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2021 science fiction action film

The Matrix Resurrections is a 2021 American science fiction action film produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski. It is the sequel to The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and the fourth installment in The Matrix film series. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lambert Wilson, and Jada Pinkett Smith reprise their roles from previous films in the series, being joined by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The film was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Venus Castina Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Set sixty years after the events of Revolutions, the film follows Neo, who lives a seemingly ordinary life under his original identity as Thomas A. Anderson in San Francisco, but when a new version of Morpheus offers him the red pill and reopens his mind to the world of the Matrix, which has become more secure and dangerous in the years since the Smith infection, Neo joins a group of rebels to fight a new enemy.

Following the release of Revolutions, the Wachowskis denied the possibility of another Matrix film, though rumors emerged since then about a possible fourth Matrix film and the studio constantly expressed interest in reviving the franchise, hiring Zak Penn to write a new screenplay after the Wachowskis refused every offer to create more sequels. In late 2019, a fourth Matrix film was finally announced, with Lana Wachowski returning as director without her sister and Reeves and Moss reprising their roles. Filming started in February 2020 but was halted the next month by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wachowski toyed with the possibility of shelving the project and leaving the film unfinished, but the cast insisted that she finish it. Filming resumed in August 2020, concluding three months later.

The Matrix Resurrections had its world premiere in Toronto, Canada, on December 16, 2021, and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures theatrically in other countries on December 22, 2021, and is also available for streaming digitally on the ad-free tier of HBO Max in the United States for a month beginning on that same date. It has grossed over $22 million, and critical response to the film was generally positive; the performances and action sequences[citation needed] were praised, though the writing and visuals received some criticism.

Contents

Plot

Within the Matrix, Thomas Anderson is a successful video game developer, creator of a game series based on dreams from his faint memories of being Neo. Anderson keeps encountering Tiffany, a married mother who reminds him of Trinity. Anderson struggles to separate his perceived reality from his dreams. His therapist prescribes him blue pills to keep his sanity. However, Anderson discontinues the medication.

Anderson runs a private instance of his game, which the human crew of the Mnemosyne, outside of the Matrix, discovers. Bugs, captain of the Mnemosyne, finds the game running Trinity's old code that discovered Neo within the Matrix, before its Agents find her.[a] Bugs finds an agent behaving strangely, discovering he is a program embodying Morpheus, and helps free him before Anderson's business partner, Smith, erases the instance. Bugs and her crew discover Neo is still alive, despite his apparent death at the end of the Machine War.[b] Bugs enters the Matrix to join Morpheus and free Anderson, learning that Smith is really Agent Smith, who monitors Anderson. Eluding Smith, Bugs and Morpheus convince Anderson he is living inside the Matrix. Anderson agrees to be extracted.

Neo wakes up in a pod and sees Trinity likewise confined nearby, but machine entities sent by Bugs retrieve him before he can free her. Neo is taken to Bugs's ship. Morpheus reveals Anderson created him and Smith to help Neo become the One. Neo is taken to the human bastion, Io, where he meets Niobe. Niobe explains sixty years have passed in the real world since the Machine War, and the human survivors have allied with some of the machines to fight an anomaly that jeopardizes the whole Matrix. Niobe takes Neo to Sati, an exile program he previously met,[c] who explains the anomaly was created after the Machine War and had somehow resurrected Neo and Trinity and isolated them. Though Neo wants to rescue Trinity, Sati warns against it. Niobe orders Neo to remain outside the Matrix. Bugs and other humans disobey her to help him free Trinity.

Neo and Bugs enter the Matrix but are confronted by Smith and other exile programs who want to restore it to its former form. While Bugs and her crew fight the exiles, Neo battles Smith, slowly recalling his abilities to bend the rules of reality within the Matrix. Bugs takes Neo to Tiffany's repair shop, but before Neo can talk to her, his therapist appears and manipulates time, immobilizing Neo, and reveals himself to be the Analyst, a program meant to study the human psyche. He explains when Neo and Trinity died, he resurrected them to study them, and found they overpowered the system when they worked together. If Neo and Trinity are kept close to each other without making contact, the other humans within the Matrix would produce more energy for the machines. Neo's liberation has destabilized the system. The machines propose rebooting the Matrix. Instead, the Analyst tries to coerce Neo into returning to his pod, threatening to kill Trinity if he refuses.

