A Reel Review - THE MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS

In 1999, the Wachowski siblings’ THE MATRIX became one of the coolest movies ever made; with trailblazing new visual effects and a storyline that warped everyone’s minds. Two divisive and mixed sequels followed; RELOADED (2003), and REVOLUTIONS (also 2003). Here in 2021, Lana Wachowski brings the franchise (which has also included comics and an animated series), back from the dead with RESURRECTIONS. 

 

Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), is the award-winning designer of The Matrix video game trilogy, who secretly crushes on Tiffany (Carrie-Ann Moss); a mother of three whom he sees at the local coffee shop, and is also seeing a therapist (Neil Patrick Harris), to deal with the outrageous flashbacks he has…which has also inspired his video games. Anderson has his world upended when he meets Bugs (Jessica Henwick), and Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). 

 

Set 60 years after the events of the previous film, RESURRECTIONS first unfolds as a mystery. Anderson of course, turns out to be Neo…the savior of mankind who are in reality in a stasis for the machines…who only keep humans alive for energy and exist only in the virtual Matrix. Tiffany of course, turns out to be Trinity…and the last we saw her and Neo, they were sacrificing themselves to earn an uneasy truce between the machines and what was left of mankind. How Neo and Trinity survived and why they have been kept alive all these years is the first hook of the film. 

 

Since this is a Wachowski film, there are deeper themes at work here. The film is littered with nostalgia (including the stunning opening scene), but instead of cheap thrills we get when seeing something beloved from the past, Wachowski is questioning by we can be obsessed with the past, and from a creative standpoint, if it is necessary to bring back stories and characters from 20 years ago (a question that Anderson and his video-game colleagues also wrestle with, in a neat self-referential first act). As a legacy sequel, RESURRECTIONS does it brilliantly. 

 

The film looks gorgeous, the action well-paced and executed, and the surprises and call-backs to the previous films perfectly timed. There are places where it could have been a lot tighter, as there are one too many bewildering scenes where complicated shit has to be explained, but it is no dealbreaker. The score by Johnny Kilmek and Tom Tykwere is excellent. 

 

Acting is great all around. Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann-Moss pick up their chemistry as if no time has ever passed. Jessica Henwick is an elemental force. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II picks up the sunglasses of Morpheus very well…and be prepared for a few cameo surprises.

 

Legacy sequels have been one of Hollywood’s favorite toys in the last 15 years or so, and RESURRECTIONS separates itself from the herd by being clever and bold in its storytelling. THE MATRIX was ahead of its time in 1999, and it is ahead of the game in 2021. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it