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My take on The Matrix Ressurections. (This thread is Spoilers made flesh)

Tschumi

Member
I did a search here and found no 'Matrix Ressurections Reviews' thread or anything so, not wanting the responsibility of linking in every major review for the thing like most review threads, I'm just gonna do my own standalone post about the film.

I saw it yesterday with my girl. The rest of this will be spoiled and it will contain spoilers. So ye've been warned.

Further warning: Also don't read comments if you don't want to be spoiled in case anyone's 'spoiler' bar is set a bit lower than yours.

*since this has been more widely viewed, I'll unspoil my thoughts*

I'll just come straight out with it, this film is about 20% great and 80% crap.

Also making it clear that I went in entirely innocent of any info about the production for the film, I'm still totally ignorant to that.

First of all, I have no idea of the politics or whatever behind it, but this wasn't made by the Wachowski sisters, it was made only by Lana Wachowski. I don't know how much bearing that had on the final product, the decisions behind it, but it certainly comes off more as the witches brew of one fertile mind rather than a pair of them.

Also there was clearly less of a budget for it - somewhat surprising for me - and that was evidenced in the use of CGI for fight scenes that would have made extensive use of wire and pulleys in the OG film and a fair portion of the rest of that trilogy. It is extremely jarring when, in the first scene, an obvious stunt double for Trinity recreates her fight from the start of the OG film, but half of her moves are done with CGI. The feeling is: If they could do it that way then, why do it this way now?

In generally I think CGI killed a lot of the magic of the film. That can be said of all films. I just, I weep for special effects and respect any films that still take the time to use them.

Okay, before I get into the gripes, i'll highlight the positives:
> Keanu Reeves. He was actually damn good in this film. I mean, he's not always been the best actor around, but he got this one very right. He's got a good mix of inner conflict, confusion, honesty splayed across his face (when he's trying to figure out what's going on with Trinity, in particuar) and like in the original films he kinda sells the CGI 'force power' moments.

>Carrie Anne Moss. You can't blame her for the things they make her do, and you can't blame her for the natural processes which have spread her hips a bit and necessitated some creative camera cutting and wardrobe choices to help us overlook the route her physique has taken since the OG films. She is a pretty good 'Tiffany', a real everyday busy mum vibe with some very well communicated warmth when she's interacting with Reeves.

> Neo and Tirnity. Although it is also probably the film's downfall, the way the dynamic of the series is shifted to indicate that Neo only did what he did because of Trinity's love gives the actors a chance to really chemistry it up, and they do it really well.

> The opening act. Neo really doesn't want to get out of the Matrix. I thought this might be because some part of him knew that his entering a pocket matrix was part of his peace pact with the machines (turns out no), but anyway watching him struggle with his reality and, eventually, having to be forced to change his mind was pretty good.

> Most of the social commentary. They take dead aim on social media and people who let it make up their political minds, and the [kind of stuff this forum happily no longer talks about] dipshits.

> Eréndira Ibarra's Matrix-world appearance, in particular those nice, very short tailored shorts. Yes indeed. Nom nom. Can confirm I am available for mounting an important mission with her? Pardon me.

photo-yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-erendira-ibarra-brian-j-smith-1406983.jpg

> The brief vision of a machine civil war, that was cool, like The Terminator meets the Matrix, but it only lasted about 5 seconds.

> The idea of Agent Smith. I dunno why they didn't get Hugo Weaving, has he died? No, he's only 61, gosh that guy's been middle aged for at least 30 years, but yeah they failed to get him so they had to find a new Smith and imply that his personality has kinda clung to Neo's and found itself in Neo's universe, dormant, in the body of Neo's boss. I mean, I'm sure the 'architect' of this Matrix did this, but I can't wrap my head around the convoluted reasoning. Anyway, I don't like the actor, but I like most of the lines and, yeah, the idea. Actually though I think I'm gonna make this a negative point because of the Deus Ex Machina role he plays in the final part of the film.

I'll add to this if I think of more as I go, but I think those *counts* several things cover what I liked about the film.
 
