Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes
Trouble logging in?
By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.
![](http://nandemo.space/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
Email not verified
Let's keep in touch.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Rotten Tomatoes Newsletter](https://images.fandango.com/cms/assets/97c33f00-313f-11ee-9aaf-6762c75465cf--newsletter.png)
Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:
- Upcoming Movies and TV shows
- Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
- Media News + More
By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.
OK, got it!
- About Rotten Tomatoes®
- Login/signup
Movies in theaters
- Opening This Week
- Top Box Office
- Coming Soon to Theaters
- Certified Fresh Movies
Movies at Home
- Fandango at Home
- Prime Video
- Most Popular Streaming Movies
- What to Watch New
Certified fresh picks
- 73% Blink Twice Link to Blink Twice
- 96% Strange Darling Link to Strange Darling
- 86% Between the Temples Link to Between the Temples
New TV Tonight
- 96% Only Murders in the Building: Season 4
- 92% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
- 95% Terminator Zero: Season 1
- 68% Kaos: Season 1
- 83% City of God: The Fight Rages On: Season 1
- -- Here Come the Irish: Season 1
- -- K-Pop Idols: Season 1
- -- Horror's Greatest: Season 1
- -- After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun: Season 1
Most Popular TV on RT
- 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
- 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1
- 78% Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
- 100% Pachinko: Season 2
- Best TV Shows
- Most Popular TV
Certified fresh pick
- 92% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2 Link to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
- All-Time Lists
- Binge Guide
- Comics on TV
- Five Favorite Films
- Video Interviews
- Weekend Box Office
- Weekly Ketchup
- What to Watch
The Best Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Watch Right Now (August 2024)
100 Best Netflix Series To Watch Right Now (August 2024)
What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming
Awards Tour
TV Premiere Dates 2024
Your Full List of All Upcoming Marvel Movies — With Key Details!
- Trending on RT
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Rings of Power S2 First Reviews
- Venice Film Festival
- Fall Horror Movie Preview
The Matrix Resurrections
Where to watch.
Watch The Matrix Resurrections with a subscription on Max, Netflix, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.
What to Know
If it lacks the original's bracingly original craft, The Matrix Resurrections revisits the world of the franchise with wit, a timely perspective, and heart.
The Matrix Resurrections falls short compared to the original, but doesn't skimp on the action or cool visual effects.
Critics Reviews
Audience reviews, cast & crew.
Lana Wachowski
Keanu Reeves
Carrie-Anne Moss
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Jonathan Groff
Jessica Henwick
Movie Clips
More like this, related movie news.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Crow-1-jpg.webp)
Good movies always have integrity, but not-good movies can have integrity, too. “The Crow,” about a man who is murdered along with the love of his life and comes back from the dead to avenge her, is an vivid example of this principle. It has a lot of elements that don’t work (including a symbolism-laden recurring flashback to a childhood trauma that landed the hero, Eric Draven, in a mental institution) and you sort of just have to accept that the central love story is powerful because the film needs it to be, and because the actors are likable. Zach Baylin and William Schneider’s script takes a while setting up the horrifying central event that drives the rest of the story, and the movie doesn’t get to the point where the hero becomes The Crow, a self-painted, faintly Joker-esque angel of death, until the final stretch. And there are a lot of other problems/issues that I’ll get to in due course.
But it has a low-key confidence about its identity and methods, including an entire metaphysical system supporting the plot, that’s unexpectedly persuasive by the end. This film is not, as reality show contestants like to say, here to make friends, but to be true to itself, and it walks a righteous path in that regard, all the way to its ending, which is true to the spirit of John Keats and Edgar Allan Poe as well as the source material, James O’Barr’s graphic novel. The violence is staggeringly brutal even by revenge-thriller standards—flamboyantly, consciously excessive in the manner of an art-house/grindhouse thriller like “ Drive ” or “ Only God Forgives “—as if the movie is going all out to shock an audience that fancies itself un-shockable.
And the decision to spend so much time showing us big-eyed sad-sack Eric Draven (played by Bill Skarsgård ) prior to his supernatural transformation, and to develop Eric’s lover Shelly (musician FKA Twigs), a woman on the fringes of the goth underworld who’s running from a dark secret, as a person with her own identity and backstory, pays off fairly deep into the story, even though it can be a little frustrating early on. Post-Shelly’s death, the movie takes a turn that, without revealing anything specific, is so rock-solidly capital-R Romantic, in an “ Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard ” kind of way, that in an age where any form of sincerity is reflexively dismissed as “cringe,” the movie deserves applause for even going there, and more applause for following the decision to its dramatically inevitable conclusion and giving audiences the ending that feels right, even if it’s not the one that’ll send viewers home with smiles on their faces.
It’s true that there’s no universe in which it can be called a great movie, or even an inherently commercial one. Twigs is likable but gives a rather thin performance, and Skarsgård doesn’t fare much better, despite their apparently complete investment in the love story. It might’ve helped if the characters didn’t seem stoned even when they aren’t doing drugs. Director Rupert Sanders (“ Snow White and the Huntsman ,” the live-action “ Ghost in the Shell “) relies too much on stereotypical “lovers frolicking” montage material that seems to want to be charged with secondary meaning (Eric kisses Shelly through a sheer white curtain that suggests a burial shroud, and after her death, there’s a “ Titanic “-y image of her sinking into the murk of a harbor despite Eric’s outstretched hand). These really could’ve been more productively swapped out for more, you know, actual scenes where the two behave like, you know, people . All that plus the extreme violence and the not-upbeat ending probably explain why “The Crow” is being dumped by its studio, Lionsgate, without any press screenings and (seemingly) little advertising or marketing.
But this still feels like a mistake, because for all its disappointments and missteps—including a lack of imaginative compositions, and some muddy or milky nighttime photography—the movie’s got something—a specialness, an aura, or maybe just an obvious purity of intent—that ought to inoculate it against charges that it’s just a cash-grab remake. Nobody who’s in showbiz solely to make money would commit to a movie like this version of “The Crow,” which has a 19th century, wearing-black-and-kneeling-by-the-tombstone definition of True Love. And it has gone to the trouble of developing a detailed cosmology to put character motivations in context and let the movie build to a statement that goes beyond “bad guys kill hero’s girl, hero comes back to kill bad guys,” which is pretty much what Alex Proyas (“ Dark City “) did when he first adapted James O’Barr’s source comic thirty years ago.
The villain in this one, Roeg (presumably named for the great director Nicolas Roeg , and played by go-to bad guy Danny Huston ) is not just a garden variety human criminal, but a vile and powerful creature who, by his own description, has been around a long time, and has the ability to corrupt mortals. Unlike previous screen tellings of the legends of The Crow, this one is thoroughly steeped in the supernatural beyond the trope of resurrecting a dead protagonist. As in horror films about devils, demons, and stolen souls, this one portrays evil as a power source or force that can be carried and weaponized, transforming and despoiling others. This brings the story closer to the fable of Orpheus, who tries to save his wife Eurydice from Hades, although this “Crow” spends most of its metaphysical development scenes in a purgatorial in-between space.
Proyas’ version was probably always going to end up an example of a film in which style was substance (the characterizations were flat/iconic, and the look was modeled on then-contemporary music videos, album covers, and comics art), and it had to embrace that aesthetic much harder after its star Brandon Lee was killed by a prop gun before he was done filming his scenes. The production team used silhouetted body doubles and then-crude compositing to cobble together something releasable. The result was a death-haunted film in more ways than one. Hopefully enough time has passed to be able to say that the result, though better than it had any right to be, got extra love and affection because audiences knew so much about the trauma that birthed it. (For what it’s worth, I gave Proyas’s “The Crow” a rave review when it came out, and wore out the soundtrack on cassette.)
This new version isn’t as focused, propulsive, and fleet-footed as the ’94 film. It’s a mournful wallow with a tinge of Northern European horror films and fables. It’s a neo-noir big-bad-city movie, with buckets of rain pouring down. The ripped, buff Skarsgård doesn’t have Lee’s dancer-like grace and doesn’t try to approximate it; if Lee’s Eric Draven was a trickster imp, Skarsgård’s is more of a brooding clay golem, conjured to destroy the wicked.
And that’s OK. It’s a different approach, and in the end, it not only works, the film is moving almost in spite of itself. This “Crow” seems to understand itself most strongly when it’s showing us how Eric, retooling himself into a killing machine in the name of redemption and justice, has chosen to become what he beheld, and empty himself of the love that transformed him for the better when Shelly was alive. The onscreen effect is reminiscent of an Edgar Allan Poe line, “Years of love have been forgot, In the hatred of a minute.” Every scene, especially in the second half, seems to be taking its creative orders from some secret coded frequency that only the filmmakers can hear, and that no other mainstream movie this year has access to. Even when the film wasn’t quite “working” in any conventional sense, there were moments that raised the hair on the back of my neck.
There’s a scene in the movie where Eric and Shelly are walking across a bridge and Shelly not-really-jokingly talks about jumping, and they envision a double-jump ending in their deaths, and Shelly imagines that teenagers would make shrines to them. I think that in time, teenagers will make their own shrines to this movie, in their own ways. It’s the kind of movie where, if you saw it when you were 14, you’d see it ten or twenty more times, and be inspired to check out books from the library, maybe memorize some poetry.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Matt-Zoller-Seitz.jpg)
Matt Zoller Seitz
Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor-at-Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit The Crow movie poster](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/large_crow-jpg.avif)
- Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven / The Crow
- FKA twigs as Shelly Webster
- Danny Huston as Vincent Roeg
- Laura Birn as Marion
- Jordan Bolger as Chance
- Isabella Wei as Zadie
- Rupert Sanders
- Will Schneider
- Zach Baylin
Leave a comment
Now playing.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ozUlESdVAGkKgQYVqsAUtO7Uwa0-256x384.jpg)
Merchant Ivory
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/og1FteMFRInoQnlZeWqEn8XpXHh-256x384.jpg)
The Deliverance
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/33HWLu18lU9bllO31CuFcgoUBl4-256x384.jpg)
City of Dreams
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2vJLlFWYkUBivDgdly0b6sBaa1h-256x384.jpg)
Out Come the Wolves
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1HOXS7PLtW913K4jHjAmf89b3HW-256x384.jpg)
Seeking Mavis Beacon
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/m2Mj68TnAc9guN7lDRubwHklvsf-256x384.jpg)
Across the River and Into the Trees
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1992_3-256x136.jpg)
You Gotta Believe
Latest articles.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Risky-5-525x281.jpg)
“Risky Business” Remains One of the Most Daring Films of the ’80s
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/separated-421x281.jpg)
Venice Film Festival 2024: Separated, Maria, Kill the Jockey, One to One: John & Yoko
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/rsw_814cg_true-434x281.webp)
Experience the Star Trek Movies in 70mm at Out of this World L.A. Event
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Bikeriders-still-422x281.jpg)
Home Entertainment Guide: August 2024
The best movie reviews, in your inbox.
- Login / Sign Up
The astonishing, angry Matrix Resurrections deals with what’s real in a world where nothing is
A furious Lana Wachowski fights back with a love story
by Joshua Rivera
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Neo and Trinity stand in front of burning wreckage in The Matrix Resurrections.](https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23115900/rev_1_MX4_09306r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
[ Ed. note: Minor spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections follow.]
The story: A man named Thomas is told that the world is not what he thought it to be, and despite the passion of the messenger and the void in his own life, he refuses to believe. He wants to see for himself. He wants, as the Gospel of John recounts, to feel the wounded flesh of the resurrected Christ, to feel where the nails were hammered into his hands. In his doubt, he becomes a myth, the first man to doubt the gospel, only to believe there is truth there when he’s standing in front of the gospel’s corporeal form.
Another version of the story: A man named Thomas Anderson lives a respectable life at the end of the 20th century, a gifted programmer at a nondescript software company. Everything is as it should be, and yet there is a void in him. Messengers find him and tell him his suspicion is correct, that this world is an illusion, yet he refuses to believe. Not until he takes a pill and wakes up in a nightmare, where he, along with everyone else he thought he knew, is plugged into a machine from birth until death, living in a simulation he never doubted until he could feel the wounds in his own flesh, where the machines jacked him into a digital world called the Matrix. Over the next 22 years, Mr. Anderson’s story in The Matrix becomes a different, newer myth, disseminated through the burgeoning internet and refracted through various subcultures. Depending on which set of eyes it encountered, the story’s symbolism and themes took on new meanings, some thoughtful and enlightening, others strange and sinister.
The Matrix Resurrections ’ third version of this story: Once again, there is Keanu Reeves’ Thomas Anderson, a gifted programmer who suspects his world is wrong, somehow. Once again, he is contacted by people claiming to confirm his suspicions. Once again, he refuses to believe. For a little while, the story seems the same, to the point where it doesn’t seem worth telling. Yet the world it’s being told to — our world, the one where we’ve returned to see a new film called The Matrix for the first time since 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions — is very different. In the final days of 2021, Thomas, just like those watching him, has much more to doubt. And Resurrections finds its meaning.
