The Matrix Resurrections | December 22 2021 | Keanu, Lana Wachowski back

[ViktorLosAngeles]

This is, sadly, closer to “Revolutions” than the original and “Reloaded”. I loved the bike chase scene but everything else was too long, and somewhat weirdly shot. A guy next to me was snoring and even I almost fell asleep couple of times during the first hour.

 

Jokes are absolutely horrible, pretty much what I expected from what people were commenting. 

 

 

[ThomasNicole]

Great movie.

 

Unnecessary? Yes. Flawed? Yes. But still it's the best way to do another Matrix movie without rely on soft reboot or something like this.

 

Lana knows it's unnecessary and that the movie owns it's existance to WB desires of money, that's why it's so meta and it does incredibly clever observations about the industry. That alone is enough to respect this movie in a time that redoing the same thing over and over is the only thing that everyone seems to like.

 

Still, this meta thing don't overshadow the story, which this time is extremely simple (and expected considering we know the deepest discussions the Wachowskis wanted to talk about they did on the trilogy). But Ressurections is very effective in it's simplicity, and the way it expands and even upgrade some older ideas to match our new reality and social interests elevates the movie and make it relevant and very contemporary even if the story itself is "just" a love story, the ideas for Zion specifically is brilliant in how it twisted pretty much all the binary concepts of the trilogy in a few minutes (maybe it's because of moments like that some people compared to TLJ). 

 

I'm glad this time critics are kinder to the "manifest" type of filmmaking Wachowskis always did. Sadly i'm sure people will hate this, and i can't avoid to think many people will hate it not because of it's obvious problems but because unlike part of the audience this movie is non-conformist and refuse to be just a rehash of something already done, which is a strenght kinda surprising to achieve when it uses or remade so many iconic sequences of the trilogy.

Edited December 23, 2021 by ThomasNicole

[The GOAT]

Do I need to watch Matrix 2 and 3 to understand this latest addition to the saga?

[ThomasNicole]

Just now, The GOAT said:

Do I need to watch Matrix 2 and 3 to understand this latest addition to the saga?

It's not impossible to follows the story watching just the first one, because it's very simple overall, so i'd say no.

 

Watching the sequels made things more cohesive and some unspoken details more clear tho.

[SnokesLegs]

I really enjoyed this, it was great to watch a big budget franchise film and have no real idea where it was headed, and it was also great to jump back into that world which always had so much potential. Definitely the best Matrix sequel for me (and I actually don’t mind Reloaded/Revolutions, they’re big step down for the original, but they’re enjoyable for the most part). As other have said, it’s technically unnecessary, but it knows it, and it has fun with it, so I’m actually loathed to say it’s “unnecessary”.

 

I also didn’t have any issues with the action? There’s obviously nothing in it like the lobby shootout from the first film or even the freeway chase from Reloaded, but it worked, I could follow it, and unlike the sequels it seemed more interested in the story than just action for the sake of action.

 

Theres definitely some stuff (good stuff) that will trigger the incels though, so I’d write off that RT audience score!

[lorddemaxus]

3 hours ago, AJG said:

If you want to make a Matrix sequel then just make a Matrix sequel. Adding such a forceful and blatant faux-statement on sequels does not hide that this is one of the laziest and plain legacy sequels out there (at least Space Jam 2 tried to do something). The movie is so embarrassed to exist that they have a returning character yell about how there’s a lack of ‘originality’ and ‘too many sequels’, in the background of kung-fu fight scene for 5 minutes.

The entire movie is just Lana projecting her thoughts and (completely justified) frustrations on today onto the franchise that defined her career while also giving a ending to two characters that deserve a reunion. The movie is low stakes and it doesnt do what a sequel is supposed to do, but I thought it worked great as a way for an artist to just go through her own feelings on the past 20 or so years of her life. Its totally a film made for her than anyone else.

Edited December 23, 2021 by lorddemaxus

[XXR vs XXR]

 

I wonder if this will even make $60M domestically. 

[Menor the Destroyer]

Overall, I thought it was okay, and not quite sure why it's getting such pans from audiences. The action wasn't great but I liked some of the progression in the world and some new characters. Still I'm a little confused why this was seen as a "wild swing" or where TLJ comparisons came from. It didn't seem like it did anything controversial, just fairly standard stuff.

[WittyUsername]

28 minutes ago, GoblinXXR said:

 

I wonder if this will even make $60M domestically. 