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Tschumi

Member
Okay the post was bugging and not posting with my original write up so I'm putting the negatives in a seperate post:

*unspoilered*
Negatives:
Where to begin? I could really begin anywhere.
> The new 'Architect'. I'm not even gonna look this turd's name up but he got famous being the wise cracking pipsqueak in 'how I rubbed your father' or whatever the show's called. Anyway, he's been asked to parachute into this film with all that background and make a zaney, more modern 'counterpoint' to Colonel Sanders Presents: The Architect from the OG trilogy. It's fucking stupid. He can't deliver lines with menace, he can't intimidate, he is wayyy too close to Dr Evil for comfort. mmmyeheheheheheee fuck you.

> The whole fucking reason that justifies these films. Apparently, after Neo died, some middle-management stooge (how i bred your panda) just fucking waited for silence and stole his body and squirreled it away in a machine city sewer, got his minions (not designed by HR Geiger's cousin this time, wtf?) to rebuild him with much screaming and shoved him back in a pod to power a little pocket Matrix. Not The Matrix. But referred to as The Matrix. I think. Maybe it is The Matrix but it's been turned over to the rule of this middle-management stooge. And all the old characters have been 'purged' for convenience' sake nasty points. I don't fucking know. Actually I think it's a Matrix that Neo made to send messages out of the Matrix. Fuck. Neo is alive because he's been used by the cock from How I Changed your Lightbulb. And Trinity's been sub'd in too to provide LITERAL GOOD VIBES ENERGY by being adjacent to Neo. Jesus.

> The sole cast member they brought back apart from Neo and Trinity. FUCKIGN NAOMI. You know, the protagonist of Enter The Matrix? The spin-off game? I actually loved that game because I didn't know any better but Jesus. And she needed to look 60 years older so they did that ooooold dark magic, chucking heaps of fakeup on her face and getting her to speak in a gravelly, broken voice, move in a kinda stilted way, and ... well, why not garnish it a bit? CHUCK A RASTA BIRDSNEST on her head. Wtf? She wasn't rasta, her man wasn't rasta, but apparently as matriarch of the city of Redo (that's its name, right?) she is charged with the grave task of maintaining a ridiculous hairstyle. She represents members of the Trans counter culture who are happy with the gains that have been made since 1999 and don't want to risk stirring up trouble in pursuit of the truth.

> The shadow of films 2 and 3. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back famously dialed up the merchandisability by introducing a bunch of new characters ,settings, costumes, for toys. It's clear that The Matrix 2 and 3 (yes, you guessed it, I've straight up forgotten their names. Okay I just remembered them but I'm not gonna bother typing them) went down the same route. They made a whole new fashion line: "derelict" from Zoolander, except made with Andean yak-fur. yyyyyak yak yak. They made a bunch of new pilots with viciously cool names like Ghost and Naomi and, other much more interesting names that I've long since forgotten. They made a general who hates Neo, they made a Real World Agent Smith (why didn't that guy come back for this? Why didn't this film's Smith just totally ape Weaving's delivery like that guy did?) What Lana has forgotten is that neither of these films was any good, and nobody really liked them or the three tonnes of shit they brought into the franchise, they all just made hay on the rep of the OG Matrix film. That goodwill is gone, now, Lana, and I don't give the slightest shit about the line of hover...craft...ship...submarine thing captains standing at attetntion in front of Naomi's hairstyle.

> The New Morpheus. Why the fuck was this even necessary? He's a fourth wall flirting nincompoop with a totally weird personality and a diminished role, weird outfits (OG morpheus was, keep in mind, L.E.G.I.T.) and, like, a weird ethereal path into the plot. Essentially one of the Agents in this pocket Matrix that imprisons Neo and Trinity, er, looks into Neo's eyes, or something, and realizes that he ... is.. Morpheus? Apparently Morpheus is now a digital being? After he was basically the Moses of non-digital lifeforms in the OG trilogy? And he uses capuera only in the dojo? Get fucked. Also, in the Real World he is (beacuse he's not real anymore) a collection of little metal balls held together in his likeness with the magic of magnetism. Stupid.

