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Time to plug back into the Matrix! It has been decades since movie-goers first saw Neo in ‘The Matrix’, a sci-fi classic directed by the Wachowski siblings (Lana and Lilly). The blockbuster film changed the way special effects were done, even the way soundtracks were made, it gave us Keanu Reeves the action star and opened up a bunch of philosophical questions. The sequel films that followed, ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions’ kept up the excitement but nothing measured up to the first flick. So the idea of another sequel, The Matrix Resurrections invites some scepticism, well apart from the fact that the lead pair Neo and Trinity were definitively dead last I checked. Directed by Lana Wachowski who also wrote the screenplay alongside David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon, starring Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss who reprise their roles as Neo and Trinity with new cast members Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and more, the fourth instalment is a nostalgia-driven ride from start to finish. Should one hop on? Fans sure have a choice to make.
We got The Matrix Resurrections because Warner Bros., like The Matrix fandom, wanted another film but there are a couple of good reasons to revive what’s essentially one of the most iconic pieces of cinema. It reunites Neo and Trinity, stuff fans like myself have only dreamt of, it gives us answers to what the characters are up to and asks important questions about the past and the present. Set two decades after The Matrix Revolutions, the film sees Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) living a normal life as a programmer. His most famous game is The Matrix because of course it is. To him, the events of the trilogy are nothing more than a video game series and yet he often gets these unsettling visions and so he goes to a therapist (Neil Patrick Harris) who prescribes him blue pills. His path also crosses with Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss) who bears resemblance with Trinity, a character in the bestselling game but they don’t recognise each other. Things change when a young woman who goes by Bugs (Jessica Henwick) along with her crew that includes a red pill-offering program that calls himself Morpheus but isn’t quite sure himself (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) try to contact Anderson in a bid to extract him. He is the only one shocked to find out that he is indeed Neo. Saying anything more will give too much of the plot away but I will say that the opening is slightly puzzling. Once the scene is set, the film unveils some of its bigger ideas.
The Matrix Resurrections reunites Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in a new adventure filled with big, bold ideas and for the most part, I’m here for it!
This film is packed with déjà vu moments and good concepts full of potential. For starters, Neo’s story here is that of a man who once upon a time, was a symbol of hope and now he’s just stuck in a loop. The film is hilariously self-aware right off the bat and takes every chance to suggest that the makers are in on the joke. Saying that this sequel has a few nods to the original trilogy would be a masterpiece of an understatement. Between dialogues that mention how “Warner Bros.” want another The Matrix sequel to literally placing shots of the first film on a screen within the screen, Resurrections is really saying “look, I know sequels are terrible but I’m the good kind,”. These come dangerously close to self-mythologising the franchise, but for a moment this huge in pop culture, can we really blame them? In a broader sense, the film revives questions it asked all those years ago – Is choice an illusion? Are we all doomed to repeat patterns and go through our lives without exercising free will? And where do we (mainly Neo) fit into a capitalist society? The first act introduces or reintroduces these ideas through a retrospective lens. At the core of it all quite obviously is Neo and Trinity’s love story. Some filmmakers write a romance with a meet-cute and a happily ever after to tell a love story, some create an entire sci-fi universe, or two universes one fake and one futuristic to do it and it’s the ultimate testament to the universal appeal of love. And Lana Wachowski clearly loves love. Watching Neo and Trinity back onscreen feels like well-deserved fan service. Periodt!
The new characters are pretty solid additions. With a supporting cast that has Henwick’s Bugs who keeps the film’s plot from spinning into a complex yarn ball of tech jargon, Jonathan Groff’s gaming company boss act as Neo’s nemesis is a total scene-stealer. You are simply not prepared for how much tension there is between Reeves and Groff in their scenes together, fair warning. And then there’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Morpheus serving looks after looks. I’ll admit this new Morpheus wouldn’t really work if the character wasn’t played by Yahya. Then there’s Neil Patrick Harris’ perfectly cast therapist act. Added to the supporting ensemble is Priyanka Chopra Jonas who plays Sati and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Niobe. The two have smaller roles but do well in their parts.
Depending on your preferences, the film is either a nostalgia-driven, exposition-filled joyride or another cursed sequel.
The second act of The Matrix Resurrections is where most of the bullet-heavy, gravity-defying action sequences happen. Once Neo begins to confront his past in and outside the Matrix, it opens up a barrage of gunfire. It’s an absolute delight to watch Keanu Reeves slip back into action and yes, he “still knows kung-fu”. This part of the film is just pure chaos. The pacey action is expectedly good. One must remember that The Matrix invented some mind-boggling action sequences, something few filmmakers haven’t been able to top since 1999. So it’s safe to say that the sequel is not lacking in the action department. If I’m being honest, I see how this film has left critics divided and is bound to divide audiences alike – by going so heavy on exposition and leaving its better arcs aside. That being said, I personally went for this kind of action. For some, the mere range of throwbacks will be enough to conjure up joyous tears while others will find the combination of meta-references and exposition galore a bit much. And it doesn’t help that both arguments are valid in their own ways.
For all the aforementioned bits, Resurrections is one long movie. The duration sadly doesn’t entirely amount to meaningful moments. With its borderline self-derivative plotlines and inside jokes, the film refuses to dig deeper in spite of having every opportunity. It’s neither a heartwarming homage nor a satisfying continuation. This is rather heartbreaking considering just how badly I wanted this to be better. Besides, The Matrix is still revolutionary after all this time. We’re kind of living in a future that the films predicted in a way with virtual realities and the idea of a meta-verse. But apart from a few mentions, the film never delves into the timeliness of its concept. It’s truly a wasted opportunity.
Verdict
I love The Matrix as much as the next guy. I remember watching the first film like it was a fever dream, gawking at the TV screen when Neo dodged those bullets in slo-mo. By the time I watched Revolutions, I was old enough to witness it on the big screen and to realise that it doesn’t quite hit like the first one. Now, years later, I still find myself looking at the same pattern of a cult classic with sequels that felt like lesser versions of the original. However, your options are between taking the red pill and watching The Matrix Resurrections for old times sake or taking the blue pill and skipping Keanu and Carrie-Anne Moss’ comeback. In Morphues’ words, “You call that a choice?”
SEE ALSO: ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Reviews Are In. Here’s What Critics Have To Say.
Cover image: Warner Bros.
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