Directed by Lana Wachowski from a script she co-wrote with David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon, The Matrix Resurrections is about doing the impossible. On a very basic level, it’s about the insurmountable and inherently cynical task of making a follow-up to the Matrix trilogy, one that breaks technical and narrative ground the way the first film did. On a thematic one, it’s an agitprop romance, one of the most effective mass media diagnoses of the current moment that finds countless things to be angry about, and proposes fighting them all with radical, reckless love. On top of all that, it is also a kick-ass work of sci-fi action — propulsive, gorgeous, and yet still intimate — that revisits the familiar to show audiences something very new.
Reloading, but not repeating
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Thomas Anderson stands in front of a torn projection of Trinity from the Matrix in The Matrix Resurrections.](https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23117601/rev_1_MX4_FP_0053_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
The Matrix Resurrections soars by echoing something old. A familiarity with The Matrix and its sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions , comes in handy when entering the new film, as the first task Wachowski, Mitchell, and Hemon go about resolving in Resurrections is extricating Thomas Anderson — better known as Neo — from his fate in Revolutions . Slowly, they reveal how Neo, seemingly deceased alongside his love and partner Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), may or may not have survived to once again become Thomas Anderson, a blank slate who has trouble telling what’s real and what is not.
This Thomas Anderson is also a programmer, but now a rockstar of game development, responsible for the most popular video game trilogy ever made: The Matrix. These games are effectively the same as the Matrix film trilogy that exists in our world, a story about a man named Neo who discovers that he is living in a dream world controlled by machines, and that he is The One destined to help humanity defeat them.
Like Lana Wachowski, who co-created the Matrix films with her sibling Lilly decades ago, Thomas is asked to make a sequel to the Matrix trilogy, one that his parent company — also devilishly named Warner Bros. — will make with or without their input. So, as Thomas goes about his task, his reality takes on an M.C. Escher-esque level of circuitousness. Was the Matrix trilogy a series of games of his making? Or did they really happen, and he is once again a prisoner of the Matrix? Why is there a woman named Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss) in this world with him, one who strongly resembles the deceased Trinity of his fiction? Wachowski layers these questions in disorienting montage with voyeuristic angles, presenting Thomas’ presumed reality with just enough remove to make the viewer uncomfortable, and cause them to doubt, as Thomas does.
Casting the previous films as in-world video games allows The Matrix Resurrections to function as a refreshingly heavy-handed rebuke of the IP-driven reboot culture that produced the film, where the future is increasingly viewed through the franchise lenses of the past, trapping fans in corporate-controlled dream worlds where their fandom is constantly rewarded with new product. That video games are the chosen medium for The Matrix Resurrections ’ satire is icing on the cake: an entire medium defined by the illusion of choice, a culture built around the falsehood that megacorporations care about what their customers think when they have the data to show that every outrage du jour will still result in the same record-breaking profits.
As one of Thomas’s colleagues bluntly puts it: “I’m a geek. I was raised by machines.”
Bugs in the system
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Jessica Henwick as Bugs in The Matrix Resurrections](https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23117603/rev_1_MX4_35096r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
The opening act of The Matrix Resurrections is wonderfully confounding, a delicious way to recreate the unmooring unreality of the original to an audience that has likely seen, or felt its influence, countless times. Yet as it replicates, it also diverges. This is not, as the hacker Bugs (Jessica Henwick) notes early on, the story we know.
Bugs is our window into what’s new in Resurrections , a young and headstrong woman dedicated to finding the Neo that her generation knows only as myth. Her zealotry puts her in hot water with her elders; outside of the Matrix, humanity has eked out a small but thriving post-apocalyptic life, resting on the uneasy treaty between man and machine that Neo brokered at the end of the original trilogy. By constantly hacking into the Matrix to find Neo, Bugs threatens that peace — yet it’s a risk that Bugs and her ragtag crew (which includes a phenomenal Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a role that’s not quite who viewers think he is) feel is worth taking. Because despite the war fought to free humanity from machine enslavement, much of humanity is still choosing to remain in the Matrix. The real world being real is not reason enough for anyone to wake up from the dream world.
But the hope of rescuing Neo is only half of the story. Wachowski makes a dazzling pivot halfway through The Matrix Resurrections , one that underlines a focal shift from individual freedom to human connection: The Resistance learns that it may be possible to free Trinity again as well, although by means never tried before. It’s a mission that isn’t likely to succeed, but in this strange new future, it’s the only one worth living and dying for. In pivoting to a mission to save the theoretical Trinity, Resurrections takes the messaging of the original film a step further. It’s not enough to free your mind; in fact, it’s worthless if you don’t unplug in the interest of connecting and loving those around you.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Thomas Anderson walks through a city street as it devolves into code in The Matrix Resurrections.](https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23117614/rev_1_MX4_TRLR_0004_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
This back half gear-shifts into something much more straightforward, and frankly, it whips. It’s The Matrix as a heist movie. Because of this genre pivot, Resurrections ’ action takes on a different flavor from that of its predecessors. While weighty, satisfying martial arts standoffs are still in play, they’re not the centerpiece, as “Thomas” and “Tiffany” are the heart of the film, played by actors 20 years older and a little more limited in their choreography. Instead, The Matrix Resurrections chooses to dazzle with gorgeous widescreen set-pieces, big brawls, and visual effects that once again astonish while looking spectacularly real. Wachowski and her co-writers split the action as Bugs and her crew — who don’t get enough screen time but all make a terrific impression — race to find where their heroes may be hidden in the real world, and “Thomas” tries to get “Tiffany” to remember the love they once shared. All of the heady philosophy that these movies are known for is put into direct action, as the machines show off the ways they’ve changed the Matrix in an effort to not just keep a Neo from rescuing a Trinity, but to imprison him again.
In this sequence and throughout, The Matrix Resurrections relishes in being a lighter, more self-aware film than its predecessors, a movie about big feelings rendered beautifully. Its score, by Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, reprises iconic motifs from original Matrix composer Don Davis’ work while introducing shimmery, recursive sequencing, a sonic echo to go with the visual one. While legendary cinematographer Bill Pope is also among the talent that doesn’t return this time around, the team of Daniele Massaccesi and John Toll bring a more painterly approach to Resurrections . Warm colors invade scenes from both the Matrix and the real world; the latter looks more vibrant than ever without the blue hues that characterized it in the original trilogy, while its digital counterpart has now changed to the point where it’s painfully idyllic, a world of bright colors and sunlight that is difficult to leave.
Embodying those changes is Jonathan Groff as a reawakened Smith, Neo’s dark opposite within the Matrix. Groff, who steps in for a role indelibly portrayed by Hugo Weaving, is the audacity of The Matrix Resurrections personified: He nails a character so iconic that recasting it feels like hubris, yet also finds new shades to bring to an antagonistic role in a world where villains only appear human, when in fact they’re often ideas. And ideas are so hard to wage war against.
Systems of control
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Jonathan Groff as Smith in The Matrix Resurrections](https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23117622/rev_1_MX4_FP_0026_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
If the old Matrix films are about lies we are told, the new Matrix is about lies we choose. In spite of its questions, 1999’s The Matrix hinges on the notion that there is such a thing as objective truth, and that people would want to see it. On the cusp of 2022, objective truth is no longer agreed upon, as pundits, politicians, and tech magnates each present their vision of what’s real, and aggressively market it to the masses. Our current crisis, then, is whatever you choose it to be. You just have to choose a side in the war: one to be us, and another to be them.
“If we don’t know what’s real,” one character asks Neo, “how do we resist?”
In returning to the world she created with her sibling, Lana Wachowski makes a closing argument she may very well not get to have the last word on. The Matrix Resurrections is a bouquet of flowers thrown with the rage of a Molotov cocktail, the will to fight tempered by the choice to extend compassion. Because feelings, as the constructs that oppress humanity in the Matrix note, are much easier to control than facts, and feelings are what sway us. So what if Neo fights back with a better story? A new myth to rise above the culture war?
It doesn’t have to be a bold one. It can even be one you’ve heard before. About a man named Thomas who can’t shake the idea that there’s something wrong with the world around him, that he feels disconnected from others in a way that he was never meant to be. And when others finally tell him that he’s living in an illusion, he doesn’t quite believe them — not until he sees something, someone, for himself that reminds him of what, exactly, he is missing: that he used to be in love.
The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max on Dec. 22.
- Entertainment
Most Popular
- The 5 best Korean dramas to watch on Netflix this fall
- The best piece of tech I’ve bought in years is this funky little e-reader
- Pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom from QVC and save $30
- World of Warcraft might finally have nailed solo dungeons with Delves
- The 25 best games on Game Pass
Patch Notes
The best of Polygon in your inbox, every Friday.
This is the title for the native ad
More in Reviews
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Emio – The Smiling Man is a captivating murder mystery with a middling end](https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/e167f6d64555a4303f055dd1f579dbfe.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=7.8181818181818%2C0%2C84.363636363636%2C100&w=2400)
The Latest ⚡️
- Pirate streaming site Fmovies is dead
- Spotify accuses Apple
- X labeled NPR's Trump story 'unsafe'
- Apple Event 2024: What to expect
- Best Labor Day sales on tech
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ is brilliant, but not for everyone
It's bound to be another divisive matrix sequel..
"Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia," Morpheus says in The Matrix Resurrections . That's a not-so-subtle dig at the onslaught of reboots and remakes dominating our culture — revisiting characters and stories we already know is, well, safe. Audiences know what to expect, and it's a better bet for risk-averse studios. Of course, Morpheus (now played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen) is also commenting on the film he's in.
More than twenty years after The Matrix fundamentally reshaped genre cinema, director Lana Wachowski is finally diving back into the universe that made her and co-director Lilly Wachowski renowned. After all that time, is it really worth going back down the rabbit hole, or is this just another easy franchise cash-grab?
The answer to that question depends on what you want from a Matrix sequel. Like The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions before it, Wachowski (along with co-writers David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon) isn't interested in merely retreading the past with Resurrections . Instead, it's a film that's keenly aware of its legacy, our relationship with its characters, and the lofty expectations that fans (and studios!) have when rebooting a beloved property.
As someone who adored the original film, and found plenty to respect in the much-maligned sequels, Resurrections feels made just for me. It's intoxicating, thrilling and unabashedly romantic. But judging from the polarizing early critical responses, it's clearly not for everyone.
Minor spoilers ahead.
It's hard to talk about what The Matrix Resurrections is without describing its basic setup, most of which you can gather from the film's trailers. Keanu Reeves returns as Thomas Anderson, a programmer adrift in a world that doesn't quite make sense to him. He meets a woman played by Carrie-Anne Moss, but this time she's not the Agent-whupping bad-ass Trinity, she's just your typical (albeit, strikingly beautiful) mom. The two feel an instant connection. Thomas eventually gets ripped out of the world he's in thanks to a plucky new character named Bugs (Jessica Henwick), he finds the real world, and yadda yadda , you get the picture.
Now, you might be asking yourself, "Didn't Neo and Trinity die in The Matrix Revolutions?" All I can do is point at the title of the movie — what did you expect? This time, Anderson is a renowned game developer known for creating an popular trilogy of games that retell the entire Matrix story. When we first meet him, he's faced with a new challenge: making a fourth entry. He approaches it with the same sense of dread the Wachowskis likely felt about tackling a potential Matrix 4 . A series of brainstorming scenes feel as if they're pulled directly from their own hellish meetings with Warner Bros. Anderson's team can only focus on the surface — How do they go beyond bullet time? What if they just focus on more mindless action? — rather than anything truly substantive.
As the film unfolds (and don't worry, I'm not revealing any major surprises), it's impressive how Lana Wachowski elegantly avoids the traps most reboots fall into, as if she were in the Matrix herself, deftly avoiding all of the bullets aimed right at her. Sure, Resurrections brings some new special effects toys to the party, and it has the requisite action scenes you'd expect. But in many ways it's more reminiscent of the Wachowski's recent works, like the time-hopping epic Cloud Atlas , and the unabashedly humanistic Sense8 .
The Matrix Resurrections wears its heart on its sleeve. It's far more interested in the transcendental possibilities of love than it is in laying the groundwork for a new trilogy of films. The fact that Wachowski is practically refusing to play by the current rules of Hollywood – set up the sequel by any means necessary! – feels almost revolutionary. She has one story to tell, and it means a lot to her. That’s it.
Strangely enough, the movie Resurrections reminds me of most is Wes Craven’s A New Nightmare , a groundbreaking attempt at wrestling with a hugely popular genre franchise. That film – the seventh A Nightmare on Elm Street entry – brought Freddy Krueger into the real world to reclaim what made him terrifying. Throughout The Matrix Resurrections , it feels as if Wachowski is also ready to break the fourth wall with her sheer contempt for reboots, fan service and watered-down sequels. “The sheeple want control, certainty,” a villain says at one point. (At that moment, I couldn’t help but think of the utter failure of The Rise of Skywalker . Yes, the wound is still fresh.)
