REVIEW: The Matrix Resurrections is Good, But Not Up to Par with Its Predecessors
Neo (Keanu Reeves) is back in the fourth installment in The Matrix franchise! Titled, The Matrix Resurrections, we find Thomas Anderson, aka Neo, alive and residing in a world where the “The Matrix” never existed. Instead, Neo believes that the “The Matrix”, and everything that came with it, is merely a successful video game he created from his imagination; an imagination that is so extreme that he consistently visits an analyst (Neil Patrick Harris) after suffering from a mental breakdown many years ago. This analyst informs Neo that these “episodes” are merely triggers from the stress caused by his imagination whilst creating the video game. But, when Neo begins to question whether these dreams are merely fiction or reality, he finds himself making a choice once again. Take the red pill and learn the truth or take the blue pill and accept the lies being told to him.
The Matrix creator, Lana Wachowski returns to direct Resurrections, solo this time, as her sister, Lily was working on a separate project. Wachowski does a nice job brining back all the elements that made the first three Matrix movies so good, but those elements feel tiresome in this one. Elements like “bullet time”, that was initially created by the Wachowski sisters for The Matrix in 1999, becomes almost a parody itself. What was once considered a timeless visual effect has now been used in countless movies over the last few years and even Wachowski herself makes a joke of it throughout the film. But all jokes aside, the leaps and bounds towards the visuals in the first three were incredibly lacking. Like the creativity they showed in 1999, I was expecting to see that same creativity playout in this movie, and it did not.
Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss return as everyone’s favorite Matrix couple, Neo and Trinity. Unlike the last three, this movie focused more on the love story between the pair and less on The Matrix. Rather than each new character being introduced promote this new, and more secured, Matrix, the characters instead promoted the couple and the legacy of Neo. With that being said, Reeves and Moss are just as good this time around as they were when the last movie, The Matrix Revoultions, which was released in 2003.
The duo is joined in the series by Morpheus and Agent Smith, but not as we remember them. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jonathan Groff take on the roles of Morpheus and Agent Smith, respectively, but do not hold a candle to their originator, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving. There was something about Fishburne and Weaving’s performances in previous Matrix entitles that commanded the screen and Mateen and Groff didn’t evoke that same sense. They were good, and truly looking to be having a blast in their roles, but nothing compared to their predecessors.
Newcomers who have never seen a Matrix movie, will definitely want to watch the first three films before watching this one. Sure there are brief callbacks to the other three films, but even with those small tidbits, you will be thoroughly confused if you do not. Fans of the original series, you should have no problem catching on to what is happening in Resurrections. The movie will leave you with a few questions but not enough to be confused. With that being said, would I run out to see the movie in theaters, no. However, for those of you who do have HBO Max, I suggest checking it out on there. It is a decent follow-up to The Matrix Revolutions, but it may not be worth heading out to the theater to see.
Grade: C+