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In Hollywood, everything old is eventually new again — evenThe Matrix.
More than two decades after Keanu Reeves’ aimless hacker Neo took the red pill, woke up in a tub of goo, and kicked off a war against Earth’s machine overlords that would last through two sequels and countless spinoff projects,The Matrix Resurrectionshopes to live up to its title by reviving the seminal, multimedia cyberpunk franchise. The film brings back Reeves as humanity’s savior, Neo, who now finds himself plugged back in to the machines’ titular simulation along with his one true love, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), despite both characters’ supposed demise at the end of 2003’sThe Matrix Revolutions.
If you’re wondering how they got there, you’re not alone. Set 20 years after the events ofRevolutions, the film has a new group of hackers discover Neo and Trinity within The Matrix (which is apparently still a thing), initiating a chain of events that draws heavily from the original trilogy while establishing a new status quo in the franchise’s universe. And despite a generous recycling of old concepts and themes,The Matrix Resurrectionsdelivers a satisfying new chapter in the franchise fueled by its leads’ chemistry and charisma, and supported by the franchise’s signature blend of high-level visual effects and action choreography.
Plugging in again
Along with bringing Reeves and Moss back in front of the camera,The Matrix Resurrectionsalso brings back franchise co-creator Lana Wachowski behind the camera as director and co-writer. She joins other returning members of the cast and crew from the original trilogy in a film that, as its title suggests, is more revival than reboot, bringing the characters, themes, and mythology forward into a new story built on the foundation of the original trilogy.
InResurrections, Neo — or in this case, Thomas Anderson — finds himself living a life less adventurous as the designer of a wildly popular game franchise titled (wait for it …)The Matrix. His new reality suggests that the events of the original trilogy were actuallythe plot of a game he designed, and he pays a therapist (Neil Patrick Harris) to assure him that he is not, in fact, the savior of humanity. He also swallows a never-ending supply of blue pills to keep his daily existence safe, stable, and predictable.
Meanwhile, Trinity — now Tiffany — is a married mother of two kids who enjoys spending time in coffee shops and working on her motorcycle. It’s all very domestic, really, and the duo appear to have no recollection of their past experiences. However, everything changes when Neo encounters a familiar figure from his past who offers him a chance to dispel the illusion and see reality for what it really is.
Through the looking glass
If that premise sounds familiar, it’s becauseResurrectionsmakes a concerted effort to follow the formula of the first film closely, recycling lines of dialogue and even musical cues (Rage Against The Machine, anyone?) from 1999’sThe Matrixat various points. It’s all intentional, though, as the film cleverly turns its reverence for the past into a plot point in Neo’s latest adventure.
This self-aware aspect ofResurrectionscould have easily slipped into unintentional parody, but Reeves plays it with the perfect balance of cautious skepticism and recognition that something is very, very wrong in his life.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Taking the red pill was a decision that changed Neo’s destiny in the original trilogy, and inResurrections, we get a glimpse of what his life might have been like if he took a different path. In the absence of that (literally) game-changing choice, Neo is far from a resolute, confident figure always thinking several moves ahead, and instead, we get a paranoid, introverted game designer and a fascinating “what if?” scenario.
The meta elements ofResurrections‘ premise also offer plenty of opportunities for humor, and the film delivers on those moments without getting lost in self-promotion. A scene featuring Thomas’ fellow designers arguing about therealmeanings ofThe Matrixgames offers a wonderfully self-aware encapsulation of 20 years of conversations regarding the franchise’s philosophical themes, while the iconic “bullet-time” filming technique the 1999 film introduced is put to creative (and somewhat mocking) use at another point in the film.
And yet, despite all of the dissection and deconstruction of the original trilogy that occurs throughoutResurrections‘ first act, it all ends up feeling like an endearing tribute instead of a roast, thanks to the smart ways all of this self-reflection is handled by the film’s cast and creative team.
He still knows kung fu
It’s not all self-referential moments inResurrections, though. As fans might expect, there’s no shortage of action and explosions, too.
Wachowski and the franchise’s creative team have always done spectacle well, andResurrectionscontinues that trend with some truly impressive choreography that channels the physics-defying tone of the original trilogy’s fight sequences. Despite how crazy things can get in the world of The Matrix, there are rules to the virtual world they inhabit, andResurrectionsdoes a nice job of simultaneously abiding by those rules and pushing the boundaries of what characters are capable of within it.
The film also is served well by two decades’ worth of evolution in visual effects techniques.Resurrectionslooks as cutting-edge now asThe Matrixdid back in 1999, and the film puts all of that modern, VFX power to good use in both its large set pieces and some smaller elements that would have been impossible to pull off 20 years ago — including the presence of a featured character composed entirely of metal beads who emotes and interacts with the human characters.
Still, packing in all of that action comes at a price, andResurrectionsgets a bit lost in the mayhem around the film’s midpoint, drawing out one of its most explosive sequences longer than necessary as it reels off explosion after explosion without any forward movement in the plot. The film’s decision to tread water and bask in its own spectacle a little too long feels like a rare miss in an otherwise well-paced story, but it eventually gets back on track and finds its groove again as it enters the final arc.
The future is female
Although it’s easy to celebrateResurrectionsas another example ofReeves’ resurgence in Hollywood, the fourth installment of The Matrix franchise wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding without Moss’ impressive performance alongside — and in some cases, in front of — her franchise co-star.
Not only is the chemistry between Neo and Trinity just as good (if not better) inResurrectionsthan it was in prior films, the veteran actors bring a depth to the roles this time around that wasn’t nearly as evident in the original trilogy. In the world of The Matrix, Neo and Trinity have seen it all at this point, experienced the full spectrum of emotions and even died and been reborn, and the ways they move, talk, and otherwise interact with each other inResurrectionsreflect that sense of familiarity and comfort with their roles in the story playing out around them.
More so than in any previous film, Moss is every bit the action hero Reeves is inResurrections. Not only does the film leave the door open for future adventures, it makes abundantly clear that The Matrix isn’t a one-man show anymore. Given the wider range of storytelling opportunities that creates, it feels like a brilliant pivot for the franchise to make if it hopes to build on this revival.
Walking the line between following the formula of a successful, franchise-spawning film and recreating that film wholesale isn’t easy (just look at the polarizing response toStar Wars: The Force Awakens, for example), andResurrectionsdeserves praise for its careful, thoughtful approach to reviving the franchise. Finding the right measures of inspiration and imitation often means the difference between success or failure with revival projects like this, andResurrectionskeeps that balance by distilling the most iconic, rewarding elements of the franchise instead of simply duplicating them.
Whether Neo and Trinity’s triumphant return ultimately ends up capturing lightning in a bottle again remains to be seen, but regardless,The Matrix Resurrectionsoffers a great example of how to do right by an iconic franchise with a revival that delivers in substance, spectacle, and a genuine awareness about what made the original trilogy so special.
Directed by Lana Wachowski,The Matrix Resurrectionswill premiere in theaters December 22 and on the HBO Max streaming service.
