Movie Breakdown: The Matrix Resurrections

Pre-Screening Stance:

I’ve yet to be able to figure out what The Matrix Resurrections is even about, so I think it’s best that I head into it with zero expectations.

Post-Screening Ramble:

The Matrix Resurrections is one of the weirdest films I’ve seen in 2021.

Let’s start with the plot. Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) are not only alive, but they’ve been re-inserted into the Matrix. As for the how and why here, a group of free folks have tasked themselves with figuring that out and – ideally – re-claiming both legends to help with new troubles regarding the machines. This is, of course, much easier said than done, as Neo and Trinity don’t remember anything about their previous lives, nor are they “together” in the Matrix.

For the entire first act of The Matrix Resurrections, I have to admit that I was baffled as to what I was watching. Neo once again is just Thomas Anderson, which is fine, but now he’s a video game designer who’s famous for creating a much ballyhooed and heralded trilogy of games … and it’s straight up the original Matrix films. There are so many clips from those three movies it felt like watching a recap, and that’s made even odder by all of the characters talking about the “games” like nothing better has ever been created. Eventually, there’s a moment where Mr. Anderson is forced into making a fourth entry, and then that’s followed with a meeting where people debate whether or not The Matrix is about story or action (specifically bullet time sequences). It’s all bizarrely meta, and it comes off as Lana Wachowski essentially saying “a fourth Matrix movie is an impossible task, but watch me do it.”

It’s here that the second act rolls in and what follows is more in line with what you’re likely expecting from The Matrix Resurrections. Well, with the exception of one thing – action. This is a very exposition heavy film, one that’s less concerned with groundbreaking visuals and sequences and more focused on being a love story and cleaning up threads from the original trilogy. In a way, it feels like Wachowski not only dared herself to making a fourth movie, but to also retcon how the third film ended. Now, whether or not that’s because Revolutions was poorly received or she just wanted something different nearly two decades later, I have no idea, but even with the semi-do-over, the end result is still a mixed bag.

I know I haven’t exactly painted The Matrix Resurrections as a winner, but I thought it was OK. The film is competently directed and it has some nifty moments, but there’s just a near-fanfiction vibe all throughout that makes it an oh-so-very weird experience. Should you see it? Sure. But I think it’s fine if you opt to view it on HBO Max instead of at a theater. The film will hit both on Wednesday, December 22.

One Last Thought: