In which my criticism and appreciation for the Matrix Resurrections are expressed

The world had changed a lot in the time between 2003 and 2021. The Wachowskis had their gender resignments separately. Keanu Reeves had some highs and lows before he returned to the high of “being inseparable from a film franchise” with the John Wick flicks. Yours truly had turned from “chasing that ‘cutting edge’” to “go portable or go get bent” in terms of gaming. All in all, 18 years is a long time to release a sequel after. And Joel Silver was not producing this one.

Despite the Wachowskis’ statement that they would not make another Matrix sequel back in the aughts, Warner sure kept the franchise cooking, including a failed attempt to chase World of Warcraft. In fact, Matrix Online’s “shadow” remains until these days, or at least over this movie released in 2021.

Since the Matrix Resurrections were on Max the same day as the theatrical release, here in the city hosting miHoYo global headquarters the movie is watchable through you-know-how method (Same method I watched Dune Part 1). That was a freezing day in late December, 2021, a couple of days before Christmas and given the movie’s title, it is fittingly a very Christmas Movie, capital C and M, about miracles.

The Bad

2003’s Revolutions is not a whole Matrix movie on its own. It’s a direct continuation of Reloaded and it lacks the one key factor of Matrix opening: Trinity whacking dudes and running from Agents. Resurrections does open with Trinity whacking dudes as an homage to the 1999 original with both upgrade and downgrade. The dudes getting whacked are upgraded since they are fully kitted SWAT armed with full-automatic weapons. “Trinity” herself is the direct-to-video counterpart to the character played by Carrie-Anne Moss. The behind-the-scene material in the home media release call the cast member in this scene a stunt performance rather than an actor.

But direct-to-video Trinity is not point-of-view character here, a new lass named Bugs is. Introducing herself with “Bugs as in ‘Bunny’” is the first sign of this movie saying “Try not to take this one too seriously”. Bugs meets the lead Agent, a black man called Smith in a peaceful talk, gunpoint not withdrawn. This Black Smith says he is waiting for someone who can get him out and Bugs does so. Only it’s not out of the Matrix but a Modal, something closer to Construct in the previous movies in terms of its relatively small scale.

After this we got somewhere similar to the first act of the 1999 original: Keanu Reeves as Thomas Anderson unknowingly in the Matrix. But Anderson is no longer a low ranked employee but a combination of id’s 2 Johns with some Hideo Kojima dust on the top. The real Geoff Keighley even gave this movie a fake TGA trophy as prop, since Anderson won it in 1999 for a video game titled Matrix. Unlike in the 1999 original, he is not looking for Morpheus but pining for a married woman with kids played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Then, Thomas “Johns Kojima” Anderson was tasked to make Matrix the fourth as a video game, with all the brainstorming bullshit to follow.

After this dicking around, Black Smith, or Morpheus the machine, tries to get Anderson to remember about Neo and get him out of the Matrix in Anderson’s office. As it follows the 1999 original, Anderson simply cannot do it in his office while the second time is the charm. Plus, a woman has to ask Tommy Anderson nicely. Anderson at the end of history once again turns into Neo in the desert of real and sees Trinity, actually played by Moss here, in the pod close to him. Another “Stop trying to hit me and hit me” sparring against Morpheus the machine, Neo is finally back to the future.

Here in miHoYo’s country of origin and before Reeves flicks got banned for the actor’s statements regarding Tibet, the Matrix Resurrections were officially released with the subtitle “ju zhen chong qi”, meaning “matrix rebooted” literally. It’s a fitting title when this first act is concerned.

Personally, I think this Force Awakens bullshit is the bad part of this movie. A fan girl (Rey/Bugs) looking for the legend of old, assisted by a black actor who deserves a whole movie banked on his own (John Boyega/Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Then beat by beat, the classic tale unfolds as if it’s time of old. And the Merovingian’s guest appearance later is pure cringe. However, Lana Wachowski has a much better sense with science fiction than Abrams, and this new desert of real had more to offer than the so-called era of resistance.

