Warner Bros. Pictures
In The Matrix Resurrections, return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, to truly know himself, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. And if Thomas … Neo … has learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of -— or into -— the Matrix. Of course, Neo already knows what he has to do. But what he doesn’t yet know is the Matrix is stronger, more secure and more dangerous than ever before. Déjà vu.
REVIEW
When The Matrix Resurrections was released recently, the loud consensus was that it was terrible. It premiered on HBO Max and in theatres but all of the negativity still kept me from checking it out in the comfort of my own home. But with the arrival of the new 4K release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, I decided to give it a spin and … I’m glad I did. Perhaps it was preparing with the lowest of expectations, but I found the film totally enjoyable, even if I didn’t really know what was going on at times (although the film’s overall message is quite clear) … but I can’t say I knew what the original film was really about either but I loved it.
The Matrix Resurrections seems to have garnered a lot of criticism for its meta-ness, which I think has been addressed by many who haven’t actually seen the film and are taking some things from it completely out of context. The film opens with a sort-of recreation of the opening scene from the original film as Bugs (Jessica Henwick) and Sequoia (Toby Onwumere) watch, with Bugs sort of fan-girling out that she’s watching Trinity, watching the beginning of the story. But something is not quite right as the scene doesn’t play out exactly as Bugs remembers. Of course it is a trap and she becomes the hunted within the Matrix. In the ‘real world’, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a video game developer and creator, the man behind the hit game ‘The Matrix’ and its sequels. His boss (Jonathan Groff) informs him that their parent company Warner Bros. is making another sequel (meta!) with or without their participation so it’s in their best interest to get on board. As the team begins to brainstorm ideas, the term ‘bullet time’ is mentioned but in the context of the scene it makes perfect sense — Anderson created the effect for the original game, it’s not just being thrown around as an everyday term in the real world.
While Thomas struggles with having to revisit this world — which apparently has left his own mental health hanging in the balance as he sees The Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris) on a regular basis — he also struggles with his emotions, always seeing a woman at the coffee shop who feels very familiar to him. Annoying co-worker Jude (Andrew Lewis Caldwell) decides to take things into his own hands and imposes himself on the woman as a way to get Thomas to introduce himself. He apologizes for Jude, and she introduces herself as Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss) … and she’s got two kids and a husband. She seems to also feel a sense of familiarity with him but before she can put any pieces together she’s whisked away by her family. As the story progresses, Thomas meets a man who turns out to be Morpheus 2.0 (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and he discovers this whole ‘real world’ thing is just another construct of the Matrix and the machines want to make sure Thomas/Neo and Tiffany/Trinity stay put in their pods. But the survivors of the war between the machines want to help Neo regain control so they can come out of hiding in I∅, a place where humans and machines have learned to live in harmony after the destruction of Zion. Neo is surprised to find Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) still in charge, but even more surprised to learn 60 years has passed. The key now to making things right again is for ‘real world’ Thomas to convince Tiffany to join him, to remember who he and they are. The question is will she make that choice?
In the end, The Matrix Resurrections is really a love story, or a ‘love conquers all’ story that was informed by director Lana Wachowski’s own personal traumas, from living in fear in the closet (and now a happy, well-adjusted trans woman) to the death of her parents about a month apart. In the bonus material, she details how this grief led to the creation of the story for the movie. It was a method she was able to use to comfort herself, and it shows with a much more human and heartfelt story. Lana did approach sister Lilly to re-join her, but Lilly preferred to process her grief differently so Lana flew solo this time. Coupled with Lana’s growth as a filmmaker since the original trilogy, The Matrix Resurrections does have a warmer feel and look to it. Gone is the green tint that signified the world of the Matrix, gone is the artificial lighting that Lana felt more secure with at the time, gone (but not completely) is the artificiality of the settings. Lana has embraced sunlight and location shooting and it all makes the film feel more grounded.
The story is a good continuation of the franchise, not rehashing the past, but using key moments (with film clips used as reminders) to advance the story. Of course the two stars, Reeves and Moss, are the glue that holds it all together, and even 20 years later they can still kick some serious ass. Morpheus and Agent Smith are also here but in new forms. Of course Niobe is back, as is The Merovingian and a grown Sati who is here to basically fulfill The Oracle’s prophecy. As for the newcomers, Bugs is the most prominent and Jessica Henwick is pretty great. She’s the one person who believed Neo was still the key to their freedom, defying all orders to leave him and Trinity where they are. Neil Patrick Harris as The Analyst is also good but also has drawn some criticism for his scene where he also references ‘bullet time’, but again in the context of the scene it makes sense. And the black cat Deja Vu is also here to blur the lines between reality and the Matrix.