Neo and Bugs are forced to leave the Matrix when another ship sent by Niobe brings the Mnemosyne back to Io. Neo persuades Niobe to let him free Trinity. Within the Matrix, Neo confronts the Analyst, demanding he honor the agreement reached at the end of the Machine War. Neo offers to release Trinity from the Matrix if she consents, agreeing to return to the Matrix himself if she declines. The Analyst agrees. When Tiffany is brought to them, her family entices her to remain in the Matrix. She rejects them and recognizes herself as Trinity. The Analyst prepares to kill her, but Smith intercedes, temporarily stopping the Analyst and giving Neo, Trinity, and the others time to escape. Neo and Trinity try to buy time to allow Bugs and the others to extract themselves. The pair are cornered atop a skyscraper and leap off, hoping Neo will fly them away. Neo fails, but Trinity unexpectedly gains flight, enabling them to flee and regain control of the Matrix.

Neo and Trinity return to face the Analyst, assuring him that he will face dire consequences should he try to seize control again, and fly away.

Cast

Main article: List of Matrix series characters

Additionally, Andrew Lewis Caldwell and Ellen Hollman appear as Jude Gallagher and Echo, respectively.[22][23] Daniel Bernhardt was announced to be reprising his role as Agent Johnson from The Matrix Reloaded,[24][7] but his scenes were cut from the final film. Tom Hardy filmed an uncredited background cameo appearance, due to The Matrix Resurrections filming in San Francisco simultaneously with Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), in which Hardy starred as Eddie Brock / Venom. However, Henwick speculated over whether Hardy's appearance remained in the final cut or not.[25]

Production

Development

I couldn't have my mom and dad... yet suddenly I had Neo and Trinity, arguably the two most important characters in my life. It was immediately comforting to have these two characters alive again, and it's super-simple. You can look at it and say: "Okay, these two people die, and okay, bring these two people back to life, and oh, doesn't that feel good?" Yeah, it did! It's simple, and this is what art does and this is what stories do. They comfort us and they're important.

The origins of The Matrix Resurrections' story, as described by director Lana Wachowski[26]

While making the Matrix films, the Wachowskis told their close collaborators that they, at the time, had no intention of making another film in the series after The Matrix Revolutions (2003).[27] Instead, they gave their blessing to the notion of gamers "inherit[ing] the storyline", and The Matrix Online video game was billed as the official continuation.[28] Rumors of a new installment began to circulate online in 2011 when it was reported that the Wachowskis had been planning two additional films in the series and had discussions with Keanu Reeves about reprising his role.[29] Another rumor in 2014 claimed that the sisters had submitted a story treatment for a new Matrix trilogy to Warner Bros.[30] These were later confirmed to be false.[31]

In February 2015, in interviews promoting Jupiter Ascending (2015), Lilly Wachowski called a return to The Matrix (1999) a "particularly repelling idea in these times" when studios preferred to green-light sequels, reboots, and adaptations over original material,[32] while Lana Wachowski, addressing rumors about a potential reboot, said they had not heard anything but believed the studio might be looking to replace them.[33] At various times, Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving each confirmed their interest and willingness to reprise their roles in potential future installments of the Matrix films, with the stipulation that the Wachowskis were involved in the creative and production process.[34][35]

