THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The Matrix was a game changing film when the 20th century originally concluded, due to its inventive storytelling. When it’s sequel Revolutions had an anticlimactic ending, audiences felt that the franchise deserved better. In my opinion, we definitely had an improvement with Resurrections.
PLOT
The sequel takes place 60 years after the Machine War. Thomas Anderson aka Neo appears to be alive and well after originally sacrificing himself to end the war. In a rebooted Matrix, he is a developer of the video game trilogy based on his past in which he remembers as dreams. Every so often, he encounters a woman named Tiffany, who is actually his long lost love Trinity. Unable to figure out what is and isn’t real, his therapist prescribes him blue pills, but he would eventually stop taking them as he designs a new sequel for his video game. During this period, he designs a new character inspired by his deceased mentor Morpheus. That same modal would become it’s own sentient program and with the help of redpill Bugs, they are able to help Neo fully awaken. He does so from a resurrection pod that the machines placed him in to keep him alive, across from Trinity. He meets Bugs & her crew in person and take him to Io, the last human sanctuary. He does reunite with an elderly Niobe, who has been the general of the city for some time. She and Bugs both explain that after the war, multiple machines defected to human society, meaning that his original sacrifice was worth it in the long run. Neo requests to rescue Trinity, but the general declines out of fear of losing him. Bugs and her crew decide to defy the general by helping the One save her. When they return to the Matrix, they encounter his programmed rival Smith, who has been disguised as business partner for a while. Before trying to kill him again, he shares that his therapist is a program as well named ‘The Analyst’ who’s designed to study the human psyche and has altered the former agent to watch over the One. He does plan to have the Matrix for himself once the Analyst is dealt with. Neo does fight him while Bugs’ crew handle exiled programs. Once the fight ends with the redpills overcoming the programs, Neo heads straight to Trinity. Just when he finds her again, the Analyst makes his presence known. He shares that after finding the two, he spent a long time studying them. And in doing so, he realized that keeping them close made the most efficient Matrix yet. This means that they are stronger together because they share the power of the One. Neo does wake up to retreat and when he regroups with Bugs' crew at Io, Niobe agrees to assemble a proper rescue mission for Trinity. With the help of Sati, a program Neo met before his sacrifice, she explains that Trinity must decide on her own to wake up, because it could backfire if it is against her will. So when Neo returns to the Matrix, he makes a deal with the Analyst that they must be let go if she decides to leave. When she does completely remember who she was, the Analyst does attempt to restart them, going back on the deal, but Smith surprisingly interferes and allows the two to escape. As they flee from a swarm of controlled humans, they reach the top of a skyscraper in hopes to fly away. While Neo does not regain his flight yet, Trinity gains it first and she catches him from falling after the jump. Once she does, they are able to escape from the swarm and wake up again. The film ends with the two confronting the Analyst, declaring to reboot the Matrix as they see fit.
THOUGHTS
The best way to describe my feelings towards this film is through Pros and Cons.