Ouch. I knew the Cinemascore would be in the B range, but a B- is pretty bad for a big studio blockbuster. 

[BadOlCatSylvester]

After Jatinder's update even $50M sounds optimistic. It'll likely barely squeak past $20M over the 5 day weekend. The second weekend drop is going to be legendary. 80% would be amazing to witness.

 

Ultimately, this is the latest in a long line of movies tarnished by the sins of their fathers. Add the HBO Max effect and Endgame 2 to that, and you have the perfect gigaflop.

 

In hindsight, I think this would have at best underperformed no matter what. Audiences simply didn't ask for a fourth Matrix movie, and the word of mouth I'm seeing so far indicates that the movie doesn't give a particularly strong argument as to why it should exist.

 

Either way, Discovery has their work cut out for them. WB is beyond ****** once the merger closes next year.

Edited December 23, 2021 by BadOlCatSylvester

[The GOAT]

 

[Shanks]

First 30 minutes, I felt that movie was telling me I was too dumb so it wanted to explain what Matrix trilogies were. Exposition, Callbacks and Nostalgia were galore but done right it gives you NWH and done way too much gives you Matrix 4. At some point, it had over-powered the theme itself. 

 

Somewhere in between, it also explores which one is better to take, a bitter Pill or a sweet Pill even if the seemingly obvious choice is fake in itself. It's like taking a jibe at us viewers, who sit behind walls of screens ignoring reality but it also questions that - if we are happy doing that, are we wrong? 

 

I have lived enough to understand what movie wants to convey about Human-connections beyond it's all what's real or not, but I don't think teenagers would like to be told that.

 

If Matrix was 10/10, then this would be 5/10. 

[MikeQ]

I appreciate @ThomasNicole's take on the film.

 

This is the best of the sequels. Still plenty of flaws, like the others, but the most compelling. As one reviewer has said, this feels more essential than Reloaded/Revolutions.

 

I don't think it has any less action than the original film, but it doesn't have, let's say, the same carefully stylized violence as the previous films do. I can understand why some would be disappointed if this is what they are looking for, as the film isn't as thrilling, in a cinematic sense. There's action, etc, but I don't really care about it - which for me, is a similar shortcoming as the other sequels. (I think I read someone else in this thread say that the action in the original film feels connected to propelling the story forward, unlike in the follow up films.)

 

What I do care about here are Neo and Trinity, and it's really great to see them together again. It's evident that Lana channeled her grief into the making of this film, and the most explicit exploration yet of The Matrix as an allegory for being trans (with a compelling critique of binaries throughout). There's an emotional resonance here, and some interesting meta commentary, too. It's worth checking out for all of these reasons, and as far as "reboot" sequels go, it was refreshing.

 

Peace,

Mike

 

[lorddemaxus]

2 hours ago, Menor said:

Overall, I thought it was okay, and not quite sure why it's getting such pans from audiences. The action wasn't great but I liked some of the progression in the world and some new characters. Still I'm a little confused why this was seen as a "wild swing" or where TLJ comparisons came from. It didn't seem like it did anything controversial, just fairly standard stuff.

The wild swing is the fact that it was as idiosyncratic as it was (which TLJ even wasnt). Structurally the movie is a mess and it acts on an entirely different wavelength that makes it feel more like therapy for Lana than an actual sequel.  When was the last time we had a big blockbuster feel this slight? 

[Last Man Standing]

I don't get the "this is gonna be so divisive" takes, I thought it was just...alright. The meta first half was sorta interesting, the rest not as much, and the action wasn't great, but overall it didn't seem really that out there, which is what I expected based on early reactions and such.

[RRA]

2 hours ago, lorddemaxus said:

When was the last time we had a big blockbuster feel this slight? 

Most tbh? 

 

The same folks annoyed by Lena using this movie to vent about how Douchebros and Hollywood interpreted/weaponized her movie are the same that back in the day called those siblings hypocrites for having an anti-corporate screed in a big budget toy movie like Speed Racer for which I was cool with simply because...I found it genuine and hilarious you would get such a thread in such a movie. Whatever one thinks of MR or not, its interesting. How many blockbusters could comps with New Nightmare?

