🐱 ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ First Reactions: Bold Hollywood Sequel or Meta Headache? - How embarrassing

‘The Matrix Resurrections’ First Reactions: Bold Hollywood Sequel or Meta Headache?

The latest entry in the “Matrix” franchise has finally screened, and here’s what people have to say.

www.indiewire.com

“The Matrix Resurrections” has finally screened for press, industry, and other lucky viewers, and first reactions to the sequel from director Lana Wachowski are pouring in. This is not only the last major movie premiere to round out this year’s winter season, it’s also the first “Matrix” film since 2003’s “The Matrix Revolutions,” and the fourth film in the franchise. Check out a roundup of social media reactions — which are divided, but sway toward the positive — below.

“The Matrix 4” features Keanu Reeves(consummate game stuntman of all time) and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively, as well as Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe, Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian, and Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson. They’re joined by a wave of high-profile co-stars including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Toby Unwumere, Priyanka Chopra, and more.

As the last trailer revealed, the franchise’s main characters no longer remember each other following the events of the original “Matrix” trilogy. Franchise newcomer Abdul-Mateen II is Morpheus, but he’s not Lawrence Fishburne’s version of the character that fans love.

“I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus,” Abdul-Mateen II teased to Entertainment Weekly in October. “I play a character who’s definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus. This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn’t exempt from that. This is definitely a different iteration of the character.”

The film, written by Wachowski with authors David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon, has been in development since 2017. Top-secret filming began February 4, 2020, in San Francisco under the code name “Project Ice Cream,” with filming also taking place in Germany and Chicago. Production was halted on March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but then resumed in August. Filming wrapped in November 2021.

The film opens from Warner Bros. in theaters and day-and-date on HBO Max December 22.

The Matrix Resurrections, despite (and because of) its infinite goofiness, is the boldest & most vividly personal Hollywood sequel since The Last Jedi. a silly/sincere galaxy brain take on reboot culture that makes peace with how modern blockbusters are now only about themselves.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) December 17, 2021

#TheMatrixResurrections is more fun than I remember the sequels ever being. Yes it’s bogged down in exposition like the previous two, but there’s a knowing wink to it all now. Newcomers Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff are key to that. Oh and the climax ROCKS. pic.twitter.com/2aWXYI7YAi
— Nigel Smith (@nigelmfs) December 17, 2021

It’s not perfect. There are some moments that might be complete and utter nonsense. But while THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS broke my heart, #TheMatrixResurrections… did the other thing. And I’m just so happy about that.
Full review to come at @consequence next Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/nXX9sSevb1
— Liz Shannon Miller (@lizlet) December 17, 2021

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS is a grandiose palate cleanser for the era of clinical nostalgia bait and sexless tentpoles: a totally earnest sci-fi romance with some of the most exuberant set pieces this side of Fury Road, empathetic and incisive in equal measure. Astonishing stuff. pic.twitter.com/tXgNubeF8g
— Dimitri Kraus (@simplykraus) December 16, 2021

The first act of #TheMatrixResurrections is STELLAR. Smart, funny, weird, self-referential & unexpected. Add to it wildly inventive action sequences, lofty storytelling decisions & a TON of big ideas that will fuel lots of questions. Trust me, multiple viewings will be required pic.twitter.com/q4jt0KQqft
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) December 17, 2021

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS is a total blast. Weird, romantic, *extremely.* meta, and consistently funny. I kind of loved it. (Also, everyone in this movie is ridiculously hot.) #TheMatrixResurrections
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) December 17, 2021

So far I have personally spoken with half a dozen friends who’ve seen MATRIX 4 and no two reactions were identical. Excited to see where this takes us.
— Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) December 17, 2021

You’ll probably see it on the Oscars shortlist for Visual Effects but it might 50/50 for something like sound.
Franchise rankings:
The Matrix
Reloaded
Resurrections
Revolutions
All this needed to do was be better than the last one. Mission accomplished? #Matrix #Oscarspic.twitter.com/fj6UwiAxhO
— Clayton Davis (@ByClaytonDavis) December 17, 2021