PROS: I became a fan of The Matrix when I was a teen and as a fan, I knew that I had to see this in theaters out of respect to it. When I got the chance to do so during the holiday season, I don't regret saying it was worth the time. Director Lana Wachowski knew that things were left undone and that this franchise deserved better. Luckily, she and co writers David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon gave something that was an obvious improvement. The obviousness does come from much improved visuals on each perspective of this fictional dystopia and really exciting action scenes to see from the recreated opening to the swarm. I also enjoyed its meta references a whole lot as it reminds the audience that the franchise would’ve not made it this far without the impact of the first film. What does keep me on board the most though is besides maintaining the theme of free will, it introduces a new question that is worth talking about: ‘Various things are worth fighting for, but does love qualify?’ This movies is telling us that it is indeed so and I agree with it because it is a powerful emotion one can realize as it can do so much that you wouldn’t expect: It can create life, transform people from the inside out and reveal the good of others. So in this fictional universe, that is way more useful than a program. In all honesty, I wouldn’t catch this and many more things without the use of a memorable ensemble of old and new characters. In the Renaissance of his career, the breathtaking Keanu Reeves returns to deliver another good performance of his iconic role of Neo. This character goes through a situation where he’s back at square one, becoming as quiet as we first saw him. But when he reawakens, he regains the confidence that made him the hero we remember him for. Saving a loved one is not new in modern storytelling, but seeing him risk it all for Trinity proves how powerful love is, which I admire. He does so because she did the same for him. Speaking of which, I was happy to see Carrie Ann Moss return as Trinity as well, because the story wouldn’t work if Neo didn’t have the one thing he would fight for. She stood out this time because it was just satisfying to see her become her own person again and regain the fearlessness that defined her. Seeing her share the power of the One makes sense because it’s another example of how powerful love is. And with that being said, I do hope they succeed in making a suitable Matrix that humans deserve. I did not expect any other cast member from the original trilogy to return, so I was caught off guard seeing Jada Pickett Smith return as Niobe. Her performance hits different because now that her character is much older, her decisions come from personal experience and tries to play both ways by deciding what’s best for herself and all of Io. She’s not the kind of person that’ll admit she’s afraid, but it ain’t a secret when she is. She caves with helping Neo is because she wants him to be happy and doesn’t want to lose one of the remaining allies of the Machine War, not wanting to be alone anymore. The last original cast member that caught me off guard was Lambert Wilson’s cameo as Merovingian. Seeing him look as messy as Trainman due to his exile is downright hilarious. It even gets funnier when he berates the current Matrix, basically dissing the modern climate that this film was released. Leaning into new cast mates, I did not expect Smith to return at all, but it comes to show how some of the greatest threats are never easy to eliminate. Since it is a challenge to fill in shoes left behind by Hugo Weaving, Jonathan Groff does a good job making the iconic villain his own. It works out for him because he acts just as methodical as his predecessor made him to be. Like before, he wants to do whatever he wants as a free agent in the Matrix and doesn't care what damage he'll cause to others. Since Neo & Trinity are free again, there is not doubt he'll be a problem for them in their attempt to make their suitable Matrix. From the trailer alone, I just knew that Priyanka Chopra Jonas was Sati based on her hairstyle alone. So I was happy to see my prediction as the movie progressed because it was a fan cast come true. While this character is only there to exposit how to rescue Trinity, she still leaves a good impression because I still felt aware of how she is one of few programs to find the best use of her abilities in the world she's a part of. I respect that as it reminds viewers the inspiration Neo left behind. I was disappointed with the fact that Laurence Fishburne did not return to play his interpretation of Morpheus, considering that the character arguably gave the most heart in the trilogy. With him out of the picture, he had to be in this movie spiritually. So having a program inspired by him was a wild card decision, but creative nonetheless. Because of how this is not the same character we love, Yahya Abdul Mateen II was able to cleverly take advantage of this to make the character his own as well by bringing newfound charm as a helpful program. The best thing about him is how once he understands his purpose, it doesn't take him too long to know what to do. So when he meets Bugs and helps Neo wake up, you know he is proud of what he is supposed to do. Jessica Henwick made Bugs likable because she is a true believer; she is hopeful for a better future and determined to make it so. Another great thing about her is how she has as much of a will as Neo since she was willing put her life on the line to save Trinity. And lastly, Neil Patrick Harris brought fresh air to the film playing the villainous Analyst. He was a standout because of how playful he was when manipulating the Matrix to be as he wants it to be. He is easily more cocky than Smith since he thinks little of humans as he studies them. You can easily call him a polar opposite to the Architect since he is not true to his word. Since Neo & Trinity are awake, he is clearly no match for what they have in store for the future of the Matrix.
