Matrix: Resurrections

As much as the Matrix… “freed our minds” with a philosophy that’s so in ingulfed into pop culture over 20 years later, that it makes this sequel seem like just another movie, The Matrix is also about an advancement of visual effects that blew people’s minds.

I kinda knew this film would not be able to do that. The special effects on the Matrix Resurrections look no more special than any other movie I’ve seen in the past 20 somewhat years, so Lana Wachowskis just has to live with the fact that she invented the whole she put herself in (not a bad legacy to have)
Snice they could not beat what they did they embraced it. Like how the visual effects were an important story arch to the original movie this also makes the groundbreaking “Bullet time” as a major story plot in the picture, and I have to confess that may not have been the best idea because like a ton of movies that followed The Matrix, pointing out the Bullet time effect to exploit it did not really make the movie better.

Getting back to the philosophy, it’s not groundbreaking, its nostalgic. In that way it’s fun. The fourth installment is all too aware of itself and its place in cinema history and it makes fun of it, which made the movie fun.

The one part of the philosophy I did love was the upgrade on the fellowship between Neo and Trinity. I remember seeing the first matrix and thinking it was perfect until one of my teachers pointed out a flaw in which Trinity’s only purpose in the film was to be in love with Neo, a perfect movie stereotype. I feel like number four has evolved their relationship beyond the common construct of love and I’ll be happy to talk about that to anyone who wants to listen (and even those who don’t). If Resurrections gave me anything it’s that.

Keanu Reeves is Keanu Reeves. We all love him and seeing him in anything would be boss. This could have been John Wick four of Bill and Ted four or Speed 3 and we would totally want to see Keanu in it. It was great seeing Carrie Anne Moss as Trinity again totally happy about that and last and certainly great, Jada Pinkett Smith reprises her role from the first round of sequels, and it all works for me. It’s the best.

Jonathan Groff was an actor who played an old character in a new form, and I liked what he did as that character. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a great actor playing an old character in a new form and unfortunately for his greatness nobody in the audience is going to say they prefer his version of the character over the originator.

Out of the new characters I liked one named Bugs the best, but it’s not saying much. I understood the focus on the old characters over the new, but I also feel that the new characters were weak and underdeveloped.

My biggest complaint: not enough kung fu in it!

I said a lot and I would say more but the interesting thing about talking about the Matrix 4 is that it reveals too much about the movie. It’s not going to change your life like the first one. It’s like playing an 8-bit game upgraded with 16-bit graphics, but importantly it’s still a great movie to watch.

So, take the red pill.