For a film series which started in 1999 and we last heard from in 2003, I am sure even the most devoted fans of the Matrix must have been taken by surprise when Lana Wachowski announced that she would be doing another Matrix film. Further surprise came in the fact that she was doing it without her sister Lily. The first reaction was probably glee and then a holding of breath related to seeing what was going to be produced.
Pressure comes along with the making of the film like this. In 1999, The Matrix was acknowledged as a genre redefining film. Changed what had come before and what was to come in the fantasy/sci-fi film genre. With its borrowing from the Hong Kong look and introducing a level of special effects never seen before. Plus a storyline that was more complex than what we had been used to. Film fans ate it up with a spoon. Everyone sat up and took notice. Including filmmakers. There is rarely a film in the superhero or sci-fi genres that have not been influenced by The Matrix.
Mr. Anderson is back and Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is faced with another decision. Will he choose red or blue this time? Will he follow the white rabbit again? He wants to figure out once and for all if his reality is real or just a construct?
The Matrix Resurrections continues in a world of two realities. What we see and what lays behind this. Familiar faces are back in the cast while new ones are introduced. We once again get Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss in their iconic roles and they are reunited with Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson. Joining the cast are Christina Ricci, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Jessica Henwick, and Max Riemelt.
This is your stereotypical love it or hate it type of film. No one was left in the middle after watching it. Realistically it is hard, if not impossible, to live up to the hype and expectations. Unless you were going to be genre redefining then would it not be seen as a failure? That is a lot of pressure on Lana Wachowski’s shoulders. I think it is fair to say that this one is not up to the level of the original film, but is as good or maybe even better than Revolutions and Reloaded.
A wave of nostalgia will wash over you once the film starts. It is like revisiting a country you loved but have not visited for around two decades. Familiar yet changed. A fun film to watch and the special effects, while not groundbreaking, are solid. Take the journey with Neo and Trinity and they will show you it is well worth your time.
SPECIAL FEATURES
No One Can Be Told What the Matrix Is
Resurrecting The Matrix
Neo x Trinity: Return to The Matrix
Allies + Adversaries: The Matrix Remixed
Matrix 4 Life
I Still Know Kung Fu
The MatrixReactions:
Echo Opening, Deus Machina, Welcome to IØ, Morpheus vs. Neo, Exiles Fight, Neo vs. Smith, Bullet , Time Redux, The San Fran Chase, The San Fran Jump
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