Random Thoughts on... The Matrix Resurrections

Well, it has been a two-year wait, but after this recent re-watch, it’s time to return The Matrix once again. When I heard that there was another Matrix coming, I was whelmed. The casting also got me excited though I was a little saddened to see that Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving weren’t returning. The hype for The Matrix Resurrections really didn’t hit me until the first trailer came, and I gotta say that was one awesome trailer. So, this film is either going to be a hit or a trainwreck. Knowing the Wachowskis (and we only have one with Lana), it could go either way. So, The Matrix Resurrections was released toward the end of 2021. Since we were still in the pandemic, the WB was releasing most of their newest movies in theatres and on HBO Max at the same time. By the way, that merger with Discovery sucked in all kinds of ways. 

Oh yeah… PAY YOUR WRITERS AND ACTORS! $*%&#!

Anyway, the movie takes place decades after the end of Revolutions. Thomas Anderson, aka “Neo,” is back in a newer version of the Matrix with no memory of his past life. In his new life, he is a game developer who is suffering from some mental problems. His mind starts to get worse as his company starts to work on the next Matrix sequel. By the way, he apparently created a series of video games called the Matrix. Eventually, the human resistance finds Neo, and they let him know that his games were based on real events. He also finds out that Trinity is also in this new Matrix trapped like he was. Armed with his memories, some of his powers, and some fresh faces, Neo sets out to free Trinity from this new Machine empire.

I could make a John Wick reference, but I'd have to watch them first... yeah, I know I'm a horrible Kenau fan. Maybe one day...

OPINION

You know, this was a little tough to synopsize. While that does say something about the movie, it kind of doesn’t. I was worried that my excitement would die down in a re-watch, but it didn’t. This was a pretty nice movie. It has its pros and cons like most of the other movies from the franchise. While it is a full-on sequel, it also feel like a re-tread of the first film in some places. That’s not exactly a bad thing for me though. Since we are dealing with a literal virtual world, having the movie feel like an updated version of software works for me. I guess you could think of Resurrections like Windows Vista… hey, I liked Vista when it was around, okay?

Seeing these two come together again felt good.

First off, I did like the story. While it does rehash most of what the OG trilogy did, it does it in a way that is fresh. Even though we got Neo going through a bit of a refresher on his past, it was done in a decent way. It helped that Neo, or “Thomas,” knew something was off but couldn’t put it all together since the Machines were up to their dirty tricks. Seeing him wig out in his first scene with Morpheus was hilarious. I also kind of liked that the movie didn’t take itself so seriously. There were times especially in the later sequels where you needed someone to throw a little levity in. While I do think the meta-ness of it all did go a bit far in places, most of it felt right. I also liked how it jabbed at a few modern things.

Whoever edited those trailers did a good job. They made us think that some of this movie was shot well... what? That's half-true.

I thought the performances rocked for the most part. All the originals did a solid job. It was cool to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss return and play their iconic roles in a different way. I know it’d be weird for me to say, but the connection between Neo and Trinity felt better here than it did in any of the later movies. Our replacements (Yayha Abdul Mateen for Morpheus and Johnathan Dorff for Smith) did a good enough job. While I missed Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving, these guys stepped up to the plate. I liked Jessica Henwrick as the new character, Bugs. I thought Neil Patrick Harris was good as the new Architect, or in his case, “The Analyst.” There were some surprising cameos I didn’t know about at the time, and while one was awesome (Niobe), the other was… kinda crap. (The Merovingian).

Man, Mateen is killing it with roles. Dr. Manhattan, Black Manta, Morpheus 2.0, Candyman (I think)... what other role will this smooth brotha touch next?

Then, there’s the action. While most of it wasn’t great, most of it was fine. This was definitely one of the things a lot noticed in this movie, including me. I know I mentioned it on Twitter at some point. The big action scenes with the explosions were good at least. The final chase at the end was pretty good. Even though the fight scenes aren’t shot well, the stuntwork is good in places. Neo’s and Smith’s fight is probably the best of the bunch here. As for other things, I really liked the music here. Even though Don Davis doesn’t return, the composers did a good job. The visual effects were top-notch. That’s also another area that held up pretty well.

While I liked a lot of stuff here, you know I got issues with it too. I gotta start with the fight scenes first because… oof. After re-watching it, I think the thing that makes the fights so lackluster is that they feel… regular. It feels like modern Hollywood withal the fast edits and up-close shots. We barely get any long shots of just seeing the fights and stunts happen. I don’t want to bring up the original movies again, but this is where all of them excelled at. I later found out that there was no 2nd Unit Director, which was something the original movies had. My guess is that they could only do so much since this was shot as the COVID pandemic really ramped up.

Another thing that was a bit overdone was the constant cuts to the original trilogy. It reminded me of those weird callbacks from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Unlike there where you had to hit a button during a cutscene, we get it all here. While most of them work, they did overstay their welcome. I know that the creators were trying their best to make us remember, but the audience is a little smarter than that. Some of the in-story references weren’t all that great either. Things could also get a little confusing with technobabble being thrown around at times, but that’s the Matrix for ya. Other than these things and that annoying Merovingian cameo, it was good.

Yes, this is an example of how some of those cuts to the previous movies were... eh...

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In the end, Resurrections was a fine time, no alcohol required. While it was not exactly needed, I’m glad we got it. Instead of a new beginning (I see no sequel coming anytime soon), this works well as an epilogue to the trilogy. Yeah, it doesn’t end the story, but it’s not like the story really ended perfectly with Revolutions either. If you’re a fan, I think you might like it. Just know that it may not be what you expect. Anyway, that’s all I got for this one. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.