> Some of the CGI locations. This is ridiculous. The Dojo where Morpheus saves Neo's life by getting him to fight him (ugh) looks ridiculous, the introductory cinematic to it looks ridiculous. The fucking red-leather 1970s Shinkansen train (no, they've never fucking looked like that) on the way to Tokyo (no, you never see Fuji from that angle when you're 'on the way to Tokyo'), puke. Puke puke puke. The new Unreal Engline 5 game LOOKS BETTER THAN THIS FILM. Also, for some reason the green matrix filter is gone? That reeks.

> The way the plot is resolved. Uhh, okay even in a heavily spoiled post I won't spoil this too much, but fucking how i thinned your paint architect guy agrees to let neo gamble on convincing trinity to leave the matrix, then predictably ignores it when things don't go his way, but then WEEEY Smith comes out of nowhere transcending all the cheats built into the system by blond wanker and solves everything. Until it's over. Then, nu-uh, their brief alliance must end. Puke.

> I lied, they brought back another cast member, it was the merovingian, that fucking (fake) french dude, but now he's a hobo like that key guy with bad teeth in the OG trilogy and ALL HE DOES is riff on his most iconic (and not very iconic at that) feature from the original films, his love of swearing in French. He just screams french gibberish at a mass brawl and says "ZIS IS NOT ZE END! I'LL BE BAAAACK!" when things don't go his way. I guess he's going to be in Matrix 5. Fuck off.

> The design of the machines in this film. Jesus, it seems like Lana has lost her edge from the 90s. They fucking wanted Barney the Machine and his buddies for this flick. Then there's the little Indian girl from the OG trilogy, all grown up now (good for her, her nose has been quite badly broken at some point in the last 15ish years, it's nice to see her again anyway), she's a program and apprently she has her own machine that she kinda flies around the Real World... It's a big, kinda, eagle/stingray thing, silver and blue, with a cloaking device and a rounded off beak. What the fuck. And the way she's introduced is stupid, too - 'fake old' Naomi says 'there's only ONE PERSON I'D TRUST WITH THIS DECISION' then this silver eagle random flies up outta nowhere. They could have shown her lookign over events in the runup to this scene quite easily, but no, she just comes outta nowhere at this point in the film. (she is actually referenced earlier in the film, winking at neo in his matrix, but it is so isolated and delievered so bluntly in a montage that it generates no 'who IS SHE?' intrigue) No.

> I have written enough so I'm not gonna tackle how the entire plot is just paper thin, contrived, pointless, popping in and out of existence like a quantum string, whatever. It's fucking shite.

> Turns out Neo wasn't the one, he and Trinity are, together, The One, and Neo has just lost his fucking flight Mojo, but Trinity can fly now, so she's the new badass making all the calls. but Neo can still stop bullets and cars and explosions, but only in a little bubble. They nerf'd Neo. It's fucking wrong. I've nothing against the reasoning behind this, men are always the hero so it's fine for Trinity to be the hero, but... Nah, it's not okay, because the film had neo as the hero, that's the thing, that's the Matrix, if you wanted to make a new series with a woman as a hero why not come up with a new IP?

> The ending music. It's a girl covering Wake Up by RATM, okay. Only they didn't have the rights to the riff, so that JUST SKIP ALL THE INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDES between verses and in stead she just raps and raps and raps. She raps with plenty of aggression but none of the integrity, I'm surprised they had the rights for her to scream "wake up" at the end, but she does it twice and only really screams the second time.


so, in summary, I like Neo and Trinity's acting and chemistry, I like the spanish actress' flattering clothes and hair styling, I like the social commentary (in 8 out of 10 instances maybe). And I detest a lot about it. That's all.

In Sseth fashion I rate this film 2 pocket universes out of ten apple turnovers. Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
OK, I can read between the lines on that one.

Is it at least worth seeing in the theater due to phenomenal stunts and action? Otherwise I'm watch it at home on HBO.
 

Tschumi

Member
OK, I can read between the lines on that one.

