinity kisses Neo's seemingly dead body at the end of the film and his vital signs suddenly kick back in. The first time I considered it I was a little confounded as I must have watched the Matrix 30+ times and I've never once assumed it was her kiss that brought Neo back to life. I always felt that it was a case of his body has shut down - because he's been killed in the Matrix and "the mind makes it real" - but his brain is still functioning on some level because it takes longer for the brain to shut down during death. And subconsciously, as she's speaking to him, his brain finally acknowledges that none of it is real and he can kickstart his body again if he wants. It's not dissimilar to how certain words and sounds can trigger a reaction in a comatose person.

To me the kiss was more of a metaphor than anything, so it was somewhat of a surprise to see that many people believe it was the kiss itself that physically revived him. It goes against the sci-fi nature of the first film to some degree but I guess I can buy into it because the romanticism element of Neo & Trinity has always been so woven into the storyline.

 

[TheVileOne]

From what I understood, if Neo and Trinity are close enough (but not too close), they boost the electricity plant production. They act like some sort of catalyst for all the other humans because "love".

Except there was that whole thing with them touching hands and creating like an electric explosion. Plus Neo having powers outside the Matrix.

 

[BatLobster]

Some possible good news for Matrix fans. I was browsing the Matrix Reddit, and it looks like some eagle-eyed fans have spotted some evidence that there's another Animatrix in the works:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15822832/

It looks like the details are only available via IMDB Pro, but John Gaeta is listed as an executive producer, and Jordan Goldberg (who's worked with the Nolans a lot as a producer and writer on Westworld) is listed as a writer.

Additionally, the following is now on Gaeta's Wikipedia page.

2020-2021 John Gaeta created a new development hub (“Gelato”) focused on incubating a 21st century approach to The Matrix within emerging new media formats. With Lana Wachowski, a story premise for Animatrix 2.0 was born based upon the Origin of the Matrix. Additionally, Gaeta produced a Unreal Engine 5 special project titled The Matrix Awakens, and had a cameo in The Matrix Resurrections.

So, we'll see, but there's a chance some more Wachowski-blessed Matrix content could be in the works.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Except there was that whole thing with them touching hands and creating like an electric explosion. Plus Neo having powers outside the Matrix.

That's why the Analyst kept them close but not too close.
What can I tell you ? That's how I rationalise it, the movie is not great anyways. I must find some explanations of my own to this mess.
About Neo's powers outside the Matrix, it looks like he lost them I think ?

 

[TheVileOne]

That's why the Analyst kept them close but not too close.
What can I tell you ? That's how I rationalise it, the movie is not great anyways. I must find some explanations of my own to this mess.
About Neo's powers outside the Matrix, it looks like he lost them I think ?

I was just coming up with a theory of how this is happening. If they are anomalies, maybe breeding humans in this way after so many years started causing genetic abnormalities. Humanity itself after a number of generations came up with a way to "evolve" to fight the machines?

 

[BatLobster]

*Pushes up nerd glasses*

Neo's powers in the real world were always one of the more mysterious aspects of the sequels, but The Oracle does offer an explanation in Revolutions. Neo touches "The Source" when he meets The Architect. It's important to keep in mind that every human that's grown in the fields is part-machine in a sense, since they have the holes and they have brains that can be literally plugged into.

I think the best way to think about it is Neo's "source code" (as NPH refers to it in the new film) was altered when Neo reaches The Architect ("although the transport process has altered your consciouness, ergo, vis a vis..."). His sense of connection to the machines is heightened and he's basically able to interface with them via wi-fi. That's how he's able to end up at the Train Station without being plugged in. So that's how I look at it. Neo's real world powers were confined to how he was able to stop the sentinals, and even that had its limits. It's not like Neo was ever able to fly and do bullet-time in the real world.

So with that in mind, it's important to remember that the energy we see when Neo and Trinity's hands touch in the real world occurs when they are still in their pods and plugged in. I don't think the film is suggesting that the power of their love will allow them just to do hadoukens in the real world now. They were essentially batteries hooked up to a massive supercomputer when that happened. BUT, the power of their love makes them a mega-anamoly that is the basis for The Analyst's new Matrix.

Yes, it's some weird, dorky lore but it makes sense to me dammit!

 

[henzINNIT]

It's funny, back in '03 it seemed a step too far to have Neo reach out in the real world and kill Sentinels. Wireless connections are nothing now.

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[-Arya-]

No, no reboot. Just leave the franchise alone WB. You’ve got other stuff you can use.

 

[TheVileOne]

It's funny, back in '03 it seemed a step too far to have Neo reach out in the real world and kill Sentinels. Wireless connections are nothing now.

Except that basically means that the grown humans are cyborgs and part machine themselves.

 

[Deck Rickard]

No, no reboot. Just leave the franchise alone WB. You’ve got other stuff you can use.

Seriously. Why does anyone think a reboot would perform better?

 

[Lily Adler]

I liked it for what it was, but it makes me wonder why not a Wachowski produced television series for HBO Max?

 

[BatLobster]

Except that basically means that the grown humans are cyborgs and part machine themselves.

Feature, not a bug. I mean, this is a series that is extremely interested in the interplay between man and machine and man's evolving relationship to technology...humans behaving in a machine-like way, machines becoming more human-like and everything in between. It's also a series where the vast majority of the characters we meet were literally created by machines and have literal jack-in holes in their heads. So...

Heck, Elon Musk argues that we're all already basically cyborgs.

"We’re already a cyborg," said Musk. "You have a digital version of yourself, a partial version of yourself online in the form of your emails, your social media, and all the things that you do." We already have "super powers," contends Musk, citing the world’s access to smartphones and personal computers. "You have more power than the president of the United States had 20 years ago. You can answer any question, you can video conference with anyone, anywhere. You can send messages to millions of people instantly. Just do incredible things."

 

[DarkKnight88]

I liked it for what it was, but it makes me wonder why not a Wachowski produced television series for HBO Max?

It depends what it would be. Cause a 10 hour series taking place in IO sounds torture.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Feature, not a bug. I mean, this is a series that is extremely interested in the interplay between man and machine and man's evolving relationship to technology...humans behaving in a machine-like way, machines becoming more human-like and everything in between. It's also a series where the vast majority of the characters we meet were literally created by machines and have literal jack-in holes in their heads. So...

Heck, Elon Musk argues that we're all already basically cyborgs.

Did you just quote Elon Musk as if he is source of actual knowledge? In real life?

 

[Lily Adler]

It depends what it would be. Cause a 10 hour series taking place in IO sounds torture.

Like this film could have been a series where they search for Neo and season 1 would have been Bugs and NotMorpheus looking for Neo.