The Good

Neo thinks wrongly that his effort in Revolutions mounts to little. As Neo recovers and starts to settle in Bugs’ much newer hovercraft (The more animal tail looking rear being the dead giveaway for audience), he starts to notice the machine crew members. Apparently the “men versus machines” binary is gone now.

Humanity has a new city called I/O and here they live a better life with the assistance of the machines who have “bleed hearts”. It’s no utopia but it’s gentler than Zion’s more militarized mentality. Niobe is the third face from the original trilogy here, though “Mrs. Will Smith” is unrecognizable under all that aging make-up. Here there is almost a retracking of Reloaded, another guided tour of another human city. There is fake sky that also serves a water and air filter. There is an orchard to grow fruits in. There is the memento for Morpheus, the one played by Lawrence Fishburne that is. Apparently, Matrix Online’s assassination of Morpheus is canon in this one. Guess Lana Wachowski can only undo her part for the franchise.

While the rest of this movie is about rescuing Trinity, it’s nice to be reminded where Neo where rescue her to. The final rescue mission lays out like a heist and ultimately Trinity does things the One does, namely flying and implied that she got administer access to the Matrix system like Neo after he got shot by Smith for the first time. Over all it’s a happy ending, but I cannot shock the feeling that it’s just the ending of that 1999 film.

The “Ugly”

Watching Resurrections within 24 hours after watching the 2003 sequels is seeing how much worse movies look compared to yesteryear. Despite the amount of digital effect in them, the 2003 movies were still largely shot on films. The 2021 movie looks like it’s taped rather than filmed. Those shots with Keanu Reeves in the sunlight do make the man look like a polygonal model, a very detailed one mind you but still a sense of fake, rather than a human being. Makes me wonder if is video game “rising” to the level of movie or is movie “lowering” itself to video game. After all, no polygonal photoreal game nails the “filmed” feel outside grains.

Lana Wachowski likes video games or so her IMDB page told me. One small aspect of Resurrections makes me believe it. It can be called flashbacks, with glimpses into the trilogy, usually after a plot point is referenced. Kind of like Guns of Patriots. And of course, the way Jonathan Groff’s Smith menaces Neo is quite like Liquid Ocelot menacing Old Snake.

And then there is the action. I think they are okay. Obviously cannot be compared to the first 2 movies. Since this 2021 one is more of a farce, Revolutions’ war scenes are not here either. But after seeing Reeves almost killed his fellow John Wick 4 cast member by saying that opening scene in the final fight of Revolutions took 95 takes, it’s only understandable why Lana Wachowski took a more laid-back approach for Resurrections.

The last of Triple A

Wachowskis seem to like naming the antagonists with A-words: Agent, Architect and, this is on Lana alone, Analyst. Agents are the only kind who trade blows with the good guys. Architect, aka an evil Santa Claus looking motherfucker, is the one who kept part of humanity alive, so no point for the One to punch him in the face. Then there is Neil Patrick Harris as the Analyst, one woman-hating program who control humanity through feeling. (Or is it “necessary fiction”?) Yours truly first saw Harris when he hosted Spike TV’s Video Game Award 2010, and seeing Trinity’s victory lap over his character in Resurrections feels good.

Compared to Smith and other Agents, Analyst is a more active warden of this digital prison. While Agents only enforce rules, this one make their own. They completely embrace the void left by state power and corporate interest by stepping into the lie for profit business. They are a clown fuck for sure, but at least they surpass Smith the virus on the insidious front.

Red, blue and “poison”

Four installment trilogy can be seen as the story of Keanu Reeves’ life. Or at least the part involves franchises. John Wick is another one starring him with humble beginning, robust middle and a long-awaited ending. Though John Wick 4 did well enough for Liongate to consider sequel, so Chan Stahelski will be ready with a metaphorical shovel and some myth can be made into cold hard fact. Lana Wachowski seems more lucky on that front, with a piece of fan fiction bringing back old favorites mainly for herself, and assholes like yours truly at least appreciate the motion. Warner can make its extraction shooter and call it Matrix Online 2, I would just jack out happy seeing Neo and Trinity doing their “Cyptonians on Earth” thing. At least until a Christmas day when I want to see something dumb fun.

(The End)