Is it at least worth seeing in the theater due to phenomenal stunts and action? Otherwise I'm watch it at home on HBO.
*gets a magnifying glass to look at the space between lines in his posts on this thread* wotchew reading, willis?

Stunts and action take place, can confirm.
 

I_D

Member
The CG issue has been my biggest concern since it was announced.
The trailers already make the special effects looks really bad. It's a shame, considering the first movie was so ground-breaking, in terms of effects.


I was hoping you'd say the CG was good, and it was just poorly-edited commercials.
Alas, that doesn't seem to be the case.
 

bender

What time is it?
I want to see it but I don't really have high expectations. For as much as I loved the original, well, until the very end when Neo Superman's out of a phone booth, the sequels were pretty disappointing. Reloaded had a few entertaining moments and Revolutions had no redeeming qualities. By in large, the sequels felt unnecessary and a new one even more so which makes me curious to see how it is justified and if the Wachowski's can pull it off.
 

Tschumi

Member
I want to see it but I don't really have high expectations. For as much as I loved the original, well, until the very end when Neo Superman's out of a phone booth, the sequels were pretty disappointing. Reloaded had a few entertaining moments and Revolutions had no redeeming qualities. By in large, the sequels felt unnecessary and a new one even more so which makes me curious to see how it is justified and if the Wachowski's can pull it off.
It's singular, only Lana Wachowski. Found that out with the closing credits.
 

Bluntman

Member
Completely agree. It was boring, convoluted with thin story and characters but somehow with a lot of overlong exposition that didn't make any sense. Also the action scenes were mostly shit and boring as well. In a Matrix movie.

No one loses out on anything if you watch this at home.
 
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IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Not surprised. I had low expectations for this film anyway as Lana Wachowski hasn't directed anything decent since the OG Matrix.
 

Saber

Gold Member
Tschumi Tschumi , I have a question
I might not have read that right...but is both Neo and Trinity the new "chosen one"(as a part of an entire new prophecy) or Neo was never the chosen one?

I like the idea of making them both a chosen one if its a new thing. Having them both being super powered characters that no can help each other in battle sounds neat in paper, while doesn't conflict the past.

But if it was the latter...and Neo was never a chosen one, only to be nerfed and now Trinity being the super powered one, then thats an incredibly shitty move.
 
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To be honest the trailers did fuck all for me. Like nothing. The Matrix hype died long ago. I think at the end of Matrix 2 the franchise should have stopped.
3 just threw it down the toilet, poured gasoline on it and set it alight.

I have no intentions to see this one because from the trailers its just the same old shit in a new coat of paint.

Thank you OP. Not wasting my money on this.. I'd rather go to a dirty ass titty bar and get by balls licked by a toothless hooker for $10
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I'll wait for it to come to NF in a year. Matrix 1 was great. 2 and 3 were garbage. They resembled video game mech shooters. I'd put that animation montage DVD second to the first film.
 

TastyPastry

Member
so why

is there a civil war between machines? what happened to the peace treaty between machines and humans? does zion still exist? does the movie even feel like a matrix movie, i've heard some reviews call this movie a comedy which is very worrying
 

Tschumi

Member
so why

is there a civil war between machines? what happened to the peace treaty between machines and humans? does zion still exist? does the movie even feel like a matrix movie, i've heard some reviews call this movie a comedy which is very worrying
actually the machine civil war came about from fighting over resources after the boss machines agreed to stop farming humans in such a large scale. This was one plot point i really enjoyed. This film isn't 100% crap. Just 80%. 20% was pretty good.

Tschumi Tschumi , I have a question
I might not have read that right...but is both Neo and Trinity the new "chosen one"(as a part of an entire new prophecy) or Neo was never the chosen one?

I like the idea of making them both a chosen one if its a new thing. Having them both being super powered characters that no can help each other in battle sounds neat in paper, while doesn't conflict the past.