And this is where I come back to saying this movie isn’t for everyone. But that just makes it a Matrix sequel. Sure, Reloaded and Revolutions were a bit overstuffed and convoluted, but they were also singular visions that took some major swings. (I’m still chasing the high of seeing Reloaded’s sprawling highway chase for the first time.)
Geek cinema has taken over the world, yet aside from Christopher Nolan’s work, it’s rare to see big-budget filmmaking that isn’t beholden to some major corporation’s franchise rules (and at this point, that’s usually just Disney). The Matrix Resurrections says “to hell with the rules!”, and I applaud it.
- Advertisement
- Election 2024
- Entertainment
- Newsletters
- Photography
- AP Buyline Personal Finance
- AP Buyline Shopping
- Press Releases
- Israel-Hamas War
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Global elections
- Asia Pacific
- Latin America
- Middle East
- Election results
- Google trends
- AP & Elections
- U.S. Open Tennis
- Paralympic Games
- College football
- Auto Racing
- Movie reviews
- Book reviews
- Financial Markets
- Business Highlights
- Financial wellness
- Artificial Intelligence
- Social Media
Movie Review: ‘The Crow’ reimagined is stylish and operatic, but cannot outfly 1994 original
This image released by Lionsgate shows Bill Skarsgård in “The Crow”. (Larry Horricks/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Bill Skarsgård, left, and FKA twigs in “The Crow”. (Larry Horricks/Lionsgate via AP)
Bill Skarsgard attends “The Crow” world premiere at the Village East by Angelika on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Rupert Sanders, from left, FKA twigs, and Bill Skarsgard attend “The Crow” world premiere at the Village East by Angelika on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
- Copy Link copied
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Image](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/c6aa56a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/700x700+0+0/resize/60x60!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F00%2F45%2F0828b91644eb9a21ccacdc87d766%2Fkennedy-mark.jpg)
One of the first things you see in the reimagined “The Crow” is the sight of a fallen white horse in a muddy field, bleeding badly after becoming entangled in barbed wire. It’s a metaphor, of course, and a clunky one at that — a powerful image that doesn’t really fit well and is never explained.
That’s a hint that director Rupert Sanders will have a tendency to consistently pick the stylish option over the honest one in this film. In his attempt to give new life to the cult hero of comics and film, he’s given us plenty of beauty at the expense of depth or coherence.
The filmmakers have set their tale in a modern, generic Europe and made it very clear that this movie is based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr, but the 1994 film adaptation starring Brandon Lee hovers over it like, well, a stubborn crow.
Brandon, son of legendary actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, was just 28 when he died after being shot while filming a scene for “The Crow.” History seems always to repeat: The new adaptation lands as another on-set death remains in the headlines.
Lee’s “The Crow” was finished without him and he never got to see it enter Gen X memory in all its rain-drenched, gothic glory, influencing everything from alternative fashion to “Blade” to Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.
Bill Skarsgård seizes Lee’s role of Eric Draven, a man so in love that he returns from the dead to revenge his and his sweetheart’s slayings in what can be best called a sort of supernatural, romantic murderfest. (The tagline, “True love never dies,” clumsily rips off Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.”)
William Schneider, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zach Baylin, has given the story a near-operatic facelift, by introducing a devil, a Faustian bargain, blood-on-blood oaths and a godlike guide who monitors the limbo between heaven and hell, which looks like a disused, weed-covered railway station. “Kill the ones who killed you and you’ll get her back,” our hero is told.
The first half drags at it sets the table for the steady beat of limbs and necks being detached at the end. Eric and his love, Shelly (played by an uneven FKA Twigs), meet in a rehab prison for wayward youth that is so well lit and appointed that it looks more like an airport lounge where the cappuccinos are $19 but the Wi-Fi is complimentary.
Eric is a gentle loner — tortured by a past the writers don’t bother filling in, who likes to sketch in a book (universal cinema code signaling a sensitive soul) and is heavily tattooed (he’s often shirtless). His apartment has rows of mannequins with their heads covered in plastic and his new love calls him “brilliantly broken.” He’s like a Blink-182 lyric come to life.
Shelly is more complex, but that’s because the writers maybe gave up on giving her a real backstory. She has a tattoo that says “Laugh now, cry later,” reads serious literature and loves dancing in her underwear. She clearly comes from wealth and has had a falling out with her mom, but has also done an unimaginably horrible thing, which viewers will learn about at the end.
Part of the trouble is that the lead couple cast off very little electricity, offering a love affair that’s more teen-like than all-consuming. And this is a story that needs a love capable of transcending death.
There are lots of cool-looking moments — mostly Skarsgård in a trench coat, stomping around the desolate concrete jungle in the rain at night — until “The Crow” builds to one of the better action sequences this year, albeit another one of those heightened showdowns at the opera.
By this time, Eric has donned the Crow’s heavy eye and cheek makeup. He adds to this ensemble a katana and an inability to die. As he closes in on his target, mowing down tuxedoed bad guys as arias soar, the group movements on stage are echoed by the furious fighting backstage. A few severed heads might be considered over the top at curtain call, but subtlety isn’t being applauded here.
If the original was plot-light but visually delicious, the new one has a better story but suffers from ideas in the films built on its predecessor, stealing a little from “The Matrix,” “Joker” and “Kill Bill.” Why not create something entirely new?
“The Crow” isn’t bad — and it gets better as it goes — but it’s an exercise in folly. It cannot escape Lee and the 1994 original even as it builds a more allegorical scaffolding for the smartphone generation. To use that very first metaphor, it’s like the trapped white horse — held down by its own painful past, never free to gallop on its own.
“The Crow,” a Lionsgate release that hits theaters Friday, is rated R for “strong bloody violence, gore, language, sexuality/nudity and drug use.” Running time: 111 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Image](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/446b9ab/2147483647/strip/true/crop/700x700+0+0/resize/100x100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F00%2F45%2F0828b91644eb9a21ccacdc87d766%2Fkennedy-mark.jpg)
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Review: Tim Burton’s Lightweight Sequel Works as Ghostly Fan Service
Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega star in a sequel that's no "Beetlejuice," but it's got just enough Burton juice.
By Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Chief Film Critic
- ‘Maria’ Review: Angelina Jolie Is Commanding as Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s Lavish but Overly Fatalistic Drama 1 day ago
- ‘Riefenstahl’ Review: A New Portrait of Leni Riefenstahl Looks Closer at the Question: Was the Filmmaker Complicit in Nazi Crimes? 1 day ago
- ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Review: Tim Burton’s Lightweight Sequel Works as Ghostly Fan Service 2 days ago
![new matrix movie reviews reddit BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE, (aka BEETLEJUICE 2), from left: Winona Ryder, Bob, Michael Keaton, 2024. © Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MCDBEBE_WB037.jpg?w=1000&h=667&crop=1)
Back in 1988, “ Beetlejuice ” was a comedy, a ghost story, a high-camp horror film, and a macabre funhouse ride, all driven by a new kind of palm-buzzer freak-show prankishness. I first saw the movie at a Saturday-night sneak preview, before anyone knew a thing about it, and by the time it was over it was clear that the director, Tim Burton , was going to be a superstar who ruled over his own weirdly ardent world of ghoulish mockery.
Related Stories
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Photo illustration of a robot's hand dropping a coin into a human palm](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/featured_ai_royalties.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
How Much Should AI Giants Pay Hollywood? What Insiders Say Has Stalled Any Licensing Deals
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Anytime Anywhere](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Anytime-Anywhere.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
Fandango Takes Sales on Venice and Toronto Title 'Anywhere Anytime' With a 'Bicycle Thieves' Vibe – Watch Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
Popular on variety.
As a result, it’s one of those sequels that spends a lot of time looking back. The film opens with the tingle of Danny Elfman’s jumpy ghost music, along with another flyover shot of the picturesque town of Winter River, Connecticut, where Winona Ryder ’s Lydia Deetz, the former goth teen who interfaced with the spirit world, is now a psychic mediator who hosts her own hunt-for-the-paranormal television show entitled “Ghost House.” Lydia still wears her hair in spiky bangs, but where you might expect her to have relaxed into middle age, the way Ryder plays her she’s more distraught than ever. Maybe that’s because her TV-producer boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), is a fatuous sleaze who speaks in progressive therapeutic bromides to cover his flagrant opportunism. Or maybe it’s because her daughter, Astrid ( Jenna Ortega ), has nothing but contempt for her mother’s ghostly preoccupations, which she thinks are sheer delusion.
Catherine O’Hara, winningly overwrought as ever, is back as Delia, Lydia’s narcissistic artist stepmother. And to spin past any awkwardness over former cast member Jeffrey Jones (who is now a convicted sex offender), his character, Charles — Lydia’s father and Delia’s husband — is given a claymation segment that ends with him being chomped by a shark; the character then spends the rest of the movie skulking through the afterlife as a blood-spurting trunk without a head. As for Keaton’s title pest, he keeps popping up in Lydia’s sightlines, and it’s not long before he’s summoned. Keaton, at 73, invests him with that same obscene gnashing energy and throwaway scuzzball cunning — and, in fact, Beetlejuice figures out another way to coerce Lydia into marrying him. It’s all hooked to the fact that Astrid has fallen for a sweetheart of a dude in her class (Arthur Conti), who turns out to have a very dark secret.
The movie doesn’t come entirely alive until the scene where Beetlejuice, acting as Lydia and Rory’s “couple’s therapist,” literally spills his guts, then produces an infant version of himself — a baby as disquieting as the crawling-on-the-ceiling one in “Trainspotting.” A gambit like this exists mostly for its own agreeably sick sake, and that, in its way, is the “Beetlejuice” aesthetic: Tim Burton making this stuff up simply because it tickles his naughty fancy. At least one thing he has made up is a bit cringe: the punning use of “Soul Train,” complete with a boogie-down chorus line of ’70s funk dancers (which in the movie becomes a train for dead souls — get it?). And the plot has even more of the balsa-wood quality that the Alec Baldwin/Geena Davis ghost plot in “Beetlejuice” had.
Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Out of competition), Aug. 28, 2024. MPA rating: PG-13. Running time: 104 MIN.
- Production: A Warner Bros. Pictures release, in association with Domain Entertainment, of a Tim Burton, Tommy Harper, Plan B Entertainment, Marc Toberoff production. Producers: Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tommy Harper, Tim Burton. Executive producers: Sara Desmond, Katterli Frauenfelder, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Larry Wilson, Laurence Senelick, Brad Pitt.
- Crew: Director: Tim Burton. Screenplay: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar. Camera: Haris Zambarloukos. Editor: Jay Prychidny. Music: Danny Elfman.
- With: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, Nick Kellington, Santiago Cabrera, Burn Gorman, Danny DeVito.
More from Variety
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Pooja, Sir](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Pooja-Sir.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
Nepal’s ‘Pooja, Sir’ Defeats Cancer to Make Venice Debut (EXCLUSIVE)
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Super Happy Forever](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SUPER-HAPPY-FOREVER-2.jpeg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
‘Super Happy Forever’ Review: Nostalgia Can’t Mend a Broken Heart In a Gentle Japanese Charmer
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Apocalypse in the Tropics](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Apocalypse-in-the-Tropics.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
‘Apocalypse in the Tropics’ Review: Petra Costa Offers a Sobering Look at the Evangelical Age of Brazilian Politics
![new matrix movie reviews reddit The Venu logo and Fubo logo tipping on a scale](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/featured_venu_fubu.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
Fubo’s Battle With Venu Sports Is a Stopgap Measure
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Planet B](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Planet-B.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1)
Adele Exarchopoulos, Souheila Yacoub on Starring as Rebels With a Cause in Venice Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Planet B’ (EXCLUSIVE)
More from our brands, oasis warns scalped tour tickets will be canceled.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/oasis-ticket-statement.jpg?resize=232,175)
A Former MLB Team Owner’s Pebble Beach Estate Sells for a Record $45 Million
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JohnMooresHouse_PB_FI.jpg?resize=232,175)
Disney, DirecTV NFL Fight Faces Sunday Deadline
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.sportico.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2167200075-e1725047278937.jpg?resize=232,175)
The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://spy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SPY-ProductRoundup-ExfoliatorsandLoofahs-3132024.png?resize=232,175)
English Teacher’s Brian Jordan Alvarez Previews His New FX Comedy, Talks Finding Humor in High School: ‘We Want You Laughing Out Loud’
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/english-teacher-fx-review.jpg?resize=232,175)
Screen Rant
The matrix: 9 unpopular opinions about the franchise, according to reddit.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit 4](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F06%2FKayleena-Pierce-Bohen-profile-picture-wordpress.jpg?fit=crop&w=90&h=90)
Your changes have been saved
Email is sent
Email has already been sent
Please verify your email address.
You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.
First Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Reviews Are In — Is Tim Burton's Sequel Worth The 36-Year Wait?
