The Matrix Resurrections

It was never going to be possible to recapture the magic and impact of the original film, but The Matrix Resurrections certainly doesn’t tarnish the memories of the original trilogy. Packed full of interesting (and surprisingly meta) ideas, its reliance on nostalgia and affection for the characters may leave new viewers unmoved, but that could also be said of many other recent legacy sequels.

Premise: Middle-aged computer game designer Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is pressured by his business partner (Jonathan Groff) to develop a sequel to his previous best-selling game trilogy. When the stress causes Thomas to fear that he’ll have another mental breakdown, his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris) helps him to manage his anxiety, until the arrival of two mysterious figures (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jessica Henwick) leads Thomas to question his grip on reality.

Review:

It’s not an exaggeration to say that when The Matrix came out in 1999 it redefined blockbuster cinema. As such, it was always going to be impossible to recreate that lightning in a bottle, and the reactions to The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both in 2003) show that this was the case. By now, you’ve no doubt formulated your own opinions on the two 2003 sequels, but personally, I really liked the ambition of those original sequels, and thought that some parts of them worked brilliantly, even if other parts were undoubtedly flawed.

That said, when rumours of a further sequel or reboot started surfacing in the years after Revolutions, I did not think it was a good idea. The original trilogy told a complete story, and brought the war between the humans and the machines to a conclusion, so it felt like any sequel would necessarily have to undo much of that resolution. But just as importantly, The Matrix trilogy was a unique piece of filmmaking from two trailblazing writer/directors, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, and any suggestion of making further films without their involvement felt deeply wrong and disrespectful.

“…‘Resurrections’ is arguably the most personal of the four films…”

However, despite there having (allegedly) been several attempts to get a reboot, sequel or prequel off the ground without the Wachowskis’ involvement, in 2019 it was announced that Lana Wachowski had developed an idea for a fourth Matrix film and that she would be returning to co-write and direct it. Her involvement, coupled with the news that Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss would both be returning, filled me with hope that this would be a worthy sequel, and not just a cynical cash-grab by the studio.

Having seen The Matrix Resurrections, it’s easy to see why the three of them returned to the world of The Matrix 22 years after the original film. Resurrections is arguably the most personal of the four films, placing the focus of the film squarely on the doomed relationship between Neo and Trinity, and the sacrifices they made in the original trilogy. Lana Wachowski has said that the idea for Resurrections came to her as a way of processing her grief following the deaths of her parents and a close friend, and the notion that love can live on after death is central to this film. Whatever else you might want to say about Resurrections, it certainly doesn’t feel at all like a cynical exploitation of an established IP, but rather, it’s a elegy to lost love.

“…Keanu Reeves gets a chance to play a whole spectrum of emotions, & his character feels far more human as a result…”

I don’t want to say too much about the plot of Resurrections, because like with the original film, half of the fun is watching how the story unfolds in ways that you might not have seen coming. What I will say is that there are plenty of surprisingly meta moments, where scenes deliberately echo events that have come before, or where characters comment on the difficulties and dangers inherent with trying to come up with a belated sequel to a beloved original. The other thing I can say, and something that I was particularly relieved about, is that Resurrections does not retcon or undo any of the resolutions fought for at the end of the original trilogy. Neo sacrificed himself to build a bridge between man and machine, and that sacrifice is honoured in this film.

The cast of Resurrections is also great, and it’s easy to see what attracted Keanu Reeves back to the series. One of the issues with Reloaded and Revolutions is that Neo becomes a very emotionally repressed character once he embraces his messianic status as The One. In contrast, Reeves gets a chance to play a whole spectrum of emotions in Resurrections, and his character feels far more human as a result. Jessica Henwick is fantastic in arguably her biggest role to date, and hopefully this is the start of big things for her, as she never disappoints. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II brings a surprisingly comedic tone to his character, who is not at all who/what you may have been expecting. Neil Patrick Harris is always great and brings a nice sense of irony to his role as Thomas Anderson’s therapist, while Jonathan Groff gets to chew the scenery as Thomas Anderson’s corporate-minded business partner. There are even a couple of unexpected call backs to characters from the original trilogy (although the return of one character from Reloaded and Revolutions felt completely pointless and distracting).

“…explores interesting philosophical themes, against the backdrop of an action-packed sci-fi blockbuster…”

Perhaps wisely, Resurrections does not try to outdo the action scenes from the original trilogy. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have some interesting action-packed moments, but it arguably doesn’t have anything as memorable as the lobby scene from The Matrix, the burly brawl from Reloaded, or the Smith v Neo rainswept fight in Revolutions. That said, it does still have some exhilarating action scenes, even if they are less choreographed than the original trilogy’s “wire-fu” fights, and the film’s antagonists are less impactful than the original Agents of the Matrix.

Overall, The Matrix Resurrections is not without its flaws, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the clear affection that Lana Wachowski and the returning cast have for these characters and this universe. Like the original film, Resurrections explores interesting philosophical themes, about everything from the binary nature of existence to concepts of choice and free will, against the backdrop of an action-packed sci-fi blockbuster. Except that this time, at the heart of the film is a very human story of a love that lived on after death.