There’s nothing quite like seeing Neo and Trinity (alongside alternate versions of Morpheus and Smith) on the big screen again.
Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) return to jack into the Matrix in The Matrix Resurrections, directed by franchise co-creator Lana Wachowski from a script written by Wachowski, David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis.
The film takes place 60 years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions. The Matrix has since been reloaded again, and this time, both Neo and Trinity are plugged back in without knowing so.
Neo has assumed his former identity of Thomas Anderson. His memories from the Matrix trilogy remain in his mind, which he turned into a trilogy of video games that were widely popular (similar to the Matrix trilogy). Thomas regularly sees his therapist known as The Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris). Trinity is now a woman named Tiffany, who works on motorcycles and is married with three children.
Neo’s business partner, Smith (Jonathan Groff), reveals that the gaming company’s parent company (Warner Brothers, just like the parent company of The Matrix films) wants a fourth game, with our without the involvement of Thomas (sound familiar?). It is later revealed that Smith is in fact Agent Smith, who is keeping a close watch on Neo’s activities while he is connected to the Matrix.
Meanwhile, a new set of rebels, led by Bugs (Jessica Henwick) finds out that a different version of Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is looking for Neo. The two team up to track down Neo and free his mind once again.
Once Neo is again freed, he renters the real world and finds that some machines co-exist peacefully with humans. He is also introduced to the new human city, Io, where Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) serves as an elder general looking to keep peace (Niobe’s role is reminiscent of Leia’s role in the Star Wars sequel trilogy).
Neo and Niobe meet with Sati (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), a program created without purpose first introduced in Revolutions, who helps guide Neo into freeing Trinity’s mind from the Matrix. Neo knows what me must do to try and convince Trinity of the truth and it is revealed that the biggest choice Neo will have to make in his life will actually be a choice Trinity has to make.
The film contains numerous flashbacks to the previous films. Several times, a character will either a say a line or turn to face a certain way, and the moment will be super-imposed over a similar moment from the previous films. While this seems to be Neo experiencing déjà vu, which we know is a glitch in the Matrix, it also serves as a reminder to the audience of what happened before, and how the past connects with the present.
Resurrections could be argued as a film that creates a new standard for “Meta” films. Meta films are typically self-aware and references to the film knowing it’s a film is frequently made (Scream popularized this method of storytelling). There are references in the film to events that happened in real life, such as Warner Brothers wanting a fourth Matrix film (in the movie, the company wants a fourth Matrix game).
The lines between reality and simulation are more blurred than ever in this film. At points, it’s difficult for the audience and the characters (namely Neo and Trinity) to know what is real versus what is simulation. It’s part of what made the original Matrix film so iconic all those years ago and it works well in this film.
The film has been called the most bold film sequel since The Last Jedi. It’s easy to make that comparison. This film will take any expectations you have about it and throw them all out the window. It will surely piss off some folk who expect more of the same of previous films. Resurrections could also be a commentary on how spoiled Western media viewers are: they go into a movie with expectations and when those expectations aren’t meant, they whine like petulant children and claim franchises are “ruined.” The fourth Matrix film will likely anger that crowd, but provide a laugh for the rest of us who know to go into movies without expectation.
The Matrix Resurrections is in theatres, and streaming on HBO Max for a period of one month following its release on Dec. 22.
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