Tom hanks' eerie moment in saving private ryan's d-day opening clarified by historian (& yes, it's accurate), "does what no other trilogy has ever been able to do": quentin tarantino reveals his pick for the best movie trilogy.
To its fans, The Matrix franchise is a thought-provoking series of films that blends sophisticated philosophical concepts, spiritual ideologies, and compelling action sequences in ways that have influenced multiple movie genres. Its imagery, characters, and dialogue have worked their way into the pop culture zeitgeist, and its filmmaking techniques have changed the way audiences perceive movies.
RELATED: 10 Things Fans Are Most Excited For In The Matrix Resurrections
The very themes the movies champion, namely free will and personal choice, have given rise to myriad opinions about it, from the sequels being better than the original movie to Agent Smith being a terrible villain. While most of Reddit takes a positive view towards the franchise, there are unpopular opinions about it that have started to become as plentiful as sentinels.
The Matrix Is A Terrible Film
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Neo and Trinity walking together in Matrix.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Neo-and-Trinity-walking-together-in-Matrix.jpeg)
When The Matrix came out over 20 years ago, it pioneered many themes, concepts, and tropes that action movies and television series today have repurposed for their own ends. Because of its distinctive style and innovative contributions to the action and sci-fi genres, The Matrix is considered a stalwart classic that still holds up today.
Flyingverver795 thinks that despite having "some cool action sequences", the movie is terrible because viewers "can’t get invested in the characters, the plot is predictable, [and] the antagonists have no real personalities." Most fans would argue that it's the characters, the complex plot, and the altruism of the antagonists that make the movie watchable.
The Movies Have Horrible Action Sequences
![new matrix movie reviews reddit The lobby shootout in The Matrix](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-lobby-shootout-in-The-Matrix.jpg)
In 1999, The Matrix fundamentally changed the course of action movies forever with its use of 360-degree shots, slow-motion ("bullet time"), and wirework. Any other action movies from the '90s looked unpolished and amateur when compared to The Matrix 's aesthetically pleasing and near-balletic action.
Ubique008 believes that after the movies lured "young people with cool black clothes," viewers were treated to "awful, fake kung fu" that couldn't possibly appeal to anyone who enjoys "UFC or a serious martial arts fight." The fight sequences in the Matrix are not only an homage to Hong Kong cinema but intended to reflect the endless possibilities inherent to the Matrix simulation, using spectacle to illustrate this point. The "lobby scene" is still considered by many to be one of the best action sequences in any movie .
The Matrix Reloaded Is Better Than The Matrix
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Trinity and the Keymaker on a motorcycle in The Matrix: Reloaded](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/The-Matrix-Reloaded-Carrie-Ann-Moss-as-Trinity-and-Randall-Duk-Kim-as-The-Keymaker-Highway-Chase.jpeg)
Most fans of the franchise will maintain that The Matrix is a thought-provoking, character-driven action movie whereas its sequel, The Matrix: Reloaded , often elects to focus more on style than substance, which can be par for sequels that intend to be bigger (but not necessarily better) than their predecessors.
DesirableLettuce thinks that the sequel is better than the first movie because "the plot [is] more interesting and complex" and expands the world with "the architect and key maker characters." It should be noted that the second movie takes place almost entirely in the Matrix simulation with Neo at the height of his powers, and that has undeniable appeal to some fans, but not enough to excuse the "rave scene" and other scenes that seem self-indulgent.
The Movies Tell A Cohesive And Satisfying Story
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Matrix Reloaded Architect Monitors](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Matrix-Reloaded-Architect-Monitors.jpg)
After The Matrix introduced some interesting philosophical questions, its sequels intended to add still more until the entire trilogy sagged under the weight of its collective ruminations while providing very few answers. This has led fans to believe that the story introduced in the first movie was very much derailed, leading to a finale that lacked cohesion or purpose, and was altogether different than what it set out to be.
RELATED: 6 Reasons Why The Matrix Sequels Aren’t As Bad As People Say They Are (& 4 Reasons They Are)
Samislegend89 doesn't agree and believes that from beginning to end, the three movies tell a perfectly cohesive and even satisfying story, with the end of The Matrix: Revolutions having "some of the most satisfying dialogue and sequences if you’re a fan of the characters in the world that has been made." The addition of verbose characters like The Architect, issues with Neo becoming OP, and the war against the Machines, in the end, are all generally cited as ways the franchise jumped the shark.
Neo Is The Villain
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Neo and Agent Smith facing off during The Matrix Reloaded](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/matrix-reloaded-smith-neo.jpg)
From his humble beginnings as a hacker to becoming a symbol of resistance to Zion, and finally a Messiah in the Matrix, Neo has a true hero's journey, fundamentally changed at its end from the person he was at the beginning. He comes to represent selflessness and personal liberty with his sacrifices.
Bulletkiller06 believes that Neo is actually the bad guy, going after machines that, despite being nearly destroyed by humans, "decided to keep the humans around regardless", even going so far as to give them a "utopia" to live in, to say nothing of "all of the people Neo kills in the Matrix." While it's true, Morpheus doesn't tell Neo who started the war first, the Machines using humans as batteries is an unconscionable decision most fans can't see past.
Cypher Was Right
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Joe Pantoliano as Cypher in Matrix](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Joe-Pantoliano-as-Cypher-in-Matrix.jpg)
Unlike the rest of his friends, Cypher never liked being liberated from the Matrix. Learning the truth about the fate of humanity didn't nullify surviving in a dystopian environment bereft of the luxuries enjoyed in the Matrix. Therefore, he made a deal with Agent Smith to be put back into the Matrix (as "somebody important") in exchange for selling out Neo, Morpheus, and everyone else.
RELATED: 10 Other Movies Starring The Cast Of The Matrix Resurrections
According to curtwagner1984 , "In the Matrix, one might lead a far better and fuller life than in the war-torn reality...so Cypher's desire to go back into the Matrix isn't as cowardly as it might sound." While it's true, Cypher might lead a far better life in the Matrix, it didn't excuse his betrayal of his friends.
![](http://nandemo.space/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
Agent Smith Is The Worst Villain
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Smith discusses existence with Morpheus in The Matrix](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Agent-Smith-Quotes-Cancer.jpg)
To make every hero virtuous there must be a powerful antagonist for them to fight against and prove their worth. Luke Skywalker had Darth Vader, Sarah Connor had the Terminator, and Neo had Agent Smith, considered by many fans of the movies to not only be the best villain in the Matrix franchise but to hold up against the best villains in science fiction as an unrelenting evil.
Lonelylamb1814 views him as the worst villain because "he can take over/become anybody he pleases" and it "just gets so boring." While Smith's method of villainy can be viewed as monotonous, he must be a match for Neo, who achieved god-like powers in the final movie. Most fans would agree that Smith represents a merciless harbinger of doom that seems impossible to stop, until, like Neo, one embraces "choice" and succumbs to him, and therefore is able to destroy him.
The Matrix: Reloaded And The Matrix: Revolutions Are Good Movies
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Split image of Smith in Matrix Revolutions and The Merovingian in The Matrix Reloaded](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Split-image-of-Smith-in-Matrix-Revolutions-and-The-Merovingian-in-The-Matrix-Reloaded.jpg)
To some fans, there isn't a "franchise" as much as there's The Matrix followed by a series of movies that dilute the prestige of the original. They consider The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions as soulless cash grabs rather than parts of a worthwhile continuation of the themes and stories set forth by The Matrix.
Albert_street asserts that the sequels aren't as bad as people say, and "did exactly what could be expected in terms of continuing the plot of the first movie," as well as furthered the world-building of the original movie by "the various programs taking human form and having 'human' emotions."
Equilibrium Is Better
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Cropped Equilibrium poster](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/equilibrium-Cropped.jpg)
At first glance, 2002's Equilibrium seems similar to The Matrix; its protagonists wear long black trench coats, act emotionless, and live in a dystopian world. Beyond superficial semantics, however, it follows a plot much more similar to Fahrenheit 451 or THX1138 , but certain viewers still see fit to compare it to The Matrix and declare it the superior movie.
Willo420 thinks Equilibrium is a better film because of its "philosophical tone" and "fight scenes," but most Matrix fans believe that it's impossible to take anything in Equilibrium seriously, from its spiritual dogma to its pistolling techniques that rival anything as campy as the movie it's said to surpass.
NEXT: 10 Of The Most Perfectly Cast Characters In TV History, According To Reddit
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
The Matrix Resurrections review: Has the new Matrix movie been worth the wait?
It's time to head back in.
![Video player poster image preview for The Matrix Resurrections trailer 2 (Warner Bros)](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/keanu-reeves-carrie-anne-moss-the-matrix-resurrections-1639393876.jpg?crop=1xw:0.84375xh;center,top&resize=1200:*)
18 years ago, The Matrix trilogy came to a divisive end as it wrapped up with what felt like a definitive ending to the story .
The Oracle knew better though, telling Sati that she suspected Neo would be back – and you should always trust the Oracle. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as their iconic characters in the eagerly-anticipated The Matrix Resurrections , solely directed by Lana Wachowski as Lilly needed time away from the industry .
In a world that has become increasingly dominated by franchises, reboots and legacyquels, it felt almost inevitable that we'd get another Matrix movie. It felt equally inevitable that when it happened, the new Matrix movie wouldn't be unaware of society's obsession with familiarity and it wouldn't be your average sequel.
For better and for worse, this has turned out to be the case as The Matrix Resurrections makes bold and mind-bending swings to tell what is, at its heart, that purest of things: a love story. This is a Matrix movie though, so simple isn't really on the table and endless debates among fans are to be expected.
But if all you want to know is whether it's any good, then rest assured, it's better than the sequels. If you want to delve deeper to follow the white rabbit though, we've got some more spoiler-free thoughts for you ahead.
![Keanu Reeves, Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss, Trinity, The Matrix Resurrections keanu reeves, neo, carrieanne moss, trinity, the matrix resurrections](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/keanu-reeves-carrie-anne-moss-the-matrix-resurrections-1639393876.jpg?resize=980:*)
Even with a full range of trailers and TV spots , it's impressive how little we know about The Matrix Resurrections , which makes a plot summary tricky. What we do know is that, somehow, Neo (Reeves) and Trinity (Moss) are back alive and Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) has a new look.
For whatever reason, Neo is back to being Thomas Anderson and has no idea what he went through. He doesn't even fully remember Trinity, but there is at least a flicker of recognition when they see each other. (These mysteries are all explained during the movie and not in a "somehow he returned" Rise of Skywalker way, so fear not.)
Bugs (Jessica Henwick) is the new white rabbit that Thomas just has to follow to learn the truth – should he choose to do so, of course. That's probably as deep into the plot as we can go without wading into spoiler territory as even where we first reunite with Neo is a surprise.
We hear you, it does sound awfully familiar, as though the new movie is just a retread.
And it actually is... until it very much isn't.
![Yahya Abdul Mateen II, The Matrix Resurrections yahya abdul mateen ii, the matrix resurrections](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-morpheus-the-matrix-resurrections-1639393877.jpg?resize=980:*)
Lana Wachowski is fully aware of the comparisons and delights in offering meta-commentaries to the trends of reboots, legacyquels and more. It's not exactly subtle and could prove too on-the-nose for some, but it turns out to be a crucial part of the plot rather than a winking in-joke.
It helps that the meta commentary and the numerous callbacks and nods to the entire trilogy are often very funny, one of the most unexpected things in the new movie. Whether you end up liking The Matrix Resurrections or not, this isn't a sequel that's been casually thrown together to deliver more of the same.
There is a downside to this self-aware mocking, though, that becomes apparent in the movie's second half. It starts to feel as though the movie wants to have its cake and eat it too, as the familiarity starts to become stale rather than innovatively self-aware. You can't really mock sequels for doing more of the same... and then continue to do more of the same yourself.
This is especially apparent in the weakest aspect of the movie which, surprisingly, turns out to be the action scenes. There are familiar set-ups, including Neo taking on a huge army of people, but the execution is nowhere near on the same level as in the trilogy.
![Keanu Reeves, Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss, Trinity, The Matrix Resurrections keanu reeves, neo, carrieanne moss, trinity, the matrix resurrections](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/carrie-anne-moss-keanu-reeves-neo-the-matrix-resurrections-1639393873.jpg?resize=980:*)
For a series that defined action scenes as we know them, it's hugely disappointing. Too many of the fight sequences are choppily edited and filmed in close-up, instead of making the choreography the star. When the set pieces get bigger than one-on-one combat, there's nothing here that we haven't seen in numerous blockbusters in recent years.
If it's all some extremely meta commentary that uniformity has become king in modern blockbusters then fair play to Lana. Yet while even the divisive sequels delivered something new, there's nothing of the sort to be found here.
One element of the sequels that is on display here though is the clunky exposition and overuse of techno-babble. After a magnificent first half, all momentum is lost when the explanations start coming and the final act is being set up. It's not confusing as such, but it's definitely convoluted and when it's delivered in big chunks, you'll need rewatches to fully understand.