I’d definitely recommend watching the first three #Matrix movies if you can as the new film references them A LOT. Longtime fans w/ dig this film & the ways it twists the mythology. It also lays groundwork for not just more sequels, but also prequels. WB could go Matrix wild! pic.twitter.com/tk6zgy5hx9
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) December 17, 2021

The Matrix Resurrections — good stuff is unfathomably great, missteps mostly means to a lovely end. Nice movie about getting old. So swooningly romantic I sometimes couldn’t take it.
— Nick Newman (@Nick_Newman) December 17, 2021

lots to discuss in matrix resurrections but also i think there is a shot of keanu taking a shit or at least peeing sitting down
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) December 17, 2021

The past two weeks I’ve been talking to a ton of people who all, with the exception of one, have been like ‘Matrix Resurrections is going to be so so divisive, but I think I loved it?’
— Aaron Stewart-Ahn (@somebadideas) December 17, 2021

There was a point in the middle of The Matrix Resurrections where I briefly thought it was the best movie ever made, and, like, I haven’t convinced myself it’s NOT?
I lovvvvvvved it. A lotta people are gonna haaaaaaaate. My favorite kind of movie!!
— Emily VanDerWerff (@emilyvdw) December 17, 2021

The Matrix Resurrections: best movie of the year? So angry, so joyous, so fun.
— Matt Patches (@misterpatches) December 17, 2021

#TheMatrixResurrections is a terrific, awe-inducing, meta mind-bender completely in line with the franchise’s legacy. Finds an innovative, high-concept way to frame the new story. Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss’ chemistry burns. Jessica Henwick is a revelation! @TheMatrixMovie pic.twitter.com/xRawqiOcuu
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) December 17, 2021

#TheMatrixResurrections is an almost 2.5-hour exposition dump with choppy action scenes reminiscent of the Bourne movies. It reuses far too much footage from previous installments and is meta to a fault.
— Jeff Nelson (@SirJeffNelson) December 17, 2021

I am deeply happy for those who will enjoy #TheMatrixResurrections. I am, regrettably, not among them. It’s leagues better than Reloaded and Revolutions – which let’s be clear are really not good – but has bad stakes. Nothing matters, and not in a cool nihilistic way. pic.twitter.com/RnbQutdkKR
— Alison Foreman (@alfaforeman) December 17, 2021

#TheMatrixResurrections is a comedy. The action is disappointing and the new characters are thin. But the metatextual commentary is biting. It wrestles with its own legacy in that JURASSIC WORLD/BAD BOYS 3/RP1 fashion. I prefer the first three, but this is a wild swing. pic.twitter.com/7i3n5qUvOq
— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) December 17, 2021

MATRIX RESURRECTIONS is much more meta than you’re expecting, locking on to the original film like a Sonic & Knuckles cartridge so it can remix and riff to Lana W’s delight. Loved all that, loved the love story, loved gay actors throwing punches. But action is surprisingly blah!
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) December 17, 2021

 

[IKOL]

removing fishburne as morpheus and weaving as agent smith is retarded, these two were the best parts of the original movie

The problem here is that neither of two are young anymore. Neither are Johny-Man and air-split-woman, and it shows.

I have watched the movie. A lot of mixed feelings, really. I knew these fuckers will bring the troonery in the plot somehow, and they did. once. better if they wouldn't have done it at all.

New "Morpheus" is a fucking joke. Yeah okay, it's a new vision, like the Johny-Man Silver hand engramm in CP'77 but c'mon... You should have made it better.

New "Smith" (yes they spoiled it in trailers) is... decent, but not intimidating and otherworldly like the original. Still have his moments though.
And of course, dangerhair, dangerhair, mechanically challenged robots, yadda yadda movie is boring.

 

[murgatroid]

The problem here is that neither of two are young anymore. Neither are Johny-Man and air-split-woman, and it shows.