In March 2017, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Warner Bros. was in the early stages of developing a relaunch of the franchise, with Zak Penn in talks to write a treatment, and interest in getting Michael B. Jordan attached to star. The Wachowskis were not involved at that stage, although the studio had hoped for their blessing. The notion of a reboot or remake was denounced by Penn, and ideas for stories set in the already established universe were explored, including, reportedly, a prequel film about a young Morpheus or a sequel film from a descendant of his.[36] In March 2018, Penn said he was working on a revival of the franchise and teased the possibility of an expanded universe.[37] Penn clarified in October 2019 that he had been working on one of two Matrix projects at Warner Bros., and that his work was separate from the planned film.[38] Penn's film didn't go ahead in favor of Wachowski's film; Jada Pinkett Smith later reflected that handing the franchise's legacy to other filmmakers would have been a "horrendous mistake".[8]

Pre-production

As explained by Lana Wachowski during the Berlin International Literature Festival 2021, Warner Bros. constantly approached the Wachowskis every year to make another Matrix sequel, but the Wachowskis always declined the offers out of a lack of interest and because of their feelings that the trilogy's story had concluded. However, in 2019, Ron and Lynne Wachowski, the Wachowskis' parents, passed away alongside a close friend of Lana's, with her father passing away first, her friend second and her mother third. After not being able to process that kind of grief, Lana suddenly conceived the story of The Matrix Resurrections one sleepless night. In her words, Wachowski felt that while she couldn't have her parents back, she then could have Neo and Trinity back, feeling very comforted to see them alive again.[26]

The film was officially announced by Warner Bros. on August 20, 2019. Lana Wachowski returned as sole director, with Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss confirmed to reprise their roles. The script was written by Wachowski, David Mitchell, and Aleksandar Hemon, who had previously written the series finale of Sense8 together.[4][39][40] The Wachowskis also previously directed the 2012 film adaptation of Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas. Lilly Wachowski was not involved with the film due to work on the Showtime series Work in Progress, but gave her blessing to those involved to come up with a story even "better than the original".[41] She further elaborated by stating that she needed time away from the industry to "reconnect with myself as an artist and I did that by going back to school and painting and stuff", in addition to being emotionally affected by the passing of her parents.[42] John Toll was hired to serve as cinematographer that same month. Toll was cinematographer on the Wachowskis' films Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending and Sense8.[43]

The film's press release states that The Matrix Resurrections is a direct sequel to the story established in the first film.[44] This has led to some confusion among fans, who wonder if this means that Resurrections is still a sequel to the original Matrix trilogy or if it works as a sequel to only The Matrix, ignoring the events of the second and third films.[45] Despite this, the first official trailer briefly shows Neo's human body is still blinded from the events of Revolutions,[46] with Mitchell confirming shortly afterwards that Resurrections takes place twenty years after that film.[47] Mitchell also elaborated that the film isn't "yet another sequel" and subverts the rules of Hollywood's blockbusters, yet contains references to the original Matrix trilogy.[48]

Casting

Reeves and Moss were confirmed to be reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity upon the film's announcement in August 2019.[4] In October 2019, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast in the film, with some sources speculating he would be playing a young Morpheus, while Neil Patrick Harris was added in an undisclosed role.[49][50] Following the first trailer's release, Abdul-Mateen II confirmed that he was indeed playing the role of Morpheus.[6] Laurence Fishburne, who portrayed Morpheus in the original trilogy, announced in August 2020 that he was not asked to reprise his role as Morpheus.[51] Pinkett Smith entered negotiations to reprise her role as Niobe, with Jessica Henwick entering negotiations to join in an undisclosed role,[52][53] later revealed as Bugs.[11] Henwick was being considered by The Walt Disney Company to audition for a role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) at the same time she was offered to audition for the part of Bugs; in what she described a "red-pill/blue-pill moment" for her, Henwick chose Resurrections over Shang-Chi.[8] Jada Pinkett-Smith and Jessica Henwick were confirmed in December, along with the additions of Jonathan Groff and Toby Onwumere;[54][55] Jada was convinced to return after learning from Wachowski how much the film meant for her. They went through a "couple different versions" for Niobe until they settled to depict the character in an elderly form.[56]