As in the original trilogy though, the sincerity of the cast sells the outlandish concepts. Keanu Reeves is every bit as good as he was before as Neo and has lost none of the chemistry he shared with the equally-great Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity.
![Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix Resurrections keanu reeves and carrie anne moss in the matrix resurrections](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/keanu-reeves-carrie-anne-moss-matrix-4-1631112242.jpg?resize=980:*)
She's underused compared to Reeves, but their love story still holds an emotional power almost two decades later. It's an unashamedly romantic movie as their connection provides the key to the majority of the plot. Compared to the relatively sexless blockbusters we're used to, it's refreshing to see their romance front and centre.
As much as we'd have loved to see Laurence Fishburne back as Morpheus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a superb replacement. There's a narrative reason behind the 'new' Morpheus and the actor balances reverence to the established character with his own fresh take on the performance.
The same goes for Jonathan Groff as a version of another classic character (if you've seen the trailer, you'll know) who's no less menacing and engaging. With brand-new roles, Jessica Henwick and Neil Patrick Harris are superb as Bugs and the mysterious Analyst. They make them instantly feel as though they're characters we've known for years.
![Keanu Reeves, Neo, Jessica Henwick, The Matrix Resurrections keanu reeves, neo, jessica henwick, the matrix resurrections](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/jessica-henwick-the-matrix-resurrections-1639393874.jpg?resize=980:*)
It's a shame that the rest of the supporting cast, including Jada Pinkett Smith's returning Niobe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas's Sati, are underdeveloped by comparison. However, the main cast members are so strong that you don't really notice, and there's the potential sequel for them to be explored more.
Because that's the thing. As much as the movie is self-aware of its status as a legacyquel, it definitely sets the pieces on the board for this to act as a soft reboot for further movies. It's another aspect that makes you think it wants to joke about the current marketplace as well as become part of it too.
Don't get us wrong: we'd be happy to see it happen. While The Matrix Resurrections ends up being a mixed bag, it's still a unique mixed bag of ideas and creative expression that you can never accuse of being dull. We'd take that any day over a cookie-cutter blockbuster or, even worse, a generic Matrix movie.
The Matrix Resurrections is out now in cinemas and is also available to watch on HBO Max in the US.
![The Matrix 4K UHD and Blu-Ray with rabbit artwork The Matrix 4K UHD and Blu-Ray with rabbit artwork](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1639753313-11719094-7844865760029451.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Warner Bros. The Matrix 4K UHD and Blu-Ray with rabbit artwork
![The Matrix Trilogy Blu-ray box set [4K Ultra HD] The Matrix Trilogy Blu-ray box set [4K Ultra HD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619004349-51vBEaTA7kL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Warner Bros The Matrix Trilogy Blu-ray box set [4K Ultra HD]
![Matrix Red Pill Blue Pill Unisex T-Shirt - Black Matrix Red Pill Blue Pill Unisex T-Shirt - Black](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1639753407-13482192-9574916638588794.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Warner Bros/Zavvi Matrix Red Pill Blue Pill Unisex T-Shirt - Black
![Matrix Simulatte Mug - Black Matrix Simulatte Mug - Black](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1639753505-13482167-1414916675268645.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Matrix Simulatte Mug - Black
![Matrix 'Choice Is An Illusion' hoodie with rabbit illustration Matrix 'Choice Is An Illusion' hoodie with rabbit illustration](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1639753570-13482170-2374916638178412.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Warner Bros/Zavvi Matrix 'Choice Is An Illusion' hoodie with rabbit illustration
![The Matrix Comics – 20th Anniversary Edition The Matrix Comics – 20th Anniversary Edition](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619004447-41C4DPC8ACL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Titan Comics The Matrix Comics – 20th Anniversary Edition
![Why We Love The Matrix by Kim Taylor-Foster Why We Love The Matrix by Kim Taylor-Foster](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619004535-41Rw3eTl6QL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Running Press Why We Love The Matrix by Kim Taylor-Foster
![The Matrix [Blu-ray] The Matrix [Blu-ray]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619004950-12720152-8264832985578259.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Warner Bros The Matrix [Blu-ray]
![The Animatrix [DVD] [2003] The Animatrix [DVD] [2003]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619005044-51M0YVBBRWL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*)
Warner Bros The Animatrix [DVD] [2003]
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies , attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy , initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
Movie Reviews
![Willa Fitzgerald in Strange Darling willa fitzgerald in strange darling](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/willa-fitzgerald-strange-darling-66c6086a24a16.jpg?crop=0.468xw:0.829xh;0.248xw,0&resize=360:*)
Strange Darling is the best thriller of the year
![Damien Lewis in The Radleys damien lewis in the radleys](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/damien-lewis-the-radleys-66c472242a8d3.jpeg?crop=0.580xw:0.868xh;0.187xw,0.0537xh&resize=360:*)
The Radleys review: A fresh take on vampires
![Timestalker timestalker](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/timestalker-65f44206aa1fd.jpg?crop=0.667xw:1.00xh;0.162xw,0&resize=360:*)
Timestalker is the year's most unique British film
![Cailee Spaeny, Alien: Romulus cailee spaeny, alien romulus](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/alien-romulus-cailee-spaeny-66ba202fd0ee8.jpg?crop=0.537xw:0.954xh;0.00489xw,0.0464xh&resize=360:*)
Alien: Romulus review
![Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in Borderlands cate blanchett as lilith, kevin hart as roland, ariana greenblatt as tiny tina, florian munteanu as krieg and jamie lee curtis as tannis in borderlands](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/cate-blanchett-kevin-hart-ariana-greenblatt-florian-munteanu-jamie-lee-curtis-borderlands-66b3990ca4fc9.jpg?crop=0.418xw:0.627xh;0.0288xw,0.135xh&resize=360:*)
Borderlands movie review - does it match the game?
![Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, It Ends With Us blake lively, justin baldoni, it ends with us](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/justin-baldoni-blake-lively-it-ends-with-us-66310b74382bf.jpg?crop=0.653xw:0.978xh;0.207xw,0.0223xh&resize=360:*)
It Ends With Us review
![Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Deadpool and Wolverine ryan reynolds, hugh jackman, deadpool and wolverine](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/ryan-reynolds-hugh-jackman-deadpool-and-wolverine-668673ce4184d.jpg?crop=0.456xw:0.685xh;0.0879xw,0.0122xh&resize=360:*)
Deadpool & Wolverine review
![June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Thelma june squibb, fred hechinger, thelma](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/june-squibb-fred-hechinger-thelma-65aa850963b18.jpg?crop=0.473xw:0.844xh;0.103xw,0.0966xh&resize=360:*)
Thelma is a sweet twist on the revenge movie
![Longlegs longlegs](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/longlegs-66701ecfb53d0.jpg?crop=0.332xw:0.802xh;0.333xw,0.198xh&resize=360:*)
Longlegs review: An unforgettable horror movie
![Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar Jones, Twisters glen powell, daisy edgar jones, twisters](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/glen-powell-daisy-edgar-jones-twisters-668bf4c9204d0.jpg?crop=0.291xw:0.408xh;0.341xw,0.0995xh&resize=360:*)
Twisters review
![The Imaginary the imaginary](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-imaginary-movie-6685284283d83.jpg?crop=0.457xw:0.840xh;0.322xw,0.160xh&resize=360:*)
Netflix's new movie is a must-see for Ghibli fans
![Lakshya as Amrit, Kill movie lakshya as amrit, kill movie](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/lakshya-kill-movie-6685314a64c1b.jpg?crop=0.351xw:0.526xh;0.330xw,0.103xh&resize=360:*)
Kill isn't the action movie you're expecting
- Trending on RT
![new matrix movie reviews reddit new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/wp-content/themes/RottenTomatoes/images/icons/social_twitter.png)
TAGGED AS: Action , Film , films , movies , Sci-Fi , science fiction
![new matrix movie reviews reddit The Matrix](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prd-rteditorial/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/09055316/Matrix-Lead.jpg)
(Photo by ©Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection)
The Matrix Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer
The Matrix Reloaded celebrates its 20th anniversary!
The defining sci-fi event of 1999 was supposed to be Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace , the long-awaited and super-hyped kick-off to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Yet, while that film did rake in plenty of cash – and generate plenty of discussion – it was the kick-off of a different trilogy that year that would ultimately become the sci-fi moment of the year… if not the decade… and the next couple of decades to come.
Lana and Lily Wachowski’s The Matrix was a phenomenon. The story of Neo’s (Keanu Reeves) awakening to the truth of his existence – that he and the rest of humanity had been interned by sentient machines in a virtual reality system known as the Matrix – was a box office success, a critical smash, and just really, really f–king cool. The movie had style to burn (those muted green colors, those leather trenches) and introduced western audience to cutting-edge Eastern action choreography thanks to the efforts of fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. Action cinema hasn’t looked the same ever since.
Sequels were, of course, inevitable, and in 2003 Matrix fans got two of them, both shot concurrently in Sydney, Australia: First came Reloaded , which expanded the lore of the franchise and delivered one of the most epic highway chase scenes ever recorded; then came Revolutions … and that rave party. That same year, fans were able to dig even deeper with the excellent animated anthology film, The Animatrix , in which seven top filmmakers told stories in the Matrix universe using the latest in CG animation and Japanese anime techniques.
Now, with Certified Fresh films first, we’re ranking the Matrix movies by Tomatometer!
The Matrix (1999) 83%
![new matrix movie reviews reddit ' sborder=](https://resizing.flixster.com/OfLyG-4LY1Rq87UEf-r230-uKXM=/fit-in/180x240/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p31912_p_v8_bb.jpg)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) 73%
![new matrix movie reviews reddit ' sborder=](https://resizing.flixster.com/9If426_AJ3DRYxY4g1SKCnraK8k=/fit-in/180x240/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p32109_p_v13_af.jpg)
The Animatrix (2003) 89%
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) 63%
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) 34%
Related news.
Your Full List of All Upcoming Marvel Movies — With Key Details!
2024 Fall Horror Preview
The Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
More Countdown
Every Stan Lee Marvel Movie Ranked
30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming
25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming
Movie & TV News
Featured on rt.
TV Premiere Dates 2024
August 29, 2024
The Best Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Watch Right Now (August 2024)
100 Best Netflix Series To Watch Right Now (August 2024)
Top Headlines
- Venice Film Festival 2024 Photo Gallery: Red Carpet, Premieres & More –
- The Best Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Watch Right Now (August 2024) –
- 100 Best Netflix Series To Watch Right Now (August 2024) –
- Every Stan Lee Marvel Movie Ranked –
- Disney: 100 Years, 100 Essential Movies –
- Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch –
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Review: The Boldest and Most Personal Franchise Sequel Since ‘The Last Jedi’
David ehrlich.
- Share on Facebook
- Share to Flipboard
- Share on LinkedIn
- Show more sharing options
- Submit to Reddit
- Post to Tumblr
- Print This Page
- Share on WhatsApp
![new matrix movie reviews reddit IWCriticsPick](https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/iw-criticspick.png%20)
It’s fitting — maybe even fate — that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” should be the biggest and virtually only movie in the world on the week that “ The Matrix Resurrections ” is released. Both are mega-budget, meta sequels that feed on our collective familiarity with their respective franchises. One is a poison, the other its antidote.
One is a safe plastic monument to the solipsism of today’s studio cinema; an orgiastic celebration of how studio filmmaking has created a feedback loop so powerful that it’s programmed audiences to reject anything that threatens its perfection (and to clap like seals for anything that reaffirms it, even if that means cheering for the “unexpected” return of heroes and villains they were once eager to leave behind). The other is a jagged little red pill of a blockbuster that exhumes its intellectual property with such a pronounced sense of déjà vu that the comforts of its memory start to feel like the bars of a cage, and the perfect circle of its feedback loop blurs into a particle accelerator spinning faster and faster in order to create something new and romantic. One is a crowd-pleasing testament to the idea that even (or especially) the biggest fictions can shrink our imaginations. The other is a fun, ultra-sincere, galaxy brain reminder that we can only break free of the stories that make our lives smaller by seeing through the binaries that hold them in place — us vs. them, real vs. fake, corporate product vs. personal art, reboot vs. rebirth, etc. vs. etc.
If “No Way Home” is the snake eating its tail with such reckless abandon that it fools itself into thinking it’s full, “The Matrix Resurrections” is the rare blockbuster that dares to ask what else might be on the menu. It’s the boldest and most vividly human franchise sequel since “The Last Jedi” (if also messier and more postmodern than Rian Johnson’s miraculous addition to the “Star Wars” canon). It will likely prove the most divisive as well. Doubling down on the “Alice in Wonderland” spirit of its franchise, “The Matrix Resurrections” is a movie that will only appeal to fans interested in seeing how deep the rabbit hole goes; anyone simply looking for more “Matrix” isn’t just shit out of luck, they’re in for an experience that will toy with their expectations for more than two hours without fulfilling a single one of them.