I have watched the movie. A lot of mixed feelings, really. I knew these fuckers will bring the troonery in the plot somehow, and they did. once. better if they wouldn't have done it at all.

New "Morpheus" is a fucking joke. Yeah okay, it's a new vision, like the Johny-Man Silver hand engramm in CP'77 but c'mon... You should have made it better.

New "Smith" (yes they spoiled it in trailers) is... decent, but not intimidating and otherworldly like the original. Still have his moments though.
And of course, dangerhair, dangerhair, mechanically challenged robots, yadda yadda movie is boring.

I'm curious to see that actor playing "straight" again or being tough since he's a computer program without a human sexual orientation.

He was supposed to play a hardened detective studying serial killers in Mindhunter but these hardly noticeable effeminate qualities seemed to still seemed to jump out at me.

Ex: In this interview with Charles Manson, the way he pushes the tape recorder in Mansons direction at 1:12

 

[TurdFondler]

I knew these fuckers will bring the troonery in the plot somehow, and they did. once. better if they wouldn't have done it at all.

They had the perfect setup for a trans character done right in the first movie. That androgynous lady literally named "Switch". Rumor has it is that she was supposed to be a dude while in the matrix. Trans/genderbent characters were a reocurring trope in old cyberpunk so it's not like they're treading new ground. They're just taking old ideas and making them worse.

 

[FAQnews Correspondent]

IIRC - that Morpheus died in the Matrix Online game, which is apparently canonized in the lore.

Huh, the last thing I would have expected was MxO actually being canon.

I was really hoping it was a stealth prequel. Getting an older Keanu Reeves to play an earlier iteration of Neo would have dovetailed perfectly with the backstory revealed in Reloaded. I get the feeling this will appeal more to people who like novelty and subversion than people who want to see the existing Matrix universe fleshed out.

The funny thing is that being a stealth prequel would have both fleshed out the world and be novel.

 

[murgatroid]

They had the perfect setup for a trans character done right in the first movie. That androgynous lady literally named "Switch". Rumor has it is that she was supposed to be a dude while in the matrix. Trans/genderbent characters were a reocurring trope in old cyberpunk so it's not like they're treading new ground. They're just taking old ideas and making them worse.

I think "switch" is a slang term in gay and/or bdsm culture.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=switch

They're first shitty film was an action/drama about lesbians that had a bunch of gay symbolism in it. You could tell where their coom brains have always been.

 

[Cpl. Long Dong Silver]

I never got down with the whole "Oh we will end up compromising with the machines" ending of the last film.

Like nah fuck that nigger. Die fighting. To me any series that roots against humanity (the last planet of the apes for example) is just shit lib scum. Humans don't need to be removed or replaced by apes or robots, we just need to remove the weak bug people who are stopping real progress.

 

[Maurice Caine]

They had the perfect setup for a trans character done right in the first movie. That androgynous lady literally named "Switch". Rumor has it is that she was supposed to be a dude while in the matrix. Trans/genderbent characters were a reocurring trope in old cyberpunk so it's not like they're treading new ground. They're just taking old ideas and making them worse.

It's depressing, even trannies were cooler in the 80s

 

[TurdFondler]

I never got down with the whole "Oh we will end up compromising with the machines" ending of the last film.

Like nah fuck that nigger. Die fighting. To me any series that roots against humanity (the last planet of the apes for example) is just shit lib scum. Humans don't need to be removed or replaced by apes or robots, we just need to remove the weak bug people who are stopping real progress.

The genre has always been about analyzing what makes us really human, any good ending to a cyberpunk story will have you thinking about at least one weird aspect of humanity. The first matrix had that idea, they managed to rescue Morpheus against all odds, humans left the simulation, stuff that contrasted humans against machines.

The other movies were just junk, and the series never recovered. Instead of the new Matrix, just watch Johnny Mnemonic instead. It's fucking bad but in a good way.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

I never got down with the whole "Oh we will end up compromising with the machines" ending of the last film.

