General [SPOILER ALERT] warning if you’re way into Matrix lore.
I was a non R Rated age when the first Matrix came out. I saw it a year later, on TNT. Didn’t matter. That first movie was a revelation: amazing action sequences, a simple powerful message, and a crazy world of what seemed like endless creativity. Since then, the Wachowski’s have had my heart and support, and I gleefully followed them wherever they wanted to go. Sadly, the studios have not been as kind to them because of their movies’ profit margins, forcing the ultra talented filmmakers into the Matrix, when they probably didn’t want to be there in the first place. That tension can be felt in The Matrix Resurrections, though Lana Wachowski can’t help but instill in this reboot that killer Wachowski DNA that makes them such enticing filmmakers.
You might be asking “Wait, didn’t Neo (Keanu Reeves) die saving humanity at the end of Matrix: Revolutions?” Turns out, he’s been asking himself (going by his previous name, Thomas Anderson) the same questions with the help of his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris), and channeling those dreams he’s been having into a video game franchise with the help of his boss (Jonathan Groff). However, those dreams keep resurfacing everytime he encounters a woman in the coffee shop he goes to (Carrie-Anne Moss, now going by Tiffany). As the dreams/reality line blurs further, a blast from Neo’s past, Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), returns to remind Neo about the truth of the Matrix, and maybe that his dreams are not actually dreams, but maybe memories of a past life.
The Matrix Resurrections is a tale of 2 halves. Lana Wachowski clearly feels dragged back into The Matrix by Warner Brothers studios, who threatened to “take” the franchise away from her. How do I know this? I could have Googled it, but Wachowski literally says this repeatedly throughout the first hour of the movie, completely dumping on the studio producing the movie and their insatiable need to retell the same story over and over again. The movie becomes an unveiled internal conversation Lana Wachowski was clearly having with herself, as she debated whether or not to return to the Matrix, which, you know, means a LOT of talking, with NOT a lot of world building. Basically a meta therapy session for the director. Expect to roll your eyes a lot here, sadly.
But after Lana Wachowski gets over her little existential crisis, some of that Wachowski philosophy/world building starts to happen by part 2. Turns out the Matrix is a well of ideas and creativity, as Lana wipes her canvas clean and starts building a new version of an old story. What we get is complex, but mostly coherent if you’re paying attention. Also, Lana is too smart to just retell the same story; she finds a new angle and progresses the tale forward, finding new themes and character beats along the way. Anchoring this whole thing is Keanu Reeves, actually doing a decent job acting here; this Mr. Anderson is more frail and confused but almost Oracle like in his knowledge, which Reeves uses to give a solid performance. Carrie-Anne Moss didn’t really need to be rebooted; her Trinity was great, and Lana Wachowski only makes her more great in this reimagining. A lot of Wachowski vets (where my Sense8 fans at?) ably support the story, though in my opinion Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, and a spoilery character I won’t reveal leave the biggest impressions. The action sequences aren’t revolutionary, but they at least look pretty cool, too, particularly if you like explosions around a Ducati.
The Matrix Resurrections is the Blue Pill version of Matrix 1999. It’s merely ok, but sometimes, you just want something comfortably fun to watch right? But hey, Lana, no more movie therapy sessions please? And also, go back and try to get that Neflix money for your ambitious creative philosophising? Red pill the red streaming giant!
Finally, do NOT watch trailer #2 for the movie. It gives the plot away. I posted trailer 1 below.