CONS: Despite understanding enough to enjoy the film in general, there were many moments that confused me where I understand why others didn’t enjoy it due to quickly rewatching . Like for instance, whatever happened to the woman from the opening modal, reliving the opening from the first film? It was cool seeing history repeat itself, but it’s kinda odd that we don’t know what happened to her after Bugs intervened. I then wonder how did Neo know exactly how to recreate the opening for the modal? You could say Trinity told him in their spare time together, but there is no way she got down everything the cops and agents said outside the building. If this is something that the machines recorded, then this should've been clear. And why was it hard for Morpheus to find Neo? He didn’t use a new name, so it’s not like he was hiding. And why do programs like Morpheus go through the same symptoms of extraction like humans? They may have a conscious, but they don’t have bodies, so it doesn’t make sense for them react the way they do. That's more confusing than how they still bad aim when shooting when they're supposed to be advanced programs. I know the first cafe scene sets up the return of Trinity, but two things bother me about it: One, Neo should’ve asked Jude to deliver it if he didn’t want to go out. The other, it was so unnecessary of how aggressive Trinity’s kids are programmed to be. I get they want Neo to keep his distance, but this could’ve been avoided if they were completely separated from each other. I’m still confused of why the Analyst would have a black cat named Deja Vu? That is not a clever callback, that is just wanting Neo to know he’s stuck in the Matrix again. Another bad decision would be keeping Smith around because he can go even more rogue than he was before. Also, how was he gonna keep his cover when pulling him through a mirror? Yes he could restart him again, but if he can remember the trilogy, it’ll be likely for him to remember the mirror too. And what does he mean when saying it was expensive to resurrect Neo & Trinity? They’re supposed to be in an apocalyptic dystopia where money does not matter. So that line should not exist because it wasn’t even funny to hear. You can say it was smart for Bugs to show Neo the rabbit tattoo, because it references Trinity's first message to him to follow the white rabbit, but why is she the only one with that particular tattoo? That can be part of the game as well and many programs could have worn that to pose as obsessed fans, to keep him at bay. I then don't blame them for being aggressive towards the redpills, but they're insane thinking they won't hurt Neo when they shoot a missile near him. I know we're supposed to be surprised that Trinity was in a pod across from Neo, but how exactly can he see her face? They're directly across, so I doubt he can get a good view in that angle, even when he is picked up by a machine. When it came to Morpheus, what bothered me the most from him was how he rushes Neo to learn his abilities again through the dojo scene. I understand we want him to be the One again and it pays off anyway, but great things should not be rushed because it is possible for it to blow up in the face. I was then so distraught to hear him say he is done fighting before Morpheus trains him again. If he saw the love of his life trapped in a pod, he should've not said that. I was even tripped out so much of how Bugs’ crew were scared of the machine Kujaku when they made clear they were tight with the defected. They shouldn’t have been surprised if Niobe had a robotic acquaintance of her own. I don't really complain about the use of candles or lamps in films, but I draw the line here. Who exactly maintains the excessive candles in Morpheus' memorial? If Niobe was instructing others to keep tabs on it, I would've not minded seeing that because it furthers shows how much she loved him. I don't wanna judge her leadership skills, but she shouldn't be mad how more than three volunteers want in on the rescue mission since she doesn't get upfront about it yet. This movie did a fine job avoiding continuity errors as long as it did, but god I was annoyed when noticing a chair not match its reflection when Neo and the redpills return to the Matrix. If you start telling me that there is more wrong with that shot, you'll only be riling me up some more. The sentinels are mostly smart for guarding every possible entry/exit for the redpills, but how do they miss extra security on Trinity's pod? That is the only reason they're coming back and you can't double up on that? This movie is mostly smart, but this was beyond stupid. I want to laugh that Neo couldn't fly yet, but why not? He was able to remember kung fu and strongly push others away after waking up again. If he was using up his powers, which I doubt was the case, that should be clear too.
In conclusion, The Matrix Resurrections is a sequel meant for the fans after originally leaving strings untied. Whatever kind of fan you are of this franchise, I hope you can try to enjoy it for what it is.
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