The Matrix Resurrections reviewed by Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode reviews The Matrix Resurrections. Game designer Thomas Anderson believes he may be losing his grip on reality - to find out, he'll once again have to follow the white rabbit.

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[JackHoward]

He’s right. The Matrix is a standalone film.

[JimElford]

I think a lot of companies and creators fundamentally misunderstand the heart of nostalgia. Think of Jurassic Park. The first time you see the giant dinosaurs. Everything changed after that. Right? But it's the emotional reaction to something new and/or spellbinding. It's the feelings themselves, not the image that provoked them, that they need to aim for. If you wanna stun audiences, do something new, exciting, fresh. Shock us, surprise us, impress us. Aim high, succeed or fail, you'll have our admiration. Retread old journeys and we'll see right through you.

All that said, I'm still Gona see this at home :)

[MrBendybruce]

There were actually two great Matrix Movies. The original, and the Animatrix, which was dark collection of short stories that gave excellent background context to the original movie.

[hyperdeath]

I agree on the original being a standalone - the prospect of imagining what Neo could do after fully awakening to his potential is more interesting than actually seeing it.

[astromus]

Animatrix was the good follow-up to The Matrix. We don't need more.

[MERVILLE]

Very apt for the season: a gift you didn’t want and already have too much of

[MadMaxBible]

To me this film felt like it was made out of spite by Lana Wachowski. The cynical self-referencing that just kept rearing it's ugly head every once in a while was not only jarring, it was cringy and completely out of place. One of the worst examples was the fight in the factory where they cut to one character that's mocking the movie and gaming industry WHILE the fight is happening. Then there's the post credit scene where they just mock the Matrix openly. It almost like Lana made a film she didn't want to make so she saw this as an opportunity to both give the middle finger to fans of the original trilogy for liking it, and the movie studio for capitalizing on it while giving them a pretty bad Matrix sequel. And I didn't even mention how technically this film is sub-par to the original trilogy. Granted, it's difficult to top bullet time but at least they could've filmed fight scenes in a cohesive way. Instead we got a chaotic mess in both choreography, the way they were shot and edited. That's a Bourne Identity wombo-combo right there. Tonally this film is all over the place with lines of dialogue either delivered poorly or completely breaking the tone of scenes ("What's up Doc?"). I could go on but I'll just say that it made Reloaded and Revolutions suddenly not so bad at all.

[gilpinsteven]

Personally, I think Resurrections is WAY worse than any other Matrix movie.

[oomskamirth]

Spot on. It actually felt like a pilot to a television show.

[Valenni]

Mark asked Simon a question, which woke him up and he had no idea what year he was in.

[blaisetelfer]

So many people are defending this by saying "no you missed the point; it's a sequel full of pointless nostalgic references because it's criticizing studios that make sequels banking on nostalgia". That's a great way to prank the studio and the audience, I guess, but that doesn't make it a good film or a good addition to the Matrix universe.

[UberNoodle]

I'm reminded of a great quote from Philip K Dick: "Reality is such that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
It would've been very interesting for this Matrix film to have explored this quote in an intellectual way.

[sparktraining]

First time I've ever checked my phone to see how long was left during a film.

[ericunited]

Trailers were underwhelming, but went in out of curiosity with low expectations considering aged core characters. Was not disappointed, enjoyed meta opening short, storyline bridged time gap and suited aged characters. Nostalgia def carries the film, with many modern themes weaving plot and dialogue. Overall loved it. Particular mention for the main antagonist Neil Patrick Harris and Brit actress Jessica Henwick as Bug, she brought out the cool n swag very well.

[FormerHumanX]

It was possible to make sequels to The Matrix that would have worked. The first two sequels should have picked up where the original film ended, with Neo contacting and freeing other people trapped in the Matrix (remember his call on the payphone), to train them and increase the numbers of freedom fighters. Neo's character arc would be learning to step into the Morpheus role. Instead, overnight Neo became a Superman ripoff in a trench coat, fighting a thousand agents and literally flying through the sky. Then there were the forgettable one-off characters, endless monologues with the Architect, religious allegories, and finally Neo and Trinity die. This new film, Resurrections, is an odd duck because it's both a sequel and a sort of reboot, except the actors are 22 years older and all the ideas are old as well. Who cares anymore?

[PursonMusic]

Any sequel that is relying on nostalgia as its main selling point is bound to fail. Blade runner 2049 worked because it respected the source material and introduced new and innovative ideas, they used practical effects and slow, meaningful editing. It's a visceral experience that draws you in and gives you time to think about the deeper meaning Villeneuve intended. It expanded the universe but everything new that was introduced felt at home within the world of the original. There was no need for gratituitous flash backs or corny forces lines that called back to the original. Its the polar opposite of the star wars sequels and they failed because they tried to pander to the masses and diluted the brand while insulting the fans in the process.

[KokuouBenso]

Kermode is the first one I've seen compare it to Craven's New Nightmare which is a brilliant film.

Definitely agree with him here. A messy flick but no necessarily terrible and it never committed to its big ideas. Also had sub par action.

[andysun]

"Do you think that's air you're breathing now? ". That’s how simple and perfect the Matrix was.

[alancx]

For me, the disappointment was that they alluded to the machines splitting in to factions, fighting each other and some defecting to the human side. That is a brilliant scenario to explore, perfect for some scifi meat to get in to. But it just got dropped for, well, I dont know. ...
So, either they failed with this film, or that's a setup for more films. But, I'm not sure if any one will care after this film.

[sweeperboy]

Watched it today, mainly out of loyalty to the original Matrix and a sense of nostalgia, as that film meant something to me, but also partly to escape The Marvel Hegemony. I went into it with eyes open regarding the so-so reviews. I have to say, it's...alright. The first and largest portion of the film is rather long, Neo getting back into the Matrix. I enjoyed this more than the final bit, which seemed to go past too quickly and was resolved too easily. Was it a great film? No. Was it terrible? Also no. I loved seeing some of the same characters again, after twenty years though.

And yes, The Matrix is a great standalone film.