The Matrix Resurrections Review: The Action Scenes Try To Recreate Some Of The Most Iconic Moments| Matrix 4 Review
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra
Director: Lana Wachowski
Filmyhype Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and half) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Matrix was a turning point for cinema in 1999, defining the science fiction and action genre for the next two decades. His two sequels, however, did not live up to expectations and are currently seen as slot machines. Based on this consensus, when Lana Wachowski decided to return for a fourth film, the sequel to the trilogy was already controversial. There weren’t many open ends to continue the story but bringing it into the current context seemed like a good idea.
This is a period that cinema has been betting heavily on nostalgia. Classic franchises are making a comeback, repeating formulas that worked years ago and appealing to the fan’s emotions. Matrix Resurrections could easily be one more to follow that path, but the decision here was to break with it. In return, there is a movie that is more concerned with doing something new, even if that means laughing at itself.
The Matrix Resurrections: Story Plot
After Matrix Revolutions, Neo (Keanu Reeves) was placed back in the digital world with no memory of what happened before his sacrifice. Now, his alter ego Thomas Anderson is a game creator, whose greatest work is the Matrix trilogy. But something feels wrong, and he feels as if the created world is actually his past. This intensifies after meeting Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss), who seems to have been a great love in her past life. His therapist (Neil Patrick Harris) still tries to treat him, giving him blue pills to control the weird dreams.
Everything changes, however, when Bugs (Jessica Hendrick) and a digital version of Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Marteen II) emerge promising to reveal the whole truth behind what is happening. So Neo decides to embark on the adventure and understand what’s behind this new version of the Matrix. This is Lana Wachowski’s first work without her sister Lily. The two were responsible for creating this world in 1999 and built their careers side by side until they decided to break up. Recently, the sisters lost their parents and this whole context inspired Lana to come back to the franchise and express her grief.
This expression doesn’t come subtly, it’s a scream in the viewer’s face. The entire first act is built on a meta-language that talks about The Matrix’s impact on pop culture and the creative process surrounding the fourth film. There is an opening of debate about remakes, reboots, what makes these films iconic, in addition to the marketing part.
Lana puts herself in Neo’s shoes, to show the pressure behind creating a new product on top of something that was successful. “They would do it even if I didn’t want to,” says Neo of the idea of making a fourth Matrix game. This whole moment works perfectly within the franchise’s central proposal of questioning reality. Without a doubt, one of the most interesting points, despite sounding like an apology for its existence. But after all that has passed and the film has to deal with its main plot, there’s a distinct loss of rhythm.
The Matrix Resurrections Review and Analysis
Matrix Resurrections is a direct sequel to its predecessor. Soon, some questions left behind come back to be answered in this new movie. Among them, what happened to humanity after the agreement formed by Neo and the machines, the fate of Trinity and, as an employee, the reboot of the Matrix. As long as there is a mystery, the film remains interesting. But when the answers arrive, the existence of this sequel seems unnecessary. There’s nothing too shocking or revealing, following paths already expected by fans. So the question that remains is why complicate a story that seems simple so much?
The answer is in the metalanguage itself Lana didn’t have much to tell. Therefore, relying on the mystery and criticism of the work itself seemed a better solution than just redoing what had already worked. It is up to the audience to interpret what has been done and decide whether or not they will like this new approach.
Matrix became a great success due to the technological advancement of special effects and its action scenes. The industry has evolved over these years and today there is nothing that cannot be done in cinema and TV, although superficiality takes over some works. Resurrections bet on first-level effects, but no longer generate the same impact. The action scenes try to recreate some of the most iconic moments from previous films, but they don’t have the same refinement anymore.
Still, there is good entertainment in this movie. Despite the nostalgia, there are all-new sequences that while not impressive, are enough to leave the session commenting on how much fun it was. One is a human zombie missile attack, an insane and quite creative idea.
The Matrix 4 Review: The Final Words
Star Wars: The Force Awakens established in 2015 that every franchise return should return to its essence and recreate a classic. This is clear in all the revivals released since then. Already The Matrix Resurrections shows that it is still possible to return to a franchise with interesting ideas. Even though at the end of the day there is little text and a lot of subtexts seeming to be more complex than it really is, you can’t ignore an attempt to make a blockbuster authorial and that still criticizes even Warner Bros. itself. In a few years we should go back to this movie and see how important it was, especially in the case of new sequels.
