The Matrix Resurrections
When it comes to continuation , especially ones publish well-nigh two decades after the original , it can be hard to equilibrize the feel and timber for the original work while also bringing it into the present day . In 2021 , what doesThe Matrix Resurrections — the fourth installment inThe Matrixfranchise and the first one direct by only one of the Wachowski sib — have to say that the original trilogy has n’t already ? How does it develop its characters in an authentic way ? direct by Lana Wachowski from a screenplay co - spell by her , David Mitchell , and Aleksandar Hemon , The Matrix Resurrectionstells a new yet familiar story , one that call for where the protagonists really belong in this world . While it ’s heavily nostalgic , The Matrix Resurrectionsdoes have something to say about live in the past and the difficulties of moving onward .
Two ten after the issue ofThe Matrixand its sequels , The Matrix ReloadedandThe Matrix Revolutions , Thomas Anderson ( Keanu Reeves ) is working at a company that designs video games . Their most democratic one being , of course , The Matrix . While he essay to focus at work and go to see his therapist ( Neil Patrick Harris ) after episodes where his mind blurs the rail line of reality , Thomas still ca n’t shake off the feeling that something is amiss . Everything changes when a womanhood , Bugs ( Jessica Henwick ) , and her squad attempt to extract Thomas ( whose real name is Neo , to the shock of only him ) from what he believes is his life , only for him to break the reason why he and Trinity ( Carrie - Anne Moss ) are back is more sinister than he remember .
link : Keanu Reeves Jokes About Streaming The Matrix 4 on HBO Max
As is the shell with every incoming inThe Matrixfranchise , The Matrix Resurrectionshas a lot going on , but it seems to flourish in the overall chaos without ever lose its grasp on the plot . It ’s heavy on the expounding and there are sure explanations viewers will either have to revisit or choose to go with the flow . To that end , the expository scenes that go far at the halfway point of the film do slow up the story down a lot . It loses steam and wander a routine before beak back up again for an engaging finale . The Matrix Resurrectionsisn’t without a heavy Cupid’s itch of nostalgia , which , according to Morpheus ( Yahya Abdul - Mateen II ) , eases anxiety . In sure instances , it ’s far too focused on the past and is reverential to a fault , often struggling to see the hereafter through its majuscule hits . The natural action is also underwhelming and a far cry from the first film , which bestow something solely new to the action at law genre . WhileThe Matrix Resurrectionswas never go to rise to the level of its harbinger , the action set pieces are sharply average for a dealership of such gamey caliber .
The film introduces muckle of new and interesting character reference , though they all stay firm one - dimensional , with minuscule elbow grease made to lucubrate upon their living beyond their mission . The direction , however , never strays from Neo and Trinity , who is honestly ( and amazingly ) underutilized . The brace has been at the substance of the franchise from the beginning andThe Matrix Resurrectionscapitalizes on their relationship , history , and the spark that has always existed between them . Keanu Reeves and Carrie - Anne Moss ’ chemistry is still intense and the love the character have for each other is at long last the film ’s driving force . Wachowski understands the deepness of their relationship , as well as the grandness of their joining , which boosts the story immensely and givesThe Matrix Resurrectionsone of the best sci - fi romanticism in quite some time . Their lovemaking for each other is central to the picture and one ca n’t help but take root for them .
The film is strengthened by the supporting cast — namely , Jessica Henwick ’s crook as Bugs helps to ground the film , and Jonathan Groff as a new version of Smith , Neo ’s nemesis , chew up the scene in the good way . Neil Patrick Harris as The Analyst is well - cast and his and Groff ’s hammy performances certainly make an depression in an otherwise muted motion picture . Yahya Abdul - Mateen II does a decent job as Morpheus , and the in - globe account for why he looks dissimilar makes common sense . But it ’s strong to shake Laurence Fishburne ’s influence from the enfranchisement , though the actor does his good to make it his own .
In many regard , The Matrix Resurrectionsdoes what other franchise sequel fail to do — assure a storey about where the character are now and where they ’re ultimately going . As a story about Neo and Trinity , the fourthMatrixinstallment works , all while attempting to reference the past tense and move forrard at the same time . It may linger too long in said preceding , sometimes showcasing too much of what made the dealership so good to begin with , but it ’s hopeful in its exploration of making selection and the awe of leaving comfort and self-complacency behind . The activity may not be at all what it once was , but the dealership has still catch a whole luck of pith .
Next : Matrix Resurrection of Christ Clip Reveals How Neo is connect to New Character
The Matrix Resurrectionsreleases in theaters and on HBO Max December 22 . The film is 148 minutes tenacious and is rated R for wildness and some lyric .
