Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is struggling with reality, but even worse he’s struggling with understanding what is fiction. With somewhat familiar faces back in the picture, Thomas must make a choice, accept reality as is, or learn the truth. Once again Thomas is tasked with things beyond his control, far more difficult than most would understand, and The Matrix Resurrection relaunches a simulated past that pulls Thomas and his confidants back into the world of reality. His life has never been normal, but Thomas is about to realize something very strange about himself, and life will never be the same once again.
The Matrix Resurrections works somewhat like a soft reboot of the previous films–it acknowledges the past while looking forward to a new, untapped future. Blurring the lines between what has happened in the previous three films and what has happened in the characters’ lives is a brilliant way to reintroduce the Matrix, while simultaneously staying true to what fans of the series have come to love. Both nothing and everything makes sense, and Lana Wachowski, one of the masterminds behind the series, is back, with new, riveting content–and she so brilliantly breathes new life into this beloved tetralogy.
How in the world does someone’s acting abilities deteriorate–especially in regard to a role that you’ve played in the past? I don’t have an answer to that question, but Reeves manages to do just this, as his ability to convey the protagonist Neo has somehow dwindled, ultimately causing him to fail on so many levels throughout The Matrix Resurrections. There are moments when Reeves finds a way to accurately convey emotion, and even be the reason that some scenes succeed on an emotional level, but the majority of what Reeves brings to the table in this installment is cringeworthy.
At the heart of this series it’s always been a love story. Neo and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), regardless of everything happening around them, have been the focal point, and while The Matrix Resurrections redefines what this series is to a degree, love still remains the catalyst for it all. I was happily warned before watching The Matrix Resurrections that, in general, the eye-popping visuals and what had allowed the original trilogy to be so groundbreaking won’t change much, but the story is what allows this film to thrive. This was great advice, as, throughout the course of the film, I found myself drawn more to the story than the visuals–maybe for the first time in the series. Wachowski outdid herself with the script here, efficiently allowing the series to come back to life, while still creating something new. The Matrix Resurrections sees both everything change and everything stay the same–a brilliant combination of old and new.
There are two sides of the inevitable coin that plagues revivals. The first being that there is too much fan service, and the other being that there isn’t enough. The Matrix Resurrections finds a balance between the two, again, bringing back to life some of what happened in the past, but veering far enough from the prior narrative to appeal to new viewers.
Much of what Wachowski brings to the table in The Matrix Resurrections is balance. She finds a way to bring an equal amount of old and new, of action and dialogue, and of reality and fiction–and the film finds success as a result. With new actors bringing so much passion and talent to the table, fan favorites back for more, and a new (but familiar) story of love, The Matrix Resurrections lives up to all of its hype, reinvigorates fans and invites new viewers into the ever-changing picture. This is a bold statement, but The Matrix Resurrections may be the best of the series.
Directed by Lana Wachowski.
Written by Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, & Aleksandar Hemon.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Christina Ricci, Lambert Wilson, Andrew Lewis Caldwell, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Joshua Grothe, Brian J. Smith, Eréndira Ibarra, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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