Deck Rickard
Lord of Frenzied Flame
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2017
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Hahaha honestly I think that was my biggest problem with this new Matrix, is it felt like a weird step back from Sense8? Sense8 felt like a real creative evolution of Lana's vision and then for me, this was like a weird halfway point between the two works. Like she wanted to make the Matrix via Sense8? Matrix characters with more of a Sense8 aesthetic (and almost all the cast lol). That was one thing that stopped me from connecting to it for the most part. It NEVER felt like it was the same universe as the other Matrix movies to me.
Agree 100% with this. The Matrix is the Wachowskis’ most iconic property and it deserves to be, based on the strength of the first film and it’s influence on the action and sci-fi genres. But in terms of great storytelling and characters, Sense 8 surpasses The Matrix IMO. It won’t have the lasting impact that The Matrix did and the fan base is much smaller, but the S8 fan base is fiercely loyal for a reason. And loyal enough that, even after Netflix cancelled the series (which as I understood it was mostly due to the crazy budget since they filmed all over the world), the outcry was loud enough that they switched gears and allowed Lana to finish it with a movie that somehow managed to wrap everything up in the most beautiful way possible. Very rarely have I ever come across a TV series where EVERY main character is my favorite character, but it’s absolutely true about Sense 8.
So yeah, while it was nice to see little cameos by so many Sense 8 cast members, this movie really did feel like a step back. It honestly felt confused and disjointed like it didn’t know what it wanted to be, which made it kind of the antithesis of Sense 8. Plot threads just seemed to go nowhere and the meta stuff was funny but it really didn’t amount to anything more than poking fun at movie studio reboots a bit. The Wachowskis have always been hit or miss; as much as I loved Sense 8, I can’t defend the abysmal Jupiter Ascending or the messy Cloud Atlas. But I think maybe in this case, Resurrections suffered because Lana mostly did it to keep WB from making a Matrix film independent of her more than as a labor of love.
I hope Lana bounces back from this and gives us something better next time around. I think doing something more personal is the best way to go; you can tell that S8 was the most personal project that she has done and while it’s action packed and a great piece of sci-fi, it’s that personal touch that makes the show really shine. I hope she goes back to that in her next project.
I know that she said she made Resurrections as way of dealing with the grief of losing her mother and father and she wanted to resurrect Neo and Trinity. And she did call those characters her most important ones. AND there is the fact that the Matrix films are an allegory about being trans. So I don’t mean to say that they aren’t personal to her. But even with all of that, I still feel Sense 8 is her most personal project; she’s even likened the character of Nomi to herself.
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