But if it was the latter...and Neo was never a chosen one, only to be nerfed and now Trinity being the super powered one, then thats an incredibly shitty move.
Ah, hm, well i was partially checked out by the end of the film but I think it was set up in the ending montages that they create power when they're near each other... I don't think this is true, considering the first films... when neo did neo stuff after trinity had died and all, but yeah. So they're both the one, they share the one'ness, trinity has her mojo apparently though because she's the one who can fly now. it's... not The Matrix.

The Matrix Resurrections​


Vs

The Matrix Ressurections​

Is this the Asian bootleg clone movie?
bless me nush'er for i have sinned v_v
 
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Saber

Gold Member
Ah, hm, well i was partially checked out by the end of the film but I think it was set up in the ending montages that they create power when they're near each other... I don't think this is true, considering the first films... when neo did neo stuff after trinity had died and all, but yeah. So they're both the one, they share the one'ness, trinity has her mojo apparently though because she's the one who can fly now. it's... not The Matrix.

Agreed. Lot of moments on subsequent movies proves that Neo act of it's own once he finaly accepts he is the chosen one.
Seems like the ones behind those changes either didn't care or felt offended by those movies(I mean, Neo is a male after all, so it should be obvious they want to take away the "offensive hero saves princess" type of character, even though Trinity is way too far from being a princess). Should come to me as no surprise that they would change this. I, like many other here, had low expectations. But I didn't expect them to simply spit of whats left of good movies( at least in my opinion), because at the end of day if those sequels were just bad, people could simply ignore them. Shame, really.
 
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Tschumi

Member
Agreed. Lot of moments on subsequent movies proves that Neo act of it's own once he finaly accepts he is the chosen one.
Seems like the ones behind those changes either didn't care of felt offended by those movies(I mean, Neo is a male after all, so it should be obvious they want to take away the "offensive hero saves princess" type of character, even though Trinity is way too far from being a princess). Should come to me as no surprise that they would change this. I, like many other here, had low expectations. But I didn't expect them to simply spit of whats left of good movies( at least in my opinion), because at the end of day if those sequels were just bad, people could simply ignore them. Shame, really.
i got the feeling that they loved the character of neo, but they wanted to dial up trinity's importance to match society today. i mean, that's fair enough in my eyes, but i wish they'd done it with a new ip, rather than the matrix ip.

Childness aside, what is your issue with Neil Patrick Harris and How I Met Your Mother?
sorry if i triggered you, genuinely, i just don't rate him as an actor, and don't like his approach to communicating his lines, and found he nuked my immersion.

this was pretty much covered in my post when i said he " He can't deliver lines with menace, he can't intimidate, he is wayyy too close to Dr Evil for comfort." So, yeah, I mean the answer was right there for your question.

I wouldn't like david hyde-pierce in the role either and i loved frasier.
 
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kurisu_1974

is on perm warning for being a low level troll
As someone who thought the original was already cringe, this is going to be fun in a so bad it's good kinda way.

(I loved Animatrix, think that's the best piece of entertainment ever coming out of this franchise).
 
First two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Both positive.

Reactions seem all over the place on this one, which excites me. Even if it's dogshit, I'm gonna savor having another Matrix movie. LFG
 

Great Hair

Banned
A yt living in toyko had watched it days ago, and he gave it a 2 out 10.
... apparently the first 3 movies were just games made by neo, he added npcs using people of his dev. studio like discount agent smith, discount fishburne etc. Robots have a civil war, red vs blue and ....https://youtu.be/tQWCUu-tTz0
 

trikster40

Member
Yikes, IGN gave it a 4, and that sounds generous after reading the review. Glad I have HBO Max, I’ll be watching from home for free.
 

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
The spoiler regarding Trinity is really fucking weak. Especially considering in 1999 she was holding Neo down and literally CARRYING his ass through the original trilogy support and emotional support. Bruh. 2021 shit at its finest.
 

TastyPastry

Member
i wonder why WB agreed to go ahead with this. i mean it's cool of them that they asked the original creators if they have an idea for a sequel but as soon as they read the script they should have aborted the mission and give it to someone else. now they ruined an IP with an amazing potential for more movies and games. well done WB.
 
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