Once upon a time — at the brink of history between one century and another — there was a corporate drone who doubted the true nature of his world and grew obsessed with finding the man who could show him what lay behind the curtain. This time around, Thomas Anderson ( Keanu Reeves ) is the creative genius who designed that curtain, and he’s doing everything he can to convince himself that nothing is on the other side. Those glitches he sees in the code of reality? There are prescription blue pills for that. What about the nagging suspicions that his face isn’t right? That he somehow knows Tiffany ( Carrie-Anne Moss ), the badass soccer mom he keeps seeing at the Simulatte coffee shop? That the hit trilogy of video games he created about a war between humans and the machines who kept their minds enslaved in some kind of computer matrix wasn’t a story he came up with, but something he remembered from another life? All fodder for Thomas’ therapy sessions with his Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris), who has a logical answer ready for every question.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/rev-1-MX4-TRLR-0002_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg)
The brilliant conceit of “The Matrix Resurrections” — and this is not a spoiler by any measure — is that it’s about someone who doesn’t want to disbelieve in his life. Not again. Not after his last breakdown almost ended in suicide. And it’s not like Thomas is stuck in some anonymous noir city programmed for the characters of a simulation. On the contrary, he lives in a recognizable San Francisco so bright and poppy that every window of his skyscraper office appears to provide its own Instagram filter. Things may be going too well for them to seem real, as Thomas’ boss and corporate partner Smith (Jonathan Groff) is happy to point out in a very familiar cadence, but he’s earned his success. It’s only when Warner Bros., the parent company that owns his gaming studio, starts pressuring Thomas to reconsider his refusal to make a “Matrix 4” that he begins to reflect on what that success means, and what it may have wrought.
The cheekily self-reflexive “Resurrections” rests closer to something like “The Souvenir Part II” or “Twin Peaks: The Return” than to “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and all of the other recent blockbuster sequels made to consecrate their own mythologies. Lana Wachowski ’s reluctant trip back to the signature franchise she invented with her sister kicks off by admitting — in shockingly direct terms — that it only exists because Warner Bros. was going to make another movie with or without her. And so, with the help of co-writers David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon, she used the opportunity to reflect upon that cultural hunger for more of the same. If the trilogy generated several billion dollars in revenue by telling a paradigm-shifting tale about the limitless power of a free mind, why is Hollywood still stuck in a creative death spiral? What does “The Matrix” tell us about the real world (and vice-versa) in a new millennium where the basic premise of a shared reality no longer seems valid? And what could Neo, the real Thomas Anderson, possibly do about it after he and the love of his life both died in the war against the machines?
“The Matrix Resurrections” answers all of those questions to one extent or another, but the real beauty and synaptic thrill of Wachowski’s film lie in how it forces audiences to ask those questions themselves. It’s not enough to suspect that you’re dreaming; you have to want to wake up. The fact that Thomas Anderson is uncharacteristically reluctant to do so makes him a more compelling avatar for us than ever before, even as we find ourselves rooting for the new faces there to prod him along.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, (aka THE MATRIX 4), from left: Keanu Reeves, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, 2021. © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection](https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MCDMARE_WB068.jpg)
Some of those new faces are attached to new names. Jessica Henwick ’s Bugs is the single most electric addition to the franchise since the original, even if her earnestly punkish gunslinger spends large chunks of this movie re-watching the events of “The Matrix” from behind the walls (think of the Avengers revisiting the Battle of New York in “Endgame,” except here everything is curiously just a little bit different). The other key character is someone we know, but don’t quite recognize. His name is Morpheus, but here he’s played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead of Laurence Fishburne. The role hasn’t been recast so much as reprogrammed, and Morpheus 2.0 is learning how to become his namesake in real-time, as if he, Bugs, and the rest of their team were trying to “Shutter Island” Thomas into remembering that he’s really Neo. It’s a process that makes for this film’s most ecstatic moments, as Wachowski races through a glossy speed-run of the original movie’s greatest hits in a way that might seem like cheap nostalgia if not for the dizzying vertigo of its déjà vu.
It goes without saying that Thomas eventually rediscovers his inner Neo and becomes determined to dive back into whatever Matrix he came from and rescue Trinity (or is that Tiffany?) from her Chad of a husband, but “Resurrections” is such a remarkable head trip because the rest of the movie continues the first act’s fixation on disentangling people from their most comforting fictions. Maybe Tiffany doesn’t want to leave her family and her foam lattes behind and go back to a subterranean hell future where she’ll be mired in a war against squid robots. Maybe some people loved “The Matrix,” understood its bold-faced message about the illusion of choice, and still decided that they preferred a five-figure salary and the occasional steak over volunteering on the Nebuchadnezzar for gruel. Others might have mistaken one pill for another, and unwittingly aligned themselves with the same forces choking off their freedom. “If we don’t know what’s real,” Abdul-Mateen’s Morpheus-que character says, “we can’t resist.”
So no, this isn’t simply a continuation of where “The Matrix Revolutions” left off, but rather a vision of the future shaped by the last two decades of our collective past. And Wachowski hammers that point home from start to finish, as “Resurrections” bears little resemblance to the franchise’s previous installments. Gone are the hyper-rigid compositions that helped make “The Matrix” so iconic, its shots arranged with the airless precision of the cyberpunk anime cels that inspired them. Gone too is the Oz-like emerald and black color scheme that defined the computer world, and the impossible action scenes that turned it into a digital playground for choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. Instead, Wachowski’s latest film retains the vibrant look of “Cloud Atlas” and “Sense8,” that aesthetic enriched by a looseness that allowed the director to keep her camera rolling for 30 minutes at a time and find each scene in post.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, (aka THE MATRIX 4), Keanu Reeves, 2021. © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection](https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MCDMARE_WB049.jpg)
The paradox of “The Matrix” has always been that the real world in these movies looks fake, while the computer simulation more resembles our reality. “Resurrections” is able to stretch that feeling to new heights by populating “the real world” full of more unbelievable effects (include a manta ray robot destined to become your new best friend) and an almost documentary-like sense of verisimilitude made uncanny by the fact that every polygon is just a little too shiny. Something about Thomas’ San Francisco sticks in your teeth in a way that neither he nor we can ignore.
That approach doesn’t do the fight sequences any favors, but the good news is there aren’t that many of them. This won’t sound like an endorsement, but it helps to know going in: “The Matrix Resurrections” isn’t cool. At all. Not that anyone who’s followed the Wachowskis’ recent work will be surprised that this movie only uses spectacle as an on-ramp for unalloyed “love will save the world” sentiment. The action here is seriously unexciting compared to even the trilogy’s wonkiest setpieces.
If most of the combat is forgettable, with the 57-year-old Reeves appearing to save what’s left of his body for “John Wick 4,” that’s only a major problem during the small handful of action scenes that aren’t in service to bigger ideas. A climactic motorcycle chase through downtown San Francisco is riveting (and eerie) because of how literally it illustrates the dangerous hold that fiction can have over waking life. The rooftop helicopter battle that follows might have been unsatisfying if not for how poetically it locates the essence of human freedom amid the acceptance of a fait accompli.
This whole movie is like that final leap of faith: an IMAX-sized dance between desire and fear that Wachowski stages with someone else’s money and a loving smile on her face. Not everything adds up on first watch: Some of the fan-servicey bits are clunky as hell (Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ part is one long monologue of future heist gobbledygook, like a cross between “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Jabberwocky”), and even diehard fans may not appreciate that “Resurrections” maintains franchise tradition of making all the real-world scenes faintly insufferable.
Then again, this is a movie that strives to bridge the divide between real and fake, past and future, choice and illusion. It’s a movie that knows people will always yearn for what they can’t have as they dread to lose what they already do, and fall prey to certain fictions regardless of how many times someone tells them to seize control of their minds. Best of all, its emphasis on the romance between Neo and Trinity allows “Resurrections” to become a devastatingly sincere movie about how love is the best weapon we have to make sense of a world that fills our heads with the white noise of war and conflict on a forever loop. All of us are stuck in our reboots. But at a time when mega-budget franchise movies can only be about themselves, Lana Wachowski has made one that pushes beyond the dopamine hit of cheap nostalgia and dares to dream up a future where mainstream films might inspire us to re-imagine what’s possible instead of just asking us to clap at the sight of history repeating itself.
“The Matrix Resurrections” opens in theaters and on HBO Max on Wednesday, December 22.
Most Popular
You may also like.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on How Natural Disasters Affected Their New Album, ‘Woodland’: ‘I’m Undaunted by Life’s Destructive Moments… I’m More Perplexed by the Happy Times’](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/David-Rawlings-Gillian-Welch-e1725052793152.webp?resize=232,175)
'The Matrix Resurrections' Proves It's Worth Returning to the Well for Love | Review
![new matrix movie reviews reddit 4](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fauthors%2F5fd267d4dffd5-IMG_2950.jpg?fit=crop&w=90&h=90)
Your changes have been saved
Email is sent
Email has already been sent
Please verify your email address.
You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.
'The Deliverance' Review: Netflix Horror Draws From 'The Exorcist' and 'The Conjuring'
'across the river and into the trees' review: liev schreiber gives his best performance in this sobering adaptation, 'beetlejuice beetlejuice' review: jenna ortega leads tim burton's fun throwback | venice 2024.
Editor's note: The following review contains mild, non-plot spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections.
Action filmmaking has seen several pivotal titles that singularly redefined the genre over the decades, with movies that tested and in many cases broke through the ceiling of what audiences and even creators thought could be achieved on-screen. In the year leading up to the millennium, no film succeeded at this more than The Matrix . In fact, you could probably divide most sci-fi movies into two categories from that moment on: those that came before The Matrix , and those that came after. The first Matrix movie wasn't just a breath of fresh air in Hollywood filmmaking; it became a cultural moment that permeated our society, a work of fiction to be dissected by fans, a fame vehicle for its young lead Keanu Reeves , and eventually, fodder for plenty of MTV Movie Awards parodies. The massive success of the film would go on to spawn two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions , filmed back-to-back in one long run of production and released in the same year of 2003, although each follow-up was met with diminishing critical response in spite of being box office hits. The growing franchise also led to the release of The Animatrix , a series of short anime movies. Pretty soon it became obvious that Warner Bros. just wanted to keep the Matrix train running by whatever means necessary.
When a long-awaited sequel was announced back in 2019 , it was anyone's guess how the creators would approach the concept, especially since it's a question that has loomed over the sisters' heads even as they worked on other films together like Jupiter Ascending and Cloud Atlas . Eventually, Lana Wachowski came back to make The Matrix Resurrections solo, directing and co-writing the film alongside her Sense8 series finale collaborators David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon — which, if you know the Netflix show, should already clue you in about the type of sequel movie you're in for. With these three at the helm, The Matrix Resurrections becomes an acutely meta and epically romantic film — one that also asks us to question things like our own instinct to reach for nostalgia, or our reliance on sequels and reboots to comfort ourselves rather than wholly original ideas.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss The Matrix: Resurrections](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Keanu-Reeves-and-Carrie-Anne-Moss-The-Matrix.jpeg)
The Matrix Resurrections is set approximately twenty years after the events of the last movie — coincidentally, almost as many years as it took this sequel to come out. Neo (Reeves) is living what appears to be a rather mundane life in San Francisco as Thomas Anderson, a virtuoso game programmer whose most successful and award-winning title to date is, surprise-surprise, The Matrix . He's clearly going through some shit on a personal level, evidenced by his constant visits to his therapist ( Neil Patrick Harris ), who prescribes him suspicious blue pills when he confesses to having odd visions and dreams, as well as the strange desire to try jumping off of buildings to see whether he can fly. He's also captivated by a woman ( Carrie-Anne Moss ) that frequents the coffee shop near his office but is still trying to work up the nerve to introduce himself to her. When Anderson's business partner Smith ( Jonathan Groff ) approaches him about the heavy demand for a new Matrix game, it sends Neo into a spiral of ennui and creative listlessness, one that is unexpectedly broken when he's approached by two strangers, the blue-haired Bugs ( Jessica Henwick ) and a man calling himself Morpheus ( Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ).