In January 2020, Eréndira Ibarra was cast, with Priyanka Chopra entering final negotiations.[57][58] That same month, Lambert Wilson, who played the Merovingian in the sequels, revealed he was in negotiations to return.[59] Hugo Weaving, who starred in the franchise as Agent Smith, was originally approached to reprise his role, but he had scheduling conflicts with his involvement in Tony Kushner's theatrical adaptation of The Visit, leading Wachowski to conclude that the dates would not work after staying in touch with Weaving for a while.[60][61] Weaving was later confirmed to be appearing in the film, but through archive footage from the original trilogy, while Groff was confirmed to have been cast as Smith in December 2021, replacing Weaving.[12] Chopra and Wilson's castings were confirmed in February, along with the additions of Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith and Ellen Hollman.[17][63][64][65] After some speculation, Chopra was revealed to be playing Sati in the film; the character was previously portrayed by Tanveer K. Atwal in Revolutions.[16]

Joe Pantoliano, who appeared in the first film as Cypher, expressed interest in April 2020 in reprising his role despite his character's death in the first installment and messaged Lana Wachowski about the possibility of bringing him back, but received no response from her.[66] In September 2020, it was announced Daniel Bernhardt was reprising his role as Agent Johnson from The Matrix Reloaded (2003).[24] Christina Ricci was announced as part of the cast in June 2021; she had previously worked with the Wachowskis on Speed Racer (2008).[67] Telma Hopkins was also announced to be part of the cast in September 2021.[20] In December 2021, less than a week before the film's premiere, Henwick confirmed to have filmed a scene with a background cameo appearance of Tom Hardy, as Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) was being filmed simultaneously with Resurrections, though it's currently unclear if Hardy's appearance was kept in the finished film.[25] After the film's Toronto premiere, it was confirmed that Chad Stahelski, who served a stunt co-ordinator in the previous films, appeared in the film as "Handsome Chad".[21]

Filming

Under the code name "Project Ice Cream", the film began production in San Francisco on February 4, 2020.[63][68][69] Filming also took place at Babelsberg Studio in Germany, and in Chicago.[70][69] Filming in San Francisco caused irritation amongst residents and city workers after damage was inflicted to buildings and street lights.[71] As in the case of other productions like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the producers had to pay $420,000 to the San Francisco Police Department so they could film in the city.[72] As opposed to other productions, no second unit was needed during the action sequences as Wachowski directed all the scenes herself.[73] Scott Rogers, a stunt performer who worked with Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), was hired to be the film's stunt coordinator.[8]

On March 16, 2020, production on the film was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[74] After filming was halted, Wachowski contemplated the possibility of never finishing the film and letting it "go down as an incomplete legendary film not meant to be seen by anyone". However, the cast insisted Wachowski return and finish the film until she complied.[75] On August 16, 2020, Keanu Reeves confirmed filming had resumed in Berlin.[76] Principal photography wrapped on November 11, 2020.[77]

Music

Main article: The Matrix Resurrections (soundtrack)

In September 2021, Warner Bros. confirmed that Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer would be scoring the film, having previously collaborated with Wachowski on Sense8 and Cloud Atlas,[78] replacing Don Davis, who composed the score for the first three films. The song "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane is prominently featured in the trailer.[79][80] Wachowski said the choice of "White Rabbit" for the trailer not only was in reference to the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland elements that The Matrix had previously used and which "White Rabbit" is based on, but also a nod to Jefferson Airplane themselves which was formed as a house band for The Matrix club in San Francisco.[81] The second trailer featured an electronic/orchestral cover of the "Rage Against the Machine" song "Wake Up" by Sebastian Böhm.[82] The original Rage Against the Machine version of the song featured prominently at the end of the first Matrix film.[83]

The film's score was released on December 17, 2021. A track from the album titled "Neo and Trinity Theme (Johnny Klimek & Tom Tykwer Exomorph Remix)" was released as a single on December 10.[84]

Marketing

On August 24, 2021, the title was revealed as The Matrix Resurrections.[85] A trailer was screened as part of Warner Bros.' panel at CinemaCon that day, featuring a meeting between Neo and Trinity.[85] Ahead of the film's first official trailer being released on September 9, 2021, the movie's official website was updated on September 7, presenting random clips of the trailer to the user and narration based on their time of day.[86][87] A second trailer was released on December 6, 2021.[88]

