The Matrix Resurrections

UK Release Date: 22 December 2021

Certification: 15

Director: Lana Wachowski

Cast: Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Carrie Ann-Moss, Keanu Reeves, Jada Pinkett Smith

Rating: 51%

Mr Anderson. 

Review:

The Matrix trilogy ended horribly with an awful rendition in the form of The Matrix Revolutions and there was absolutely no need to make this fourth outing in the first place. My initial reaction to The Matrix Resurrections was that it isn't a particularly good movie but there's more scenes that I enjoyed throughout the runtime than scenes I didn't like. And I believe that's exactly how the movie can be summed up.

First of all, it is an absolute joy to see Carrie Ann-Moss and Keanu Reeves again on the big screen as Trinity and Neo respectively. I absolutely love Keanu Reeves and when sat in the cinema I was smiling as it's brilliant to see him back. On the other hand, Jonathan Groff and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II don't work at all. Agent Smith and Morpheus are iconic sci-fi characters and if there are already multiple returning cast members why couldn't Hugo Weaving and Laurence Fishburne be brought back. Especially Hugo Weaving because Jonathon Groff's Agent Smith really annoyed me as he's not imposing, menacing or threatening in the slightest and I just know if Weaving was there that The Matrix Resurrections would have been elevated by at least 10%. I've never really liked Neil Patrick Harris as an actor. His performance was phoney and in all honesty I don't really want to see him in a blockbuster again. However, Jessica Henwick was great as Bugs. She brings a new flavour and energy to the world of The Matrix and was one of the best parts of the movie.

Johnny Kilmak and Tom Tywker's score was fantastic. They sampled from the legendary main theme from The Matrix as well as having original pieces such as 'Two and the Same' which compliments the opening chase sequence.  

I saw three nostalgia based movies in the space of a week - Spider-Man:No Way Home, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Matrix Resurrections - and unfortunately this movie doesn't do it nearly as well as the others. Scenes from the trilogy pop up throughout to the point were I felt that was what I was watching. In the first hour of the movie every five minutes there was an unneeded scene from The Matrix and that's just unimaginative and lazy. Merovingian was brought back for a minute and then he left and there was absolutely no need to see Niobe again because she's just a boring, stereotypical general.

There are a lot of amazing concepts in The Matrix Resurrections and unfortunately the execution was a bit of a mixed bag. It's cool to see Keanu Reeves as a games designer who created The Matrix trilogy but it ends up being a bit of a gimmick in the end. And to see him depressed, longing for the real world rather than living out repetitive days in the Matrix is decent. But in meetings, characters make fun of the original trilogy which put a sour taste in my mouth. And Lana Wachowski even mocks Warner Brothers for forcing her to make a fourth movie. It simply doesn't make sense. 

For a Matrix movie the action is lacklustre. In a time where CGI has now progressed from 2003 there wasn't a single action set-piece as cool as anything seen before. As seen by John Wick, Keanu Reeves still has it but he didn't get a chance to show it. 

The Matrix Resurrections is full of good ideas and nostalgia based fun but the end result is utterly frustrating.