Summarizing up the film aside, what do you do when you've already smashed through the ceiling as far as action moviemaking is concerned? If you're Lana Wachowski, apparently that involves focusing on the bigger question hovering around this sequel by textually wrestling with what it means to contribute to franchise culture by making Resurrections in the first place. It's evident from the jump that Wachowski's script, at least in part, serves as a mouthpiece for her to make one thing plain to fans — the overlords at Warner Bros., as Groff's Smith so directly states to Neo, were planning to make a Matrix sequel with or without the original creative team. It's a moment in the movie that's played for humor, but the underlying cynicism rings distinct: you wanted me to make another Matrix film? Well, here it is, and you can take it or leave it. There's also even more weight to the scene when one recalls the fact that Resurrections almost never saw the light of day; when the movie had to halt production for pandemic reasons, Wachowski reportedly considered leaving it unfinished and had to be convinced by the cast to come back and resume filming.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit the-matrix-resurrections-image-01](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/the-matrix-resurrections-image-01.jpg)
RELATED: Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss on ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and When They Realized What Trinity Means to People
Fortunately, what results from Wachowski's return to the franchise is well worth plugging back in for — and while Resurrections does afford screentime to plenty of action as well as keen philosophizing about free will vs. choice and the switch to manipulating feelings over facts in this new version of the Matrix, it's never been clearer that the crux of this franchise is a love story. In a realm defined by technology and science, Neo and Trinity have been linked by the most illogical concept of all: fate. Although the movie introduces each of them as having no idea who the other person is or what they even mean to one another, there's still an unconscious charge that happens the first time they shake hands, a magnetic pull that continually brings them into each other's orbit in spite of greater forces conspiring to keep them apart. Their romance in this movie is not implicit by any means, and the love that Wachowski still openly holds for that story persists through every single emotional beat of its script. When Neo finds himself awakened to the reality of this new Matrix, courtesy of a red pill from Morpheus 2.0, his sole mission becomes about how to save Trinity — and his love for her defines every single choice he makes from that moment on. Reeves and Moss sell the relationship between their characters in every scene, from quiet conversations over a coffee shop table to standing on the precipice of a skyscraper, weighing whether or not to jump into the unknown together.
Cast-wise, there's as much to love from the crop of newcomers as there is with the franchise's legacy players. Henwick's Bugs is the character whose unwavering optimism drives most of the story as she works tirelessly to free Neo from the Matrix. Abdul-Mateen's Morpheus serves as less of a guiding figure in this new iteration and more of a force designed to shake Neo out of his complacency, as well as inject plenty of levity. As the Analyst, Harris is responsible for delivering much of the sequel's metaphysical monologuing, which he commits to with a blend of menace and sangfroid. And Groff absolutely makes a meal out of the scenery as the newest incarnation of Smith, capable of alternating between charming and sinister energy without missing a beat.
The place where Resurrections does fall a little short is with its action. The sequel continues to emphasize all of the ways in which the Matrix eschews the laws of physics, resulting in many thrilling visuals, but the film, at many points, oddly veers away from the wire-fu and wide camera angles that the first movie became defined by. The result is a lot of frenetic and close-up perspective on certain sequences that makes the action very difficult to parse. It's a minor quibble in the overall delivery of the plot, but this is one particular instance in which leaning on nostalgia might have served the sequel better rather than trying to deliver something so divergent in terms of camerawork.
The most common question that circles around sequels, especially ones that are finally released after years of waiting, is whether they were even worth making to begin with. With The Matrix Resurrections , Wachowski has succeeded in not simply providing her own answer but conveying a film that represents the story she was most interested in telling after all this time, for better or worse. The Matrix Resurrections is an admirable follow-up in that it's less concerned with being the movie any fans might believe they want and instead serves up a sequel that will invite lots of conversation, encourage us to parse through the story code, and ultimately linger behind in our minds long after the credits roll.
The Matrix Resurrections premieres both in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22.
- Movie Reviews
![new matrix movie reviews reddit A black and white photo of Alain Delon driving a convertible sports car in sunglasses, looking at the camera with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gearshift.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/08/19/multimedia/00delon-TOP/00delon-2-zhlt-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
Alain Delon, Smoldering French Film Star, Dies at 88
The César-winning actor was an international favorite in the 1960s and ’70s, often sought after by the era’s great auteurs.
Alain Delon in California in 1964 during the filming of the movie “Once a Thief.” Credit... Wayne Miller/Magnum Photos
Supported by
- Share full article
By Anita Gates
- Published Aug. 18, 2024 Updated Aug. 26, 2024
Alain Delon, the intense and intensely handsome French actor who, working with some of Europe’s most revered 20th-century directors, played cold Corsican gangsters as convincingly as hot Italian lovers, died on Sunday. He was 88.
He died at his home in Douchy-Montcorbon, France, according to a statement his family gave to the French news service Agence France-Presse.
Hours later, President Emmanuel Macron honored him in a post on social media, saying, “Wistful, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: a French monument.”
During his heyday, the 1960s and ’70s, Mr. Delon was a first-tier international star, highly paid and often sought after by the era’s great auteurs.
When he burst on the scene in the gangster genre, as a sad-eyed, saintly young sibling in “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960), Luchino Visconti was in the director’s chair. Two years later, when Mr. Delon played a sexy stock trader, it was in Michelangelo Antonioni ’s “L’Eclisse” (“Eclipse”).
And “Le Samouraï” (1967), released in the United States as “The Godson,” and the jewelry-heist flick “Le Cercle Rouge” (1970), in which Mr. Delon was a sinister, mustachioed ex-con, were both directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, patron saint of the French New Wave.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in .
Want all of The Times? Subscribe .
Advertisement
Get the Reddit app
The world's biggest online community about The Matrix franchise, created by the visionary minds of Lana and Lilly Wachowski! Welcome to the Source!
My "Matrix 4" review and comparison – the short version
By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .
Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app
You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.
Enter a 6-digit backup code
Create your username and password.
Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.
Reset your password
Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password
Check your inbox
An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account
Choose a Reddit account to continue
The Matrix Resurrections Is a Self-Aware Sequel
The film critiques Hollywood’s reboot culture while also serving as a surprisingly sweet work of nostalgia.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Keanu Reeves points two fingers at his reflection in a mirror in "The Matrix Resurrections."](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/YZWe1mAEAoSfmy81uKAJQJzrBJw=/0x0:2500x1406/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/12/rev_1_MX4_FP_0031_High_Res_JPEG/original.jpg)
The Matrix was set at the end of history. Released in 1999, the Wachowskis’ sci-fi film painted a quotidian picture of the late 20th century: The protagonist, Thomas Anderson (played by Keanu Reeves), lived in a bland-looking megacity where he worked a dull cubicle job and pondered the hopeless future that many feared at the end of the millennium. The twist, of course, was that this seemingly familiar life wasn’t real, and that Thomas, like almost all of humanity, was stuck inside a computer program created by a machine race. In The Matrix Resurrections —a new entry in a movie franchise that’s been dormant since 2003—Thomas, whom audiences knew as the heroic Neo, is once again trapped in a simulation. But in this film, the turn of the century’s crushing inertia has evolved into the unending din of the social-media age.
The Matrix Resurrections is hardly the first “legacy sequel” to hit cinemas recently— Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Space Jam: A New Legacy are among the many long-delayed follow-ups to big hits of yesteryear. But in updating a seminal text about generational alienation from more than two decades ago, Lana Wachowski (who directed solo this time, without her sister Lilly) has made a film that addresses the discombobulations of contemporary life, critiques Hollywood’s general reboot culture, and serves as a surprisingly sweet work of nostalgia.
Read: The 10 best films of 2021
Exhaustion with our ultra-connected world pervades the first act of The Matrix Resurrections , which finds Thomas living in the present day. (Reeves also sports his John Wick look—longer hair and a patchy beard.) Thomas is a video-game designer coasting off the success of The Matrix, a deeply immersive, best-selling game that appears indistinguishable from the original film arc. Though the world around him has changed—he’s now surrounded by chattering Millennials tapping away on their cellphones—he’s as existentially tormented as he was before, sure that there’s more to life beyond what he can see.
While working on a new video game, Thomas is told by his smarmy business partner Smith (Jonathan Groff) that their parent company, Warner Bros., is forcing Thomas to create a sequel to The Matrix—news that further emphasizes the sense that his life is an unending treadmill of the same experiences. Wachowski, who had long seemed content to leave the Matrix universe dormant after the back-to-back sequels Reloaded and Revolutions in 2003, is poking fun at the pervading corporate desire to make everything old new again. Does the world really need more Matrix ? Wachowski ponders the question both through Thomas’s weariness and the strange creative debates that play out on-screen, as eager young game programmers bat around notions of what made The Matrix so appealing in the first place. Was it the action? The twisty plotting? The punky, late-’90s leather aesthetic?
Read: A movie like The Matrix might never happen again
To Wachowski, what clearly mattered most to the original film trilogy was the love story of Neo and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), which forms the central arc of Resurrections as well. Both characters died by the end of Revolutions , but just as Neo has returned in this new Matrix as an older, more jaded Thomas, Trinity also reappears, first introduced as Tiffany and apparently unaware of their past. Much of Resurrections ’ narrative revolves around reviving Neo and Trinity’s prior connection, and it’s shot through with the sentimental streak that’s always powered the Wachowskis’ work but felt particularly predominant in their recent and ambitious Netflix series Sense8 .
Still, Resurrections is not without action. The expected gravity-defying gunplay abounds, much of it involving new characters such as Bugs (Jessica Henwick), a hacker seeking to liberate Neo from the Matrix, and Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an … updated version of Laurence Fishburne’s character from the original trilogy (I won’t spoil the details of his origins). The film has plenty of other lore to untangle as well, such as why Neo’s old enemy Smith (previously played by Hugo Weaving but now inhabited by Groff) is around, how Neo and Trinity were revived, and whether the intentions of a slick psychiatrist (Neil Patrick Harris) in the Matrix are malevolent. However, the gun battles and kung fu duels, while competent, lack the innovative edge of the prior films—no “bullet time” moment that significantly raises the visual stakes.
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Keanu Reeves walks down a city street that is partially digitized in 'The Matrix Resurrections'](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/trtBwRYGzbMzuYgwXSDBUupt8jk=/0x0:2500x1406/655x368/media/img/posts/2021/12/rev_1_MX4_TRLR_0004_High_Res_JPEG/original.jpg)
To my surprise, Wachowski nonetheless holds on to quite a lot of backstory from the often-derided Matrix sequels; as a defender of those giddy epics, I was thrilled to see Resurrections not wipe the plot slate clean and just launch a brand-new Matrix. The evolution of the simulation is laced with some heady in-universe logic, but Wachowski (along with co-writers David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon) also ties it to how the internet has changed since the first Matrix . The 1999 film reflected an online world made up of a series of databases, in which the enemies were emotionless machines intent on keeping humanity under control. In Resurrections , the Matrix has shifted to something more wildly emotional and provocative: a universe of constant distraction and intense energy, embodying the all-out sensory assault that comes with being logged on in 2021.
That clever tweak helps justify The Matrix Resurrections ’ existence—the film evokes new metaphors rather than repeating the old ones, even with all its metatextual jokes about the futility of rebooting. Wachowski’s gamble is that viewers will enjoy a film that’s heavy on philosophizing and introspection as long as it retains the emotional, romantic hook that powered the first movie. Reeves and Moss sell their reunion as Neo and Trinity persuasively, glowing with the overwhelming chemistry and affection that Wachowski needed to push the film beyond cynicism.
About the Author
![new matrix movie reviews reddit](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/lYFuNkz4bmZIDhEOTjQ1-Ecw0lo=/300x0:1068x768/120x120/media/None/sims/original.png)
More Stories
How M. Night Shyamalan Came Back From the Dead
Want to See a Snake Eat Its Tail?
- Action/Adventure
- Children's/Family
- Documentary/Reality
- Amazon Prime Video
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Fun](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/fun.png?w=24)
More From Decider
![new matrix movie reviews reddit New Shows & Movies To Watch This Weekend: 'Pachinko' on Apple TV+ and More](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WHATS-NEW-AUG-23-2024-.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
New Shows & Movies To Watch This Weekend: 'Pachinko' on Apple TV+ and...
![new matrix movie reviews reddit 'Unfinished Beef': Netflix Reveals Hosts For Labor Day Hot Dog Showdown Between Joey Chestnut And Kobayashi (Exclusive)](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rob-Riggle-Nikki-Garcia-Chestnut-vs.-Kobayash-Unfinished-beef.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
'Unfinished Beef': Netflix Reveals Hosts For Labor Day Hot Dog Showdown...
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Andy Cohen Asks Brandi Glanville To Watch Him And Kate Chastain Have Sex In Leaked Video: "Do You Wanna Watch Us On FaceTime?"](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/andy-brandi.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
Andy Cohen Asks Brandi Glanville To Watch Him And Kate Chastain Have Sex...
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Peacock Has Removed Raygun and the Entire Olympics Breaking Competition Off The Platform](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RAYGUN-PARIS-PEACOCK.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
Peacock Has Removed Raygun and the Entire Olympics Breaking Competition...
![new matrix movie reviews reddit 'WWHL': Bowen Yang Says One Terrible 'SNL' Host Once Made "Multiple Cast Members Cry"](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/wwhl2_1aaa3d.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
'WWHL': Bowen Yang Says One Terrible 'SNL' Host Once Made "Multiple Cast...
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Peacock's Gary Coleman Doc Questions The Late Child Actor's "Suspicious" Death: "His Life Is A Cautionary Tale"](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Gary-Coleman.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
Peacock's Gary Coleman Doc Questions The Late Child Actor's "Suspicious"...