The film’s production design is spectacular, and the fight scenes are intense. There is still the trademark wire work that allows the actors and stunt people to fly and spin and walk on walls, but there really is actually none of the ‘bullet time’ effect that was introduced in the first movie. That may be a disappointment to some but Wachowski and her team wanted to move on from something they created that had become copied in so many films that followed. While there is the use of green screen throughout the film, it’s more for backgrounds and window exteriors (although there are some spectacular, real San Francisco vistas on display). The film’s final, breathtaking shot — that you believe had to be done in a studio — is revealed in the bonus material to have been done on location with Reeves and Moss, which makes it all the more breathtaking. The soundtrack is fantastic as well, and over all I’m prepared to say The Matrix Resurrections is the second best film of the franchise.
Warner Bros. Pictures
VIDEO
Viewed on an OLED 4K television, The Matrix Resurrections looks fantastic, especially with the addition of Dolby Vision to bring all of the colors to life. This is particularly apparent in the location scenes shot in real sunlight, these scenes having a very film-like golden glow to them. The night and dark scenes, both on location in San Francisco and on sets are well balanced, with the darker and black areas rendered properly, with even faint details visible. This really is a spectacular, reference quality presentation. A Blu-ray disk is included, but that visual presentation falls a bit short. This is a film made for 4K.
AUDIO
The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also one that movie lovers with a home theater set-up will appreciate. With such an effects-heavy film, the soundscape keeps the surrounds and overhead speakers pumping with directional effects and the film’s score. Oddly enough, it isn’t too bass heavy but keeping all of the speakers engaged is a plus. Dialogue is appropriately clear and front and center, again a very reference quality presentation to impress your friends on movie night.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Matrix Resurrections does come with a host of extras, which are all present on the included Blu-ray disk (consuming space which accounts for the film’s lackluster Blu-ray visual presentation), and a Digital Code to redeem on Movies Anywhere. I began the film watching the Digital version, and switched to the disk after a few minutes, and while both are 4K Dolby Vision, I still found the disk’s visual presentation the superior way to watch the film. The bulk of the bonus material (also included with the Digital version) includes:
- No One Can Be Told What The Matrix Is (8:52) – Cast members try to give us an off-the-cuff recap of the original trilogy to bring us up to speed with the new film. It’s fun because none of it seems rehearsed, and even Reeves and Moss seem to have trouble explaining things.
- Resurrecting The Matrix (29:58) – A very in-depth look at the genesis of the film with candid commentary from Lana Wachowski, the writers and cast, detailing the process of making the film with a lot of behind-the-scenes footage, highlighting Wachowski’s very unique directorial style, something that has changed greatly from the original films..
- Neo x Trinity: Return to the Matrix (8:16) – Reevs and Moss sit down for an intimate talk of their relationship from the first film to this one, showing they truly do love and respect each other.
- Allies + Adversaries: The Matrix Remixed (8:27) – Members of the supporting cast, old and new, discuss their characters and the experience of making the film.
- Matrix 4 Life (6:19) – Ten-ish members of the cast and crew reflect on their journeys making the four ‘Matrix’ films.
- I Still Know Kung Fu (4:56) – Footage of Reeves and company going through their fight training, stunt work and choreography.
- The Matrix Reactions (48:38) – The cast and crew break down the creation of key moments in the film. The piece is lengthy and informative, and broken down into individual chapters — Echo Opening (5:34), Deus Ex Machina (4:45), Welcome to IØ (5:17), Morpheus vs Neo (4:00), Exiles Fight (5:20), Neo vs Smith (4:09), Bullet Time Redux (4:34), The San Fran Chase (7:32), The San Fran Jump (7:56) — that can be viewed individually or with the Play All function. ‘The San Fran Jump’ shows the filming of the amazing climactic shot — but don’t watch any of this before you see the movie.
While there’s no audio commentary track, the visual commentary included in the wealth of bonus material pretty much covers everything you need to know about the making of the movie. This is one of the most comprehensive collections of bonus material that I’ve seen on a disk in quite some time and contributes to the value of the package.
OVERVIEW
After hearing all the naysayers slamming the film, I’m glad I finally decided to watch The Matrix Resurrections. For storytelling, I feel it surpasses the second and third films in the series, giving it a lot more heart and revealing that this has been a love story all along. It may have been a little dense in places, but I really appreciated the warmth and heart the film ultimately has. The bonus material actually helped connect some of the pieces and gave me a new respect for what Lana Wachowski was able to accomplish, even when she had no intention of ever returning to this universe. Haters are gonna hate, but watch the film and judge for yourself. You just might find that it’s not the disaster you’ve been told it was. For the film and the outstanding presentation, I highly recommend this for a purchase.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with the 4K for reviewing purposes.
The Matrix Resurrections has a running time of 2 hours 28 minutes and is rated R for violence and some language.
Warner Bros. Pictures
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