A tie-in interactive tech demo titled The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, based on Unreal Engine 5, was released by Epic Games for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S during The Game Awards 2021.[89]

Release

The Matrix Resurrections had its world premiere on December 16, 2021, in Toronto, Canada and its premiere in the United States at the Castro Theater in San Francisco on December 18, 2021.[90][91] The film was initially set for release on May 21, 2021, which would have premiered alongside John Wick: Chapter 4 also starring Keanu Reeves.[92] However, the film was postponed to April 1, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[93] The film was then moved forward to December 22, 2021.[94] It is the final film from Warner Bros. Pictures to have a simultaneous 30-day release on the HBO Max streaming service, which was used in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[95]

Reception

Box office

As of December 24, 2021, The Matrix Resurrections has grossed $13.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $9.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $22.8 million.[2][3]

In the United States and Canada the film was released alongside Sing 2 and The King's Man, and is projected to gross around $40 million from 3,552 theaters over its first five days of release, with some tracking reaching as high as $70 million in its first six days.[96] The film earned $6.5 million on its first day and $4.1 million on its second.[97][98]

The film debuted second in Russia ($3.9 million), first in Japan ($3.9 million), and first in Thailand ($794,000). Its opening gross was 8% above 2021's Eternals and 12% over 2020's Tenet. The film is slated to expand to 69 countries outside the U.S. and Canada in its second weekend.[99]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 67% based on 222 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "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."[100] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 54 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[101] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, tied for the lowest of the series, while PostTrak reported 60% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.[98]

The Independent gave the film 4 out of 5 and wrote "The Matrix Resurrections ends with a literal call to the powers of sentimentality, empowerment and freedom – it ponders whether humanity finds any value in them which, in turn, seems to really ask whether audiences still have any interest in blockbusters of this purity and ambition. For my own stake, at least, I hope they do."[102] Gizmodo praised the film, saying "Resurrections is an excellent Matrix sequel that knows what you think you want in a Matrix sequel, and gives it to you in ways you aren't expecting. Sometimes those things don't work, but mostly they do, and as a result I'm confident to say: The Matrix is back."[103] Matt Singer of ScreenCrush wrote, "The thing that carries The Matrix Resurrections through some of those rough patches instead is Wachowski's obvious affection for the characters, and the actors' reciprocal love for this world and its endless intellectual curiosities."[104]

The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 and wrote: "Really, Resurrections doesn't do much to remove the anticlimax that hung like a cloud over the cinema auditorium at the end of the third film in 2003. This movie is set up to initiate a possible new series, but there is no real creative life in it. Where the original film was explosively innovatory, this is just another piece of IP, an algorithm of unoriginality."[105] The Verge also gave the film a negative review praising the performances and visuals but criticized the writing, characterization and recasting of characters and felt that "Resurrection centers Neo and Trinity's love story but in a disjointed and frustrating way" while also writing "The Matrix Resurrections warned me its existence was a bad idea, and I kept watching anyway. I really have nobody but myself to blame."[106] The Times called it "another truly horrible sequel" in a one-star review, criticizing its what it called its creative shallowness, similarity to previous Matrix films, level of self-referentiality, and the quality of its action sequences.[107] Gulf News gave the film a mixed review, concluding that "The Matrix Resurrections may be a bumpy ride but it's still a trip."[108] IGN's Amelia Emberwing gave the film 4 out of 10, praising the performances but criticizing the execution and visuals while also writing "The Matrix Resurrections is the kind of film that will go down in cult history because it is so laughably bad. Truthfully, I can't even say it's unenjoyable because I spent so much of its overly long runtime giggling over how jaw-droppingly misguided the majority of it is", and further expressed, "The Matrix Resurrections is a bunch of really good ideas stacked together to make a bad – and sometimes ugly – film."[109]

Notes

References

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