![new matrix movie reviews reddit 11 Best New Movies on Netflix: August 2024's Freshest Films to Watch](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/11-Best-New-Movies-on-Netflix-August-2024.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
11 Best New Movies on Netflix: August 2024's Freshest Films to Watch
![new matrix movie reviews reddit 'Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles' Star Josh Flagg Gives Update On His Crumbling Friendship With Josh Altman: "We're Just Not Really Talking"](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/interview-Josh-Flagg.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87)
'Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles' Star Josh Flagg Gives Update On His...
Share this:.
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
- Click to copy URL
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Reviews Are Here: “Awe-Inducing” or “Exposition Dump”?
Where to stream:.
- The Matrix Resurrections
New ‘Matrix’ Movie In The Works — But It Will Be The First Directed By Someone Other Than The Wachowskis
New shows & movies to watch this weekend: netflix's 'leave the world behind' + more, stream it or skip it: 'the matrix resurrections' on hbo max, a long-in-the-works sequel that's more woe than whoa, lana and lilly wachowski auction off "magical artifacts" from 'the matrix' and more to support trans youth.
The twists and turns of The Matrix Resurrections have enthralled some viewers, while leaving others cold. The first reviews of the film rolled in on social media last night, a mixed bag of complete and total support versus hatred towards the convoluted mess. While we’ll only be able to see it for ourselves beginning next week — from the comfort of our own home on HBO Max , of course — thanks to early reviews, we can gauge what Lana Wachowski ‘s new installation might be like.
As the movie’s social media embargo lifted yesterday (Dec. 16) night, critics rolled their opinions in all over Twitter. “#TheMatrixResurrections is a terrific, awe-inducing, meta mind-bender completely in line with the franchise’s legacy,” film critic Courtney Howard raved. “Finds an innovative, high-concept way to frame the new story. Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss ‘ chemistry burns. Jessica Henwick is a revelation!”
#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 unexpected delight. It’s a sequel/reboot that is confident and complex, stuffed with new ideas and designs and creatures, unwilling to simply unspool what’s come before. Like if “Gremlins 2” had a $150 million budget and lots of Kung Fu. What a ride. pic.twitter.com/kzIg6G3YIg — Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) 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
And, of course, there were folks who felt the complete opposite — as is with any movie! “#TheMatrixResurrections is an almost 2.5-hour exposition dump with choppy action scenes reminiscent of the Bourne movies,” film critic Jeff Nelson tweeted. “It reuses far too much footage from previous installments and is meta to a fault.”
#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 have very complicated feelings about #TheMatrixResurrections . I’m not sure which movie it wants to be, an expanded world sequel or a story about a person being consumed by their own creation. One of those is an interesting idea but it doesn’t stick the landing on either. — Chris E. Hayner (@ChrisHayner) 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
As seen above, folks are making some wide-ranging comparisons when it comes to The Matrix Resurrections . The most common? Rian Johnson’s Star Wars installation, The Last Jedi . There were a handful of other Star Wars sequel comparisons tossed in the mix, too. “The Matrix Resurrections, despite (and because of) its infinite goofiness, is the boldest & most vividly personal Hollywood sequel since The Last Jedi ,” writes critic David Ehrlich, who continues, “a silly/sincere galaxy brain take on reboot culture that makes peace with how modern blockbusters are now only about themselves.”
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
the matrix resurrections is the most interesting blockbuster I’ve seen since the last jedi and i fully expect the people who are annoying about that movie to be annoying about this one. it rocks imo. — adam (@adam_notsandler) December 17, 2021
Saw #TheMatrixResurrections the other week (in IMAX!) and I enjoyed it! Easily better than 2 and 3. It feels like The Force Awakens – a nostalgic sequel/reboot to (maybe?) kick off a new franchise. Definitely rewatch the entire original trilogy in advance. Full review next week. pic.twitter.com/XHGQtkLcEB — Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) December 17, 2021
You can make your own call when The Matrix Resurrections releases next Wednesday, Dec. 22, right in time for Christmas. The film will stream for free to HBO Max subscribers on the non-ad supported tier for 31 days before leaving the platform — scroll up to watch the trailer for the new reboot.
- Lana Wachowski
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Does 'Yellowstone' Return Tonight? 'Yellowstone's Season 5, Part 2 Premiere Date, Streaming Info, And More](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/yellowstone_s5_ep7_marquee.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=315&h=210&crop=1)
Does 'Yellowstone' Return Tonight? 'Yellowstone's Season 5, Part 2 Premiere Date, Streaming Info, And More
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Is The First 'Monday Night Football' Game On Tonight? Where To Stream NFL Games On Monday Nights This Season](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NFL-Chiefs.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=315&h=210&crop=1)
Is The First 'Monday Night Football' Game On Tonight? Where To Stream NFL Games On Monday Nights This Season
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Gary Coleman's Friends "Appalled" By Ex-Wife's 911 Call For His Fatal Fall in 'Gary' Doc: "She Didn't Help Him"](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gary-coleman-ex-wife-911-call.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=315&h=210&crop=1)
Gary Coleman's Friends "Appalled" By Ex-Wife's 911 Call For His Fatal Fall in 'Gary' Doc: "She Didn't Help Him"
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Is 'Power Book II: Ghost' On Starz Tonight? Season 4, Episode 6 Premiere Date](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Power-Book-II-Ghost-Season-4-.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=315&h=210&crop=1)
Is 'Power Book II: Ghost' On Starz Tonight? Season 4, Episode 6 Premiere Date
![new matrix movie reviews reddit R.I.P. Julian Ortega: 'Elite' Actor Dead At 41 After Suddenly Collapsing On The Beach](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/julian-ortega.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=315&h=210&crop=1)
R.I.P. Julian Ortega: 'Elite' Actor Dead At 41 After Suddenly Collapsing On The Beach
![new matrix movie reviews reddit Does Jenn Tran End Up With Anyone On 'The Bachelorette'?](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/bachelorette_652012.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=315&h=210&crop=1)
Does Jenn Tran End Up With Anyone On 'The Bachelorette'?
![](http://nandemo.space/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
ADMIN MOD. 'The Matrix Resurrections' Review Thread. Rotten Tomatoes: 69% (176 reviews) with 6.30 in average rating. Critics consensus: If it lacks the original's bracingly original craft, The Matrix Resurrections revisits the world of the franchise with wit, a timely perspective, and heart. Metacritic: 64/100 (50 critics) As with other movies ...
ADMIN MOD. Why Matrix: Resurrections is a good movie. Most reviewers bash Matrix: Resurrections for being basically a nostalgia checklist with everything on the plate. From the awakening scene through training and jokes about Neo's flying abilities and bullet time: let's be honest - it's a fan service from A to Z -a nostalgia roller coaster ...
To me it was a fun movie. I liked the message and the character focus of Neo and Trinity. For a matrix movie, the fights were lame. For a action movie they were ok. I think matrix pushed the envelope of what a fight scene could be. John Wick does that again. This, is to this movies detriment.
Whether viewers believe that its plot is a blatant rip-off of Free Guy (which most fans feel is a blatant rip-off of The Matrix), or simply praise artistic choices that hardcore fans can't abide by (Lana Wachowski intentionally made a bad movie), The Matrix: Resurrections has been the subject of some unpopular opinions all across Reddit.
With its unique story that is meta and heartfelt and tons of action, The Matrix Resurrections is the best film in the series since the original. Rated: 4/5 • Jul 29, 2024. If "The Matrix ...
"The Matrix Resurrections" is the first "Matrix" movie since 2003's "The Matrix Revolutions," but it is not the first time we've seen the franchise in theaters this year.That distinction goes to "Space Jam: A New Legacy," the cinematic shareholder meeting for Warner Bros. with special celebrity guests that inserted Looney Tunes characters Speedy Gonzales and Granny into a ...
If he's learned anything, it's that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of -- or into -- the Matrix. Neo already knows what he has to do, but what he doesn't yet know is that the ...
This is a spoiler-free review of The Matrix Resurrections, which hits theaters and HBO Max Dec. 22. Nostalgia naysayers are often quick to trash remakes, reboots, or long-lead sequels. They call ...
The villain in this one, Roeg (presumably named for the great director Nicolas Roeg, and played by go-to bad guy Danny Huston) is not just a garden variety human criminal, but a vile and powerful creature who, by his own description, has been around a long time, and has the ability to corrupt mortals.Unlike previous screen tellings of the legends of The Crow, this one is thoroughly steeped in ...
These particular reviews suggest the critics feel the potential in The Matrix Resurrections is lost. There's too much a sense of deja vu in the action, storyline, and themes. To be sure, The Matrix Resurrections reckons with its own history, the idea of sequels and what the audience might want to see when returning to the world of the Matrix ...
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday offered her most expansive explanation to date on why she's changed some of her positions on fracking and immigration, telling CNN's Dana Bash her ...
Matrix 4 is here. Director Lana Wachowski revives the Matrix movie trilogy with stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. The dazzling sequel is one of the year's best films, and is streaming on ...
Warner Bros. As someone who adored the original film, and found plenty to respect in the much-maligned sequels, Resurrections feels made just for me. It's intoxicating, thrilling and unabashedly ...
Whoa! Neo is back in the first Matrix movie in 18 years, and it just might be the best sequel yet. The first reviews of The Matrix Resurrections are mostly favorable, acknowledging that it's less interested in innovation than emphasizing what truly works in the franchise: the romance.. Yes, Trinity (Carrie Anne-Moss) is back as well, and her chemistry with Keanu Reeves as Neo is said to be ...
The first half drags at it sets the table for the steady beat of limbs and necks being detached at the end. Eric and his love, Shelly (played by an uneven FKA Twigs), meet in a rehab prison for wayward youth that is so well lit and appointed that it looks more like an airport lounge where the cappuccinos are $19 but the Wi-Fi is complimentary.. Eric is a gentle loner — tortured by a past the ...
Back in 1988, "Beetlejuice" was a comedy, a ghost story, a high-camp horror film, and a macabre funhouse ride, all driven by a new kind of palm-buzzer freak-show prankishness. I first saw the ...
In 1999, The Matrix fundamentally changed the course of action movies forever with its use of 360-degree shots, slow-motion ("bullet time"), and wirework.Any other action movies from the '90s looked unpolished and amateur when compared to The Matrix's aesthetically pleasing and near-balletic action. Ubique008 believes that after the movies lured "young people with cool black clothes," viewers ...
However, with the arrival of the fourth film, 18 years after the previous one, The Matrix Revolutions, also comes an avalanche of bad reviews from critics, although many fans persist in defending the film directed by Lana Wachowski. This is exactly what is going on in this sub: many fans persist in defending the film directed by Lana Wachowski. 1.
Warner Bros. Even with a full range of trailers and TV spots, it's impressive how little we know about The Matrix Resurrections, which makes a plot summary tricky. What we do know is that, somehow ...
The Matrix Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer . The Matrix Reloaded celebrates its 20th anniversary!. The defining sci-fi event of 1999 was supposed to be Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, the long-awaited and super-hyped kick-off to the Star Wars prequel trilogy.Yet, while that film did rake in plenty of cash - and generate plenty of discussion - it was the kick-off of a different ...
Jessica Henwick's Bugs is the single most electric addition to the franchise since the original, even if her earnestly punkish gunslinger spends large chunks of this movie re-watching the events ...
Editor's note: The following review contains mild, non-plot spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections. Action filmmaking has seen several pivotal titles that singularly redefined the genre over the ...
With Vice President Kamala Harris having replaced President Biden on the Democratic ticket, her stances on key issues will be scrutinized by both parties and the nation's voters.. She has a long ...
Playing out in six, ingeniously scrambled chapters, this headlong thriller transforms a simple cat-and-mouse premise — and maybe even a toxic love story — into an impertinent rebuke to genre ...
The Matrix Resurrections is a 2021 American science fiction action film produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski, and the first in the Matrix franchise to be directed solely by Lana. It is the sequel to The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and the fourth installment in The Matrix film franchise.The film stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan ...
The Matrix is still a thing, though, and it's been upgraded. A new human freedom fighter named Bugs (Jessica Henwick) and a revamped Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead of OG star Laurence ...
The César-winning actor was an international favorite in the 1960s and '70s, often sought after by the era's great auteurs. Alain Delon in California in 1964 during the filming of the movie ...
The world's biggest online community about The Matrix franchise, created by the visionary minds of Lana and Lilly Wachowski! Welcome to the Source! My "Matrix 4" review and comparison - the short version. The first movie floats around my top 5 all-time. I think it's that good.
By David Sims. Warner Bros. December 21, 2021. The Matrix was set at the end of history. Released in 1999, the Wachowskis' sci-fi film painted a quotidian picture of the late 20th century: The ...
As the movie's social media embargo lifted yesterday (Dec. 16) night, critics rolled their opinions in all over Twitter. "#TheMatrixResurrections is a terrific, awe-inducing, meta mind-bender ...