They were never going to defeat the machines and the cycle would happen again and again. They kinda did "win" when Neo broke that cycle by actually acting human and taking a selfish choice. He then saved the Matrix from being taken over by Smith (who could have maybe even taken over the whole machine world.)

Not the best of endings, but I was ok with it.

 

[The Ugly One]

Dark City got its story across in a single movie and was ten times better than this tottering pile of shit that is the Matrix franchise.

The Matrix also got its story across in a single movie. There was nothing about its end whatsoever that demanded a sequel. It just made too much money to let it stand alone.

 

[Iceland Heavy]

I never got down with the whole "Oh we will end up compromising with the machines" ending of the last film.

Like nah fuck that nigger. Die fighting. To me any series that roots against humanity (the last planet of the apes for example) is just shit lib scum. Humans don't need to be removed or replaced by apes or robots, we just need to remove the weak bug people who are stopping real progress.

'Humans r da real monsters' is so overplayed at this point it makes me roll my eyes every time I see it in something.

 

[The Lawgiver]

The Matrix also got its story across in a single movie. There was nothing about its end whatsoever that demanded a sequel. It just made too much money to let it stand alone.

I mean it ending with the war being over and humans and machines working to restore the earth was kinda worth it being milked for 2 more movies. Of course they had to undo it with another fucking sequel YEARS after the fact but hey, it happens.

 

[TurdFondler]

The Matrix also got its story across in a single movie. There was nothing about its end whatsoever that demanded a sequel. It just made too much money to let it stand alone.

It could have been a cult classic, it was absolutely the right movie for its time. It's like trying to make sequels to the Truman Show or Eternal Sunshine.

 

[spinal gas chamber]

I want to fuck the hell out of late 90s Carrie Ann Moss but I’d probably only last like 16 seconds. It would be a great time for me.

 

[Cedric_Eff]

Neo and Trinity are both dead. How are they back? Is this like the new Halloween where they threw out everything but the original?

I have a feeling this movie will spend more time explaining its premise than actually advancing the story.

Idk, prolly make a twist about how they never existed and that the whole Matrix itself was within another Matrix and the whole thing is an Russian nesting doll of Matrices.

 

[Kheapathic]

Comparing it favorably to The Last Jedi.

Look, if you guys wanted to tell me not to watch the movie and not be reimbursed for my time, this was the safest and most polite way to do so.

 

[JamFlowMan]

Eh, wasn't interested after the trailer made it look like self referential meta bullshit and that looks like what it is. Maybe i'm wrong and it really is the "best movie ever" but i'm fine with never finding out.

 

[Screw Danlon]

They were never going to defeat the machines and the cycle would happen again and again. They kinda did "win" when Neo broke that cycle by actually acting human and taking a selfish choice. He then saved the Matrix from being taken over by Smith (who could have maybe even taken over the whole machine world.)

Not the best of endings, but I was ok with it.

So it was Mass Effect all along?

 

[ditto]

The Matrix also got its story across in a single movie. There was nothing about its end whatsoever that demanded a sequel. It just made too much money to let it stand alone.

The first movie ended with Neo introducing free will into the matrix. It was a perfect optimistic ending.

Reloaded retconned the first movie so much that Morpheus became an unwitting Hans Landa. Just flushing out troublemakers from the Matrix and into Zion to be gassed.

 

[The Ugly One]

I mean it ending with the war being over and humans and machines working to restore the earth was kinda worth it being milked for 2 more movies. Of course they had to undo it with another fucking sequel YEARS after the fact but hey, it happens.

Two incredibly shitty sequels all to wrap up uninteresting loose ends for an unnecessary ending weren't worth it. The original Matrix had a perfect ending. Everything has changed. Badass RATM song plays. The details are unimportant. Ending on a tone rather than details is a tough thing for a movie to pull off, but the Matrix did it, and it fits the movie perfectly, because the whole point was that ultimately, Neo was limited only by his own consciousness and imagination in the Matrix, so letting your imagination run wild at the end was the right choice.

Then they fucked it up.