Matrix Resurrections

Agent smith says things like OMG and robot sentinels give fist bumps now. Though failing to capture the magic of the first movie, I could appreciate the other sequels for trying to expand the universe and keeping the same tone. This one purposely makes a mockery of itself and calls it self awareness. I'll stick with watching the first one only for now on.

If you know the original trilogy, leave it at that and leave this movie alone. It is a self devouring serpent from the moment it starts.

In a word: S L I M Y

Save your money and your sanity.

I must admit I never expected a fourth film in this series, but here we are. Matrix 4 follows Neo - reborn into a new matrix as a computer game programmer who thinks that all the events in the original trilogy were part of a computer game that he created. When memories begin to surface, and people from his past re-enter his life, he must once again break free of the matrix and attempt to reawaken Trinity.

This series sadly has been one of deminishing returns, and I was hoping that this 4th entry would break that decline... but sadly it does not. The most annoying thing is that the plot works... I can completely get behind the idea of the old matrix being a video game inside the new matrix. However, an utter slew of problems just drag the film down into a large pit of mediocrity despite this. The first problem is that aside from Neo and Trinity, the rest of the characters are 100% forgettable, including Morpheus (who is a new actor). Then there's the action, which is lukewarm at best. I get that Keanu is older now and perhaps would struggle with the high-octane stuff... but it looks like he isn't even trying half the time.

But by far the biggest problem, is that the film 100% focuses on the love story between the leads and everything else is half baked. I get that it was important in the original trilogy, but even then it was just one aspect of a larger story. This film drives and drives the Neo loves Trinity plot point so much it begins to irritate, and since you obviously know they will fly off into the sunset together, the whole film just feels like its going through the motions.

Overall this feels like a wasted opportunity to resurrect (sorry) this franchise and if you skip it you will miss precisely nothing. Disappointing...

A lot of effort went into the story, with details and references and self references and in-jokes. And yet, in the last act of the film, it felt like who ever wrote the thing ran out of ideas and just did random things. That felt like a betrayal. Then there was the film itself, which consistently felt less evolved, in both effects and fight choreography, than the original film *from 22 years ago!*. Last but not least, there were the characters. Keanu and Carrie-Ann aside, the rest of the people had no characterization at all and the actors, some I knew from other stuff like Sense8, had less to work with than in the TV series they were grabbed from. Remember how awesome Max Riemelt was in Sense 8? Here he was a yes man with a bad accent. Remember how amazing and fun Lambert Wilson was in the original Matrix films? Here he was no more than an obscenity spouting homeless crazy person. I think Jonathan Groff did a reasonable job, but his character was all over the place. And so on.

I don't want to touch on the sexual orientation of most of the actors or the agenda that is always pushed by the Wackowskis, because it doesn't really matter here. Put all that aside and it's still a mess of a film.

Bottom line: if it were a random low budget scifi, it would have been average. As a sequel to The Matrix, it has great potential and it failed miserably.

Blah blah blah = how much talking and exposition is in this movie. The original matrix had a lot of talking too, but every conversation is intriguing. In this movie, it bored me to death. Almost put me to sleep.

Blah blah blah = the mess of a story that is this movie. It's all over the place and feels like a bunch of nonsense mashed together.

Blah blah blah = the unclear and uninspiring action. The fight scenes in the first two movie are amongst the best ever put to screen, including Asian cinema. The action in Reloaded is incredible. In this movie, it just feels like action vomit all over the screen. It ranges from mediocre to bad. And only one part is memorable (certain things are falling onto the street). The fight scenes suffer from close ups and quick cuts, something we never see in the originals.

The more I think about it, a 4 star rating seems generous. But that's how I felt leaving the theater. There is some good here. But I don't think I'd bother giving it another chance. (1 viewing, 12/23/2021)