 

I know bloggers are latching onto the anti-blockbuster/legacy sequel meta-text (and gee with a legacy sequel the #1 movie in the world at the moment what a shock) but I found more fascinating the meta-text with Neo's (much younger) crew. The way they revere him, reminds me of how Keanu Reeves the movie star is treated now. I'm old enough to remember in the 90s when Keanu was knocked routinely as the pretty boy airhead who couldn't act, now he's got a multi-generational fanbase and dare I say he's...iconic? Another level is that after ranting about how Hollywood and douchebros interpreted and hijacked her movie and its iconography, I'm sure that crew is meant to represent the sort of folks, many on the fringe (even within nerdom) who probably came up to the Wachowskis over the decades to tell them how that movie blew their minds and inspired them. I mean that one crew member being basically a cosplayer of a Matrix character is WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE about this, but it works. MR really is about an artist's relationship to their art post-release and how its beyond their control. 

 

But nothing against the new guys, but...boy, one misses Fishburne and Weaving. Weaving granted turned down a chance to come back, but there's no reason why Fishburne couldn't have done Morpheus. It would've been a fascinating acting challenge to say the least and considering how he's booked here, you're not demanding old man Fishburne to be doing the crazy action he was doing decades ago. 

 

I say this is decent, even if the warehouse segment in the 2nd act in retrospect is the movie's biggest weakspot. Personally I was kinda hoping Lena would go George Miller/Fury Road here, pull up her armsleeves and show these dang punks of today *how* you do action scenes. Alas... 

Spoiler

I did laugh when somebody online knocked those exile programs dressed up like reject extras from Spielberg's Hook, but hey its nice to see Lambert Wilson go evil French cartoon again here.

 

[AJG]

Someone just pointed out the singer of that horrid Rage Against The Machine cover at the end of the film was the same girl that pissed on that guys face live on stage about three weeks ago. A small world indeed.

[TinRoyce]

8 hours ago, BadOlCatSylvester said:

After Jatinder's update even $50M sounds optimistic. It'll likely barely squeak past $20M over the 5 day weekend. The second weekend drop is going to be legendary. 80% would be amazing to witness.

 

Ultimately, this is the latest in a long line of movies tarnished by the sins of their fathers. Add the HBO Max effect and Endgame 2 to that, and you have the perfect gigaflop.

 

In hindsight, I think this would have at best underperformed no matter what. Audiences simply didn't ask for a fourth Matrix movie, and the word of mouth I'm seeing so far indicates that the movie doesn't give a particularly strong argument as to why it should exist.

 

Either way, Discovery has their work cut out for them. WB is beyond ****** once the merger closes next year.

The quorum (publicly available tracking data) showed strong interest in Matrix. I think people probably would have responded well to a Matrix Reloaded 2.0 - a big, heady action movie that rewarded being seen in theaters. 

 

I really like @RRA's fury road (missed) comp. If Matrix 4 was  to Matrix 1/2 as Fury Road was to Road Warrior, I think it would have made a lot of money. 

I also think recasting Weaving really messed with this film. The scenes with not-Weaving just don't pop and highlight the weak justification for the character's continued existence. 

[Menor the Destroyer]

5 hours ago, lorddemaxus said:

The wild swing is the fact that it was as idiosyncratic as it was (which TLJ even wasnt). Structurally the movie is a mess and it acts on an entirely different wavelength that makes it feel more like therapy for Lana than an actual sequel.  When was the last time we had a big blockbuster feel this slight? 

Other than one particular scene, it felt like it followed a fairly traditional structure. Nothing wrong with that, for me, but I didn't get this unusual feeling that you did.

[Krissykins]

8 hours ago, BadOlCatSylvester said:

After Jatinder's update even $50M sounds optimistic. It'll likely barely squeak past $20M over the 5 day weekend. The second weekend drop is going to be legendary. 80% would be amazing to witness.

 

Ultimately, this is the latest in a long line of movies tarnished by the sins of their fathers. Add the HBO Max effect and Endgame 2 to that, and you have the perfect gigaflop.

 

In hindsight, I think this would have at best underperformed no matter what. Audiences simply didn't ask for a fourth Matrix movie, and the word of mouth I'm seeing so far indicates that the movie doesn't give a particularly strong argument as to why it should exist.

 

Either way, Discovery has their work cut out for them. WB is beyond ****** once the merger closes next year.

Every paragraph of this post is really over the top and hysterical. 
 

But, barely squeaking past a $20m 6 day from a $6.2m Wednesday? At this time of year? It’ll be closer to $30m if not above.