Spoilers The Matrix Resurrections discussion and reviews

Plagued by strange memories, Neo's life takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself back inside the Matrix.

Variety review https://variety.com/2021/film/news/the-matrix-resurrections-reactions-1235130285/

 

So I'm just coming back from this.

Very meta in the first part. Seemed like a dig at Warner Brothers with the whole "we have to make this sequel or they'll make it without us anyway". I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It at least feels different to the original movies and despite the longer running time it didn't feel like it overstayed it's welcome unlike Reloaded and Revolutions.

I like the idea that Trinity...

Spoiler: spoiler

and Neo together are "the One". What made Neo "The One" was Trinity and their love for each other.

I didn't feel like they were setting up a trilogy here but it's possible. Unlike other soft reboots the main characters aren't pushed aside to lift up new ones.

One thing I really missed though was Hugo Weaving. His presence as agent smith would have made the movie for me. Anyone else is a pale imitation.

 

People who don't like Burnham's whispering should avoid this movie at all costs XD
Long, quiet, whispering dialogues happen between loud shooting action scenes. I had to turn it up and down and up and down and finally just went with subtitles.
It's as meta as it can be. Would've been nice to have the original Morpheus (instead of 32nd century Disco programmable matter) and original Smith.
Funniest moment: "Bye."
Looking forward to The Catrix XD

 

I've got my tickets for tonight so will be reporting back. I'm nervous that this film is gonna be a bit lame, and I say that as a MASSIVE fan of the 2 other sequels.

 

What did they do to the Merovingian? Poor guy.
I liked what they showed for the aftermath of of Revolutions; with machines turning on each other. That’s what I wanted the new Star Wars movies to be like. The Empure fractured and fighting each other so that there were two or more factions by TFA.
I liked the movie but the ending was rather abrupt and not very satisfying. Best stuff was the real world material.

 

To be honest, that's what the old Matrix movies lacked. The machines seemed less like what was described in the Animatrix and more like a hive mind or just mindless machines, I really liked how they gave programs life and had sentient robots outside of the Matrix, working with the humans. It made the world seem more alive and dynamic, I always felt that the Zion stuff was really really weak in the older movies because it lacked depth.

 

I actually expected, at some point, for Smith to appear as Hugo Weaving, since both Neo and Trinity had different appearances, but alas it never happened. I wonder what happened to Morpheus in the real world? They kept it very ambiguous and it made sense why there was a new Morpheus, with the real world partner not getting the same treatment.

 

Maybe his fate is still canon from the Matrix Online game?

 

He was the outraged old-school doomcock midnight's edge reference

He led the council and then apparently died, which is why they put up a statue.

 

Just got back from watching it. I enjoyed it, but then I love the sequels that everyone seems to hate. There was some really good stuff in it, Neil Patrick Harris was the standout here, I really enjoyed his character and performance. Some of the fights were good, the effects were solid, decent score but there was a little too much that was lifted from the first movie for me, and, whilst I know it's a difficult thing to do, I wanted to see something a bit more groundbreaking in terms of visual effects. This film didn't look 20 years newer than the original trilogy, and that disappoints me, but it's a criticism I levelled at the latest star wars trilogy too, which I hold to a similar standard.

I'll absolutely be purchasing it on disc and watching it again though as there's still plenty of mind bending shit in there to pick over.

 

Did anyone else notice that no one died throughout the entire movie? Sure the others were nothing characters but it was still a strange choice.
I assumed Bugs was going to sacrifice herself to save Neo and/or Trinity from something

 

hit and miss.. mostly meh for me, some interesting things, but honestly should have just started a 100 years in the future with a new batch of people.
Nice to see Keanu, didn't care for all the slo mo, Smith was.. just... a total downer, if your going to replace Hugo.. get an A lister, not a D lister.. In all, worst movie of the movies, would be interesting if it was an Hbo Max series but doubt it.

 

Hugo was replaced because he wasn’t available at the time of filming. I would have just got rid of the character

 

How is Smith even around? I assume it has something to do with when he assimilated Neo at the end of Revolutions, but it never seemed clear, or alarming that this once threat to humanity and the machines is still kicking around.

 

It was art, pure art.

 

D lister? While I wasn't enthralled with his take on Smith, I would hardly called a Tony-nominated actor (for his role in Hamilton) a D lister. Frankly, I think he should have been more over the top.

 

Not only was it NOT 20 years newer... the slo-mo thatthey used a couple of times was like the worst "innovation" of the 2000's, where those primitive digital cameras had those special effects "normal" peole could use.... namely that slo-mo that looked so cheap. It was like a special effect that someone with no budget would use to look "cool".

Yeah, no real consequences or anything.

They had a mostly new batch. All we had was Niobe. Morpheus wasn't actually him.

With Niobe (who was acting like Locke, the boyfriend she dumped in the previous sequels), and even Morpheus, they could have just used the "residual self image"concept introduced in the 1st movie, to have Jada look her age, and have Morpheus have the conceit of going younger.

The problem was virtually none of the new people were outstanding in any way. With the first movie, you could instantly feel Tank's enthusiasm, or Cypher's burnt-out-ness. i don't even remmeber Bugs (after Bugs Bunny.... really???).

They kept TELLING us that the oldcharacters insired...but never SHOWED how they were.

That was one problem with the movie... they had a lot of talent that they wasted in this movie. The actor may have been Tony-nominated..but not at all outstanding in Revolutions... none of the new characters really popped that much (other than the ANalyst). I mean... Shanti was barely in it. She mentioned her parents (with no death scene), and yet no mention of the Oracle. Yeah, i noticed her in the background at the tech company....but other thanbeing there...was she important? It was waste of another great actor (She was much better in Quantico)

It would have been interesting if they made Smith being played by a female in this movie...that way, the Smith reveal would have been more shocking, and could have been the theme that major change is possible.


One other issue that they could have talked about was how hundreds of people were killed in the Matrix.... people who were plugged in, never had a CHOICE (which they emphasized with Trinity) and were killed just because they were there. It's OK that they gnored it in the 1st movie... but by now, they have had time to consider that...and why it was still OK.


I will say this,at least of f the top of my head... i DID enjoy them using the Matrix as a game as a way to riff on the Matrix movie trilogy in a meta sort of way. For me, THAT actually DID work

 

From trans allegory to full flight feminist reconstruction.

Far from perfect, but I'll take a Lana's heart on her sleeve, shoulder, ankles, over most of the soulless, mindless tentpoles that get made these days.

 

And several hints at how bad or outdated binary is

 

The climax is Trinity rejecting compulsive cishet normality for a t4t relationship with Neo, then they fly away to paint the sky with rainbows. It's beautiful.